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Australia. A Visit Stays With You Forever

9/11/2017

16 Comments

 
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I could wax lyrical about my visit to Australia for as long as anyone will listen. It’s a bucket list destination for a lot of people, including me, so I decided to get a year’s working visa to give me the opportunity of not just travelling around and seeing as much as I could, but to live there and see what the Country really has to offer.

With statistics telling us it’s the world’s 6th largest Country, the world’s largest island and the only island that is a continent & country, distances between destinations are vast.
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But what is it about Australia that has me and plenty of others talking about it years after they have visited?

Like I said, I could talk about how much I loved Australia all day but to give a less biased opinion, I decided to ask top bloggers who also have a fond affection for this Country for their views and experiences.

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​The amazing wildlife - by Tracy from Tracy’s Travels in Time

In my childhood Australia was all about “Neighbours” and “Home and Away”. I remember visiting my grandparents on holiday from South Africa one year to find them literally addicted to these two Australian soaps! So for me for a long time Australia meant sunshine, beaches, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan!

After settling in the UK in 1995 and spending too many winters in the intervening years wondering where the heck the sun had gone (I lived in Africa during my teenage years and early 20’s) I realised that my occupation and qualifications held the key to permanent residency of that country of endless sunshine and beaches!

So we applied and moved to Australia! We have been in Northern Queensland for three months and yes the sun shines every day and the beaches are beautiful. But for me what I love are the animals and birds!​
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There are so many unique species of animal found in Australia and I am enjoying seeing them – some on a virtual daily basis! 

For example:
Kangaroos – and one of the most beautiful spots to see them is Cape Hillsborough. All those stunning shots of kangaroos on a beach at dawn? That’s Cape Hillsborough!

Platypus – we took a trip to Eungella National Park and Broken River, we were able to get close to these bizarre but special animals. 

Koala – OK so far I have only seen these beautiful animals in a sanctuary but I have passed signs by the roadside on the way to the outback saying to watch out for them as it is mating season! 
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And of course there are snakes and other reptiles here. In Northern Queensland there are quite a few and some of them are highly venomous. So far I have seen three including one which decided to have an argument with our dog but they were all harmless. Beautiful though. 

Birdsong wakes me up every morning and I love spotting the coloured lorikeet and galah’s as I drive to work. 
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Gorgeous brightly coloured Rainbow Lorikeets
If you love wildlife then Australia will not disappoint! We are loving it and I can’t wait to see more of the beautiful animals – a quoll anyone?

​Port Douglas - by Garth from Phil and Garth 

​We took a whirlwind “City, Rock and Reef” two week self-guided tour of Australia back in 2015, our favourite place was easily Port Douglas. Situated in the tropical North East tip of Queensland, this pretty coastal town is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkelling the reef had been on Garth’s bucket list for years, so having saved up, we were beyond excited to finally be realising our dreams in Port Douglas - a bucket list adventure of a lifetime with some rest and relaxation over three days.

As we landed into nearby Cairns, we were struck by the beauty of the rainforest covered mountains, this region is green and lush, a world away from the harshness of the Australian outback and busyness of the big cities. ​
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​We love tropical destinations and found Port Douglas was the perfect place for us to relax and unwind after visiting Sydney where we got engaged watching the fireworks on New Years Eve. Port Douglas is chic, upmarket with a laid back vibe and perfectly small enough to explore by foot. We enjoyed lazy walks along the gorgeous Four Mile Beach, the breeze here is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity, just heed the signs about crocodiles and jelly fish and only swim in designated netted areas. Our other favourite activity was tucking into fresh seafood in many of the sophisticated but unpretentious restaurants, then relaxing with a few beers at one of the marina bars and just watching the wildlife as the sun set.

Time for the main event of our stay in Port Douglas - our once in a lifetime experience to find Nemo on the Great Barrier Reef!  We took the Quicksilver Outer Reef Cruise - a full day experience aboard a giant sized catamaran that takes you to the only moored platform at the Agincourt Reef. On arrival we made a quick change into wetsuits to avoid being stung by jellyfish. Armed with a handful of noodles, we swam out and found a spot to float above some coral. It was a serene moment as we stuck our heads into the turquoise water for the first time, another world, we were rewarded with crystal clear waters teeming with marine life. It was enough to just float and watch the incredible scenes beneath us, the colour of the fish and coral was amazing too, I don’t think we were prepared for that. Before we knew it our whole day on the reef was up, It was a truly unforgettable experience!  We were so happy on the way back to Port Douglas, that we’d experienced and achieved a big bucket list tick, as we've dreamt of doing this for years.
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Australia will always hold special memories for us, not only because we got engaged in Sydney, but we got to see some of the world’s most iconic natural wonders like Uluru and The Great Barrier Reef. Having had a taster we will definitely go back, but next time factor in a longer stay! 

Melbourne - by David of Travelsewhere

Despite always being on the move, there’s one place I call home – Melbourne. The city where I was born and lived in (with a few gaps) until I was 23 left an indelible mark that no amount of travel can scrub off. Having recently just returned for a visit, I was overwhelmed with reminders why I love Australia’s second city so.​​
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​So what makes Melbourne so great? I think the best way to put is this – Melbourne is weird. This is a city where on some streets you have to be in the far left lane to turn right! It’s a city where the weather changes every 15 minutes. It’s a city that came up with its own form of football and obsesses over it to religious levels, as was clear during my last visit (Go the Tiges!). It’s a city where the best tourist attractions are a train station, a market and some laneways with graffiti. A city truly certain that its coffee is the best in the world. Melbourne thrives on the fact that it does its own thing and is convinced it’s better for it. And that’s the kind of mindset that encourages someone to quit their job and travel the world.
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Beyond this defiant streak, it’s also important to remember that Melbourne is a large, multicultural city. Again, I think it’s this exposure to different cultures that stirred my interest in travel. While I was last there, I had everything from Australian pub food to ramen, pho, and Mexican. Just like the unending food options, you’ve got an infinite number of choices for watering holes. In the span of a few days I visited a hipster bar in a loft, a stylish whiskey bar and a secretive East/West Berlin themed bar with craft beer. People always talk about the coffee culture here but the food and bar scene here deserves a lot of praise too.
 
In the end, I love my hometown for its bizarre eccentricities, its inflated self-confidence and ability to satisfy whatever worldly food I’m craving from the comfort of home.

Adelaide & South Australia - by Kelly of Trippin’ Turpins

​Although I was born in New Zealand I have spent the majority of my life, so far, in Adelaide, South Australia. The other Trippin’ Turpin was born in South Australia. In spite of the fact that we were very eager to leave South Australia, in May of 2014 to begin our world journey, it is still one of our favourite places. In fact, the more we travel, the more we realise how special South Australia is. Adelaide is a lovely city, and South Australia has beautiful beaches, the best wines, fabulous wildlife, scrumptious local products and it even has the Australian outback!
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Adelaide
Adelaide is often overlooked as an Australian destination, probably because it was known as the ‘City of Churches’…. it does make it sound kind of boring! However, Adelaide has so much more to offer. Adelaide is a sophisticated city, jam packed with culture, a pumping live-music scene and beautiful beaches. This multicultural city has a plethora of international cuisine and the Central Market is one of Australia’s largest fresh produce markets, selling a huge range of fresh and multi-cultural products.

Wineries
Further afield you will find some of Australia’s best wine regions. South Australia has more than 15 wine regions, many of which are only an hour away. Barossa valley is only 60km NE of the city and the McLaren Vale is 41km south. Other superb winery regions include Clare Valley and the Coonawarra.​
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Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third largest island; furthermore over a third of this island is protected as nature reserves. It is home to native wildlife like sea lions, koalas and wallabies. It is also known for its striking coastal rock formations such as the sculpted Remarkable Rocks. However, what I want to tell you about is all the wonderful artisan produce made on the island. 

Kangaroo Island produces some of Australia’s finest gourmet delights. Visiting one of the Farmer’s Markets on Kangaroo Island will unveil a profusion of produce including organic honey, sheep cheese and yoghurt, wine and liquors, olive oil, fig syrup, curry pastes, chutneys and relishes. As well as home-made soap, candles, and lavender and eucalyptus oil products.

Flinders Ranges
Lastly I would like to mention the Flinders Ranges. If you want to explore the Australian Outback you can’t go past the Flinders Ranges. Popular for four-wheel driving, hiking trails and bush walks. This is also a great place to try some of the local food. The Prairie Hotel in Parachilna serves up kangaroo, emu and camel, using native herbs such as saltbush, pepper-leaf, and lemon myrtle. 

The Flinders Ranges is also a fascinating geological area. The rocks of the Flinders Ranges are more than 500 million years old, and contain some of the earth's oldest fossils, representing the earliest evidence of complex life on Earth!

South Australia is really very special - don’t miss it when you visit Down Under!

Uluru - by Angie of Feet Do Travel
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The red centre, Uluru, Ayers Rock, people refer to this semi-arid desert in the middle of the Australian outback in many different ways. The land bakes all year round from the intense scorching heat, it’s a harsh and unforgiving land, a remote place miles from anywhere, but is a trip here worth it? You bet your bottom dollar it is!

I visited Uluru for an amazing long weekend when I was living in Brisbane on a working visa. I spent good money then, but now there are some interesting apps you can use that offer backpacker discounts such as Aussiety...but for me I guess it will have to wait until my next visit!

I adore Brisbane, it’s country-town feel, streets lined with charismatic Queenslander houses, the man-made beach in the middle of the City, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Mount Coot-tha for amazing night time city views, this place holds a very special place in my heart, but I’m not going to talk any more about “Brissie”, I will leave that to Travel Lexx as he loves this place as much as I do! I want to share my trip to Uluru with Adventure Tours.

Flying into this vast area was spectacular, I was able to see just how remote it really is. I would like to quickly mention the indigenous people of Australia as they are often forgotten. For 40,000 years the Anangu have lived off this land and, despite being here for thousands of years before “modern day Australia”, it wasn’t until 1962 that they were recognised as Australian citizens. In the cultural centre, we learnt so much about the Anangu people, their beliefs, laws, behaviour, social interaction, how they use this harsh land to live and hunt, it was absolutely fascinating.
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A postcard I purchased showing our flight route over Uluru
​To get a feel for how rural the area is, we slept underneath the stars around a camp fire in a traditional Aussie swag; the night was so still and peaceful with absolutely no noise, not even from bush creatures. It’s a very special memory.

Our tour started with a visit to “the Olgas” or to quote its real name Kata Tjuta meaning "many heads". It was discovered in 1872 by explorer Ernest Giles who also “found” Uluru and King’s Canyon. 
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Kata Tjuta, the "Olgas”
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​The Olgas and Uluru were formed at the same time about 650 million years ago when the earth moved and created these mountains. At 546 metres high, Mount Olga is very impressive and to stand next to these huge, beautiful, red rocks made me feel so small and insignificant. If the land in Lord of the Rings was real, I imagined it would look like this. 


For sunset and sunrise, we went to Uluru. Uluru is thought to mean “great pebble” in Anangu. "Ayres Rock" as it is famously known was named after Sir Henry Ayre, the South Australian Premier back when it was discovered. ​
Uluru is a sacred object of worship and only the initiated men are allowed to climb. As it’s considered disrespectful for a foreigner to climb, I chose to take the 8km circular walk around the base. For three leisurely hours, I admired what Mother Nature had created and the fascinating depressions caused by weathering including one which looked like a skull.
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Do you think this depression looks like a skull?
​My favourite little creature in the outback is a Thorny Devil and our guide spotted a rarely sighted 3 inch little cutey. I find them fascinating; they walk with their tail in the air and look like a leaf to passing birds. They have a fat cell on their “shoulder” which acts as a decoy for their head, so when a bird swoops down thinking it has caught its lunch, it really has the little devil’s fat cell. To blend in with the environment, they change colour but also turn a darker shade when scared which is what our little friend was doing, it was time to leave it alone.
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Yes the red centre is a long way from anywhere, but if you want to know the “real” Australia, if you want to feel what it’s like for the indigenous people of this harsh and beautiful land, you simply have to visit Uluru.

Brisbane - by Alexei from Travel Lexx

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Why do I love Brisbane? It’s a question that I haven’t really pondered over the last decade or so, during which I’ve studied, holidayed, lived and worked in the Queensland capital. For Brisbane is a place that’s been such a huge part of my life, that I never stopped to consider just what exactly it means to me. 
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Brisbane might not be the most beautiful city in the world. It doesn’t have an abundance of sights. It doesn’t even have a proper beach (it’s in Australia, how can it not have a beach, I hear you exclaim). What it does have, however, is something that I can’t quite put my finger on.
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South Bank, the man-made beach in the City
It could be its laid-back atmosphere, in contrast to bustling Sydney and Melbourne. Or its multitude of cafes and bars, packed with locals on warm evenings. Or its year-round warm weather which makes it one of the best places for outdoor pursuits. And BBQs with friends.
 
It could be the wind rushing through my hair on board the CityCAT ferry speeding up and down the Brisbane River. It could be the tennis courts at University of Queensland where I spent most of my free time. Or the soccer pitch at Tarragindi where I proudly put on my team’s jersey.

​Was it driving to Mt. Coot-tha at night for ice cream and breath-taking views of the city? Or evenings spent laughing with friends at Tinbilly’s Hostel. Was it the day trips to Surfers Paradise, Sunshine Coast and hiking in the Glasshouse Mountains?​
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View of Brisbane City from Mount Coot-tha which is even more spectacular at night
It could have been selling candy floss at the EKKA or cheering for the Maroons during Origin. It could have been jogging along South Bank or strolling by the cliffs of Kangaroo Point. Or having breakfast set menus at the Pancake Manor in the middle of the night. And who could forget the cakes at The Three Monkeys?

It could be any of those things. Or all of them. Or it could be the Streets Beach (Brisbane SORT OF has a beach). Yeah, it was probably the beach. 

By Travel Lexx whose love for Brisbane is unconditional even though finding good food in the CBD after 9pm is an exercise in futility.

Have you been to Australia? What was your favourite City and what impression did it leave on you? Tell us in the comments below - we would love to hear!

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Australia is a place on most people's bucket list, but what is it about this country and continent that leaves such an impression on people who visit?
16 Comments
Lolo link
10/11/2017 08:30:16 am

All great experiences and I hope to fall in love with Australia one day too! From the beautiful beaches to the weirdness of Melbourne and beyond, I'm sure I will love it! #FeetDoTravel

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Feetdotravel
16/11/2017 12:19:06 am

Yes there is much to fall in love with in Australia, and it's not just all about the beautiful places to visit (of which there are many!). Hope you get there someday!

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Sarah link
10/11/2017 11:40:03 am

I think for me as much as I love Port Douglas, Melbourne and the others on your list, the place that I recommend to everyone travelling to Australia is the Whitsundays, and Hamilton Island in particular. #feetdotravel

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FeetDoTravel
16/11/2017 12:20:37 am

I totally agree, The Whitsundays are spectacular and when I return, I will definitely visit this area again! Hamilton was on my list but I never made it ... great excuse to return!

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Ruth link
10/11/2017 09:59:12 pm

No kidding when you said a visit to Australia stays with you forever! I have lived in Puerto Rico and the United States, so Australia seems like an exotic place to me. It has flora and fauna I have never seen. So, of course, I want to visit and, of course, the place is going to surprise me in many ways. I have been contemplating to go for my 10th wedding anniversary (next year). We will see.

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Feetdotravel
16/11/2017 12:21:51 am

What a fantastic place to consider spending your 10th anniversary! Yes it is exotic but it's also so down to earth so I can't think of a better place :D

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Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler) link
13/11/2017 01:02:28 pm

Wow, Australia looks amazing with some great places to visit. I am sorry I was not able to visit while living in Asia. I must move it up on my bucket-list. Love this collaboration article and can't decide on which place mentioned to visit first 😉. I pinned this for later use! #feetdotravel

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FeetDoTravel
16/11/2017 12:23:24 am

There are many amazing places not even covered on this collaboration such as the entire West coast which I hear is also amazing! When I return, that is where I intend to go (whale sharks in Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef!!)

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Marcelle link
15/11/2017 11:30:47 am

First: I'd love to see the wildlife in Australia. To see these unique creatures, endemic to Australia, would be so amazing! I think I'd buy a guide about Australians National Parks and drive from one to the other - photographing along - maybe I'd need to come back, because the visa is "only" valid for half a year ;)

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Barry link
16/11/2017 10:06:31 am

Some great highlights of a country that has so much to offer. Like many whom visit Australia I fell in love with the place after first visiting and now I spend a good portion of my year here. Although Angie I am slightly disappointed, where is Tasmania!?

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Carmen Baguio link
16/11/2017 08:18:24 pm

Am I the only one who hasn't been to Australia? This detailed post really makes me want to go. It's so far from the states, but we know we want to visit the Philippines in the future. Maybe we could do a combination trip!

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Shona link
17/11/2017 03:49:29 am

I have been in Australia for the past 6 weeks and have 1 more to go. Having just this morning hopped off a 7 day Murray River houseboat experience out of Mannum S.A. I could go on and on about how much I love my home country. Off to Melbourne next week then back to Dubai. I love a sunburnt country..... ;-)

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James link
17/11/2017 09:41:14 am

Australia is huge, the largest island in the world is an impressive stat. I've not been there yet but I think I'll need at least 6 months to fully explore. I really want to visit Melbourne which David covered. The reasons I want to visit is because of all the sports events there. I'd love to fish eye the unique rock structures in the middle of the country too.

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Kreete Tokman link
18/11/2017 07:26:03 am

I am very lucky to call Australia my second home. When I first moved here, I didn't picture it to be so big! There is certainly a lot that I have already seen, but equally as much tons of things I haven't! The west coast is completely undiscovered by me yet. With so many dreams and not enough time, how will I ever manage? Great collaboration though guys, really enjoyed the read and will have to give Melbourne another go now haha!

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Scarlett Begonias link
20/11/2017 03:50:15 am

I love all of the animals from the platypus to the kangaroo, ahhhh this is such a bucket list item for us. Thank you for this collaboration, it was so inspiring and beautiful :)

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Andre link
26/12/2017 10:49:44 am

My working holidays visa was also approved and I'll be leaving to Australia on June, i found your post a very interesting read. Thanks : )

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