Now, Australia is different to anywhere we have been so far for the obvious reasons but also because we decided to hire a camepr van. We had over a month ahead of us in Ausralia and three weeks of it were going to be living in a van. I was so excited.

CAIRNS

We started our adventure off with a few days in Cairns. I got to meet up with one of my besties who has moved to Australia and it was so good to see her.

We spent our few days making sure we had everything we needed for our camper. We headed to a supermarket and stocked up on meal ideas and snacks to get us through a couple of days.

We picked up our hippie camper from Apollo, she was name Shania. It was basic, basically a glorifide van with a matress but it was perfect. It was everything we needed and just how we imagined it would be. The hire process was super smooth and we discovered that it was definietly the cheapest way to travel Australia.

I would 100% recommend getting a camper to travel Australia. The country is made to be explored by car with huge roads and beautiful scenery. There are also tons of free camping spots with great facilities that making finding a place to pitch up for the night easy. Australia has this road tripping thing down.

We had a rough idea where we were going (south) but kind of made it up as we went along. Roads are way more simple in Australia, there is one main road aptly called the Bruce Highway which runs down the east coast so its pretty easy not to get lost. No need for a sat-nav either as its all sign posted really well.

We also didn’t really know what we wanted to do to fill up our days. We had a couple of things in mind but we picked up leaflets anywhere we could of all the things there was to do in the area. Australia has tons of tourist spots which are full of information on the local town including all the things there are to do. It’s safe to say we became leaflet hoarders and ended up with about 80+ leaflets.

 

TABLELANDS

We started our road trip by explorng inland. We headed to Yungaburra and really got a taste of what this road trip was going to be like. We travelled on windey roads across a mountain until we were surrounded by green trees and empty roads. We had to stop a few times to take in the view from the mountain and get some pics.

Our first night free camping was an experience. We did evveerrrything wrong. We turned up in the dark and tried to cook using the light from the van. This only made every mosquito in the area come to visit so we spent half the time battleing them off and the other half fumbling around trying to set up the bed. We soon learned to get to campsites while it was still bright.

The next few days we travelled between waterfalls like Milla Milla falls to have a picnic or a stroll around the lakes.

 

INISFAIL

After a couple days exploring inland we headed back toward the coast with a stop in Inisfail. Lots of the towns are pretty small in Australia compared to back home, even a ‘big’ town is small to us but it was nice to see Australian life.

We made obligatory stops at the beach to do the usual writiing our names in the sand with a stick. As it was winter in Australia we pretty much had the beach to ourseleves. Don’t get me wrong Australia was colder then SE Asia but for winter it was still pretty hot. Well Queensland was anyways.

As we passed through Inisfail we headed to Paluma National Park to chill by the lake. We had some lunch and fed left over bread to the fresh water turtles that lived in the lake. Ryan was in his element.

 

TOWNSVILLE

We made the drive to Townsville passing miles and miles of sugar cane. Queensland is a massive sugar country and you are continuously surrouned by fields of cane and suagr mills. You feel small driving along side these huge sugar canes.

Just outside of Townsville is the Bilabong Sanctuary. It’s filled with all the typical aussie animals. There is Kangeroos just bouncing around that you are able to hand feed, Koalas just hanging out in trees that you can stroke, Wombats chilling in the sun. They also put on different shows throughout the day so we stuck around to see a few of them. We got to watch feeding time for the Crocs which was amazing because they were usually always sleeping. There were a couple of Cassowaries which is basically a really rare flightless bird. They look a bit like an emu but with a blue and red head.

 

MACKAY

The next main stop on our road trip was in the Mackay region. Mackay is a big sugar area so there seemed to be even more sugar cane fields and sugar mills around.

We stopped off in a little town called Sarina and went on a sugar shed tour. They had set up the whole sugar process in a tourist friendly environment. They take you out to their sugar cane field and talk through all the equitment used including the evolution on the equitment. After we saw the harvesting we were taken into the mill and watched the step by step process to make sugar. We got to try samples of the differenet stages from the sugar cane juice to the molasses. At the end of the tour you get to taste test all the products the sugar mill makes from candy floss to chutneys. We also got to try all the alcholic beverages made on the premises using the sugar which was pretty cool.

ROCKHAMPTON

Just outside of Rockhampton (which is nicknamed Rocky by the locals) is the Capricorn Caves. We had seen a leaflet and plently of sign boards on our drive from Cains and were interested in seeing some caves.

It was definietly worth a stop. We had an informative guided tour around the cave whilst squeezing through some of the passageways. The coolest part was when we were taken into the ‘cathedral’ which is named one; because it resembles a church with an organ and an alter and two; because they hold weddings there. They had the place lit however once we got in there they turned out the lights and played the song Hallaloah which showed off the amazing acoustics. It was pretty magical.

Rockhampton is also pretty cool because it has a free zoo and botanical gardens. We ended up spending the day exploring both before we headed off on our road trip.

TOWN OF 1770

The next stop on our trip was an unexpected one. Being the ignorant tourists we had never heard of the Town of 1770 but once we did we knew we had to stop. Town of 1770 is where Captain James Cook arrived to Australia with his crew in 1770. We went on our little detour to check out this small town and all the history in it.

Being right by the coast there is a couple of lovely walks you can do near by and seeing as the sun was shining we took advantage. We walked to the bay where Captain Cook landed and had lunch on the harbour. A memorable lunch because I had the best sandwich ever.

We stopped at the make shift museum to read up about Captain Cook and the history of Australia which was cool as we didn’t really know the details.

 

BUNDABERG

Our stop in Bundaberg was one of my favs. When I visited Australia a few years ago my brother was introduced to the rum Bundaberg so once we found out we would be passing right by the townn of Bundaberg it had to be added to the itinery. We stopped off at the distilery for a tour around. You start by going through the history of Bundaberg rum and then are taken on a guided through the working factory.

You then to taste some of the rums that they make at the factory. The liquores were so good. They have so many differenet varities of rum with a mix of flavours and price.

Bundaberg is pretty small town for such a famous rum so there was not much else to do besides the distilery so fueled up on rum we made our way out of Bundaberg.

NOOSA & SUNSHINE COAST

We didn’t get up to too much in these areas. They are known mostly for the beaches so of course we checked them out but with the weather getting colder we didn’t stay for to long. Most days we spent enjoying coastal drives.

BRISBANE

Brisbane was the most cosmopolitan city we had come across on road trip. We got to experience the city with a car which wasn’t ideal seeing as parking is insane but it was a great stop. The day arrived there was a food market so of course we stopped by to check out what was on offer.

We only had a day or so to explore Brisbane before we joined an adventure tour on Moreton Island.

 

MORETON ISLAND

Massive massive highlight for Australia was out two day trip to Moreton Island. We went with a tour group that organise activies for the days we were there.

Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand island in the world and when I say there was sand everywhere I mean everywhere! We were sleeping in little tents a short walk from the beach and the whole place was really rugged and peaceful. The only way to travel around the island is with a 4 x 4 and it is sooooo needed. Our driver was battling the sand the whole time and we got thrown about a lot but sooooo much fun.

Once we got off the ferry in Moreton Island we were taken straight to the sand dunes to do sand boarding. Sand boarding is basically where you take a bit of thin wood, wax it up with candles and slide head first down the sand dune. It was insane.

After we had eaten plenty of sand and we were covered head to toe we headed back to our camp where we suited up for our next activity. Once dressed in our wet suits we headed out to the ship wreck in the sea to do some snorkelling. We were all thankful for the wetsuits as it meant we got to enjoy all the tropical fish for longer. The ship wreck itself was pretty eerie to swim between.

For dinner we were served up a BBQ feast and we layed under the stars drinking cider. The island was so peaceful it made sleeping in a tent easier.

The next day we went on a hike up to the islands lighthouse. As it is mid-July it is when the whale population is migrating from the south to the north. This meant that we could spot plenty of whales from the coast line. So cool to watch them jumping around and you could spot their blowholes right away.

After lunch we visted the champanye pools and blue lagoon. They both were stunning, what you see in all the pictures of the perfect beach. White sand and crystal clear water.

GOLD COAST & BYRON BAY

Once we were back on the mainland we continued on our road trip down the east coast with the first stop being the Gold Coast. Since we were satisfied enough with our Australian beaches we didn’t stop for long.

We got in a round of mini golf though so it was worth the drive through. Obvs the costal road drive was beaut to.

We headed on to have a quick visit in Byron Bay where after checking out the surfers on the beach we stopped for lunch but if you’re not up for surfing theres not much else to do so we headed on.

 

COFFS HARBOUR

THE BIG BANANA. Thats pretty much all I remember about Coffs Harbour. Ha ha. If you know, you know.

We stopped in a few more towns on our way to Sydney but besides grabbing lunch and going for a walk we didn’t get up to too much in those places. Australia is a massive place and it’s not until you are driving hundreds of kilometers a day and getting nowhere do you realise how big it actually is! We were told that the whole of Europe can sit comfortablly inside Australia. Crazy.

Now that I think about I wouldn’t know how to start travelling around Australia without a camper. In my opinion it is the only way to travel the east coast. Everything is on your own terms and you can go wherever you want. You would miss out so much if you travelled by bus or train; all the small towns scattered around where we stopped off to grab a potato top pie or the amazing views from the costal roads.

The camper became our little home for three weeks and it was so sad to give it back. It looked after us well (apart from the engine light being on the whole time). We stayed in some pretty great places when we free camped and got to see amazing starry skys. The most memorable place we stayed was a place that lead us up a mountain on a dirt road (which we weren’t allowed to be on) and opened out to a remote rest area where we found a perfect spot under a tree to pull out our awning and chill for the evening.

 

SYDNEY

Once we had handed back the camper we had a week in Sydney. We booked into a hostel called ‘The Village Glebe’ which is a trendy hostel in Glebe which is like a 10 min bus ride to the centre of Sydney. It was a great place to hold up for a week and had great access to the city.

It was strange to be making our way around on public transport but Sydney has made getting around so easy. It also not massive so you can pretty much walk everywhere if you wanted to.

Of course our days in Sydney were filled with all the usual tourist stuff like seeing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Checking out China Town and the Botanic Gardens. We had picked up a leaflet (surprise) which had DIY walks around the city so we spent our first full day in the city wandering around and seeing the sights. One afternoon we headed up the Sydney Tower and ended up staying so long we saw the sunset over the city.

We also partook (is that a word?) in a Free Walking Tour which is basically a guided walk around Sydney; it’s free like the name suggests but you just tip at the end what you feel its worth – no judgement, which is pretty cool for backpackers. It was also a great way to find out more info about the city from a Sydneysider.

Our tour guide told us about a food market that was held near The Rocks so we headed there after our tour to see what was on offer. We found a stall selling Crocodile and Kangeroo so we haaaaad to try it. Kangeroo tastes like beef and Croc tastes like chicken. Weird but something we had to do.

We also went on our own little day trips out of the city to Bondi beach and Manley. We took the bus to Bondi and had Ben and Jerry’s ice cream on the beach even though it was kind of freezing. To get to Manley we had to take the public ferry which gives you amaizng views of the city as you leave. Manley is a cute little seaside town that had a market going on when we arrived so of course we had a look. We grabbed some chips and had lunch on the beach with all the other tourists.

One of my fav evenings in Sydney is when we went for drinks at the Sydney Opera Bar. Its the perfect place to watch the sunset so we got to sit back, relax and enjoyed the view before the end of our Australian adventure.