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. 

https://www.zoo.org.au/melbourne

https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/06/melbourne-zoos.html

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). 

https://qvm.com.au

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. 

https://puffingbilly.com.au

1000 Steps Kokoda *** (east side, maybe an hour from CBD)

A memorial walk/hike. We actually took the train here, too. Took about 90 minutes from Point Cook? 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 ***** (2 hours from CBD)

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!

https://www.visitphillipisland.com

https://www.phillipislandpoint.com.au/attractions/pelican-feeding/

https://www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au

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

Trapeze *****: http://www.flyfactory.com.au

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/04/live-like-you-were-dying.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. 

(UPDATE: Apparently it permanently closed during the pandemic)

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/01/melbourne-star.html

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. 

https://www.zoo.org.au/werribee

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. 

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2015/12/werribee-mansion.html

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) has 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. 

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2015/11/our-trip-along-great-ocean-road.html

Maits Rest Rainforest Walk*****: 

https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/VV-Maits-Rest-Rainforest-Trail.aspx

Otway Treetop Walk*****

https://www.otwayfly.com

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

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/02/tasmania.html

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

http://7onsabbatical.blogspot.com/2016/01/uluru-and-kata-tjuta.html

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. 

American Life

Well, it feels good to get back to our own home. It took a few days to warm up to it, but it feels natural and familiar and our surroundings are fantastic. They say the three most important things in real estate are location, location, and location. We score big on all three of those things. Love it.

When we were getting ready to leave Australia, my friends were all asking, "are you excited to get back home?" My answer was, "eh...yes and no." Honestly I was looking forward to being in familiar territory and being in my own well-stocked home again. But I was also scared.

Scared.

Is this Heaven?

I thought maybe we'd run in the house and spin circles in the living room and breathe a sigh of relief that we were back in familiar surroundings. But, I admit walking into our house was a little underwhelming. First of all, we were locked out.

What we're looking forward to

Okay people. That's a given. Family. Neighbors. Friends. (But not my brother. He decided to move while we were here and I'm still not over it. The reality hasn't sunk in since I haven't been there to miss him at Sunday dinner.)

I look forward to getting to the gym and going to Zumba and seeing my family. And I am looking forward to a good long run in the sun. I had that here, too, but right now it's winter and I am craving some heat on my skin.

I can't wait to have a homegrown tomato. I really want to see my succulents in my window well and check out my garden. And I'm very nervous and anxious about getting my kids in to see the dentist.

And having Costco just one block away. I'm gonna get a Blend-tec twisty jar and I've got some recipes to make in it!

Henry is WAY happy to get back to Utah. He wants snow. I remembered the daily helicopter flights overhead about a week ago and I really got excited for when we get to hear that again and run outside to see it. (I'm excited for him to have his own room again. Sharing a room with him this year has been hard on my sleep level.)

Karly is excited about some restaurants. Taco Bell. Chipotle. Cafe Rio. 

Leo is excited to drive again. And I'm pretty sure Allen is looking forward to a 10 minute commute instead of a 90 minute train and bus ride.

But we are all filled with a nervous apprehension.

What we'll miss

Last year at this time we shared things we will miss about the U.S. Now we're reflecting on what we'll miss about Australia.

Karly said she was going to miss the

What we've learned

Things we've learned in the year we've stepped away from normal life in the US:

spending more time together, less busy schedules keeping everyone coming and going

spend more money on experiences, less money on possessions

spend less time cooking, more time eating leftovers

spend more time stepping outside your comfort zone, less normal routine

Busy is a choice. Not-busy is a choice. I've had to safe-guard my time because I can easily just duplicate my same ridiculous busy life here. Didn't move halfway across the world just to do the same thing here! And then spend all my time saying, "Oh, we should go see the Great Ocean Road, but there's never anytime time..." or "wish we could find a day to go see downtown Melbourne." Nope. I'm here for one year and one year only. All those time fillers and expectations from other people are not that important.

And there are people here that are a lot busier and complain a lot less about it. They work 12-14 hours a day and it's normal. They smile when you're together and "ugh, I'm so busy" isn't the first thing they say when you ask how they're "going."

Karly says she's learned so much more from this than she expected. "I think it's good to miss things. To see the world, not in a touristy way."

Our kids have learned to be together, without bickering. They still have their moments, but for the most part I think they've learned to see each other as peers instead of pests.

A fear I didn't know I had

Every morning I take my kids to early morning seminary (a church-run scripture study class for high school aged youth). I used to always go on a run or to boot camp during that time, but now that it's cold(er) I've opted to just sit in the car and read and do the exercise in the warmer parts of the day.

A few weeks ago I was parked under the street light on the corner so I could read my book. On the street perpendicular to me came a car very slowly. Then it stopped, with its headlights somewhat pointed right at me. I was uncomfortable. I looked to see if they were throwing