This time last year my two friends and I set off for a fun trip to the East Coast of Australia for 3 weeks, flying into Melbourne, then to Sydney, next Brisbane and then began a road trip up the Sunshine Coast, stopping off until we reached Cairns.
I thought I'd share some of my snaps & tips from along the way
Melbourne
We started our trip from South so that we could brave the cold first and our trip would get warmer as we headed North, so flew into Melbourne on September 1st, and it was in-fact freezing!
Because of the cold weather we rented a car and set out for Great Ocean Rd, where you will find the Twelve Apostles and the beautiful coast line en route- be warned it's a full day of driving though, we got to the Twelve Apostles at sunset!
St Kilda is a cool area to visit, complete with Luna Park and I recommend going there in the day rather than night time during the winter as we did, it was pretty quiet!
The Crown casino strip is also worth a visit, plus a trip up the Sky Tower at night to get the most beautiful (but scary!) view of the city.
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| St Kilda |
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| The Twelve Apostles |
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| Sky Tower |
Sydney
We took a flight to Sydney from Melbourne where we had an Airbnb apartment in Darlinghurst waiting for us. Our host recommended we rent a car and head to the Blue Mountains, so that's exactly what we did! The views there were amazing but it was so cold there! The Museum of Contemporary Art is a cool gallery that is worth a visit and a drink overlooking the Opera House on their terrace, plus Manley Island via the ferry from the Opera House harbour for a few drinks on a Friday or Saturday night. Of course a trip to Bondi Beach is a must, where you can spot the stunning Iceberg pool overlooking the beach.
Rusty Rabbits in Darlinghurst is great for breakfast, The Print Room is a super pretty destination for lunch and dinner at Apollo or Almond- if you fancy Greek or Middle Eastern food.
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| View from the Museum of Contemporary Art |
Fraser Island & Whitsundays
From Sydney we caught a flight to Brisbane and picked up our car rental, we stopped off at Noosa and stayed in a farmhouse for the night and then headed for Rainbow beach in the morning where we were picked up by our Cool Dingo tour guides for our two night stay on Fraser Island. This was a tour recommended to me and it was the best activity we did on the East Coast, you have two days (one if you like) of exploring the island, including paddleboarding on Lake Mackenzie, the Champagne Pools and whale watching from an aeroplane if you wish.
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| Lake Mackenzie |
Whitsundays was our next stop, we drove to Airlie beach and booked our yellow speed boat to the islands from there. It's the most stunning view when you're there and the water is clear blue; you can do helicopter rides over the islands, however they are very expensive and we were saving our money for the Great Barrier Reef...
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| Whitsundays |
Cairns
Cairns was our final stop, this is the best place to swim and dive in the Great Barrier Reef. We booked a catamaran tour that stops off in a safe (shark free!) area and you have the option of both snorkeling and diving. As you can see, the views are amazing and the different types of fish you see there are incredible.
Daintree Rainforest is a must while you're there so that you can see the waterfalls, lakes and meet the aboriginals in the rainforest itself.
