In Australia you can likely travel for a year and even then you will not have seen the huge amount of stunning places. So what we did in this trip was based on locations where we needed to be for work, and combining it with holidays. Therefore, for each location, we did not have a lot of time, but got snapshots from plenty of interesting places. Anyhow, if you want amazing beaches, islands, but also hikes that bring you to the most magnificent places on earth, … Yes!

Brisbane area

Brisbane is a big city which is the basis for a variety of activities, and has rainforests, spectacular waterfalls, mountains and breathtaking lookouts at short distance, but also some nice islands nearby. We did not have a lot of time here and only visited Moreton and North Stradbroke islands. The city itself is quite green, with nice botanical gardens and riverside parks (e.g. South Bank Parklands), with a view on Brisbane Skyline.  

Moreton Island

As we arrived in Brisbane after a long haul flight we planned a guided day trip immediately to make sure not having time to have a jetlag. There are some Islands between Moreton Bay and the Coral Sea which are definitely worth visiting. We did a guided 1-day trip to Moreton Island and a (non-guided) 1-day trip to North Stradbroke Island, but clearly it is much better to spend more time to be able to do different trails and enjoy the sceneries. We would thus recommend more days to do more hiking … Anyhow, we took a guided tour to Moreton as start for our ease as we wanted to be active directly without having to think about transport etc. Plenty to find online. So … snorkeling, canoeing, sand boarding in the dunes at the island. Many tropical fish, so also diving can be done, whale viewing and much more. We did some snorkeling around a group of sunken boats called the Tangalooma Wrecks and sand boarding (called sand tobagganing) at the Tangalooma desert, the world's tallest coastal sand dune. Prepare for high speed descends, or fail and crash, with sand in eyes and ears ... Going back uphill each time is a challenge in the sand.

North Stradbroke Island

Another great place to visit is North Stradbroke Island. From Brisbane Central Station you can take the train to Cleveland (1h3minutes) and walk to Toondah Harbour (2.2km) where the Flyer Water taxi leaves from early morning onwards for a short boat trip to One Mile Yetty in Dunwich at the Island: https://www.flyer.com.au/#welcomez. The Island has quite some trails and camping sites and more than 1 day is recommended. We went northeast towards Point Lookout and the North Gorge Walk. A bus can be taken at the Dunwich Yetty to the Point Lookout area, at which you have quite some overnight accommodation that you can use as starting point for hiking. Many beaches from west to east (Home, Cylinders, Deadmans, Frenchmans and Main Beach), the latter 2 being connected by the North Gorge Walk, that goes around a sea inlet with strong waves. Main Beach is kilometers long, stretching the east part of the island, while the others are nice cozy beaches (with strong waves) at which at the time of our visit (February) no one was there, except the 2 of us.

Cairns area

Cairns is a relatively small city and the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, in a tropical region. Cairns Esplanade on the beach has nice bars, terraces and restaurants and a great atmosphere to hang around. It also has a swimming lagoon. Apart from the reefs, the region also has mountainous rainforest and gorges (check Daintree National Park, what we did not see because of time restraints). Many trips can be booked online or in your hotel/hostel (we booked the Travellers Oasis hostel and they book for you on request).

Great Barrier Reef

Snorkeling or diving in the great barrier reef is an essential part of  your trip when you are in he Cairns area. We would recommend an underwater camera as this is a once-in-your-life experience you do not want to miss (we did not have one ...). Depending on your budget, you can book a yacht that takes 100s of persons on board (what we did, well-catered), or small private yachts, all starting from the Reef Fleet Terminal in Cairns. The Great Barrier Reef is over 2300 kms long, contains close to 3000 reefs and 900 islands. The inner fringing reefs are the ones around the islands, often having a lot of soft corals and thus good conditions for small juvenile fish. As these are closer to mainland, they grow out from the islands rather than growing up from the ocean floor, so these are in general easy to reach. The Outer Great Barrier Reef grows from the ocean floor up and needs a boat trip of between 1 and 3 hours, has a lot more hard corals than soft corals and again an impressive number of fish. Anyhow, we went to the outer reef (including Hastings Reef) and although we did not take pictures ourselves, just google and find out! It is superb, with a depth between 3 and 13 metres, full of coloured corals and beautiful fish of all sizes everywhere. The three-dimensional views under the water are great, and you feel ‘small’ in this natural wond er ... especially when a huge 1 meter long, 50 cm high, coloured fish with puffy lips is in front of you, smiling ... Take this opportunity! No pictures on this blog ... only memories, so rent an underwater camera if you go there!!!

Fitzroy Island

Fitzroy Island is a rainforest-covered tropical island at short distance from Cairns (45 minutes by boat), surrounded by coral reefs. There is 1 resort on the island, so either book there or go for 1 day, what is sufficient to have all activities done. There are walking tracks to the summit (2.5 hrs in total) and to Nudey Beach (about 1 hr max). A walking guide can be downloaded here: https://www.fitzroyisland.com/explore-fitzroy/national-park-walks/. The Summit track is really nice, with spectacular views from the island top to the ocean and other small islands. The Nudey track guides you to a small beach, but we got info from a local telling us that there is 1 nice secluded very small beach with stones in between the resort and Nudey beach ... and we found it. Snorkeling is great here as this is part of the inner reefs with many coloured corals and fish ... So yes, this island is worth a visit.

Kuranda

Kuranda is a mountain village near Cairns. It is mentioned here to make sure you do not forget this great area, as this area definitely is a hiking zone that needs to be done, with great rainforest, waterfalls and gorges. We did not have time to exploit all of this and instead took the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway from Smithfield (30 min drive from Cairns, here the cableway starts), offering gondola rides above a tropical rainforest. You can stop at different spots, and walk in the Barron Gorge National Park, look at the Barron Falls and much more. There is also the Kuranda Scenic Railway, winding from Cairns to Kuranda with amazing views. So spend time here as this is one of oldest rainforest worldwide and cannot be forgotten. The whole area is full of trails which we ... did not do because of time restraints. Auch.

Tully River

Tully River flows wthin the Tully Gorge National Park, part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics site, what says enough about the beauty of this rainforest. You can hike for days here but we choose white water rafting amongst the spectacular scenery. In this area. Again we suggest spending days in this area to see the landscapes, gorges and waterfalls in the many national parks that can be found here, but seen the limited time we had, this adrenalin adventure was the best to get an impression.

Sydney 

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and one of Australia's largest cities, with a relaxes atmosphere, best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, but also a variety of beaches and parks. Taking a bus to Maroubra beach and walking back to Bondi beach is nice as it brings you along cliffs and beaches via a nice walking trail over about 8km. Off course people visiting a city will enjoy the buildings, restaurants, boat trips and many more. We only did a city walk to the Opera House via Hyde Park and Botanic Gardens, what is a great walk, and visited Darling Harbour in the evening. Nice relaxes atmosphere and a lot of green in the city. Worthwhile doing this. We did not take a boat tour as we wanted to hike in the Blue Mountains. Anyhow, there are different national parks in the region and off course the Coastal Walk described below.

Coastal Walk from Bundeena to Otford

The coastal walk from Bundeena to Otford is a 26km trail (one-way) that will show you one of the most superb coastlines of the world. The hike is not easy, as it has steep sections and you will not encounter villages or shops, so bring water and food. From Sydney Central Station you can reach Cronulla station by train, and a 5 min walk brings you to Cronulla wharf, where a ferry can bring you to Bundeena. We slept in Bundeena, to make sure we could leave very early (5.30) to see the amazing sunset above the ocean. We took our time to take numerous pictures, relax at beaches, swim, enjoy splendid views and that way it took us close to 11 hours to reach Otford Train Station, the endpoint. The afternoon before we hiked the Coastal walk, as appetizer, we took the Jibbon loop track, which is about 4kms and brings you from Jibbon Beach over Shelley Beach back to the starting point. There is also Jibbon Track that brings you over land back to Bundeena. It already gives a snapshot of what to expect, but what comes on the Coastal walk is far above expectations.  The official starting point is at the end of Beachcomber Avenue and 500 meters further on the track you will meet the ocean on a cliff, a great view during sunset, but expect this kind of impressive views the whole day. A rocky track guides you to Wedding Cake Rock, looking like a white slice of cake above the ocean. There is a fence because the rock are very unstable. On the way, you will see rock formations in all colours, from white to orange to red. You encounter Marley and Little Marley Beach, followed by beautiful cliffs. Further the walk you will arrive at Wattamolla beach and nearby waterfalls, which is the only place you encounter with many people, as this can be reached by car and is a popular weekend destination. So we increased our pace here to hare away as fast as we could. A cute swimming location is found 1 km before you enter Wattamolla Beach: Wattamolla Dam. It is almost never mentioned in Coastal Walk descriptions but this is a superb place. The pool is formed by a constructed sandstone dam and fed by a small waterfall above. After Wattamolla beach, the track meanders further with amazing rock, ocean and cliff views until you reach Garie beach, followed by Little Garie, Era and Burning Palm Beach. From here, you can take a detour to the Figure 8 Pools. These are amazingly shaped pools that are curved out of a rocky platform. Be careful and follow safety instructions (tides!) as this place can be dangerous if you take risks. When following the Coastal Track further, you will go through the final part, being the Palm jungle, and with heavy legs you will meet your endpoint 1 hour later, the Otford Train Station. There is nothing here except a small railway station, so check timetables before you go. Pictures below will explain all about this Coastal Walk. It is a Grade 5 walk, so you need to be in good condition, but it is memorable. Just do not miss it!

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains is a rugged region west of Sydney, part of World Heritage-listed landscapes. Known for dramatic scenery, it encompasses steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and amazing landscapes. Katoomba is a possible starting point for a visit to the Blue Mountains and is a 2hr train drive from Sydney Central Station, but also other small villages can be used as starting point, including Wenthworth Falls, Blackheath and Leura. We slept 2 days in Katoomba, a tourist hotspot, but it is charming and not overcrowded. The Blue Mountains is full of hiking trails of all difficulty grades and is a must-do. You will need at least a week to do it all, as it has many viewpoints, waterfalls, trails … but in fact walking here means that you have great scenery at all times. We did a part the of Prince Henry Cliff Walk starting from Carrington Park, going towards the Three Sisters. This cliff walk crosses the Three Sisters Walking Track, and we took the Giant Stairway to the Dardanelles Pass Loop Walking Track towards Leura Falls and Cascades. From here you see all the beauty that you saw from the Cliff Walk from below. We also took the  Furber Steps in the area of Scenic World towards the Federal Pass Walking Track. One day we went by train to Blackheath and hiked the Grand Canyon Track and some tracks nearby. Here you walk in fairytale forest under waterfalls in a steep narrow canyon, with surprising views when the sun shines through the treetops and makes the rocks sparkle. Anyhow, just go to All Trails and download the trails you like most and you will not be disappointed. On the contrary, Blue Mountains are definitely one of the most wonderful places in the world for hikers.