Friday, Alex and I hiked the Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach Walk. This 3.5-mile walk stretches along the Pacific Ocean coastline and made for a perfect morning activity. The trail extends along several other beaches including: Clovelly Beach, Bronte Beach and Tamarama Beach. There is also a large cemetery, Waverly Cemetery, which we passed as well. After arriving to Bondi Beach, we grabbed lunch at the Porch and Parlour.
Read MoreWe made it back to mainland Australia Wednesday night! We left Hobart at 4:30pm and by 6:30pm, we had landed in Sydney. I studied abroad in Sydney 14 years ago and have been looking forward to returning. It has been exciting to be back in a city again for a change of scenery and excellent food choices! On Thursday, we checked out the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney Opera House, Luna Park and walked across the Harbour Bridge. It was a busy day and we walked a total of 8 miles before 3:00pm!
Read MoreWe left Lake St. Clair for New Norfolk on Monday. On the way, we stopped at Mt. Field National Park, to hike the waterfalls + tall trees circuit. The waterfalls included: Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Lady Barron Falls. It took about two hours and was a nice, leisurely walk through the rainforest.
Read MoreOn Saturday, we drove to Lake St. Clair, a place we have been anticipating since we first started planning our trip to Tasmania. When researching things to do in Lake St. Clair back in June, we came across the hotel, Pumphouse Point, and knew immediately we wanted to stay there.
Read MoreWe left Cradle Mountain for Strahan this past Thursday morning. On the drive to Strahan, we stopped in Williamsford to hike the Montezuma Falls track. This three-hour trek takes you to Tasmania’s highest waterfall, Montezuma Falls, standing at 340-feet. It was an easy walk through the rainforest to reach the falls.
Read MoreWe arrived in Cradle Mountain on Tuesday after leaving Stanley. The drive takes around 2 ½ hours and before entering the park, we stopped at the Cradle Mountain Lookout. The park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, diverse in both vegetation and wildlife.
Read MoreSunday morning, we left Launceston and made our way towards Stanley. While driving, we made several stops along the way. We passed through the town of Penguin, a pretty seaside village. The town is known for its multiple statues of penguins and even the trashcans are in the shape of their namesake. We did not spend too much time here, but wanted to make sure to get a obligatory photo of the 10-foot penguin in the center of town!
Read MoreTuesday, we left for Launceston, the second largest city in Tasmania with 68,000 residents. On the way to Launceston, we made a detour to the Low Head Lighthouse which was built in 1888 and a great location to watch the Tamar River flowing into the Bass Straight.
Read MoreMonday, we left Coles Bay and headed to Bridport where we stayed for one night. On our way to Bridport we stopped at Bridestowe Lavender Estate. The estate boasts over 260 acres of lavender fields, landscaped gardens and native forests.
Read MoreFriday morning, we left Coles Bay for St. Helens. In Portugal, we started listening to podcasts since we spent so much time in the car and found it helps make the drive more interesting. Most of our podcasts centered around murder mysteries (“Someone Knows Something”, “Dirty John”, and “Up and Vanished") and have been looking to branch out a bit.
Read MoreWe woke early and hit the road towards Coles Bay on Monday. We made a pit stop in Swansea, a pretty seaside village which overlooks Great Oyster Bay and Freycinet National Park. On the way to Swansea we stopped at Spiky Bridge. Built by convicts in 1843, the bridge was made from stones without mortar or cement. It is unclear why the spikes were designed, but the belief is the spikes were added to prevent cattle from falling over the sides of the bridge.
Read MoreFrom Port Arthur, we drove to Orford on Saturday, where we stayed for two nights. The first day, we took the ferry from Triabunna to Maria Island (pronounced “Mariah” Island). The mountainous island was once a penal colony for convicts who committed offenses against the French colonists. Today, the entire island and the ocean surrounding it is a national park.
Read MoreOn Tuesday morning, we left Bruny Island for Port Arthur. On the way, we stopped at Coal River Farm, where we picked our own plums and strawberries. In addition to growing fruits, they also make their own cheese and chocolate which we sampled. We enjoyed the pit-stop and even got to pet a couple of goats!
Read MoreWe left for Bruny Island last week after two days in Hobart. The only option to get to Bruny Island is by ferry and we were not the only people who had this idea! The line to ride the ferry was long and we waited in our car for about an hour before we could board. Neither of us had ever been on a ferry where you drive up in your car, park on the ferry, and then drive off once arriving at the jetty. It was all quite exciting! The ferry ride itself only took about 20 minutes and we arrived in Bruny Island shortly after 1:00pm.
Read MoreWe are quickly winding down our time in Melbourne and will be leaving for Tasmania tomorrow. Melbourne is such a vibrant and fun city with beautiful beaches, amazing food, and quirky neighborhoods.
On my list of things to do before leaving was visiting the Yarra Valley, the regions wine country. The drive is only an hour from Melbourne so we rented a car on Wednesday and set off to explore this area.
Read MoreTuesday morning we hiked part of the Bayside Coastal Trail, a 17-kilometer coastal walk from Brighton to Beaumaris in Melbourne. We did not complete the whole trail but started at Sandringham and walked through to the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary.
Read MoreSorry it's been so quiet over here on the blog, but I came down with a bad cold and have been cooped up inside for the last few days. We did venture out last night for the Australian Open and had a really great time. We always enjoyed attending the US Open each September while living in New York and were able to take a tour of Wimbledon during our time in London this past fall.
Read MoreOur last full day traveling on the Great Ocean Road started with driving to The Arch. This naturally sculptured arch stands 26 feet tall and is located a short distance from Port Campbell. We were the only people there first thing in the morning and we spent quite a bit of time listening to the waves crashing against the arch.
Read MoreOur second day exploring the Great Ocean Road started with breakfast at Hello Coffee in Apollo Bay. Housed in a warehouse, it was an adorable and delicious place to fuel up before getting back on the road.
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