East Australia 5-Day Roadtrip: Day One and Two

5 Day Itinerary in East Australia

Read Day 3 here
Read Day 4 and 5 here

Left: Road trip from Sydney - Right: Destinations covered
Click to enlarge.

Day 1

Since Australia is a large country, most people recommend taking a domestic flight to save time but during the time I went (at the beginning of the year), the flight prices were high so we opted to road trip instead.

Hence the first day we drove from Sydney to Brisbane which took 12 hours. The weather is much hotter and dryer than in Sydney. We had a few stops including one at Richmond Valley. The hotel in Brisbane was booked already so that is why we went there but the activities for Day 2 actually took place nearer to Gold Coast.

Richmond Valley

We stayed at the Brisbane Watermark Hotel and it was very comfortable. The rooms were quite large and very clean. I also enjoyed the breakfast with the fresh croissants, bacon, eggs and more.

Brisbane

Day 2

In the morning we drove 2 hours to Paradise Country Farm where we spent most of the afternoon. There are a lot of tourists here as it offers the opportunity to see many animals that tourists are curious about. You could take a photo holding a baby koala for AUD$20.

After taking a lot of photos of and with the adorable koalas we walked around to see the other animals. There were emus, kangaroos, and sheep.

There were also different shows by the staff from tea-making, bread-baking to horse-racing. We got to try the tea and bread which made for a good light afternoon snack.

Racing performance

The last activity of the day at Paradise Country was sheep shearing. All the sheep were well trained and we saw many different types all with different wool. Shearing looked like it was painful for the sheep but they were actually very compliant and relaxed.

Sheep shearing

You can spend the rest of your afternoon at the Warner Brother's Movie World with lots of rides for youth. We didn't go because I have already been to similar types of amusement parks before which were bigger.

Movie World

It was a short day activity-wise. We ate dinner then drove some more to Gold Coast where we stayed the night.

Read Day 3 here
Read Day 4 and 5 here

East Australia 5-Day Road Trip: Day Three

5 Day Itinerary in East Australia

Read Day 1 and 2 here
Read Day 4 and 5 here

Day 3

This day was probably my favourite out of my whole Australia trip because it was so beautiful and activity-filled! In the morning we drove 2 hours from our Gold Coast hotel to the Town of 1770. Yes that is the name of the place! It offered access to the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef.

We boarded a small cruise called Lady Musgrave to the island with the same name.

Beautiful location for the day!

The boat ride took 1.5 hours to get to the island and it was rough. The waves made the ride bumpy and many people vomited. If you get motion sickness easily, I suggest taking a pill beforehand to relieve yourself from the stress since seeing other people vomit may make you want to vomit as well.

Our ride

However, the ride is worth the gorgeous destination! The water was extremely blue, the sun was shining and the water was calm.

Look at that water!

We spent all our daylight hours there and only returned to the pier when the sun was setting. The passengers were split into groups to take small boats to an un-inhabited island with lots of birds. It was very small and we walked around it in an hour.

Small island

Other activities included snorkeling, taking glass bottom boats to see fish and coral, and sun-tanning. Snack, tea, coffee and hot chocolate were served throughout the trip and there was a hearty lunch with chicken, pasta, beets and salad. I enjoyed the freshness of the food especially the pineapple with coconut shred salad that I've never tried before!

Boats to see coral

It was a fulfilling day spent in the water admiring the sea wildlife of Australia. For information about the Lady Musgrave cruise click here.

Read Day 1 and 2 here
Read Day 4 and 5 here

East Australia 5-Day Road Trip: Day Four and Five

5 Day Itinerary in East Australia

Read Day 1 and 2 here
Read Day 3 here

Day 4

Today's activities were at Gold Coast. First we went to Sea World and spent a few hours there enjoying the rides and shows. However, the weather turned bad around 2.5 hours in and started emitting lightening and rain.

We ducked into the aquarium to prevent from getting wet and also because that was my favourite part. The tanks were filled with beautiful sea creatures from sharks, turtles, stingrays to an assortment of fish. I was mesmerized.

Sky darkening at dolphin performance

As a result, many of the performances and rides were closed down including the dolphin show and sea lion show. I love watching dolphin shows so I was a bit disappointed but I understood the need for safety precautions.

Fish tank photo that doesn't do it justice

After Sea World we went to Surfer's Paradise beach on Gold Coast. It was raining so there were only two surfers in the water but due to the rain we were able to see a double rainbow! At one point there was even a bolt of lightening under the double rainbow which was very cool.

Surfer's Paradise

Admiring the double rainbow (not visible in photo)

That was the end of our journey in East Aussie because...[refer to Day 5]

Day 5

Full day of driving from Gold Coast back to Sydney.

There is a lot of travelling time with this itinerary but we were able to see the animals, nature and scenes that we wanted to see in Australia.

Read Day 1 and 2 here
Read Day 3 here

Sydney 3-Day Itinerary: Day One

3 Day Itinerary in Sydney

Read Day 2 here

Read Day 3 here

Sydney destinations

Day 1

We arrived in Sydney on New Year�s Eve (December 31st) in the afternoon. The first thing we did after landing was buy a SIM card at the airport. Optus� $2 days prepaid SIM card includes 500mb per day, unlimited local calling, and unlimited local SMS and MMS all for $2 per day. Grocery stores like Woolsworths conveniently sold top up cards. We bought $20 worth for the SIM card and had the luxury of searching up maps for travelling throughout the trip in Australia.

Somehow when we booked our flights we overlooked that NYE in Sydney will be packed so the accommodation that we managed to get for a decent price was close to the airport but further from the city centre.

We stayed at the AEA Executive Apartments for three nights and had no problems with it despite the mixed reviews online. The apartment was big and reasonably clean, front desk was helpful, and there was a washing machine which was very useful. The stove top did not work but it wasn't a huge problem for us since we did not cook. 

AEA Executive Apartments

After we checked-in to AEA we headed to the city. Bus stops are conveniently located across the street and either the 309 or 310 took us directly to the CBD in less than half an hour. To check bus times text the bus stop number to 0488 TXT BUS (0488 898 287).

Since it was NYE there was a special bus ticket for unlimited travel from 15:00 Dec 31 to 12:00 Jan 1 for $6. Check out this website for more information about NYE in Sydney. We alighted on Liverpool St and slowly made our way to Chinatown for dinner with friends. Chinatown is quite clean and vibrant with restaurant businesses in the newer part. There are cuisines from all over Asia, not just Chinese food and seem to be quite popular among the younger generation.

Market City at Chinatown

Darling Harbour is a close walk from Chinatown. We waited for the 9:00pm fireworks which were beautiful but the crowd was not friendly at all. There was a lot of pushing, cutting queue, and complaints about prams even though this was a family event. Honestly the wait for and during the fireworks was one of the most unpleasant experiences in Sydney. Even though the fireworks could be clearly seen from the sky, people still felt the need to push until they were at the front. They were clearly not people who lined up hours ahead to get a good spot but ones who came last minute and wanted to push their way forward. 

One time we turned around to ask the rude couple behind us to stop pushing as there was no more room for us to move forward anyways but they replied rudely that if we are not used to pushing then don�t leave the house!

NYE fireworks

After the Darling Harbour fireworks we did not want to experience the exhaustion of being pushed around again so we didn�t join the crowds to see the famous midnight Sydney NYE fireworks. We saw them on the TV back at the apartment which was beautiful but I don�t think I would�ve enjoyed it if I had been pushed for hours beforehand.

Darling Harbour

That�s the end of day one in Sydney!

Read Day 2 here

Read Day 3 here

Sydney 3-Day Itinerary: Day Two

3 Day Itinerary in Sydney

Read Day 1 here

Read Day 3 here

Day 2

Although we were sightseeing the whole day I opted not to buy the MyMulti Day Pass (AUD$21) because many of the locations were within walking distance and the CBD area has free shuttle buses in the daytime.

Went to the Sydney Opera House today!

If you are interested in learning more about the MyMulti passes look at this website. I found the Sydney transit websites difficult to navigate to find the information I need. For example the bus fares are divided into sections but there is no easy way to calculate how many sections you will have to travel and therefore pay for the fare. I asked the man who sold the MyBus fares and even he told me that he just guessed.

Bus fare prices from Sydney website

From last night we still had our unlimited bus fare until 12:00pm so we used that to get to the CBD in the morning. We alighted at Liverpool St again and walked through the park across the street which houses The Pool of Reflections and the Archibald Fountain. Since it was summer weather, the trees provided a nice breezy walk until we reached St. Mary�s Cathedral.

St. Mary's Cathedral

We made our way along Art Gallery Rd to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (NSW). It is open 10am to 5pm with free general admission. The gallery is elegantly built on the outside and a few floors high. There are classical and modern exhibits free for browsing.

Art Gallery of NSW

Then we walked to the Royal Botanic Gardens which is open 7am to 8pm and has free admission. The gardens was made of more greens than colourful flowers but still amusing to see since the plant species were ones that we didn�t have back home.

Royal Botanic Gardens

There are helpful signs in the gardens that point you to the direction of Mrs. Macquarie�s Point. This place had the best view of the famous Sydney Opera House since it is directly across from it on the harbour. The walk towards the point was also beautiful. We took a lot of photos here!

Panorama from Mrs. Macquarie's Point

From Mrs. Macquarie�s Point to the Opera House took about an 18 minute walk. Despite being New Year�s Day and a public holiday there were lots of people at this tourist destination. 

Sydney Opera House and I

It was another close walk to Circular Quay where the ferry terminal to Manly Beach is. We checked the departure time then grabbed lunch before returning to buy our tickets. Normally there are peak and non-peak hour prices but since it was a holiday it was a flat rate for all hours. 

Circular Quay ferry terminal

The ferry took about 25 minutes and upon alighting we were greeted by a tourist villa. There were shops and restaurants along the walk to the beach with everyone in beachwear ready to soak up the sun. The beach was crowded with bodies sunbathing and swimming in the water.

Manly Beach

We took the ferry back to Circular Quay and walked to The Rocks which is right next to it. There were quaint shops and restaurants here but we didn�t stay here long because we had nothing to buy and it wasn�t meal time yet.

The Rocks

For dinner we headed back to Chinatown because I saw a long queue in front of Mamak yesterday and after searching it up on Urbanspoon, I found that it was one of the top restaurants in Sydney! The free shuttle bus 555 is located across the street from the ferry terminal and we took it to get to Chinatown. Walking is possible but it may take around 20 minutes. Even at 5:30pm we had to wait about 15 minutes before we were seated but the food was pretty delicious. 

Dinner at Mamak

Bus fares are not sold on board buses that leave from the CBD so we went into a 7Eleven and bought bus fares for the way back to the hotel (AUD$3.60).

With careful planning there is no need to buy the MyMulti Day Pass for $21. Excluding the Manly ferry ride - which is not included in the Day Pass either - the entire day�s bus fare only cost us $3.60 each. Even if we did not have the NYE ticket the evening before, it would�ve only cost $7.20 each. However on Day 3 we bought the Day Pass so read on to compare!

Read Day 1 here

Read Day 3 here

Sydney 3-Day Itinerary: Day Three

3 Day Itinerary in Sydney

Read Day 1 here

Read Day 2 here

Day 3

Today we bought the MyMulti Day Pass for AUD$21 each because we were taking the bus more frequently today and we also wanted to try the train across Harbour Bridge.

We took the bus to the city and alighted on Elizabeth St at Liverpool St. We walked across the street and took the 380 bus towards North Bondi. You can also take the 333 bus and both cost AUD$4.60 one way. There is also another option of taking the train near to Bondi then wait for the 333/380 to transfer to the beach. The train method is supposedly faster but since Bondi Beach is so popular, there was a long queue at the bus interchange when our bus arrived to pick up the train passengers. Factoring in the queuing time, getting on the bus on Elizabeth St did not take much longer and we had a seat the whole way.

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is very long and quite commercial. There are many shops and restaurants along and further back from the beach. There were signs that said the beach had free WiFi but when I tried to log in, it didn�t work. Since I�m not much of a sunbather, one hour at Bondi was enough but if you wanted to play water sports you could spend a good amount of time here.

Sydney Fish Market

Seafood Plate

We took the bus back to the train station area and took the train to Museum Station. It was about a 10-15 minute walk to the Sydney Fish Market where a lot of seafood is sold. There is an indoor street with stores upon stores of seafood vendors selling their food to you. Every table seemed to be occupied by people and the noise level was very high. I have been to other busy fish markets before but I found this one very overwhelming since I had no idea what to choose and couldn't find a space to sit down and eat it even if I did choose. We ended up trying an oyster and shrimp plate which was pretty fresh but not anything spectacular. If you would like to experience a busy seafood environment then go to the fish market for a look! Perhaps I was just hungry so I felt more overwhelmed.

Darling Harbour

Hurricane Grill

After the Fish Market we walked towards Darling Harbour because the bus would have taken longer. The trek was about another 15-18 minutes. We ate a proper lunch at Hurricane Grill which overlooks the harbour and served delicious lamb ribs! I really enjoyed my meal here.

Queen Victoria Building

From Darling Harbour we took a bus to the Queen Victoria Building. Walking would only take 15 minutes from the harbour but since we had a Day Pass, we used it. The QVB is currently a shopping mall but its architecture is old and beautiful inside and out. There were many tourists there not to shop but to observe. Remember to look up at the exquisite clocks hanging from the ceiling!

Sydney Tower Eye

A 5 minute walk from the QVB is Westfield Sydney which is a shopping mall at the base of the Sydney Tower Eye. We didn�t go up since it was raining so the view would not have been great anyways. We ended up at the Westfield food court which is a very nice one. Food is served above food court quality here and everyone seemed to enjoy their dining experience. I�d recommend having lunch here if you�re in the area.

Sydney train

Lastly we took the train for a few stops across the Harbour Bridge and back since the train tracks were adjacent to the vehicle lanes on the bridge. It offered a decent view of the harbour and Opera House from above but there was a wired fence so decent pictures can�t be captured. Nonetheless, we used our Day Pass to the fullest!

Read Day 1 here

Read Day 2 here