Cairns has been on my must-visit list for as long as I can remember, for its exhilarating activities, for the surrounding rainforests and hinterland, and most of all – the number one attraction in Australia of course, the Great Barrier Reef. Then we arrived in Australia and we kept hearing the same thing. Cairns is …
Our next big stop on the east coast Australia road trip was Magnetic Island, or Maggie Island as it’s affectionately known. It’s famous for being one of the sunniest places in Australia, and also has wild koalas and great beaches. In short, it’s a must-stop on the backpacker trail. We arrived in Townsville after only …
Sailing the Whitsundays was one of my most anticipated activities in Australia – sailing through paradise islands just invokes the most romantic imagery, doesn’t it? Not to mention the unbelievably picturesque Whitehaven Beach that’s become an icon of Australia. The biggest problem with the Whitsundays is there are just SO many options for who to …
I think what surprised us the most about the largest sand island in the world, Fraser Island, was that it was our highlight of the Australian east coast. We had heard plenty of other people say the same thing, but shook it off because surely it can’t be better than the Whitsundays? And we’ll definitely prefer Cairns, …
After my second visit to Noosa, one of the main towns on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, I have come to one conclusion. It’s basically impossible to take a photo where it doesn’t look beautiful. I fell in love with Noosa over Christmas, when we celebrated the holidays on the beach with a couple of great backpacker …
Queenstown, Queenstown, Queenstown. What can I say about you that hasn’t already been said a million times? I was always looking forward to this energetic and extreme-loving city, and it was the first place to go onto my itinerary, but I was also concerned that it would be a letdown – touristy, expensive and overhyped. …
Wanaka doesn’t make it onto everyone’s itineraries for New Zealand – but it was one of the first to go onto mine. Blanketed by mountains and set on a scenic clear lake, and with the feel of a small town but heart of something so much more, there’s nothing not to love about this place. …
Mount Sunday has been on my New Zealand list for a while, and for one reason: it’s the site of Edoras, the town of the Rohan people in Lord Of The Rings. So when a couple of German backpackers posted in the New Zealand backpacker Facebook group asking if anyone had any suggestions for going …
After an incredible journey from Wellington, the ferry to Picton taking us through some stunning scenery and the bus traipsing steadily between the mountains and the wild coast, I have to be honest in that we didn’t expect a lot from Christchurch. After all, this is a city still rebuilding itself from tragic earthquakes, and …
I can’t say I’d ever heard much about the ferry journey from Wellington on the north island to Picton on the south island of New Zealand. As far as I was concerned, it was a nice way to get between the two islands, and judging by the map of fjords and forks, perhaps there would …
