Australia is one of those destinations that is on most people’s travel wish list, including that of my 10-year-old Daughter.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit this spectacular country that has so much to offer. We started our journey with a 3 night stay in Melbourne, Melbourne lies either side of the Yarra River famed for sports, fashion, arts and culture there really is something for everyone. There are a wide range of hotels throughout the city to suit all budgets. Melbourne still has an old-fashioned tram system which is great to get around the city and makes a change from a taxi! There is a long list of things to do and see in Melbourne such as a city tour in a horse drawn carriage, for those that are a bit more adventurous maybe a bike tour, or walk in Ned Kelly’s final footsteps and discover what it was like to be a prisoner at Old Melbourne Gaol. Anyone that’s a fan of Neighbours can take a tour of the famous Ramsay Street TV set.

Melbourne was sports capital of the decade so maybe a sports walk through the sports precinct will be of interest, also a trip out to the lovely beachside suburb of St Kilda is worth a visit. Further afield a trip out onto the Great Ocean Road is a must. From Melbourne you can travel the length of the Great Ocean Road – one of the worlds’ most scenic drives, passing huge limestone cliffs, beautiful white beaches, and stunning forest scenery. You will see the amazing 12 Apostles be able to enjoy the scenery from several viewing platforms whilst visiting several coastal towns along the way and return to Melbourne in the evening. As this is a jam-packed day another option would be a take a tour or hire a car for a couple of days and experience the beautiful scenery at a more relaxing pace.

After Melbourne we flew onto Sydney for a 4-night stay, with its iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge – it was quite breath-taking to actually be there. The main areas to stay in Sydney are Darling Harbour and The Rocks. Darling Harbour is adjacent to the city centre and a great place for entertainment and waterfront dining, it is also the place to take one of the many harbour cruises. The Rocks is another popular area to stay located on the southern shoreline of Sydney Harbour with view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. There is a long to-do list in Sydney, and a must-do is a harbour cruise. There are many to choose from and it is advisable to book one if there are particular places you want to visit. Hop on hop off buses are always a great way to get around and explore a city. Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge definitely has to be pre booked and was a huge highlight for us on our trip! There are many museums to visit and you can also take a tour of the famous Opera House. We enjoyed simply wandering around the harbour enjoying the array of different restaurants and cafes and of course no trip to Australia is complete without a trip to the famous Bondi Beach!

Further afield are the spectacular Blue Mountains situated 90 minutes from Sydney are an area if staggering natural beauty that has earned World Heritage Status. We took a full day trip out to the Blue Mountains, you can take the Scenic Railway, Cableway or Skyway which is a great way to see the valleys, canyons and Three Sisters rock formation, you can also opted to stay overnight and for anyone interested in doing this the beautiful 5 star Lilianfels Resort and Spa would be top of my list.

From Sydney we flew onto Brisbane, hired a car and after an overnight stop we drove to one of Australia’s premier holiday destinations the Gold Coast. Once we had escaped the one-way system of Brisbane we headed to Surfers Paradise; a lively beach resort for a few days of sunshine and relaxing on the sandy beach. The Gold Coast is a great stop for families; this is Australia’s answer to Florida with Warner bros, Movie World, Sea World etc. For those wanting more of a relaxed time head to Fraser Island, the worlds largest sand island with massive sand dunes and 120km of amazing beaches which make it a paradise for wildlife.

After some sunshine on the Gold Coast we flew from Brisbane to Cairns for our final stop. Cairns is a lively busy town so decided after the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast we would head the northern beach resort of Palm Cove. Palm Cove is small but has top class restaurants and on-beach dining, a beautiful esplanade and lovely boutique style shopping.. perfect! Here we stayed for 4 nights. There is a huge amount to do in this area and if you stayed a week you could easily fill every day, we chose to visit Kuranda, Cape Tribulation and Daintree, Quicksilver – Outer Barrier Reef and a Hot Air Balloon ride. In Kuranda you can visit Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park to enjoy indigenous entertainment and lunch and then take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Take time to explore the village before your board the Kuranda Scenic Rail and enjoy the beautiful journey passing spectacular waterfalls.

Cape Tribulation & Daintree was another big highlight for us. We travelled through Daintree National Park and some of the oldest rainforests in the world and also a took cruise on the Daintree River. This was my first time in a rainforest and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was then onto Cape Tribulation beach, famously named by Captain Cook on his voyage of discovery, we enjoyed a lovely walk along the beach. As our time in Australia was coming to an end, we wanted finish on a high and booked a Hot Air Balloon, this was another wonderful memory and a breath-taking way to see the fantastic landscape for one last time.

Australia is such a vast wonderful country. Whether it is a trip to visit family or friends, a rail journey, coach trip or a self-drive package no two holidays to Australia are the same and that’s what I love about helping our clients plan a holiday there.

By Charlotte McGennity

For help planning your own Australian Adventure speak to the Tourism Australia accredited “Aussie Experts” at Eagle Travel on 01234 348882, or email [email protected]

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