We’ve been going on a trip down memory lane just a bit: check out our trip to New Zealand post. On the heels of that article, I opened our Australia files, remembering what we did in Australia and what stuck with us 15(+) years later from our time on the coast and in the Outback. What did we do in Australia that we’d recommend as a long-lasting memory?
As I shared in our New Zealand post, Mr. Family Trip and I took our vacation to this part of the world pre-kids. We were fairly fresh off our wedding, but knew we wanted to get to Oceania before having kids. We hauled to the other side of the world before smartphones, individualized TV screens in each airplane seat, and blogs with one million tips and tricks at our fingertips.
We put together our Australia itinerary using good old-fashioned guidebooks and calling long distance on the telephone before our trip to arrange lodging (CRAZY).
Considering all that, it is interesting to contemplate what a visitor to Australia today sees, the top hits, and if we’d recommend those things with the knowledge of hindsight. Browsing online articles and guidebooks today, I don’t think much has changed. The places we saw that really stuck with us are still the Greatest Hits of Australia, for the most part.Â
I loved Australia (as do most human beings who go there). There is kindness and fun; there are underwater jungles and unique deserts; there is culture and ruggedness.Â
Australia is also HUGE! We took internal flights to navigate the high points of what we wanted to see. This meant spending at least two weeks in the country was important (go even longer if you can). It also meant more logistical coordination as well as money to see Australia.
Our stops were:
- Sydney
- Uluru
- Fraser Island
- Port Douglas/Cairns
- Brisbane
Those allowed us to see most of the spots we wanted, but we never did make it to one entire side of the continent! In fact, out of the total land mass of Australia, we saw a very small percentage. What we did see, however, packed a big punch.
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What we did in Australia that we'd recommend today
The Sydney Opera House - actually seeing a performance
Of course, the Sydney Opera House is iconic. It is the symbol of the city and one of the most recognizable pieces of architecture around the globe. Seeing this in person, perched like sails on the harbor, is amazing.
The Opera House originally opened in 1973 and was designed by a Dane and an Australian. It is currently a UNESCO World Heritage site (which you all know we love those). It is a cultural and architectural wonder. Over ten million people visit the Opera House every year – most stay outside.
There are a few ways to enjoy the interior of the Opera House, and going inside is worth the time. The architecture is as beautiful from the inside as it is out. You can take a guided tour if you want (joining the other 350,000 visitors a year who do this) to learn more about how the building was constructed.
But we decided to partake in the Opera House the way it was designed: to enjoy a performance. You may recall I was once a professional ballet dancer, and the stars aligned so we were able to see a Jerome Robbins ballet performed by the Australian Ballet during our stay in Sydney. Beforehand, we paired the show with a dinner at the high-end restaurant inside the Opera House. (It was a mesmerizing view, but we chuckled it was weird to look out over the Sydney Harbor and not see the Opera House on the horizon!)
- For more on the Sydney Opera House, including tickets, schedule, and restaurant reservations, visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com.
The Famous Bondi Beach
The weather wasn’t quite warm enough for us to lounge on this urban adjacent beach, but we made our way to Bondi Beach, of course. It was beautiful, as you would imagine, but what I remember most was the pool down by the jetty and the sidewalk cafes serving lunch with views of the beach.
- Learn more about Bondi Beach here: hellobondi.com.au.
Visiting Wineries
We live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and wineries are a “thing” around here. Things I love about exploring wineries: 1) it gets you into the countryside and out of the city, 2) you usually get to talk to small business owners who live in and contribute to their communities, and 3) you can enjoy someone’s passion and art as expressed through wine while sitting in a lovely setting.
All of this was the case during our tour around the Hunter Valley in Australia to taste wine.
We took the entire day to do this, having our own car, and enjoyed the leisurely pace, discovering wineries that looked interesting to us as we came upon them.
- In addition to others, we visited Tyrell’s winery and enjoyed the wines there a lot (even hauling some home).
- Check out this recent article on highly-rated wineries in the Hunter Valley.
Hiking the Blue Mountains
Writing this post has made me realize we’ve been “hiking travelers” for a long time! But this experience was one of the best things we did on our whole trip.
We rented a car to get us around Australia, so it was easy enough (using our guidebooks) to make our way to the trailhead. Since this was before any sort of Strava tracking app was an idea, I don’t recall exactly what trail we hiked or for how long. But I remember it wasn’t too terribly challenging but it was packed with views and vistas around every corner.
- Read this blog post for good information on hikes available (from easy to hard) and locations.
How Much we Hated Fraser Island
This may be a surprise, given how much we love nature and getting out of the urban environment, but we hated Fraser Island and wish we had skipped it.
It was hard to get to. It was expensive once on the island (you had to rent a 4X4 vehicle to go anywhere and those were at hostage prices). The hotel we stayed at was billed as luxury but was decidedly not. There wasn’t much to do without a vehicle or expensive tour – either by way of relaxing (there weren’t any amenities) or by way of eating. To make lemonade out of lemons, we grabbed some beverages and went to sit in the hot tub, in the rain, and the hot tub was COLD.Â
To make matters worse, we had terrible weather during our visit. Not being able to get out and see the island made an excursion that already felt like a waste of money and time even more miserable.
Of course, a lot of people rave about Fraser Island. Those rave reviews were why we went there, after all. But do your homework before you go to make sure it’s the right fit for you.
- If you are interested in Fraser Island and visiting, Nomadic Matt has the best guide.
The magic of Uluru
Seeing Uluru was absolutely worth the difficulties in navigating our way there. Located literally in the middle of nowhere, Uluru wasn’t easy to get to, but it was an epic experience for us.
We enjoyed a sunset dinner in the outback, similar to this experience.Â
And, of course, we set alarms to watch the sun rise over the rock, too, watching it change colors as the sun hit it at different angles.
We also hiked around the base (DO NOT GO UP ULURU, it is both illegal and disrespectful) and kept our eyes open for kangaroos and dingoes.
The magnificence of Uluru is how it pops up out of the landscape, without warning, and is a massive tableau against an otherwise arid and flat landscape. There is a reason humans believe it is a religious site – and you feel that when you are in its presence.
The crinkly cuts of the rock sides as they plunge back to the ground are beautiful and creative.Â
We met some other fun travelling couples on this stop (Aussies in campervans) and with them by our sides, laughed and enjoyed the freedom of Australia’s outback a lot.
- The Blonde Abroad has a great blog post on how to plan your trip to Uluru.
- Click here for a similar outdoor BBQ experience to what we did.
The Great Barrier Reef - and the Crazy Boat Ride to Get there
No trip to Australia is complete without time on the Great Barrier Reef. But this is a complicated excursion and not for the faint of heart, it turns out! It also isn’t without a dose of reality and doom, to be quite honest. The Great Barrier Reef is being bleached and changing at alarming rates due to climate change and global warming. Yet, as travelers, we get on our jet planes and use fossil fuels to propel us out to see this phenomenon. It’s contradictory and seemingly unresolvable. You have to hold both your privilege and your role in a changing landscape in the same bucket when heading out to the Reef.
We started our trip in Port Douglas and found a vendor to take us and dozens of others out for the day.
While I am technically a certified diver, I blew out an eardrum on a dive in Mallorca, Spain, a couple of years earlier. Mr. Family Trip dives (see here and here) while I snorkel. Fortunately, there are a great many companies that cater to both adventurers so we can frequently go together.
The trip to get to the Great Barrier Reef was a brutal boat ride. When we boarded, our ship’s crew kept urging everyone to take Dramamine (available for sale at the concessions stand). Mr. Family Trip and I are not usually prone to sea sickness or motion sickness. But as the crew was so persistent, and experienced, we listened to their advice and were so glad we did. As the boat went over huge swells and banged passengers around for what felt like hours (from Cairns, the Reef is 26 nautical miles from shore, which is not exactly a skip and a jump), we ended up being some of the only people not vomiting over the side of the boat.
We got into the suits required to protect us against invisible stinging organisms and jellyfish that frequent the water, and hopped in. The water was rough, so snorkelers got bounced around a bit. But HOLY COW, was this worth it.
So, despite the challenges, the conflicting feelings, and the Dramamine (listen to the ship crew), you really need to go do this if you are headed to Australia. It’s one of Mother Nature’s gems.
- For more on the experience, this is a great article on Forbes.com.
Daintree Rainforest
Daintree is the world’s oldest rainforest. It is also the furthest north we went on our tour of Australia.
There are many ways a person can spend time in Daintree, but we opted to get out on the water. We booked a boat tour of the Daintree River, looking for crocodiles and getting to talk to the guide the whole time as we had the tour to ourselves.
I remember seeing very large crocodiles, but I remember even more how impressive and powerful the untouched, verdant landscape was.
Interestingly, we visited Mossman Gorge, which is the top-rated thing to do in Daintree Rainforest right now, but I remember the boat ride even more.
- For more ideas on what to see and do in Daintree National Park, visit this post.
- For more on Mossman Gorge, visit this post.
How Surprised I was by Brisbane
Instead of driving back to Sydney and getting a flight to the States from there, we drove back to Brisbane, where we spent the night before gearing up for our return flight home around the globe.
I was so taken with Brisbane! Certainly less touristy than Sydney, I found the restaurants and bars to be real and lively. The water a pleasant surprise and the feeling of safety and ease lovely.
While Mr. Family Trip and I usually prefer the rugged landscape to the urban environments, Brisbane was a great stop for us.
There are one million and one different itineraries you can swipe from the Internet to plan your time in Australia. There are bucket lists of things to see and travel agents have their favorite hotels and hot spots. But slow down and take the time to really craft and create what you want to see.
Australia was easy to navigate and felt safe for us. This is a trip you can do on your own, if you want, and you can stumble on some special moments. I can physically relive the moment my breath caught in my throat as we turned a corner in the Blue Mountains and saw a flock of bright white cockatoos resting in a tree, silhouetted by a red cliff.
As always with travel reflections, I am reminded that the best trips we take are the ones that have a balance and blend between the Top Places to See (the places that become famous and popular because they are, indeed, amazing) and Real Life.
Ultimately, you want to create a trip that suits you and your goals (lucky for you, you have the Internet and websites like this one to help you!). But don’t scoff at or reject the places that seem to be what everyone else does simply out of snobbery. Those can be the spots where magic happens. Get outside the tourist traps and go explore on your own, but also don’t be afraid to embrace the things that make a country famous. Let your own trip unfurl before you, unique (just like you).