Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Australia's Must See Sights in one blogpost

Two friends are moving to Australia for short-term stays so I compiled my list of travel and resources for them. I thought I'd share it here for anyone else to help plan your visits. 

Just the other day, Henry (who was only 3 when we left Australia) said, "When are we going back to Australia? Because I am diggin' that place!"


Before we got to Australia I was worried about expenses. I had NO plans to really travel much at all. When we got there, we realized things weren’t as expensive as people had made us believe, and that travel was really pretty affordable. So I started talking to everyone there about what sights they felt were crucial for our time there. I made a list of things we wanted to do, found when the best time was to see it, and mapped it all out on a master list of the year. We got most of it done!

Here’s the list, with explanations as needed:
***** = Must see
**** = we had a good experience and I recommend it if this is your sort of interest
*** = not amazing but still a recommended experience to the whole cultural experience


GREATER MELBOURNE AREA:
*a note about getting there. If it's in the CBD, don't try to drive. Take the train and public transit. Download the "PTV" app on your phone and it will navigate you to which trains and busses to take. Don't try to drive. Just. Listen to me. 

Melbourne Zoo, CBD ***** (get a membership. it is good at the local Weribee Zoo (on the west side) as well as the Healesville Sanctuary (on the East side). The Melbourne Zoo is organized very user friendly so you can see just portions at a time and come back to a central location when you want a break or don’t want to see the entire place. We went to Weribee Zoo several times. It has a large wildlife area that they drive you through so it feels like an African Safari. 

Shrine of Remembrance****, CBD
A veteran museum. History information. You should be familiar with this info and stories because the Aussie’s have great respect for the ANZAC contribution to the war.
https://www.shrine.org.au/Home

National Art Gallery of Victoria*** , CBD
Interesting exhibits. I think most portions are free. Some exhibits have a charge.
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/

Royal Botanical Gardens,**** CBD. 
I loved these. There is usually one in every major city. Large and proudly cared for areas to showcase the beautiful plants of Australia. 

Queen Victoria Market, "Vic Market" *****, CBD
local crazy market with local cuisine and everything you can imagine for sale. Definitely a must see sooner than later so you’ll know what you want to bring home. Avoid touristy purchases on your first go. Let yourself find out what you think is worthwhile. But we did love the little metal keychains that come in a rainbow of colors shaped like kangaroos or Australia (also serve as beer bottle openers). 
Parliament House, *** CBD
Interesting to see how their form of government works.

Hosier Lane, ***** CBD
Graffiti Alley that is constantly changing with new art. Graffiti tags are welcomed most places in the area and the artists are very good.

Fitzroy Gardens, ***** CBD
There are beautiful gardens everywhere but these have a little history and a lot of whimsy added in. I highly recommend making a visit.
http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/01/saturday-is-special-day-at-fitzroy.html

Puffing Billy train rides **** (east side)
Once or twice a year they have a Thomas the Train event that was a highlight for my 3 year old. 

1000 Steps Kokoda ***
A memorial walk/hike. We actually took the train here, too. Took about 90 minutes? So much better than driving. 

Eureka Sky Deck,**** CBD
A skyscraper that lets you go to the top floors (for money) and see the entire city 360 degrees.
https://www.eurekaskydeck.com.au

Philip Island *****
About a 3 hour drive so get a room for the night. You can see penguins up close at the far end of the island. There is also a Koala Sanctuary on Philip Island and you’ll be able to see them quite close. Also stop by and see the Pelican feeding at the fisherman’s cafe just at the entrance of Philip Island. There is also a Grand Prix Racing Track to see if you’re into that. They have a scaled version of the track where you can ride a go-cart type car around the track. Red Rock Beach was a beautiful place to watch the sunset in the evening. Don’t miss that!
http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/02/phillip-island.html#more

Sesame Street
For real. There is a Sesame Street. And they don't even make a big deal of it.
http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2015/11/SesameStreet.html


Formula One Race Event *** (end of March or beginning of April)

Melbourne Star *** (giant Ferris Wheel)
Somewhat pricey but we found a coupon somewhere that made it reasonable. 


Things we didn’t do but were good ideas:
Rodeo
Aussie Rules Football (Not the same rules as Rugby. Not soccer)
Melbourne Storm Game
Yarra Valley Trail (hike)
Dandenong Ranges
You Yangs


WYNDHAM AREA (west side)
Werribee Zoo ***** (see above). The African Safari bus ride is included with admission or membership every time you visit. Well worth it. 

Royal Airforce Museum, ** Point Cook, (once is enough). Just a general museum that will give you a little history on the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF). Large planes and items on display.

Werribee Mansion *****
A mansion once owned by prominent people in the area. Beautiful grounds and interesting information on the tour.
There are rose gardens adjacent to the Mansion. A Rose Show once a year in November. 

Collingwood Children’s Farm
I can’t remember a lot about this. Geared toward children.
https://www.farm.org.au

Williamstown Ferry*****
A ferry ride that takes you across the bay into the CBD. Not too expensive but a fun experience for kids. Williamstown is a fun area to explore. Great Gellato and little shops near the harbor. Fun playgrounds.
http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/01/boat-cruise.html

Things we didn’t do:
Ballarat Wildlife Park (about an hour and a half drive north)
Somewhere near the Ballarat area (I think) is a hidden fairy garden

BEACHES:
We frequented Torquay Beach (about an hour south). That was good for surfing or boogie boarding. Much like a California Beach. I liked to go to Altona Beach that was only a 15 minute drive with my little boy since it was in the bay and didn’t have strong waves. The sandbars go out a long way so I didn’t worry about him wading out too deep. LOVED it there but the locals turn their noses up at it. Stay away from the south end because for some reason it smells down there. Near the pier is fine. This is where we spent Christmas Eve singing Carols on the beach. http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2015/12/carols-on-coast.html It is also a fun shopping area and they have a market once a week selling various things and have live entertainment. I really have a lot of good memories at Altona. Rough area to be in after dark, though.
Mornington Beach is on the east side of Melbourne and would take a drive but I heard it was nice. Never went to St. Kilda’s Beach that is near the CBD. 


GREAT OCEAN ROAD*****:
Lots of sights to see as you drive along this scenic highway. Lorne Beach is a must. Go far out to the right side and you’ll find some interesting lava formation. It’s a great place to search for sea glass. You’ll probably see a lot of cockatoos there. Stay overnight at Apollo Bay. Quiet but beautiful. Then continue along the highway at least to Twelve Apostles (rock formations) and then stay again in Apollo Bay on your way back home. Or you could continue all the way to Warnambool and do whale watching. Check what time of year is good for that. 

Maits Rest Rainforest Walk*****: 

Otway Treetop Walk*****


DISTANCE TRAVEL:
Perth: We flew to Perth. Stayed overnight on the beach in Bunbury (about an hour south). There was a really nice lookout tower in the town we visited in the morning. Went to a place to see dolphins up close: http://dolphindiscovery.com.au
Then we went south headed for a tiny place called Walpole. That was about a 5 hour drive. Actually went all that way to see the Treetop walk: (http://www.valleyofthegiants.com.au) But the other stuff was much more memorable. There is a Treetop Walk on the Great Ocean Road just as nice. 
We made sure to hit the Diamond Tree Outlook on the drive down AND the drive back up. Life changing for my kids! https://www.australias.guide/wa/attraction-tour/diamond-tree-lookout-manjimup/
Stayed in Nornalup at the most charming place with a lovely couple who treated us so nicely. www.nornalupriversidechalets.com.au We were able to go canoeing in the morning on the river (right there by our cabin) and we heard a Kookabura howl! Green Pools was breathtakingly beautiful. Also saw Circular Pools. Then went to see Swarbrick Art Loop. Funny little art sculptures in the middle of nowhere.
http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2015/12/perth-trip.html

Perth: Allen and I went again the next year for a business trip. We spent some time in Freemantle shopping. There is a great place there to buy a legit didgeridoo. https://www.didgeridoobreath.com

Tasmania: 
Hobart is the place to go. There is a Bruny Island boat tour that was amazing. https://www.brunycruises.com.au
Be sure to time your trip so you can visit the Salamanca Market on the weekends. https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/attraction/salamancamarket
And we loved a pedal-powered car on abandoned railroads. www.railtrackriders.com.au
Don’t miss 7 Mile Beach. We found HUGE beautiful seashells there. The size of our palms. Lots of them. 

Uluru/Ayer’s Rock, Kata Tjuta, King’s Canyon, and Alice Springs:
Allen took the girls for a hurried trip to see Uluru, then drove 3 hours north to see King’s Canyon. Probably could have lived without King’s Canyon and just driven 20 minutes west to see Kata Tjuta instead. Uluru is the big thing to definitely see. 
Alice Springs is mostly famous by name, lots of aboriginal people there. They will have traditional paintings for sale on the street for $30-40. The ones in the gallery’s will cost you 10x that much. I just bought directly from the artist on the street. 
My son and I went on a separate trip to camp out in the outback with a guided tour. Slept under the stars in the outback. Way cool. www.therocktour.com.au

Gold Coast:
We just found a hotel near the beach. There is plenty to walk around and see in that small area. We did some Standup Paddle boarding that was really fun. Before we flew out the last evening we drove across the border into New South Wales just to cross the border. Ended up at Dreamtime Beach. It was a hidden GEM. No commerce. The gods would vacation there. Worth it. 

Cairns: 
Tropical. We went to a crocodile farm there. It was very humbling. Definitely the only way to see crocs. https://www.crocodileadventures.com

The best gelato ever: 
Gelocchio, 9/93 The Esplanade
Cairns 4870 QLD


Canberra: The Capital Territory
The history museum was very nice. We saw the parliament house which has some interesting stories and architecture. 

Adelaide: 
We took a day trip. You can find roundtrip flights for $49 so we just arrive in the morning and leave in the evening so we didn’t have the expense of a hotel. There isn’t a lot to see (or that we wanted to see) so we didn’t stay long.