Tag Archives: Australia

Are the Whitsunday Islands Worth the Trip?

The Whitsunday Islands are located off the coast of Airlie beach on the Southern end of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Airlie Beach is a small beach town in Queensland, pretty much 8 hours from civilization to the North (Cairns) and to the South (Hervey Bay). Let’s be honest…Rockhampton doesn’t count.

If you are interested in visiting the Whitsundays, there is an airport near Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Airport) or there is the Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton Island. Although a bit difficult to access, with the long drives south from Cairns or north from Hervey Bay, in my opinion the effort is worth it.

We didn’t have enough time to go all the way to Cairns or Port Douglas, so enjoying a few days in Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays to see the Great Barrier Reef and Whitehaven Beach was an amazing experience.

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Seven Day Road Trip up the East Coast of Australia: Sydney to Airlie Beach

One of the best ways to explore the East Coast of Australia is by car (or camper van if that’s your style). You could basically spend as much time as you wanted driving the east coast of Australia, as there are a ton of great stops along the way. Plus, you never know what you might see!

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I would recommend allowing two weeks if you want to make more stops, spend more time at each stop, or to camp and explore some of the natural attractions in the region.

We only had a week to make it up to Airlie Beach for our Whitsundays adventure (more on that later…stay tuned!), so we researched the most intriguing stops and made the most of our time exploring the region.

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Exploring Sydney Australia in One Day

If you’re only spending a day in a city, you will likely have to make some tough choices about what to see. Thus, planning ahead is incredibly important. It will allow you to maximize your time and streamline your day. My advice is to make a list of everything that you want to see and then break it down into a must-see site list and a secondary site list (ones you wouldn’t regret not having seen if you miss it). Once you’ve broken down your list, plot out how to fit everything in the time that you have. Mapping out the sites and bringing it along will help you stay organized and be of use to guide you for the day. Don’t forget to plan in meal stops and have some must-eat spots on your list, as that is usually one of the best ways to experience a city…at least in my opinion!

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Our original plan was to be in Sydney for 2 full days and spend 1 day visiting the Blue Mountains. Then food poisoning struck…both of us, whomp, whomp. This certainly cut down our time to explore Sydney, as we spent the first day holed up in the room of our hostel. This also meant missing out on the Blue Mountains, which I was very bummed about.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right? We rallied for our last day in Sydney, and tried to cover the majority of what we wanted to see in the city in a day. One caveat about what we saw is that we were not our usual self, and were certainly not able to see as much as we normally would in a day.

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So, if you’re planning on visiting Sydney and are short on time, here are some ideas to make the most of your visit to the city!

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