Dan and I recently returned from a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list vacation to Australia. We had a great time and thrived on two weeks of constant togetherness, away from the normal demands on our time and attention.
After travelling around the world, we wanted to get the most out of our trip, so we definitely kept on the go! A few highlights from our trip:
Day 1-3: Sydney: Our funky 1 BR AirBnB was right along the Coogee to Bondi beach walk. The walkway was busy from pre-dawn to post-dark everyday, mostly by the very active locals who love to run–frequently with their dogs. The walk was breath-taking, and was the perfect way to stretch our legs after the looong flight. The best breakfast we had during our whole trip was at a little cafe at Clovelly beach; a french-toast based feast, which we enjoyed with our new favorite coffee drink – a flat white.
We spent time downtown seeing the usual, ‘must-see’ sights: including the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens. We had dinner with a friend who recently moved to Sydney, and we navigated the public transport system with mixed results. Other highlights were the stunning sunrise near Clovelly beach and a day trip into the Blue Mountains.
Day 4-9: Carnes / Great Barrier Reef area: We stayed between Carnes (the ‘r’ is silent) and Port Douglas in a rather hoity-toity resort (which was a bit overly fancy for Dan’s tastes). We spent a much anticipated day on a dive boat in the Great Barrier reef, where Dan scuba’d and I snorkled. After all my unsuccessful struggles to get scuba certified, it didn’t really matter; the snorkeling was just as amazing as the scuba-ing. I have never seen such an incredible concentration of colorful fish and coral – words don’t do it justice.
Our best dinner of the whole trip was at a place called NuNus, near our resort, which was recommended by one of our guides: they had some lamb stuff olives that were amazing. Overall, the food on our trip was nothing that special – fish and chips (fries) were prevalant everywhere. However, I must confess, that we are not ‘foodies’ and did not go out of our way to research cuisine experiences.
We took a couple day trips to the Daintree Rain Forest, that included zip-lining, and a boat ride thru croc infested waters. Between the crocs and the jellyfish, the waters can be dangerous, and we carefully obeyed all posted signs and rules! One of our guides told us that he has never heard of someone being merely ‘injured’ by a croc, since once they have you, you ARE their next meal.
Day 10-11 Coolum Beach: On the eastern coast, north of Brisbane about 90 minutes: We only had 2 days here, and the weather could not have been better. A 10 minute walk from our rental put us at the most inviting beach imaginable – with no crocs or jellies to worry about. We were the oldest couple boogie-boarding on the beach, so much fun!
Day 12 -14 Adelaide / Kangaroo Island (Southern coast): Our last stop was a two-day tour of Kangaroo Island, kicking off with a very early am pickup from our Adelaide hotel. The downside was lots of bus time, but that was offset by the incredible array of wildlife that we saw; including the obligatory roos, wallabys and koalas, but also Australian Sea Lions, seals, pelicans, penguins, many birds and raptors, and even a couple dingos. We were able to pet and feed many animals – but not the dingos! We learned a lot about the ecosystem, and the unexpected fact that feral cats are taking over large swathes of Australia, further endangering many native animals.
Our final Saturday started at 5 am in Adelaide and ended at 11:50 pm in Wisconsin: a 34 hour long day. We made it home tired, but safe and sound. We are already looking forward to our next great adventure… wherever that may be.