Aussie Road Trip
Welcome to the travel blog! After months of hyping it up and learning how to web design/ coercing my boyfriend to design the website, it is finally now live. (Thanks Danny - you're the best!) So let's hit the road already - literally - I'm taking you on a road trip for this very first post.
As the saying goes, there is no place like home. The more I travel overseas, the more I love coming back home to Australia - especially in the summer. Sun-drenched days at the beach, grilling seafood on the barbecue and balmy nights under the stars. I just finished a road trip with Danny down the east coast from Noosa to Sydney. We camped with wild kangaroos, accidentally stepped on a snake in the bush, enjoyed lots of R&R at the beach, dined alfresco, and devoured a lot of burgers and gelati.
Starting from north to south, here is the route that we took and some recommendations for stopovers along the way.
NOOSA Some people criticise Noosa for being a bit pretentious, but the rest of us can't get enough of this mega-popular summer holiday destination. You can spend days at the beaches (Little Cove is my new favourite), explore Noosa National Park, dine alfresco on Hastings Street and get your daily gelato fix at Massimo's.
BRISBANE My hometown! My top recommendations for visitors are to catch the CityCat to get your bearings, walk around South Bank and check out the Gallery of Modern Art, eat ethnic food in grungy West End, laze around New Farm Park, drive up to Mt Cootha for great city views and enjoy the nightlife at Fortitude Valley.
YATALA PIES Australians pride themselves for making the best meat pies, so stop over in between Brissie and the Gold Coast for the yummiest pies from here.
GOLD COAST There are so many beautiful beaches along the Gold Coast - my favourites are The Spit (definitely stop over at Peter's Fish Market on the way) and Burleigh Heads (top nosh at The Fish House). We also drove out to the hinterland and went hiking in Lamington National Park.
BYRON BAY A unique beach town that is full of hippies and surfers. Go for a little walk from the lighthouse to reach the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. When continuing down south, stop at nearby Newrybar to dine at the ever popular Harvest Cafe.
YURAYGIR NATIONAL PARKI had never even heard of this place until this summer, but visiting here was one of the coolest things I have done in Australia - we camped next door to a deserted beach and a mob of 50 kangaroos.
OLD JOHN'S CAFE, COFFS HARBOUR I highly recommend Old John's for a road trip stopover - It's a hip little café and wine bar that is only a minor detour from the highway.
THE LAKES WAY Driving via the Lakes Way in the mid north coast of New South Wales is a bit of a detour but this scenic route is definitely worth it. You can camp in Booti Booti National Park and check out the super trendy Blueys and Boomerang beaches.
SYDNEY I challenge you to find a cosmopolitan city that compares to Sydney - great weather, a beautiful harbour, inner city beaches, international food, 'fashun' capital and hedonistic nightlife. Must-dos for first-timers are the Circular Quay to Manly ferry ride, Bondi to Bronte beach walk, dining at Surry Hills and a night out at Kings Cross. For a culture hit, currently on is the Yoko Ono exhibition at the MCA and the Sydney Festival.
