Today I want to share my Australia trip itinerary with you. There’s a lot to see and do Down Under, from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef and beyond.

Australia Trip Itinerary

Australia Trip Itinerary

The Australia portion of my round-the-world trip went by far too quickly. After Christmas in Sydney, the overcast skies cleared up and the weather was beautiful for the rest of our stay in the city.

Sydney Opera House

Sydney

Our Australia trip itinerary continued as we spent time at Bondi Beach and Freshwater Beach. We also strolled through the botanical gardens, carefully avoiding the thousands of bats in the trees.

We sipped cocktails by the Opera House, Darling Harbor, and at chic downtown bars. We ate yummy brunches in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, and The Rocks.

We visited the Art Gallery of NSW, walked around Wooloomooloo, went wine tasting for a day in the Hunter Valley, and saw some kangaroos and a turtle in the wild.

We hiked around Watsons Bay and the eastern beaches, surveyed King’s Cross, and soaked up the sun in Hyde Park.

Bondi Beach in Sydney

We enjoyed our time in Sydney, but for all the times we felt like we had the city pegged as Vancouver-esque, Hong Kong-like, or LA-ish, we never did figure out what it reminded us of.

There are parts of Sydney that resemble the other major Pacific coastal cities, but there’s a uniquely Aussie undercurrent that makes it hard to pin down.

Rocks in Sydney

Port Douglas

On the 30th our Australia trip itinerary continued as we flew to Cairns and drove up to Port Douglas, where we rented a house with friends from San Francisco.

While Sydney proved elusive, Port Douglas undoubtedly reminded us all of Hawaii. On the 31st, the four of us went exploring in the tropical rainforest area of Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation.

For some reason none of us had anticipated tropical areas in a country so well-known for its ‘bush’ and ‘outback’, but we were amazed at the dense rainforest flora.

Daintree National Park

As for the fauna, it proved mostly elusive save for a handful of creepy-looking lizards and a few colorful birds.

We arrived back at the house exhausted, but managed to cook ourselves a nice dinner and hit up some bars before watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Port Douglas.

New Year's Fireworks in Port Douglas

Great Barrier Reef

On New Year’s Day our Australia trip itinerary continued as we embarked on a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour.

The weather was beautiful and the sea calm, so we had great visibility on our three dives. We saw everything from colorful parrotfish to giant electric blue starfish to three-foot eels to trumpet fish that changed colors when they moved.

The coral formations were as beautiful as the fish themselves, and the giant clams and sea anemones were massive and brilliantly colored. The trip was a great way to start off the new year.

Great Barrier Reef

Australia Trip Itinerary and Beyond

Yesterday morning our Australia trip itinerary came to an end when we woke up at 2:45am to travel on our flight to Sydney and then to Auckland.

Now we’re in New Zealand soaking up the kiwi sun and feeling like we fell into a Lord of the Rings movie. The round-the-world trip continues…

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Australia Trip Itinerary

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