Australia: From Sydney to Airlie Beach
“You so totally rock, Squirt! So gimme some fin”. Who hasn’t watched “Finding Nemo”? A young clownfish get fished by a human to become the pet of a evil little girl. From now on Nemos dad is desperately searching for his son and meets a lot of sea dwellers.
The animated movie plays in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. This important ecosystem shelters a huge variety of sea dwellers. If you plan a trip to Australia this is definitely a must-see. If you start your vacation in Sydney, you can easily book a domestic flight (tigerair is a low cost airline and offers affordable flights) to Airlie Beach, which takes three hours. The city is well known for its famous and unique opera house. Mistakenly the city is still assumed to be Australias capital but don’t blame the city for the fascinating impressions that you easily forget what the actual capital (Canberra) is.
Sydney:
Coastal Walk and Blue Mountains
Being in Sydney means a lot of possibilities to have fun. The Coastal walk from Bondi to Coogy for example is a nice possibility to do something for your health without noticing is. The walk takes at least an hour one way but time flies with a awesome sea view.
You should use the sportive flow to drive to the Blue Mountains, which are only an hour by car away. Even if you’re not into hiking I promise you’ll love it. Some paths are challenging but there’s no better reward than the view above mountains and waterfalls! Visit the three sisters and just enjoy the view. By the way: The Blue Mountains got their name from the eucalyptus trees. They shine blue because of their essential oil.
Blue Mountains to Sydney / Sydney to Airlie Beach
Because of the small distance between Blue Mountains and Sydney, it’s less stressful to catch the flight from there to get to Airlie Beach. Tigerair don’t depart from a lot of cities. A drive from Blue Mountains to Brisbane is possible as well but it takes you at least ten hours to get to Airlie beach.
Airlie Beach:
Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Island
At the harbour of Airlie Beach you can find a lot of offers for daytrips by boat. An unforgettable event is to do a trip on a sailing boat. Not very cheap but definitely worth the money. Drinks, food and snorkelling equipment are included. After one hour on the boat you reach the Great Barrier Reef. A small boat will bring you closer to the reef where you let yourself fall backwards into the water from the edge of the boat. Beautiful colourful fishes, reefs and turtles are hiding between reefs and stones. Maybe you can find Nemo and his friends, but not without putting a stinger suit on before! Australia is the continent with the most dangerous and poisonous animals in the world. Summertime means jelly fish time. The box jellyfish is one of the most dangerous jellyfishes. Not very flattering for your body but a stinger suit reduces the risk to be touched by one.
If you love beaches there’s a delicacy waiting for you: The Whitsunday islands are inviting you to its white sand beaches and crystal clear water. Have you ever been to paradise? There you go! The water is warm and the background is perfect for some amazing pictures. As beautiful as this scenery is, if you want to go swimming it’s recommended to wear the stinger suit as well.
Drive from Airlie Beach to the Outback and Hervey Bay
Don’t hesitate to get to know Australia better by car. Pick a route and just follow the empty streets. Watch wild kangaroos and emus or relaxed cows eating some grass. You can make a stop at the Carnarvon National Park which has a lot of waterfalls and wild kangaroos. This National Park will definitely push you to your limits with its slippery stones which are the only way to cross the water to get to the other side. It’s important to do it in stages otherwise it will be a pretty long drive. Look for places where you would like to stay and you won’t even notice how much you drove.
Hervey Bay is a good place to stay for a day trip to Fraser island. Of course it’s possible to stay at Faser island but Hervey Bay offers more opportunities for activities and is cheaper to stay. If you do a guided tour a shuttle will bring you from your accommodation to the island.
Fraser island
Fraser island is a World Heritage side and is listed as the world’s largest sand island, streching over 120 km. Which has rare species of plants and trees. The beach is the street and for this reason a Four-Wheel drive is required to enter the island. If you don’t have experience driving on sand you may want to book a tour guide,because even experienced drivers sometimes get stuck in the sand. Besides a beautiful landscape and a awesome looking ship wreck Fraser island is the habitat of wild dingoes. Maybe you’ll see some of these shy animals on your tour!
Fraser island to Brisbane
The tour is almost over. From Fraser island to Brisbane is a six hours drive. You should stay a couple days there before going back to Sydney to catch your flight back home or book your flight from Brisbane airport. You may want to visit the huge outlet center!
Australia – Definitely worth it
If you haven’t been to Australia yet you definitely have to put it on your bucket list. It has a lot of beautiful places which makes it hard to make a decision which ones you’ll visit and the people are very friendly and helpful. Your trip should be last at least for three weeks. If possible even longer. Who flies 24 hours (if the flight departs from Germany) only to stay a week? Don’t try to explore everything by yourself. Sometimes guided tours are the only possibility to reach and see some spots which you might aren’t allowed to enter as a individual tourist. If the eastcoast isn’t your thing, try our other routes.
Koala Park Sanctuary Sydney
Fraser Island
