After three wonderful weeks traveling up and down New Zealand, I hopped over to Australia for a brief one week trip. Obviously, one week is nowhere near enough to see everything in this huge country, but I made the most of my time here. I decided to spend two days in Melbourne and then four days in Cairns, so I could get a taste of Australia. Loved it all and definitely need to come back one day to explore the rest!
Same as my New Zealand trip, I saved money by staying in hostels and got around on public transportation (for more detail, check out my post about the New Zealand).
Day 1-2: Melbourne
I was only in Melbourne for two days, but I managed to squeeze a lot in! I was able to walk around the city and admire its old European-esque glamour, go on a day trip to Phillip Island to see their famous penguin parade, and go wine tasting in the Yarra Valley region. Pretty busy, but well worth it.
How I got there: Quick two hour plane ride from Auckland to Melbourne via Virgin Australia. Once I got there, I took the relatively cheap Skybus from the airport to the city center where my hostel was.
Where I stayed: United Backpackers. It’s a bit of a party hostel, as most hostels in this area are, but the staff was friendly and there were free pancakes every morning! The amenities were good too – decent storage lockers under the beds, personal lights and outlets by each bed, and clean/spacious dorms and bathrooms. I wouldn’t mind staying again but maybe not for more than a few days.
What I did/saw:
- Melbourne laneways – laneways are little alleyways dotted all over the city. Many of them are covered with intricate and colorful graffiti and have cozy cafes, restaurants, and bars. I had a lot of fun going on a morning walk, discovering these laneways, and admiring the art!
- Queen Victoria Market – you can hop on the free trams running through the city and take it to Queen Victoria Market, a huge marketplace with lots of surrounding restaurants. This open-air market is sectioned off by type of foods – fruits, vegetables, meats, and – my favorite – a great deli section of breads, sweets, wine, cheeses, and other snacks. Had a great time tasting everything and bought some bureks (pastries with a savory filling) for some lunch on the go.
- Brighton Bathing Boxes – one of the major things I did was a guided bus tour down to Phillip Island, and we stopped at many other places along the way. The first was these Brighton Bathing Boxes on the beach, which are brightly painted sheds lining the edge of the beach. They are small, but apparently quite expensive to own – more of a status symbol. Each one is uniquely decorated and it was fun to explore the several dozen boxes to find my favorite one!
- Moonlight Sanctuary – this was my favorite stop on the tour! This sanctuary is home to a variety of native Australian animals, many of them endangered, and was a great chance to interact and learn with these critters. Got to see a baby koala in action, running around in circles, and even got to hand-feed the free-roaming kangaroos and wallabies. Definitely one of the highlights of my whole trip.
- Phillip Island – the tour ended with the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island of the tiny cute penguins (literally called “little penguins”) coming out of the water at night and waddling up the beach back to their beach homes. It was absolutely magical to see waves and waves of these little birds running up the beach, calling loudly to each other. It can definitely be tricky to figure out how best to see the parade, so going with a tour guide was a huge help (Penguin photo credit goes to Phillip Island Nature Parks).
- Yarra Valley wine tour – the other major tour I did near Melbourne was a trip out to the Yarra Valley wine region for a day of wine tasting and learning about regional wineries. We got to visit a total of four wineries: Steels Gate (a boutique winery where I picked up a lovely pinot noir), Balgownie Estate (a beautiful wine estate where we had an amazing lunch), Yering Farm (a tiny single-vineyard winery that’s also known for their cider), and Domaine Chandon (a sparkling wine winery). There was plenty of wine throughout the day (maybe too much), plus our tour guide was very informative about the different varieties of Australian wines and the history of wine-making in the region.
What I ate:
- Pickett’s – before heading into Queen Victoria Market, I stopped here for a quick breakfast and got a tasty filling croque madame sandwich. Very cute and quaint place – I would love being able to get a leisurely breakfast here every morning!
- Shujinku – after a long day to Philip Island (where it was kind of cold and windy), it was great to dig into a big bowl of hot ramen at this Japanese restaurant. Service was quick and the food was cheap!
- Sushi Hub – filled with food and wine from the Yarra Valley tour, I just wanted something light and fast, so I got this recommendation from my hostel. It’s just a takeout place where you can quickly make your own box of super fresh sushi to go!
Day 3-6: Cairns
Spent the last four days of my trip here. I spent the first day up in Palm Cove (had actually considered staying here over Cairns), a peaceful beach. The other three days were guided day tours to the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and Atherton Tablelands. These were all amazing sights and I’m glad that I was able to see them. Truly something that can’t be captured properly through pictures or video.
How I got there: Hopped on a quick flight through Virgin Australia from Melbourne to Cairns. From the airport in Cairns, I had pre-booked a free shuttle (through my hostel) that picked me up and brought me straight to the hostel.
Where I stayed: Bounce Cairns. Like the Melbourne hostel, this was also somewhat of a loud party hostel, but it was fine for a few days. The location was pretty central to everything, the rooms were decent, and the staff was really helpful. The drink prices at their bar are great as well! They did have free breakfast but it was mostly just bread that ran out quickly.
What I did:
- Palm Cove – took public transport bus about 30-40 minutes north of Cairns to this secluded beautiful beach – golden sands and blue-green waters! The beach was also lined with palm trees, hence the name! I had a great time wandering barefoot on the beach and exploring the little shops and cafes.
- Port Douglas – did a day trip with Uncle Brian’s Tours to Cape Tribulation and Daintree Rainforest. These tours are a bit of a rowdy party bus with a younger crowd, but the guides do a good job making everyone feel included. Our first stop was Port Douglas, where we explored the Four Mile Beach and had some morning tea and snacks. The weather was sunny and clear – what a gorgeous beach view!
- Daintree Rainforest – next, we drove through the Daintree Rainforest, which was full of towering trees and dense ferns. We even got to see a baby cassowary (also known as those giant dinosaur birds with talons). The rainforest was beautiful and I could see why it’s on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We stopped at a restaurant in the middle of the rainforest and walked off our giant meal afterwards at Myall Beach – could see Cape Tribulation in the background! We even got to cool off with a swim in a private swimming hole, complete with a rope swing and water slide.
- Daintree Ice Cream Company – stopped at this ice cream stand and got a triple scoop of refreshing tropical ice cream flavors, such as black sapote (tasted like a fruity chocolate) and wattleseed (tasted like mocha/hazelnut).
- Jindalba Boardwalk – did a quick walk through the Daintree Rainforest on this boardwalk and got to admire some of the rainforest foliage up close, like the giant buttress roots.
- Daintree River – got to end the tour with a crocodile river cruise! While drinking wine and floating down the water during sunset, we got to see a couple of crocodiles, including a giant one that was over five meters long.
- Great Barrier Reef – there are multiple snorkeling and diving tours that go out to the Great Barrier Reef, but nearly all of them are full day trips. Since I didn’t want to be snorkeling for that long, I went with Skedaddle, who takes you out on their high speed jet boat so you get to and from the reef faster. I got to snorkel for an hour or two at Hastings Reef. The tour guide led us around and pointed out the sea life and different types of coral, before letting us freely swim around. I saw so many vibrant fish, huge clams, and even a sea turtle! After I got tired of snorkeling, I went on a glass bottom boat tour, where I learned about all the different types of coral and how they grow. (Underwater photo credit goes to my Skedaddle tour guide).
- Cairns Esplanade – watched the sunset on the edge of the water here. There’s also several large public pools that people like swimming in during the day.
- Night Market – spent the night wandering through the market here. This was a good place to find gifts for people back home, and I walked away with a few boxes of local cookies and chocolates for decent prices. There is also a lot of food stalls and restaurants so it’s also a great place to chow down for dinner.
- Atherton Tablelands – on on final full day, I did a day tour with Barefoot Tours to the Atherton Tablelands, for a day full of waterfalls, lakes and lookouts. Our guide for the day was actually native to the area and was proud to show off her hometown. We made brief stops at Heales Lookout (trees overlooking the valley below), the Cathedral Fig Tree (a huge strangler fig that grew into a massive plant and was the inspiration for the tree in Avatar), Crawford’s Lookout (an overlook into the river valley below), and a random unmanned banana stand with an honesty box (and got to try some super sweet sugar bananas).
- Lake Eacham – this was a crater lake with clear waters, where we could see a few turtles (and even a crocodile!). Some of the group went swimming, as the waters were relatively warm, but I just dipped my feet.
- Millaa Millaa – this was a huge, tall curtain waterfall, and here, I gave in and went swimming in the cold waters so I could get right up near the waterfall and even go behind it. Despite the cold, this swim was definitely worth it!
- Josephine Falls/Babinda Boulders – these were other potential swim spots, but due to the rain and rapids, we decided to not to risk it. Josephine Falls had a natural rock slide that we could have gone down, and the Babinda Boulders contained the Devil’s Pools, dangerous currents that legends say a young woman haunts and lures young men to their deaths.
- Rusty’s Markets – before catching my flight home, I took some time to wander through this farmers markets. Sampled tons of fruit, including ones I’ve never had before like custard apples. One stall even had a parrot hopping around. Made sure I grabbed a glass of fresh sugar cane juice with basil, ginger, and lemon – and it tasted just like a mojito!
What I ate:
- Vivo – while in Palm Cove, I stopped at this beach side restaurant for a happy hour deal of red wine, duck dumplings, and barramundi rolls. Yummy food and relaxing view!
- Dumpling Cove – before leaving Palm Cove, I grabbed some pork dumplings to go from this restaurant. Super filling and delicious!
- evoBurger – grabbed an avocado burger here to go after I got back from the Daintree day trip. Nothing special, but definitely filling.
- Snoogies – smoothie stand, where I told the juice-tender to surprise me with a green machine. Tasted great and healthy!
- Waffle On – before heading out to the Great Barrier Reef, I fueled up on egg/avocado/mushroom waffles. These were so fluffy and chewy that I even returned the next day (which I almost never do) for avocado/goat cheese/blueberry/honey waffles!
- Pho at Night Market – while exploring the Night Market, I stopped for dinner at the pho stand. It was decent – filling but not as flavorful as other pho bowls that I’ve had.
- The Conservatory – great cozy and quiet bar, where the bartender recommended a delicious red wine to me. I sat here for awhile drinking wine and working on my travel journal.
- Prawn Star – as a treat to myself for my last meal on my trip, I had dinner at this restaurant that is made up of three boats floating in the pier. Got a GIANT seafood platter full of salmon sashimi, oysters, bugs (sort of an Australian lobster), and prawns. Everything was super fresh and delicious, and I managed to chow down on the whole platter while listening live karaoke.
- Three Wolves – a small bar/lounge that was pretty loud, but the elderflower gin cocktail I got here was good.
- Fusion Art Bar and Tapas – moved over to this bar after Three Wolves, looking for a more quiet place to journal, and ended the night here with a glass of wine.
All in all, I loved spending this entire month exploring both New Zealand and Australia. Traveling alone allowed for peaceful introspection, and I definitely rediscovered my love for hiking and the great outdoors. If I had to choose, I preferred New Zealand over Australia, but both were great destinations!
Ally (Verb) (Noun) 