… Kind of.
Australia was my first big solo-traveling journey. I gave myself 18 days. Clearly that was an enough number of days. I definitely didn’t underestimate the trip AT ALL.
That is a joke. If you go to Australia, please allow for more than 18 days. This trip, as amazing as it was, did kind of go against my whole ‘lazy person’ principle.
But my goodness it was my best planned trip. I had one itinerary written three different ways:
- A general itinerary stating where I would be when
- An in-depth itinerary stating where I would be and what I would be doing
- An EVEN MORE in-depth itinerary stating where I would be, what I would be doing and what tours I chose (this guide was for the family)
This trip in total took about 6 months of planning. The first two months was actually getting the courage to book the flights. The next couple of months was arranging accommodation and local tours and the final months was booking the inland flights.
So where do I even begin.
For tours I used Viator and compared (for several days) which deals were the best, which were most budget friendly and which would I enjoy the most. So. Do that.
For accommodation I used booking.com. I realized quickly that traveling around NYE was not the optimal time to be traveling because prices were skyrocketing. I wasn’t incredibly lucky in Melbourne or Sydney in terms of accomodation. Please please do your research properly and make sure you’re staying in decent places! If you’re looking for a personalized guide, I would be happy to write one up for you and find the right accommodation!
As I wasn’t staying a very long time, I decided to fly from place to place. I booked a lot of low-budget flights which were incredibly reasonable and decent. You’d have to pay extra for luggage, but you could also be like my and only carry 7kg! It’s summer anyway, you don’t need that much stuff.
I think the biggest tip I can give here is: join the free walking tours. You end up meeting so many people and more often than not they’ll also be traveling solo. And, again, you could be like me and approach two random people because they sound American but they end up being Australian. But hey, you’re still friends years later!
I unfortunately did not find Aquaman. It was a complete disappointment. Trip ruined.
Brace yourselves, it’s going to be a long post and a slightly different format. Instead of focusing on days, I’ll focus on cities.
City one: Melbourne
I started my 2.5 week solo-trip adventure in Melbourne.
The journey there however.
China Southern Airlines. I don’t think so.
Don’t get me wrong, the food was amazing. I just wasn’t partial to the 12 minutes I needed to charge from one gate to the other with two minutes to spare.
As I ran I felt like Usain Bolt.
Pretty sure I looked like something that can’t run.
(I spent a full 15 minutes looking up “things that can’t run” and that’s the best I could come up with. I don’t know. I guess I could have said chicken. Can chickens run? Like fully sprint?)
So Melbourne! The city of four seasons!
Melbourne. I like you. I met some really cool people there. And I’ve discovered the best way to meet people is to ask:
Where in the States are you guys from?
Only to have that questioned answered by: Um. Nowhere. We’re from Australia.
Awkward.
I also did a free walking tour of the city which I definitely recommend. It’s a 3 hour long walk in 30+ degree weather but you really get to see the entire CBD.
The next day I went on a tour of the Great Ocean Road which had views like this:
It’s alright to be jealous guys. I booked this tour through Viator. Lunch was included and we made several stopes along the way. The Great Ocean Road is a must see on your trip in Melbourne. The nature is unparalleled.
You also get to see wild koala’s and hello who doesn’t want that?
Then one day we went to St. Kilda’s “beach” which was actually a really nice beach except for the fact that the day after I read the news where it stated that all of Melbourne’s beaches were …. faeces infested. So there was that.
All in all, Melbourne was an amazing city and I wish I was there right now.
City two: Sydney
So I arrive at my hostel and lo and behold, it was complete false advertising! You booked one bed in a 10 person room? Nope! That room has now changed to fit 18 people. With one bathroom. That gets cleaned at 6:30am.
While in Sydney I went to the Blue Mountains which had views like this:
But that’s not so important.
I PETTED A KOALA. IT WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. (Besides the time I spent half a day with an elephant). (And besides the day my niece was born.) (And besides the day I won the free throw competition.) (You get my point).
I mean if you look past the claws that could you rip to shreds and the chlamydia those things are quite literally the best things ever.
Then one day because I am not a smart person I walked from my hostel (in Coogee) down to Bondi Beach and back. I walked 14.6km that day.
Swimming was off-limits because of these wonderful things called jellyfish.
Little tiny blue death traps. (So that’s an exaggeration but you get my point). Also the water temp was only 25 degrees. So that’s just a no go.
The Sydney CBD was pretty cool. It’s much more commercialized than Melbourne. I can understand why Melbourne was voted most liveable city four years in a row over Sydney. Sydney was bigger and had more to see, but Melbourne was more people friendly (free tram throughout the CBD). Not that Sydney didn’t have friendly people. I would compare Sydney to NYC and Melbourne to some place thats filled with hipsters. (Again I spent a full 15 minutes trying to think of a comparable place and could not come up with it). I guess maybe San Fransisco? Melbourne is a special place on its own. Sydney is more suited to those who live a fast paced life.
City three: The Gold Coast
Third stop was the Gold Coast where I was hosted by lovely people who showed me local Australian culture. Meaning food. What trip isn’t complete without trying local food.
Vegemite:
Never again.
After (at this point) 10+ days of high intensity adventuring I needed this place. I needed a day at the pool sitting on an inflatable pink flamingo. And Netflix.
Of course I saw the sights, Surfers Paradise and all that but an inflatable pink flamingo was the only thing I really wanted. And Netflix. And a bed. In a room by myself.
Thanks again for having me!
City Four: Cairns (Read: Great Barrier Reef).
Cairns is a nice little town, but again no swimming because crocodiles.
And at this point I’m being told repeatedly by tour guides and locals: NO NOT EVERYTHING IS TRYING TO KILL YOU HERE.
Whatever you say.
So. I went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.
And of course this is the only picture I took of it:
BUT I went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.
And it was awesome. Besides the fact that apparently my head is too small and thus was required to wear a child’s mask.
Thanks for that. Really.
I saw Nemo! And Dory! And another little fish that tried to eat me. That was slightly uncalled for though. (Mind you he was probably the size of my pinky but still.)
And then this jellyfish (which later I was told was completely harmless) had the audacity to come right up to my face and invade my personal space.
The Reef was basically everything you could picture it to be. Fishes, jellyfish and turtles everywhere.
I can honestly say I learned a few things from this trip:
1. I cannot take selfies.
2. Traveling alone can be lonely (at first), especially when you’re literally on the other side of the world. But it gets better.
3. The water in the toilet does actually flush the other way.
4. I still cannot read a map and proceeded to get lost quite a few times. Orientation is not my friend.
5. Take earplugs wherever I go.
Australia, thank you. If you’ll have me, I’ll be back.
Suggest Lazy Itinerary:
This ones a bit tricky simply because of the fact that Australia is really quite far away and so you would want to try to squeeze in as much as you can to really get to see the country.
I don’t quite have an itinerary for you. I suggest you follow the big sights as I did and do the walking tours. Like that, if you’re short on time, you’re at least getting a snapshot of what this vast and amazing country has to offer.
I would highly recommend seeing Melbourne, Sydney and going to the Great Barrier Reef. If you’re a surfer, then go to Surfers Paradise. Otherwise it isn’t quite as important on your trip.
I ‘regret’ not seeing Tasmania and visiting Uluru. So add those two stops to your trip if you can.
And here’s a final note: So turns out those rescue shows are real. This lady fell over and sprained her ankle so the lifeguards and a camera crew came to the rescue.
