Hey, travel superstar!
Eastern Australia is far away, kind of a pain to get to, and the jet lag is so real. Have I sold you, yet? It is a large, bustling, beautiful place regardless of how you get there. And once you get over the jet lag, you will not regret all you went through to get there.
Without further ado, here are 10 must dos while traveling through Eastern Australia (besides go to the beach).
1. Great Ocean Road/Phillip Island Tour
The Great Ocean road runs 243 km along south-eastern Australia. Many people start their tour in Melbourne. You do all or almost all of the road. The tours include zoos, rainforests, animals, lots of pictures, adorable surf towns, good food, good people, the Twelve Apostles, and of course...fairy penguins. Many people know of Phillip Island as home to the Hemsworth brothers (and quite a claim to fame that is). But I don't know if even they are as cute as the fairy penguins. One of the best parts is that you cannot take photos of the fairy penguins. This is great because you can actually watch these adorable creatures and enjoy the time you're spending there. You also don't have to watch them through the screen of the person's phone in front of you. The Twelve Apostles is the other main attraction of the Great Ocean Road. These are rock structures that extend up from the ocean just off the coastline. They make for some amazing photos and have a pretty unique origin. I used Otway tours for my exploration of this part of Australia and had an incredible time.
2. The Blue Mountains
Why are they called the Blue Mountains? How tall are the mountains? How did they form? Why is everyone so obsessed with them? What are the Three Sisters? Why are pictures from there so inspiring? Well you just have to find out the answer to these questions. Thsi beautiful landscape has to be seen to be believed. The clouds of smoke that lie just over the treetops give the valleys a mystical air while the sky seems so close you could reach out and touch it. But, do this for me...take at least five minutes in each part of the Blue Mountains you visit (and there is more than just the Three Sisters) and put your phone in your pocket and just look out at the beauty before you.
3. Dreamworld
Dreamworld is Australia's largest theme park located near Gold Coast. It is sponsored by DreamWorks (Madagascar). There are shows, tigers, and lots of rides. There are water rides, family rides, and my favorite - the Big 9 Thrill Rides. The scariest ride I went on was called the Buzzsaw. Wow. They do a few shows a day with the tigers - just showing some of their tricks and habits, which are pretty fascinating to watch.
4. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
Obviously this list is not in order. And everyone knows they should dive the GBR. Alternatively, snorkeling works just as well. A lot of the time while I was diving the GBR it was basically snorkeling with SCUBA gear on because it's pretty shallow in many places unless you choose the lower reef (Whitsundays) or the SS Yongala. You can choose to do a day dive trip or a liveaboard. I know people who have done the liveaboards and loved them. I did a day dive trip, which included two dives, and was also fantastic.
5. Taronga Zoo
The Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia was one of my favorite things I did in Australia. It's the only zoo that I have comfortably spent an entire day at. It's definitely a good value. You take a ferry over to it and there is so much to see. It is a zoo on a hill and once you get to the top the view is spectacular. It looks out over the Bridge and the Opera House. You can take a gondola to the top or back down to fully appreciate the view and how large the zoo is. The animals were some of the most active animals I've seen in a zoo. Plus, there are many unique Australian animals like platypus, koalas, and quokkas. On the Australian Walkabout you can get pretty close to kangaroos (close enough for a selfie!) and emus. You can also take a walk through the lemur exhibit. I went to this zoo three times...
6. Australia Zoo
Of course the Australia Zoo...an incredibly famous zoo because of the beloved Crocodile Hunter. This is the "home of Steve Irwin". One of the highlights is the "Crocoseum" that does daily crocodile shows that teach you how to be responsible around a crocodile. You can hold a koala. This is another very large zoo with tons to see and do. We had a blast here. It's especially good for families and children. It is located just outside of Brisbane.
For my adventure bunnies...skydiving is so worth it. My friend did skydiving in Byron Bay and I did it in Sydney. We were bused from Sydney to the skydive area where as we were coming down we got great views of the ocean and the Blue Mountains. This was so much fun. I definitely thought I would freak out more than I did and if you feel like this would be too much for you...like I did...maybe it's not and you should seriously consider doing it. If you've skydived before then this is such a great plae to do it again. If you haven't, it's such a great life experience and such a beautiful place to try it out.
8. See a show at the Sydney Opera House
So many people go to see the Sydney Opera House each year. It's an iconic building with its beautiful sails on the harbour. But, why not take it a step further? Tickets for shows are surprisingly cheap. You can also take a backstage tour if you're feeling like it. I saw a ballet here, which may not be my first choice of show, but I was captivated the whole time. And saying that you not only went to the Sydney Opera House but saw a show inside of it? Well that's worth it for sure.
9. Sydney Bridge Climb
Again for my more adventurous friends. This also costs a bit more than most people are willing to spend, but it is icnredible. It's totally safe and laughing at everyone in their jumpsuits is very fun. You get to walk up to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and see Sydney from a totally different point of view. You also get to learn a lot about the bridge and its history.
10. Go to a rainforest
There is no shortage of rainforests on Australia's east coast. From the tippy top of Queensland to the colder southern edge of Victoria. Any one you choose to explore will be beautiful. A few of my favorites that I visited are Otway, Paluma, and Hinterland (heart pool).
BONUS
Go on a wine tour!
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