Today I’m sharing Part II of our Australia trip including a travel vlog and revealing where we’re off to next! In case you missed it, Part I was our New Zealand itinerary. We spent a month on a cruise in New Zealand and Australia this spring. I can’t say enough good things about our trip. It really was the trip of a lifetime and although we had so much time there, it still wasn’t enough! We spent the majority of our time in New Zealand and really only had a few days in Australia, but we made the most of it. We hit all of the main destinations that we’ve wanted to see including Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania. The highlight of the trip was hanging out with the kangaroos in Tasmania. It really was a dream come true because you can’t go to Australia and not see kangaroos up close! They are the sweetest animals! Read on for more highlights of our trip…
Destination: Sydney, Australia
5 Things:
1.We only had one full day in Sydney and it was not enough time. I would plan to stay at least three days if we were to go back again.
2.The top destination on our list was The Sydney Opera House so we spent a full day around there exploring the shops, cafes and walking paths.
3.The Opera House was beautiful – right on the water. Our cruise ship actually docked at the port nearby so we were able to get a closer look from the water too. There are also ferries that you can take across the water to get a better view. I highly recommend getting a view from the water!
4.I had the BEST avocado toast at The Pullman Hotel near the Opera House. It was raining the morning that we were there so we had brunch first until the rain stopped. The avocado toast was topped with goat cheese and now that’s how I make it at home too!
5.The one regret I have is that we didn’t spend enough time checking out the nearby botanical gardens. Our taxi passed them on the way back to our ship and we were both in awe. Think Central Park in NYC.
Destination: Tasmania, Australia
5 Things:
1.We also only had one day here and it was the best day of our whole trip. We spent it at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary where we got to get up close to kangaroos and koalas.
2.Kangaroos are way more awesome than I ever imagined. They are so sweet and will eat out of the palm of your hand. Phil and I could not get enough of them!
3.Koalas will not wake up for a selfie. You can get next to koalas for a photo, but you’re not allowed to touch them or wake them up. It was still pretty cool to get that close to one though!
4.The trip to Bonorong from our cruise port was about 45 minutes and on the way there we were able to get some good views and a better perspective of the city. Hobart is a port town with beautiful Victorian architecture – great for pictures.
5.Since we spent the day at Bonorong, we didn’t have a lot of time to do anything else, but one place that people from our cruise ship really liked (and that has gotten a lot of press) is MONA which CNN labeled “The World’s Most Far-Out Museum.” If we were to go back, I’d definitely want to check it out.
Destination: Melbourne, Australia
5 Things:
1.Again, we only had one full day in Melbourne so we tried to make the most of it.
2.Our cruise docked about 15 minutes from the city center so we hopped on the tram to ride it into town.
3.There were quite a few people on our cruise from Melbourne and the one thing they told us that was super unique about Melbourne were the laneways (or alleys as we call them). Many of them are converted into shopping and restaurant districts and they’re so charming. You never know what you might find!
4.The coffee here is so good! Well actually anywhere in Australia and New Zealand seems to have amazing coffee. The “Flat White” originated in either place (no one seems to know) and it’s so good – it’s similar to a latte, but better!
5.There’s fantastic shopping in Melbourne. I wish we had more time there to shop, but I bet Phil was a little relieved that we didn’t!
Phil and I have been booking a few more bucket list trips lately and this weekend we’re heading to one of them…Alaska! We leave Sunday and I’m so excited! Make sure to follow along on Instagram and Snapchat (username MiaMiaMine for both) to see what we’re up to!
xo, Maria
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