Australian dream.

I always wanted to visit Australia. It has been a dream since childhood and living in Hawaii made it easier to accomplish that dream (Honolulu-Sydney is 10 hours direct flight). Two of my friends joined me and our 10 days adventure began.

Sydney.

Our first stop was Sydney. We stayed there for 5 days and we got lucky to stay in one of the best hotels there- Park Hyatt. Champagne and chocolates were waiting for us in the room! We had view of the opera house and we were close to everything- the bridge, the opera house, the Rocks, George street (many bars there) and the ferry.

Our first day we took the ferry to Darling Harbor (approx $15) and the ride was amazing- beautiful weather (sunny, around 30C) and beautiful scenery (nice houses by the water and many boats). We visited the Aquarium, and on our way to Sydney tower (where you see the whole city) we experienced the busy city life in downtown Sydney. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a bar at Darling harbor and we had a refreshing mojito! Darling harbor is a spot with many restaurants, bars, and a movie theater and if I lived in Sydney I would probably go there a lot. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, but not the prices (cocktails were $17 and happy hour- $10). That night we went to the Opera house bar- it was crowded, people were having drinks and fun, and listening to life music (apparently the Opera bar is famous among locals on Friday and Saturday night and I definitely recommend it for a drink). We continued the night at Hugos (a bar and a club at Kings cross). Kings Cross is an area that is usually not recommended for tourists but I didn’t find anything disturbing or out of ordinarily. It’s an area with a lot of night life. The bars there are open “till late”!

The next day we took the ferry to Manly beach and we had lunch at a restaurant by the water and we took a nice walk. We didn’t stay at the beach long, may be because of the water- it was very cold, but people were still swimming and surfing! Manly beach area was cozy- like a small surf and beach town. We also went to the famous Bondi beach which was very crowded and we did a tour of the Opera house.

On our last day a friend of ours took us on a speed boat ride for 5 hours and we were able to “see” more of Sydney and its beauty. The weather was perfect and there were many people who enjoyed the sunny day out in the water. I was surprised to see a small boat that sells icecream! I have never seen that before.

Overall, I was glad I went to Sydney and I will probably go back again. I recommend it for a visit during summer (I was there February 1, and the weather was sunny all the time, approx 30C). If you do have time and you are not afraid to drive on the left side of the road, I suggest you visit the Jenolan Caves. They look amazing and I have heard only good things about them. Unfortunately, we didn’t go because none of us wanted to drive for 6 hours total. May be if we stayed an extra day….

Melbourne

Our next stop was Melbourne. Before we went there the weather was very hot- around 40C, but when we arrived it was around 20C and very windy. Locals say that you can have 4 seasons in 1 day! We experienced very cold and windy mornings and nights, and hot days…

We took the scenery hop on and off bus- it’s only $5 and it was enough to see and experience Melbourne.  From the tourist point of view, I wasn’t impressed by the city, but locals love it because it has a lot of coffee shops (it is famous for its coffee), restaurants and shops. They also say that it has a very European look, but me being from Europe, I still love and prefer Europe more.

Cairns.

Our last stop was Cairns. Australians compare it to Hawaii because it is tropical and hot all the time but to me Hawaii is much nicer! We stayed there 3 days and it was raining nonstop and very humid (summer is their wet season; locals told us the best time to visit Cairns and the reef is September and October). There were many fruit bats hanging on the trees on the streets and flying everywhere!  That was exciting to see since I never seen a bat before. They were very loud!

We took a 1day Great Barrier Reef boat tour. The tour included 2 snorkeling locations, food, drinks and introductory scuba dive. Because of the rain and the overcast, we couldn’t see the reef in its perfection but we were still able to see its beauty. Some of the corals were as big as a tree and they were very colorful. There were pretty fish, small and big, different colors. Everything that I have seen about the reef in documentaries was in front of me and it was a great experience and feeling! I definitely recommend the Great Barrier Reef for an exotic adventure!

We also took 1 day Daintree Rainforest tour (Daintree Rainforest is the oldest rainforest in the world- older than the Amazon!) We visited the Wild Habitat Port Douglas where I was able to hold a koala for only $15 and pet a kangaroo! What is Australia without seeing koala and kangaroo, right? )
Desi Stancheva, Hawaii