Welcome to AUSTRALIA! Here were our ROADTRIP BUCKET LIST ITEMS:
1.Blue Mountains NSW: Love-Tee-Pee!
We absolutely loved staying in this remote tee pee. It was our first get away together and we would highly recommend for any couple seeking to have a romantic and unique getaway!
you can check out this site here: http://www.lovecabins.com.au/Love-Tee-Pee.aspx
A must see: The glow worms just a few steps away from camp!
2. Narooma, NSW: Surfing Kangaroos and Seals!
We had an absolute blast catching the sunshine on the beach, lounging around with the kangaroos and have a cheeky swim with the infamous seals! Make sure you walk to the end of Wagonga Head to catch a glimpse of the "Australia Rock"
You can dive into our seal experience here:
3. Melbourne, VIC: Brighton Bathing Boxes and Yarra Valley Chocolate Factory!
A Must Do! Walk along the colorful painted beach boxes. These iconic huts have been here since the early 1900s. Stroll down past the 82 huts finding and photographing in front of your favorite designs!
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Cream Factory! Does this even need an explanation? An obvious choice for us sugar lovers.
4. Overnight trip from VIC to Tasmania : on board the Spirit of Tasmania
We had such a fun and comfortable journey from Melbourne to Tasmania on board this overnight ferry! We parked our car right into the ferry and slept on cheap chairs. You can also purchase a cabin but we spent most our time roaming around the ferry enjoying the movie theater and gaming rooms. Highly recommend packing your own food with you because the food on board was very pricey. Luckily we hit the grocery store before boarding! Plenty of snacks to make it through the night!
Check out our car all loaded up:
5. Hobart, Tasmania: Mt. Wellington
A must see view from the top!! Our lovely diver friend Kate took us to explore her home of Tasmania. If you've never thought about visiting Tasmania definitely add it to your list for these gorgeous views alone.
Our other favorite things to experience in Tasmania: Lavender farms, the Remarkable Cave, the historic Port Arthur, Fairy Penguins (yes penguins in Tasmania!) and of course Tasmania Devils!
6. Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania: Cradle Mountain
After spending many nights driving around in the cold and sleeping in the rain, Arthur surprised me with a night in a proper cabin in Cradle Mountain! It was much needed and it held stunning views! Definitely worth the walk or bus ride up to the top! *Important note- If you are changing from hot climate to cold climate don't forget to top up your radiator with actual anti freeze instead of just water... we learned the hard way* but we got to meet a nice couple on the road that was kind enough to give us a ride to the top of the mountain for signal to call a tow truck and that tow truck drove us to a nearby town to get all fixed up!
7. Great Ocean Road, VIC: Twelve Apostles
Back on the road! The Great Ocean Road holds so many amazing sites to stop along the way. Highly recommend driving through South Australia. The Twelve Apostles are pillars of limestone near Port Campbell National Park. We caught them on a rainy day but what better way to view them than from the TOP...
It was our first ever helicopter ride!
8. Mt. Gambier, SA: Umpherston Sinkhole
Created in 1886 this magical secret garden holds so many breathtaking views! It's an unique experience that we thoroughly enjoyed taking the time to check it out!
9. Port Lincoln, SA: Great White Sharks!
Yes!! A MAJOR bucket list item for both us was to experience diving with great white sharks. We joined Calypso Star Charters for an unforgettable experience.
Join our cage dive here:
10. Great Australian Bight, SA to WA: The Nullarbor
It wouldn't be an Australian road trip without encountering the Nullarbor! As we were driving around the Great Australian Bight there were so many seaside cliffs to pull over and enjoy the stunning views of the Southern Right Whales. The Nullarboar is a stretch of flat and treeless asphalt running through from South Australia to Western Australian. We had a great time driving on this road. It's a once in a lifetime experience. We felt accomplished being able to say we crossed the nullarbor! Be sure to be prepared have plenty of fuel, water and food. Over 1,000 miles of road awaits you!!
11. Hyden, WA: Wave Rock
This majestic all natural rock formation stands tall at 50 feet creating the perfect wave. Its an awesome site to see. Beautiful walks around the 2,700 million year old structure and a cute camp site to stay in nearby makes for a great day trip!
Check out the accommodation here: https://waverock.com.au/business/accommodation/wave-rock-resort
12. Perth, WA: Rottnest Island
We were lucky enough to reunite with our good friend Ailsa who showed us around her hometown of Perth. We spent the day taking a ferry to Rottnest and renting bikes to get around the island. It was a beautiful island with colorful seascapes around every bend and its home to the cutest little creatures the Quokkas! They are super friendly, love to snack and love to take a good selfie! Definitely worth spending a day here!
13. Exmouth, WA : Whale Sharks!
We had a gorgeous road trip from Perth to Exmouth. Lots of beach towns to camp in and have a snorkel session. Hidden Pink Lakes and million year old Stromatolites are definitely a must see along this route but our absolute favorite was the snorkeling with Whale Sharks! These majestic creatures are amazing to see up close. We had a great time on board with Whale Shark N Dive. We highly recommend a snorkel with them!!
14. Mooloolaba, QLD: Humpback Whales and the HMAS Brisbane
We sold our car and purchased one way flights to Brisbane. About 1 hour north is Queensland best kept secret- Mooloolaba (pronounced Mool-lool-a-bar not Moo-Lou-Laba my fellow Americans) We had the pleasure of working with Sunreef Mooloolaba a dream come true where we spent our days diving the HMAS Brisbane and snorkeling with Humpback whales. Mooloolaba is a gorgeous beach town with amazing restaurants and events happening daily. Highly recommend booking a few days here!!
Make sure you book a dive or snorkel with the best crew: https://sunreef.com.au/
Check out our dive here:
15. Beerwah, QLD: Australia Zoo and Glass House Mountains
We fell in love with Australia Zoo! We definitely recommend a day or a few days spent here for all ages! All the animal encounters and the shows are amazing. We had the pleasure of working on board Croc One and even meeting some of the Irwin family. Its a great place to be. While you are that way stop by and hike the glass house mountains. Spectacular views await on Mt. Ngungun!
16. Noosa Heads and Brisbane, QLD: Surf spots and Jacaranda Trees
We celebrated the end of our year in Australia getting engaged in Noosa Heads!! A beautiful surf location with tons of walking and hiking opportunities. We spent some time in Brisbane with Arthurs family and there was so much food and art spread throughout the city. We fell in love the vibrant colors the jacaranda trees had to offer. A very photogenic city.
And that takes us back to where it all began! Sydney, NSW
Sydney holds iconic architecture, lively neighborhoods, stunning beaches and enough art and food that you could explore for months. Symbio zoo is a great location to see Australia's native animals and make sure you book a dive with the best company in town Abyss Scuba Diving! Experience the incredible viewing of the weedy Sea dragon and the Wobbegong sharks.
Book a dive with them here: https://www.abyss.com.au/
We hope you enjoyed reading about some of our highlights from our trip and we wish you the best on your adventure down under!! -Lillian and Arthur
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