It’s a dream for many travellers to travel Australia. With ancient landscapes, pristine national parks, lively cities, charming beach towns and dozens of spectacular wine regions, there is so much to love about visiting the land “down under.”
Whether you’re all about enjoyed the greater outdoors or indulging in world class restaurants and cultural experiences, you won’t forget your first visit to this beautiful country.
The long travel time for most international travellers means you’ll want to spend at least two weeks here, but three or four weeks would be even better. It’s important to remember that it’s a big country, and to factor in travel times. To really cover some ground, plan to fly rather than drive or train (our train system is nowhere near as useful for travellers as those in Europe or the US).
From coast to coast, there are countless destinations to choose from. Whether you’re looking to beach-hop down the east coast, stopping at major cities like Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne on the way, or you’re looking to experience charming country towns or the Red Centre, the hardest part will be narrowing down your itinerary!
Australia has more beaches than any other country in the world, with more than 10,000 beaches from coast to coast. From Whitehaven Beach to Wineglass Bay, from Bondi to Cottesloe, there are thousands of beautiful beaches to discover all over Australia. The best part about so many of the best beaches in Australia is that they can be reached easily from the major cities – … Continue reading The 25 Most Beautiful Beaches in Australia
Wineglass Bay in Tasmania is famous for being one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and has long been high on my travel wishlist. Located in Freycinet National Park on the beautiful East Coast of Tasmania, we visited in September on a 3-day trip from Melbourne. We built our 3 day itinerary around visiting Wineglass Bay & Freycinet, with some time spent in Launceston … Continue reading 3 Days in Tasmania: Wineglass Bay, Freycinet & The Tamar Valley
Filled with wineries, dotted with hot springs & fringed by beaches and coastal hikes, the Mornington Peninsula is the perfect girls weekend destination, year-round. This August, a group of girlfriends and I took our friend Erin away to the Mornington Peninsula for the weekend, to celebrate a milestone birthday. We rented a beautiful 4 bedroom house in Rye, and spent 24 hours visiting the new … Continue reading Girls Weekend: Alba Hot Springs & Wineries on the Mornington Peninsula
The Great Ocean Road is the best scenic drive in Australia, and one of the country’s most famous travel destinations. The Great Ocean Road stretches for 600km+ between Torquay and Port Fairy, and is home to famous sights like The Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park, beautiful waterfalls in Great Otway National Park and lots of laidback beach towns to stop at along the … Continue reading Great Ocean Road Travel Guide: Where to stay & what to do
With dozens of pristine beaches, vibrant and distinctive neighbourhoods and three national parks on its doorstep, the Gold Coast is one of the best travel destinations in Australia for first time visitors. Iconic beaches neighbourhoods like Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, Broadbeach and Coolangatta are just the beginning! This Gold Coast Travel Guide is designed for first time visitors, and visitors who haven’t spent much time … Continue reading The Ultimate Gold Coast Travel Guide
The Adelaide Hills wine region was one of the best surprises of our first trip to South Australia, so much so that we had to go back on our second! It’s a beautiful area, with scenic landscapes, dozens of award-winning, down-to-earth wineries and several lovely villages to explore. There are more than 60 wineries in the Adelaide Hills, and many of them are household names. … Continue reading The Best Wineries in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia
The pretty village of Hahndorf is small slice of 19th century Germany, tucked away in the Adelaide Hills. Just a 30-minute drive from Adelaide’s city centre, visiting Hahndorf is like briefly stepping back in time, and off the continent. In July 2021, we were lucky enough to time our postponed South Australia trip in the 10 days between Melbourne’s two long lockdowns. At the time, … Continue reading Hahndorf: A German Village in the Adelaide Hills
Spring is in full bloom in Melbourne, which reminded me of the radiant beauty of the Ballarat Begonia Festival, which David & I stumbled upon back in April of this year. Over the Easter long weekend, David & I spent the weekend in Hamilton in the Southern Grampians. A spontaneous stop in Ballarat on the long drive home delivered one of the most beautiful moments … Continue reading In Bloom: Ballarat Begonia Festival
The Sunshine Coast in Queensland has more than 30 beautiful beaches, between the towns of Caloundra, Maroochydore and Noosa. The most beautiful and popular beaches include Noosa Beach, Sunshine Beach, Kings Beach, Mooloolaba Beach, to name a few! I grew up in Brisbane, so have spent a lot of time on the Sunshine Coast on holidays and weekends from the city when I lived there. … Continue reading The 9 Best Beaches on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
This is something new I’m trying, since I unceremoniously dumped my New York City Life series after moving back to Australia (and I haven’t even posted my final NYC Life post – I think I’m still in denial that its over). I wanted to find a way to share more in real time (or close to it), and round up interesting travel news, openings and … Continue reading The Wanderbug Bites: October 2021