Travel Guide: 16 Days in Australia

Intro

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has said, “I never want to go to Australia.” I feel like it’s on everyone’s bucket list to visit once in their lifetime. I’ll be honest – I didn’t plan on going to Australia within the next few years, but when I saw flights to Sydney for $680, we were in. No questions asked. The tickets were in June which I knew was their winter, but I heard their winters were mild, so I was still excited about the prospect of Australian adventures no matter the time of year.


Do you need some ideas while you’re planning your trip to Australia? Keep reading.



Before You Go

In case you haven’t taken World Geography lately, Australia is HUGE. It’s roughly the same size as the United States, so don’t expect to take a road trip across the country in a two week timeframe. Making the assumption that we would never be coming back to Australia, we decided to make a SPRINT itinerary to hit four different cities in 16 days (with 3 of those days being travel days.) This is how we like to travel, but I can tell you, it isn’t for everyone. During my planning, I read blogs saying things like, “You should spend a week in Sydney and a week in Melbourne” or “Don’t try to see too much in a limited amount of time.” BUT. We aren’t most people. We like to see as much as we can on our adventures and this often means lots of flights and travel days, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Passport & Visas

For traveling in general, I would recommend that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your entry. You need a visa to enter Australia — even for a 2 week holiday. There are different visas for visitors, workers, students, etc. We got the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) Visa for 20AUD. It was a quick and simple application process and we were approved almost immediately. Check out the Australian government's website where you can make sure you get the visa that is right for your trip. Our visa was automatically linked to our passports and we didn’t have to do anything extra or show anything other than our passport once we entered Australia.

Reservations

While taking trains or renting a car are options in Australia, we decided to use flights to get around the country since we were on a tight schedule and the country is so big. The plane tickets were fairly reasonable. We paid between $111 to $237 for our one way domestic flights and used Kayak to search for the cheapest flight between cities. We used Booking and AirBnB to book our accommodations and Viator and Trip Advisor to book our day tours. Also for each city, I looked at the transportation options from each airport to our hotel. We reserved hotel transportation via a shuttle bus in Cairns, Melbourne, and Alice Springs. In Sydney, we took the public bus to our AirBnb for $8. (Public transportation for the win!!)



Weather

Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere which means that it’s seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere. We went at the end of May/early June which was the beginning of their “winter.” If you want a fairly temperate winter, Australia is the place to go. In Cairns, the temperature did not drop below 70° plus humidity. We wore shorts during the day and evening. In Alice Springs and Uluru, the temperatures were between 40-60° degrees during the day and got down into the 30’s at night (which we very much felt while we were camping.) In Sydney and Melbourne, it was in the upper 40’s to upper 60’s and we experienced some rainy days. The Blue Mountains were significantly cooler at 40-50°. While it doesn’t feel like a true winter (depending on where you are from), do prepare for cooler temperatures.

Packing

Since it is their winter, you’ll need to pack accordingly. Layers for cool mornings and evenings will help keep you warm. For help packing, check out our packing list here.

Phone

We did not get a phone plan and used our phones on WiFi only. WiFi was available in most places, but it wasn’t always the strongest. I downloaded offline Google maps for the major cities we visited and it was helpful for navigating without data.

Real Talk: There was only two times we needed to make a phone call and we were able to borrow a phone both times. The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me!


Money

Most places accepted credit cards and only a very short list of places did not. I would get some cash to be safe in a pinch, but otherwise, your credit card can get you through most of the trip.








Our 16 day (Sprint) Itinerary Through Australia


Day 1: Begin your journey

Our flight plan was Dallas to Houston and Houston to Sydney, which was a 17 hour flight. (It’s as bad as it sounds.)


Day 2: In the Air

To get to Australia, be prepared to spend/waste an entire day on an airplane… It’s a pain, but it’s a necessary evil if you want to fly around the world.

Day 3: Take a domestic flight to Cairns

  • Arrive in Sydney

  • Transfer terminals to get on a flight to Cairns



Real Talk: When I was making our itinerary, I didn’t love the idea of arriving in Sydney to only get on another flight across the country. When we went to Thailand, our roundtrip tickets were through Bangkok, so we spent the first few days in Bangkok and flew back there at the end of the trip. This was also annoying because we had to fly back to Bangkok, leave the airport to spend the night in a hotel, and come back to the airport the following day. Either way doesn’t feel ideal, but I preferred ending the trip close to your final airport.


To get through customs and the domestic terminal at the Sydney Airport, I would give yourself at least a 3 hour layover. It took us approximately 2 hours to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2.


  • Arrive in Cairns and take a shuttle bus to your accommodation

    • We took the backpacker shuttle because we were staying at a hostel and it was cheaper. Book here. I bought a roundtrip ticket which included hotel pickup for our departure.

    • We stayed at the Dreamtime Travellers Rest with a private room and a shared bathroom. It was cute hostel with clean facilities in a convenient location. The only huge drawback was that air conditioning in each room came at an additional cost ($1 for 3 hours) which I did not realize when booking…. (Learned a lesson there!) We were there in the winter, so I can’t imagine how much more important air conditioning would be in the summer. Also, the WiFi didn’t have the strongest signal in our room, but it was fast in the common areas.

  • Explore the Night Markets and eat dinner nearby. 

    • The Night Markets have different vendors selling all sorts of things. For dinner, we ate at Jimmy’s Burger & Co. Really cute interior and exterior, but the burger was only so-so. There are plenty of options to choose from downtown.




Day 4: Explore the Daintree Rainforest

  • Take a tour with Billy Tea Safari

    • We took the 1 Day Daintree, Cape Trib, & Bloomfield Tour and I can’t say enough good things about our experience! The itinerary had variety and depth – from a river cruise with crocodiles, to a steak lunch near cute wallabies, and a freshwater swim with exotic fruit. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and fun to be around! I would definitely recommend this tour.

  • Eat dinner at The Lillipad Cafe

    • This place is known for their breakfast, but they also had a very tasty dinner!




Day 5: Snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef

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  • Explore the Great Barrier Reef

    • We chose to snorkel with Ocean Freedom and had a great time! The tour could book up to 75 people, but we were lucky that there were only 20 people with us. We didn’t have to pay extra to rent wetsuits (which we were glad we wore) and the snorkeling guides were very helpful. It even included a glass bottom boat ride onto the reef. The lunch wasn’t spectacular, but they did have plenty of food throughout the day. I did get a little seasick, so I’m glad I brought Dramamine.

  • Eat dinner

    • I had picked out the options of Tokyo Dumpling, Oasis Kebab, or Cairns Burger Cafe, but we were so tired that we ended up eating at the mall food court by our hotel. Glamourous, I know. 

  • Check out Rusty’s Fruit Market for exotic fruit

    • After our Billy Tea tour guide introduced us to exotic Australian fruit, we had to get some of our own at this local fruit market (open Friday-Sunday.) Custard apples were my absolute favorite!

Options: We only had two full days in Cairns, but I know there are many other exciting day trips to take! I heard great things about Kuranda where you can take a scenic railway and/or a skyrail to explore the cute village in the mountains. I also know there are other ways to explore the Great Barrier Reef, including other areas of the reef and islands. If we had more time, I would have definitely wanted to see the beautiful sand on the Whitsundays Islands.


Day 6: Fly to Melbourne

  • Catch a flight to Melbourne

  • Take the Starbus to your accommodation

    • We chose the Starbus shuttle because it would drop you off/pick you up at your accommodation. The Skybus is a cheaper option, but it would have dropped us off downtown and then we would have had to take a train to our hotel. Our flight leaving Melbourne was also early in the morning, so it was nice to have door to door service without transfers.

    • We stayed at the Hotel Claremont Guesthouse – a 1886 restored Victorian guesthouse. I picked this accommodation because it was cheap, had fairly good reviews, and was close to a train station. We got a private room with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. Hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. They offer a free breakfast that consists of cereal and toast downstairs where there is also a longue and a laundry room. Wifi is free and has a good signal. We had to walk up two flights of stairs, but this wasn’t a problem for us. Our room felt slightly bigger than a jail cell (though I’ve never actually been to a jail to test that theory), but we didn’t need a lot of room since we were only used the room to sleep. The shared bathrooms were individual rooms with a toilet, shower, and sink and they were very clean. All that to say, for a budget/no frills accommodation, this checked all our boxes.

  • Eat dinner

    • We ate at A25 Pizzeria – a quaint little pizzeria down the street from our hotel. It wasn’t the best pizza in the world, but it hit the spot.

  • Grab snacks at Woolworths

    • Woolworths is the place in every city we would stop to get snacks and groceries. The main thing we bought the most of was Tim Tams! It’s a chocolate biscuit (cookie) unique to Australia and I bought 3 boxes during our two weeks there… I know now that World Market sells them, so I don’t have to live a Tim Tam-less life anymore back home.


Day 7: Explore the City

Real Talk: I used the Citymapper app to make our routes on the public transportation system in both Melbourne and Sydney. Even without data, I would screen shot pictures of the maps so I could look at the routes we would be taking throughout the day. 


  • Eat donuts at Short Stop Coffee and Donuts

  • Grab a coffee at Little Rogue

    • I know the last place has coffee, but Rebecca likes to try as many coffee shops as she can and she enjoyed this one in an alleyway. 

  • Take a free walking tour downtown

    • We love talking free walking tours in cities when they are available and Melbourne was no exception. We had an excellent tour guide and learned so much about the history of Melbourne and Australia. 

  • Eat lunch

    • There are so many amazing places to eat in downtown, including the Chinatown area, that you really cannot go wrong. We had planned to eat at the Arbory Bar and Eatery on the river, but it was about to rain, and I wanted to see the bathing boxes before the storm hit, so ended up having a late lunch in Brighton.

  • Visit the Bathing Boxes at Brighton Beach

    • These bright, colorful boxes are an Instagrammer’s dream, but don’t be fooled. We were there with about 200 other people taking pictures.

  • Grab a coffee (or meal) at Brighton Schoolhouse

    • I had planned on Rebecca only grabbing a coffee in this converted schoolhouse, but because we hadn’t eaten lunch, we ended up eating here and it was very good! Rebecca also loved her coffee.

  • Go to St. Kilda Beach for the penguin parade

    • I had read suggestions about taking tours out the see the “Penguin Parade” at Phillips Island when the penguins return to shore from a day of fishing. I also read that there is a small colony of penguins at St. Kilda beach and you can see them for free. We got to St. Kilda beach when a strong storm started to blow in –– high wind and sideways rain. It wasn’t ideal weather to sit and watch penguins, so we decided to head home. I was very sad.. 

  • Eat dinner

    • I had dinner places picked out in the St. Kilda area – Fitzrovia Restaurant, Rococo Acland Street, La Roche, Las Tapas – but we ended up heading home before the storm got worse. I grabbed a strawberry tart I spotted in a bakeshop window on our way to the bus and that was my dinner.


Day 8: Drive along the Great Ocean Road

  • See the Great Ocean Road

    • We took a tour of the Great Ocean Road through TripFit Adventures booked on AirBnB Experiences and it was incredible. I highly recommend this day trip if you love beautiful coastlines! Rich was an amazing tour guide! It rained off and on throughout the day, which was a little disappointing, but Rich was super flexible and made sure we saw everything and even beat the crowds. We were also able to see koalas in their natural habitat which was really cool. We loved this day!

  • Eat dinner at Mr. Ramen San

    • We LOVE ramen as you probably will notice in our itineraries. This tiny restaurant was tucked away in a little row of other eateries. Luckily we got there early because when we finished up, there were 30 people waiting in line for a table at this tiny restaurant.



Day 9: Fly to Alice Springs

  • Catch a flight to Alice Springs

  • Take the airport shuttle to your accommodation

    • We stayed at another hostel called the Jump Inn in a private room with twin beds and a shared community bathroom. The rooms had a sink which was nice. The community bathroom was typical dorm style with individual stalls for showers and toilets. For another budget accommodation, it worked well.

  • Eat lunch at Loco Burrito

    • Coming from two Texans, we approved of this Tex-Mex spot.

  • Take the sunset tour at the Kangaroo Sanctuary

    • I will try not to gush too much about this experience, but WE LOVED IT SO MUCH AND YOU WILL TOO! When I was looking at reviews and saw people saying it was one of their top experiences in Australia, I was a little skeptical. When I saw it was $85, I was even more skeptical. After the tour, I thought about giving away all my money to this sanctuary. When the bus picks you up, they show you a video all about the history of the Kangaroo Sanctuary and how it started (I won’t spoil it for you.) The owner and founder, Chris Barns, runs the sanctuary, rescues and rehabilitates the baby kangaroos, and in my opinion, has a heart of gold. If you’re in Alice Springs, don’t miss this place!

  • Eat dinner at the Jump Inn Restaurant

    • We didn’t feel like walking back into town, so we decided to eat at the Jump Inn and it was decent. It was busy because there was an open mic that night, so it was packed with 20-somethings.




Day 10: Day trip from Alice Springs

Real Talk: I originally booked the 3 Day Uluru - Alice Springs to Ayers Rock through The Rock Tour. This was a tour that started in Alice Springs and finished in Ayers Rock (flights out of Ayers Rock were cheaper than Alice Springs). The tour included stops at Kings Canyon, Uluru for sunrise and sunset, and Kata Tjuta with two nights of camping under the stars.  I booked with this specific company because we were on a tight budget but still wanted to camp in the Outback. I did read that if there weren't enough people on the dates you booked, they would cancel, reschedule, or change your itinerary. This happened to us and I will say customer service-wise, they did a good job of trying to accommodate us. Instead of the 3 day/2 night camping trip, they changed it to a 2 day/1 night camping trip, put us up for another night in Alice Springs, paid for our dinner, and booked a tour of the West McDonnell Ranges the next day. The new itinerary meant that we would miss seeing Kings Canyon and one night of camping.



  • Explore the West MacDonnell Ranges

    • This tour, through Emu Run, was… ok. The charter bus picked us up in the morning and we spent the day seeing different scenic spots in the mountain range. Perhaps because the tour was fairly inactive, we were some of the youngest ones on the tour. The terrain honestly reminded us of a mix between Palo Duro Canyon and Zion National Park, so it was pretty but not unfamiliar landscapes. The lunch provided was really poor quality. I think my overall disappointment with the tour stemmed from missing Kings Canyon and a night of camping, but I probably wouldn’t recommend this day tour to anyone under the age of 50 anyway.



Real Talk: If you really want to see something, pay extra to go with a tour or group that doesn't cancel.



  • Eat dinner at The Rock Bar

    • We had free vouchers to eat dinner here and this food did not disappoint. Rebecca and I both had a delicious steak that hit the spot.

  • Grab some snacks at Woolworths

    • Before we left for the camping trip the following morning, we grabbed some Tim Tams and fruit at the grocery store.




Day 11: See Uluru

  • Get picked up early and drive to Uluru

    • At almost 300 miles and 6 hours, this was a long drive. It didn’t help that once we got to the area, we spent 4 hours dropping off people at the airport, picking up people at a campsite, going back and picking people up at the airport... This seemed like a lot of wasted time and it seemed to take forever to get started on the actual sightseeing. This is the difference between going with a tour and doing it yourself...

  • Stop at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Center

    • You cannot come to this area without learning about the culture of the Aboriginal Australians and the history of the land. This center provides a great jumping off point before exploring the area.

  • Complete the Uluru Base Walk

    • This is a short, flat walk around the entire rock. You will see sites such as the Mala Walk, Mutijulu Waterhole, and Aboriginal Cave Paintings. We were told that it is “disrespectful” to the Anangu (the traditional aborginal owners of the land) to climb to the top of the rock and were not even given an option to climb it by our tour guide. Climbing will officially be banned in October 2019. The flies were TERRIBLE while we were on the walk. You could have 20-50 surrounding your body at any given time. Buy a fly net for your face at a gas station on your way there (if you didn’t bring one along).

  • See the sunset over Uluru

    • Watching this amazing rock change from red to purple during the sunset was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

  •  Camp at the Ayers Rock Campsite and stargaze

    • This campsite had great bathroom facilities. We walked for about a half mile from the campsite and could see almost every star in the sky! I have never seen a more clear night sky.

 

Real Talk: We kept thinking of Australia as having a “temperate” winter, which is true in some areas, but the Outback is a different story. It got down to freezing while we were sleeping outside and we were not prepared mentally or physically. We rented sleeping bags from the tour, but they were not rated for winter camping. The tour also provided us “swags” to sleep in which were basically canvas sleeping bags that we put our sleeping bags in to keep us off the ground. All that to say, we should have brought more layers to sleep in to keep us warm. 





Day 12: Finish the Outback and fly to Sydney

  • See the sunrise at Uluru

    • Another incredible way to view this majestic rock! It was very chilly this morning and we had to bundle up to be able to stand outside.

  • Visit Kata Tjuta and take a hike

    • We went on a fairly easy hike through the Valley of the Winds. The sandstone located in the park reminded us of many of the national parks in Utah. I wish we had gone to the lookout away from the park to get a full view of the rock formations, but the tour did not take us there. 


Real Talk: Would I recommend using The Rock Tour to see the Outback? If you go in with the right expectations that this is a hostel-quality/no frills tour, I think you'll be fine. Most of the guests on the tour were in their 20’s to 30’s from America and Europe which made the company fun. We met a very nice couple from the Netherlands that we enjoyed spending time with during the tour which made it much more enjoyable. Looking back, my overall biggest disappointments with the tour were missing Kings Canyon and not liking the make up day tour. We also felt like our tour guide lacked some major social skills that one should have when leading a tour. He was very knowledgeable of the culture, history, and geology of the land, but many of the comments he made in social conversations lacked tact and made us uncomfortable. Perhaps if we had like our tour guide, we would have enjoyed the tour more. You win some, you lose some.


  • Fly out of Ayers Rock Airport and arrive in Sydney

    • Sydney has an amazing public transportation system that we used to get to our AirBnB. We purchased an Opal card at the airport with $30 on it and didn’t have to refill during our stay. The Opal card works for all of the trains, buses, ferries, and trams, so it is a necessity to travel around Sydney. We had to take two buses to get to our AirBnB. It would have taken less time if we took the train, but the buses were cheaper.

    • We stayed at an AirBnB close to Bondi Beach. (Use my code for up to $55 off your first AirBnB stay!) We wanted to be in an area close enough to walk to restaurants and also close to public transportation. This was the perfect one for both! 

  • Eat dinner

    • We ate dinner at Tipica Pizza Bondi, which was a little walk from our house. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the pizza!





Day 13: Explore the city

Real Talk: Without planning it, we had booked our trip during “Vivid Sydney.” Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of light, music, and ideas. It includes outdoor immersive light installations and projections and performances by local and international musicians. The festival has millions of visitors, so if you’re here during this time, get ready for amazing lights and very large crowds. 



  • Eat breakfast at Brown Sugar

    • All I can say is YUM! This was a great choice for our first breakfast in Sydney.

  • Take a free walking tour downtown

    • Another great walking tour! We went through many places that we would have just passed by without knowing what they were or what was inside. The tour guides also always provide great recommendations for things to do around the city.

  • Eat lunch at Kameya Ramen Bar

    • We loved this authentic ramen restaurant! The ramen was some of our favorite that we had ever had! 

  • See the Sydney Harbor Bridge

    • You have a few different options to see the Sydney Harbor Bridge. On the walking tour, we were happy with the great view of the bridge from the Overseas Passenger Terminal. If you’re interested in getting on the bridge for a view of the harbor, you can climb the bridge for around $300 (depending on the time of day.) For a cheaper view, you can do the Pylon Lookout for $25. I have heard great things about both.

  • Walk around the Sydney Opera House

    • We could have sat outside and stared at this building all day. Wow! It was incredible to see it in person. If you want a drink or a snack, the Opera Bar has great food and views. We didn’t take a tour of the building or see an opera, but we did use the free bathrooms inside.

  • Walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens and see the sunset at Mrs. Macquaries Chair

    • Only a short walk from the opera house, the gardens are absolutely stunning and Mrs. Macquaries Chair offers an amazing view of both the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.

  • Dinner in the Rocks at the Lotus Dumpling Bar

    • I will be dreaming about these dumplings for a long time! We made reservations because I knew it was a popular spot.

  • Option: Explore Vivid activities

    • We watched short movies that were projected on walls. We walked through street markets (that were temporary in conjunction with Vivid) trying different types of food and desserts – kangaroo is actually really tasty… We walked back to the Opera House to see it and the Harbor Bridge lit up like the most amazing Christmas tree you have ever seen. We ended the night walking through the botanical garden to see all of the art/light installations. It was an amazing experience and we were so lucky to be there while it was happening!




Day 14: Hillsong Church & Bondi Beach

  • Eat breakfast

    • We had planned on eating at either Bondi Hardware or SHUK, but we decided we needed some food on the healthier side, so we went to Cali Press for acai bowls. It wasn’t the best bowl we had ever had, but it hit the spot.

  • Option: Take the train to Hillsong Church

    • I can imagine that a majority of people will not choose to do this, but we couldn’t be in Sydney on a Sunday and not go to the original Hillsong Church campus. We are huge fans of Hillsong United and their music, so this was an easy choice for us to make. It was about an hour and a half to get there on public transportation with a train station stop about a block away from the church. If you’re in Sydney on a Sunday, I would recommend checking out one of the Hillsong campuses across the city.

  • Eat lunch

    • We took the train back to Bondi Beach and had planned on eating at Porch and Parlour, but when we got there, they were closed for food service. We ended up eating at Beach Burrito Co. close by and it was not very good. I would skip this place for another option.

  • Coastal Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach

    • At 4 miles and taking approximately 2 hours, I don’t think you can go to Sydney and miss this beautiful walk. Walking along the coastline, watching the ocean waves crash, and seeing 5 beautiful beaches was an amazing way to end the day.

  • Dinner at Coogee Pavillion

    • We really loved dinner at the place at the end of our long walk, but it was PACKED. I’m glad I had made reservations because I think the wait was for an hour. We also had their delicious gelato for dessert.



Day 15: Take a train to Blue Mountains National Park

Real Talk: I had actually planned on seeing the Blue Mountains via a tour group. I researched and reviewed many different tours. Most of them stopped at the scenic overlooks, took you on the rides at Scenic World, stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park, and finished with a ferry back home. These were going to cost between $100-$200. In my opinion, you can’t go to a national park and not hike, so I started looking for tours that would take you hiking. I found one that said they would take you to the Blue Mountains “like a local” via the train. Why would I pay someone to take me to the park on a public train when we could take the train there ourselves and hike around? I ended up messaging a local guy who led tours in the Blue Mountains and he gave me his idea of the best way to see the Blue Mountains in one day. We followed it to a T and had a great day exploring this beautiful national park.

  • From Central Station, take the BMT Train to Blackheath Station

  • Get off at Blackheath and take taxi to Neates Glen/Greaves Car Park

    • We found a taxi on the street a few blocks away from the train station and he took us exactly where we wanted to go.

  • Do Grand Canyon Track (3.7 miles/2.5 hours) counterclockwise while following signs towards Evans Lookout

    • This was an incredible hike on the floor of the canyon. It was an Australian holiday, so we passed by quite a few people also doing the hike, so we knew it was a popular one.

  •  From Evans Lookout- take the Clifftop Track to Govetts Leap (another 2 miles)

    • While the last hike gets you views of the inside of the Blue Mountains, this hike shows you views from the top!

  •  Take a taxi or walk back to the train station

    • We were pretty tired after all of that hiking, so we walked to the Blue Mountains Heritage Center and a nice lady at the desk let us use the phone to call a taxi to pick us up. We had planned for him to take us back to Blackheath station, but as we were pulling up, the train was pulling out. He told us trains left Blackheath far less often than Katoomba, so he drove us to Katoomba to catch an earlier train. Hindsight, I should have checked all departing times leaving Blackheath, but it all worked out.

  •  Take the train back to Sydney

    • I had planned for us to get off at Parmatta station, so we could take the ferry back into Sydney, but the Parmatta ferry dock was closed, so we decided to just head back all the way on the train.


Options: Blue Mountains National Park is a huge national park and there isn’t one way to do it. You can take a tour with a group or do it yourself by taking a train or a rental car. There is a Blue Mountains Hop-On Hop-Off bus that starts at Katoomba Station that is another good option for someone that wants to do it themselves. With so many options, I had a hard time deciding between what sights to see and trails to hike with only one day, but when a local gives me a suggestion, I almost always choose that one.


  • Eat dinner at Pompei’s

    • We ate our last dinner at this Italian restaurant close to our house. The food was very good and finishing the trip with gelato never hurt anyone. 



Day 16: Get to the airport & fly home!

Real Talk: Like I said earlier, it’s faster to take the train to the airport, but more expensive. With how much money we had left on our opal card, we were able to take the bus to the airport (with one transfer) for exactly what we had left on our card! Talk about pinching pennies.



That’s It!

I can’t believe we did all that we did in 16 days. Wow! Are you interested in taking a similar trip to Australia, but you’re not sure where to start? Comment below or send you any questions you have!