I have just returned from my 3rd trip to Australia where I visited Sydney and Melbourne, again this was a fantastic experience in this exciting country.  On arriving in Sydney the sight of the Opera House and the Bridge gave me ‘goose bumps’ to think, wow I’m here again. The city is vibrant and areas like Darling Harbour, The Rocks and the Opera House are a magnet to the visitor. To take a harbour cruise and sail under the bridge while up above you the bridge climbers are making their way to the highest point is something you will not experience elsewhere. The waterfront is a hive of activity with ferries back and forth all day, a ferry across to Manly Beach for the afternoon is definitely a must do. I have done the bridge climb on a previous visit so didn’t do it again but my colleagues did a night climb and their reports were fantastic.  I did walk the bridge however at road level for an after breakfast stroll!

It is an easy city to walk around and areas like Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens are a haven of peace within the city. One of the highlights was a trip out to the Blue Mountains, a 2-hour drive out of Sydney and you are amongst spectacular scenery where you can enjoy walking tracks and the outdoor lifestyle. To stay at the fantastic Lilianfels hotel was a treat indeed and can be highly recommended.  Another afternoon was spent on Bondi beach trying to get to grips with surfing, which proved to be very popular.

The Opera House tour is very interesting and it was explained how this iconic design was very nearly overlooked and because of difficulties in construction was in danger of being abandoned altogether. What would Circular Quay be without the Opera House?

After Sydney we took the inland route to Canberra, the capital city for a whistle stop tour including the War Museum and Memorial which was very thought provoking, the view from here down to the Parliament building is the famous sight of Canberra. Then on to the Snowy Mountains resort of Thredbo. In the winter season this is
a bustling ski resort with excellent ski runs. We took the ski lift up and thenproceeded to walk to the ‘roof of Australia’ as Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia. In November there were still patches of snow on the ground.

The spectacular drive from Thredbo along the Barry Way via Kosciuszko National Park was quite hair raising, a single track through the Snowy River valley where cattle ranchers once drove their cattle, along here many wild kangaroos could be seen. The next stop was the town of Lakes Entrance the gateway to Gippsland Lakes and the Ninety Mile Beach, Australia’s longest beach. Our night here was spent in a Youth Hostel, a novel experience to say the least!

The following day we carried on to Melbourne via Wilson’s promontory, the most southerly tip of Australia and the delightfully named Squeaky Beach. This area is a national park and we stopped to observe a ‘mob’ of kangaroos that live here.

Our arrival in Melbourne was late afternoon and our evening invitation was to The Esplanade in St Kilda, where many famous artists started their career, we had dinner in the ESPY a popular venue with the St Kilda crowd. This is the beach area of Melbourne and is quite bohemian.

Melbourne is another fantastic city with a bustling lifestyle for visitors to enjoy. The city centre has some beautiful buildings, parklands and gardens to enjoy. It is very easy to get around with excellent transportation, the City Circle Tram, a free service offers a circular tour of the city where you can get on and off at leisure. It is also very easy to walk as it such a manageable size.

The café culture is very evident here with little lanes running between the streets where there are pavement cafes, restaurants and cake shops. I had a lovely selection of mini cup cakes and coffee, great!! One very novel café was a temporary structure made entirely of recycled materials, it would be there for 3 months and then taken down and moved on. We were served steaming hot chocolate in recycled jam jars!! The reason for the hot chocolate was the unseasonable hail stones that Melbourne had that morning in mid November!

For the shopping addict The Queen Victoria market, the many arcades and malls serve the shopper well; the famous Ugg boots were on everyone’s list.

Melbourne is famous for it’s sporting venues, the Grand Prix, cricket ground, tennis stadium are all located very centrally in the city. On a previous visit I spent a day at the Melbourne Cup, which is a fantastic event very similar to Ascot, when Melbourne is bursting at the seams with visitors, this is held in early November. If you are looking to spoil yourself whilst in Melbourne stay at the Langham Hotel where the evening dinner buffet was wonderful, I believe there is even the chocolate fountain at breakfast!

My stay in Melbourne was all too short and it was soon time to head to the airport for the midnight departure to Hong Kong and onwards to Manchester. The end of another wonderful visit to Australia, but there is plenty more for next time!!!

From the lush tropical rainforest to the burnt red desert, from the fantastic cosmopolitan cities to small traditional outback towns, combine some of the above to make the perfect Australia holiday. Australia offers the traveller a hospitable welcome, friendly people and a wealth of travel options at any time of the year.

In the past Australia has been considered to be a once in a lifetime destination, however we are seeing more and more people taking a two and three week holidays. Its quite possible to do a 2/3 centre holiday, for example: arriving in Sydney for 3 or 4 nights taking in the city sights and surrounding areas then moving up to Queensland where you can take advantage of one of the Reef’s mini cruises sailing in luxury round the Whitsunday’s, then moving on for a short stay at one of the many beach hotels, for example Port Douglas, OR if cruising isn’t for you maybe take in the Red Centre, visiting the breathtaking Ayers Rock.

Eco-Tourism is growing in popularity within Australia, with more and more people becoming aware of their carbon footprint. There is a wider range of Eco Friendly hotels available, for example: a new luxury eco wilderness lodge called Southern Ocean Lodge, located on the south west coast of Kangaroo Island, the luxurious suites create the ultimate fusion between nature and luxury. The gourmet food & wine is all locally sourced, and of course offers you the opportunity to discover some of Australia’s unique amazing wildlife. This is just one of my new favourites, however there are many more to choose from.
I have a great passion for Australia and believe the variety on offer means it has something for everyone. Don’t delay going down under for any longer, try the experience for yourself.

Although new customers of Garstang Travel my two sons (18 and 24) and myself  are not new to Australia. This was our 4th trip but as we were taking an Aussie novice with us we decided to revisit previous destinations to show her some of the “must dos” for first timers, whilst catching up with relatives dotted all over the place too.
We have always resisted the temptation to stop over. Previous trips have been via Heathrow but going Emirates this time meant we stopped in Dubai.

The second leg of the trip to Sydney was very long – but at least Emirates planes were slightly more spacious and the in-flight entertainment is awesome. Whichever way you go there do build in some recovery time. We wandered  round Sydney in glorious winter sunshine, through the Botanic Gardens and Hyde Park, getting our feet back on the ground.

That first sight of the iconic harbour with bridge and Opera House is truly a jaw dropping moment – it never fails to take my breath away.  For the ultimate view do the Bridge Climb.  It is expensive  but truly spectacular.  But be warned – they will breathalyse you first, and the grey boiler suits you will wear are not flattering!! Other well worth activities worth considering are Centerpoint for a 360 degree aerial view of Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Darling Harbour and the Maritime museum, just taking a ferry to Manly or for the more adventurous a jet boat ride round the harbour – but expect to get very wet despite the bright red waterproofs!

We had four nights in Sydney then flew up to Cairns for a week in Port Douglas. Very different from Sydney. Lovely winter warmth without the summer humidity. There are lots of restaurants, miles of beach, and just up the coast is the only place in the world where two world heritage sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and the Tropical Rainforest.

Visit Mossman Gorge and the Daintree if you have transport.  But do not miss the opportunity to visit the Barrier Reef – it may not be there for much longer and it is stunning. There are large and small local companies doing the trip. Some also include  whale watching if its the right season.

Our next stop was a week in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane. Strict local laws mean Noosa will never get any bigger, there are no high rise buildings but there are lovely walks, you could learn to surf, and there are some high class hotels and restaurants. We have also stayed on the Gold Coast which is high rise hotels, casinos and theme parks – but we prefer Noosa. There are lots of activities within a short distance. Great markets, a large aquarium at Mooloolaba, Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, a huge go-karting track and Bungy Bullet for the completely barmy! One particular high spot was doing the rainforest in a four wheel drive with Mike from OffBeat Tours. He even barbecues your lunch for you from the back of the truck!

We had a parting of the ways at the end of this week as the three young ones had to return home.  Our Aussie novice was converted – she loved Australia and wants to go back and  see more of it. I traveled down to Tasmania where I was staying with my aunt.  Tasmania is a lovely island (about the size of Ireland but with less than a million people there.) The climate is different from mainland Oz and it can be very cold and wet in winter. But its not winter as we know it and I had some lovely weather. There is spectacular scenery – more world heritage sites, Cradle Mountain and Wineglass Bay, old prisons which make you very glad you weren’t a convict, amazing underground caves and the freshest air you will ever breathe anywhere in the world.

I would recommend Australia to everyone who likes to travel. It is a unique place with fantastic wildlife and incredible scenery. You probably won’t manage it all in one go – save some for your next trip!

Liz, Dave and Robert Helm and Jenni

For city life mixed with seaside atmosphere there is nowhere better.

Further north the Ningaloo Reef and Monkey Mia is somewhere that you can experience amazing wildlife, the true Australian Outback and marine life you can only imagine.

Claire Donnelly – Australia Expert

The most amazing thing about Australia is the wildlife.

It is wonderful to see all the iconic creatures like kangaroos and koalas for real and there is always something or someone new to look out for.

Phillip island penguins will steal your heart away, unbelievably cute!

Sharon Pye – Australia Expert

There is something for everyone in Sydney!

From the bridge climb to Sydney Opera House, there’s shopping to jet boating, the sky tower and the rainforests, the Blue Mountains to Bondi Beach, surfing and the nightlife, cruising to diving, wine in the hunter valley and heli rides, sailing and not to forget the seafood platter at Nick’s plus so much more; you’ll never be bored in Sydney!

Emma Lowe – Australia Expert