Australia & Surrounds

Australia is an ancient and vast sunburnt country of great unspoilt natural beauty. It is roughly the land size of USA but with the same population as Sri Lanka! Most of the people are clustered in the coastal cities. There is plenty to see but the distances mean that you might need to allow more travel time to see things properly. For example, to travel from Sydney to Perth takes around 5-6 hours flying time.

Australia has very friendly people, rich indigenous heritage, lovely beaches, mountains, rainforests, wildlife, marine life, bushwalks, etc. It also has very modern cosmopolitan cities with great sporting precincts, a vibrant food, cafe and bar scene with mediterranean and asian influences. The climate is generally very pleasant meaning you can truly enjoy the great outdoors in a comfortable t-shirt for most of the year. Here are some of my personal travel highlights. I am sure you can add several more!

Sightseeing Tips

• Sydney – Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Bondi to Bronte Walk, Ferry to Manly, QVB, Sydney Cricket Ground, Taronga Zoo, Blue Mountains
• Blue mountains – Leura Village, Scenic World Katoomba, Ruined Castle bushwalk, Euroka Clearing to watch Kangaroos at Sunset
• Cairns / Port Douglas – Snorkelling the Outer Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest
• Uluru – Visit Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, Valley of the winds
• Kangaroo Island – Caves Beach, Stokes Bay, Raptor Domain, Eucalyptus Distillery, Lavender Farm, Emu Bay Beach, Little Sahara Quad Biking, Tobogganing Sand Dunes, Admirals Arch & Remarkable Rocks, Dudley Wines Driving Range, Liguarian Honey, Coffee Beans
• Melbourne – Trams, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Great Ocean Rd & 12 Apostles
• Phillip island – Watch the Fairy Penguin Parade at Sunset
• Byron Bay – Surf, Lighthouse Walk, Hang Gliding, Eat at Orgasmic Falafel, Miss Margherita, Conscious Cafe, TopShop Burgers & Coffee, Cardamom Pod
• Hobart – Salamanca Markets, Mona Gallery, Lark Distillery, Mt Wellington
• Darwin – Crocs in Adelaide River, Mindle Beach for Sunset & Night Markets
• Canberra – Parliament House, National Museum, Art Gallery, Questacon, Hot Air Balloon Festival, Eat Breaky at Sweet Bones
• Hamilton Island – Sunset on the Hill, Whitehaven beach, Golf
• Gold Coast – Movie World, Sea World, Dream World, Cardamon Pod
• Jervis bay – Hyams Beach for the whitest sand in the world
• Fraser island – Lake McKenzie, Ship Wreck, 4WD Tours
• Kangaroo Valley – Motorcycle ride via Royal National Park
• Adelaide – Barossa Valley, McLaren Value, Adelaide Hills, Handorf, Adelaide Oval
• Hookes creek – Barrington Tops National Park
• Daylesford – Natural hot springs, scenic walks and gardens

And if you have a spare 48 hours to head across the ditch..

• Queenstown NZ – Helicopter to Remarkables, Gondola & Luge, Steamship to Walter Farm Homestead, Bungee Jumping, Wanaka Motorcycle & WarPlane Museum
• Auckland & Surrounds – Visit Hobbiton, Rotorua, Lake Taupo