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!
Melbourne’s Southbank is very touristy, but I’ve come to appreciate Southbank for its pretty river views and nice mix of cafes, bars and restaurants. There are some great places to eat and drink in Southbank, it’s just a matter of knowing where to go. Southbank is a short stroll across the footbridge from the city and is close to a number of hotels, making it … Continue reading The 10 Best Places to Eat & Drink in Southbank, Melbourne
Sovereign Hill is an immersive, open-air museum in Ballarat that recreates a 19th century town during Victoria’s Gold Rush. It’s one of the best things to do in the Goldfields, and a popular attraction year-round, but especially in winter when the whole “town” lights up after dark for the annual Winter Wonderlights festival. David & I visited Sovereign Hill for the Winter Wonderlights on a … Continue reading Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
A wintery weekend walk in the Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne was full of little surprises. First was the Spanish-style conservatory gardens, blissfully humid to keep the tropical plants and this transplanted Queenslander happy, right beside Captain Cook’s cottage, moved here from England. Behind it was a bright and breezy cafe where our table number was a playing card bearing a horoscope, the perfect place to … Continue reading Winter in the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne
On the weekend we had our first non-family guests – our friends Stef & Lachlan. It was so much fun having them stay with us and getting to enjoy our new city with old friends. One new Melbourne must-do for me was shopping on Chapel St – I hadn’t visited since I moved! It was better than I remembered, dangerous knowledge for my bank account. … Continue reading Sunday Stories 28.06.15
A weekend in the capital of food, wine & whisky-loving Tasmania meant one thing: Non-stop indulgence. A weekend of gastronomic overload wouldn’t be complete with a high tea in Hobart, at Hadley’s Hotel. Hobart is the second-oldest city in Australia, but it feels like the oldest. Unlike in Sydney, there are no skyscrapers or towering modern icons here. The sandstone warehouses & heritage buildings of Salamanca … Continue reading High Tea at Hadley’s Hotel, Hobart
I’m back in Melbourne after a seriously indulgent weekend in Hobart. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Sunday stories post – partly because now that we’ve settled in, we’ve had a quiet couple of weeks (apart from Hobart!) and partly because I’ve been working on a number of different projects that have kept me indoors. The trip left me hungry to see more … Continue reading Sunday Stories 21.06.15
The Queen Victoria Market is the biggest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and a Melbourne icon. It’s usually only open during the day time, but it runs the Queen Vic Night Market during the week on Wednesdays, throughout summer and winter. Instead of the usual traders, who predominantly sell fruit, vegetables and other produce, the Night Market is full of hot food stalls … Continue reading Melbourne’s Queen Vic Night Market
The Gold Coast is built on a long, narrow stretch of beach, backing onto a vast network of canals. It’s a little like a sunny Venice, but instead of being lined with colourful, crumbling buildings it’s lined with multi-million dollar mansions. In place of the man-powered gondolas, motorboats and jet skis zip through the canals. You don’t really realise the city’s unique geography, until you … Continue reading SkyPoint: The best views of the Gold Coast
It’s the Great Barrier Reef, but not as you know it. Green Island is a coral cay within the Great Barrier Reef, just off the coast of Cairns. My best friend Chloe & I visited on a day trip from Cairns during our week in the Whitsundays & Tropical North Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the main reasons we were visiting Tropical North … Continue reading Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef from Green Island
One of the most important parts of any trip to Hobart is deciding where to eat and drink. Tasmania’s capital is one of Australia’s best foodie destinations, despite it’s smalls size. Tasmania has built its reputation as a foodie destination on the back of hardworking salmon & oyster industries, distilleries and wineries, and countless producers, chefs and restauranteurs who bring their produce to life. Where … Continue reading Where to eat & drink in Hobart