The Great Ocean Road is only a 243km stretch of pavement but it took much longer than a few hours to drive. The winding road between Torquay and Allansford was built between 1919 and 1932 as a memorial to fallen soldiers during World War I. Today it is a Read more…
We had some delays on the way to the Sydney airport and arrived with no time to waste. Nonetheless, we made the flight and it was uneventful. We had stunning views from our corner room on the 44th floor in the middle of the CBD. Melbourne was about coffee, Read more…
Vivid Sydney is a time when imagination literally shines bright. The city was filled with colorful displays both inside and outside of the buildings. Events were happening around the city during our entire stay. Our hotel was in the CBD and we easily walked to see the lights at Read more…
For years the red rock formation was known as Ayers Rock (after the Southern Australian Premier in 1872). Aboriginal history of the land goes back to the beginning of time and plays an important role in the creation stories. The government took ownership in the early 1900s. After years of Read more…
After three days on a boat, we needed to be on land. We drove up to Port Douglas, a unique beach town adjacent to two world heritage sites: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The cyclone that was the source of rough waters near Cairns was also generating Read more…
We were told to see the Great Barrier Reef in as many ways as possible. Our first experience was from above. Seeing the reef from a helicopter was surreal. It was exactly and nothing like what we imaged simultaneously. The scale was enormous, especially when we realized we were only Read more…
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of 74 islands and islets and we stayed on Hamilton Island. We found out through a text that our flight had been cancelled less than 24 hours before our departure. We had already been rebooked on a new flight by the time we called Read more…
The drive out of Brisbane was easy because the car rental was across the street from our hotel. After breakfast and a quick stroll into the Botanic Gardens we drove north for about two hours. We stopped at a scenic outlook on the Balmoral Ridge and discovered a group of Read more…
Brisbane is the third largest city by population in Australia. It has a small-town vibe with lots to offerings. We stayed in the CBD (central business district) and walked everywhere. The five nights passed quickly and we attribute this to the time spent with Astrid and Freda. Astrid is Read more…
It was bittersweet to leave New Zealand. We wanted to stay but also move along in our journey. The flight from Queenstown to the Gold Coast was uneventful. Once through the airport, we quickly caught an Uber to our apartment in Broadbeach. When booking the room, we thought the tenth Read more…