Today we visit Sydney (South Wales) and Port Douglas (Queensland), Australia. With it’s beautiful, famous beaches, abundant wildlife, the perfect for snorkeling Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains, and the infamous Sydney Opera House, there is plenty to do on vacation in Australia.
Popular, Famous Beaches
Manly Beach. Manly Beach is home to the world’s very first surfing competition. It is considered one of Australia’s most famous beaches. The sand is a golden color. It is a perfect location for surfing. We rented a surf board and a boogie board right there from a beach vendor. We had a blast as the waves were plentiful.
Bondi Beach. This beach is considered iconic. It has fine, white sand. It’s large, curling waves make it a coveted surfing beach. This is Australia’s most popular beach. It is also home to the Bondi Icebergs. boasts the most photographed pool in the world – Bondi Icebergs, an 8 lane pool but it is filled purely with water from the sea. It is built half way into the ocean and waves crash over the walls of the pool.
Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas. Unfortunately, we did not get to go in this beautiful stretch of water. We did visit it, but we couldn’t swim or anything. From November to April, poisonous box jellyfish migrate through the area. It is risky to get in the water. They have mesh in the water to prevent the jellyfish from entering the swimming area, but they still advise against getting in during that time of year. We went in March.
Things To Do:
Darling Harbor Park; Sydney, Australia. https://www.darlingharbour.com/see-and-do/darling-harbour-children-s-playground. Sydney has several fantastic parks. We visited Darling Harbor Park one night. They have live performers in the evenings and that was fun to watch. The kids played with all of the water “toys” at the park.
Visit the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains were a 2 hour train ride from Sydney. It consists of mountains, forest, cliffs, canyons, and waterfalls. It was stunning. We chose the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus to tour the area. We rode the Skyway, Railway, Cableway, and went across the Walkway, the longest raised boardwalk. We were able to hop on and hop off the bus as we wished. They provide you with a map, so you can make sure you visit all of the spots you want to see.
Ferry Ride. We took a ferry ride around Sydney that went right by the Sydney Opera House. It dropped us off at a shopping area with restaurants, shops, and more. We bought some souvenirs, ate lunch, got ice cream, and took the ferry back to the City.
Sydney Harbour Bridge. We took the journey up and across the bridge. We chose to do it at night. Looking at the Opera House and the water at night is incredible.
Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. This was my favorite activity in Australia. It is located in Queensland (near Port Douglas). We took a ferry ride out to the reef. It was a bit cold and rainy that day on the ferry but was perfect and clear once we got to the reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. My favorite sighting was the giant sea turtle.
Wildlife Habitat. This was a great experience because of the up close and personal interaction with the animals. We were able to pet and feed kangaroos and wallabies, the kids held a koala and a baby crocodile, and we saw many other animals like ridiculously huge bats.
How to Get There
Fly. Once you fly into Australia, it is pretty easy to fly from country to country. We flew into Sydney and then flew to Cairns Airport and drove into Port Douglas. We visited Port Douglas for a few days and then stayed in Sydney for a few days. You can’t visit just one destination in Australia. There is too much to see and do. I wish we had more time. We would have flown to Kangaroo Island as well.
Take a Cruise. If you want to see multiple destinations in Australia, a cruise is a great option. With stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and even New Zealand (not part of Australia).
Food in Australia
Kangaroo. Prior to visiting Australia, I had never eaten kangaroo. We went to a fancy restaurant, and we tried kangaroo steak. It was delicious. It was tender and tasted very similar to steak.
Chicken Parmigiana. Apparently this is considered a staple in Australia. We didn’t try it. You can get it almost everywhere.
Healthy. They don’t eat a lot of junk in Australia. We went to buy cereal one day and the selection was very limited. They don’t offer many sugary items.
Popular Drinks in Australia
Ginger Beer. One of the most famous beers is Bundaberg Ginger Beer.
Red Wine. Red wine is a staple in Australia. It is consumed more than any other drink.
We hope you enjoyed learning about Sydney and Port Douglas, Australia.
