Byron Bay

Day 5 November 11^th: Next Stop Byron Bay

 We flew into New South Wales in the early morning. Time was in our favor, with the time change we arrived practically at the same time we left Sydney. When stepping off the tar mat we were surrounded by tropical green mountains. I instantly felt at home with the tropical mountains that reminded me of being in Hawaii.

The adventure started with my friend Kacy getting in the driver’s seat on the wrong side for the first time. We traveled a few hours to stay in Byron Bay. Byron, as the locals call it, is a little hippie town that is a must see when visiting Australia. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen with a quiet cove surrounded by mountains.

We stayed in a cute little hostel called Cape Byron YHA. The atmosphere felt like a huge college spring break party. But the hostel sits in a great location in the center of town where we could walk anywhere.

When we got there we immediately took off to the beach. We walked along the long stretch of beach while staring at the mountain peaks reflecting in the glistening turquoise water.

 

There is the most incredible hike, or “bush walk”, going up the hillside along the ocean. Within twenty minutes of walking, I kept staring at the water hoping to see something jump out. In that moment my heart jumped as a humpback whale leaped out of the water. The number one thing I wanted to see in Australia was a whale and there it was. It was the most beautiful moment I have ever experienced. November is supposed to be very late in the season to see a whale, but one stuck around for us.

We continued to climb the Reserve-walking trail. The trail is through all kinds of different plants and offers breathtaking panoramic views of the ocean all the way up the cliff side. When you get to the top of the hill there is a gorgeous white lighthouse, the Cape Byron Lighthouse that stands at the most easterly point of Australia. This walk took us about three hours to climb up and then climb down. It was exhausting but truly worthwhile.

After the long day of hiking, we went out to eat. We picked a place with a great patio with little mason jar lights everywhere. Byron Fresh has the cutest interior design that looks like Johanna Gaines decorated it. The restaurant provides fresh ingredients that are locally grown and organic where possible.  After a long hike, I had a mean appetite for a burger. I had the Zen Burger, a red lentil, sweet potato pattie, with avocado salsa, and cashew cream with fries on the side.

There are tons of little restaurants to choose from and most places are health conscious. The raw food creations look like art at a decent price. Vegetarians and Vegans will eat like kings here. After dinner, we decided to relax in our room with a few Mai Tai’s. After a long day of go-go-going and then we called it a night early.

Day 6 – November 12

We woke the next morning and grabbed a quick little breakfast at Mokha. I had toast with fresh made peanut butter and local honey with a tropical smoothie. It was the best smoothie I ever had and the first time I ever had fresh turmeric. Ever since that life changing smoothie I cannot live without tumeric, I have it every day.

After breakfast, we walked to the beach one more time and then did a little bit of souvenir shopping. Byron Bay is home to a lot of cute boutiques. Arnhem and Spell & The Gypsy Collective were some of my favorite discoveries; I picked up the cutest one-piece swimsuit from Arnhem. It was such a nice time going into the shops I wish there would have been more time to wander in all of them. We drove off to our next adventure that afternoon.

A one-night stay in Byron was not enough. It was my favorite beach in Australia. I would have loved to have a week long vacation to dedicate to lying in the sun here.

Next stop Brisbane, read along here!

 

 

 

 

Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia is a huge city, with a population of over 4 million people. There are so many exciting things to see wandering through the concrete jungle. With a convenient rail system, it is easy to zip through the city and miss hidden gems.

It will be important to do your research before you arrive in Sydney. There is so much to see, you will need a solid game plan for your arrival. Not only is there a lot to see in the big city but you are also surrounded by natural wonders. Make sure to plan as many day trips as you can outside of the city.

If you are planning a trip to Sydney this post should give you some great ideas on where to start planning your adventure.

Day 1: November 7^th

For your first time, I would highly recommend staying in The Rocks. The Rocks is a popular destination. It is a hip part of town that is only a few blocks away from the Circular Quay where the Opera House is located and is right next to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. My trip to Aus was a two week trip in mid-November, which is the early Summer season for Australia. To my surprise, Australia does not stay warm all year. It was nice to have an extra summer vacation while it was snowing back home.

My friends and I stayed at the Syndey Harbour YHA hostel in The Rocks. When we first arrived the streets were crowded with people and many of the roads were blocked off. There were black and pink flags with white tents all over the city. With our luck, we had arrived just in time for a wine festival called Vino Paradiso. It was the perfect opportunity to celebrate our arrival, with the chance to try local wines from Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Riesling, Rosé, even some unique pear cider and lychee cider. Right away we felt welcomed by the warm Australian Sommeliers’ pouring us extra samples and telling us more about their homes and passion for wine.

If you are planning on being in Sydney during November I highly recommend attending this event. There is so much wine to try, with many other exciting activities to check out. Find more information about the event here. 

 

When we needed more excitement, we decided to do some bar hopping. Our first stop was Munich Brauhaus. I snacked on German pretzels and washed it down with a large Mango Weizen. Afterwards, we stopped at the local pub, The Glenmore Hotel, right next to our hostel where they had a list of what seemed like hundreds of beer. We grabbed a pint and some crocodile pizza before we called it a night.

***The Glenmore Hotel and the YHA The Rocks both have rooftops with perfect views of the Circular Quay, so make sure to sneak a peek and a few photos up there.

WSV Travel Tip

It is very important for every coffee lover to budget going to the café every morning. Yes, every morning.

Trust me once you have an Australian cappuccino you will want one every day. The perfect, cream foam beverage topped with sweet cocoa will forever ruin American coffee for me. It is a must try, the creamy Aussie style drink is made with full cream but if you want fat-free just ask for a “skinny” cappuccino. I forever will be dreaming about the coffee in Australia. The coffee here in Denver does not compare, and I am always wondering how we put up with such bad coffee. I guess we don’t know what is out there until we travel abroad.

***Before you order an iced coffee, it is important to know that ice is not a normal thing for most restaurants or cafes to have, instead of ice they use ice cream.

 

 

Day 2 November 8^th

Although summertime in Sydney starts in November, our first few days there were pretty rainy and cold. We chose to spend our first full day walking around the Sydney Opera House and with an adventure on the train to see Darling Harbour.

We walked a few blocks to the Circular Quay and grabbed some brekkie at City Extra and had a classic, Australian style toast with avocado and tomato and of course a cappuccino. After breakfast, we walked to the other side of the Circular Quay where the famous Sydney Opera House sits.

The train station is located in the Circular Quay and is where we got on the train to Town Hall. We walked to the famous Darling Harbour. Here we watched a street break-dance performance, stopped by the Chinese Garden of Friendship, and wandered around Paddy’s Market and China Town.

That night after all of our walking around the city we were starving. We walked down from our hostel to a place called The Vintage Café. We had a warm plate of Mediterranean meatballs with tomato herb sauce, parmesan, and fresh basil, with a plate of bread for dipping. To drink, I had a refreshing glass of sangria, and for dessert a warm mug of hot chocolate. The most satisfying comfort meal in a cozy café, with an ambient guitarist serenading us. This moment is a memory I could live in forever.

 

 

Day 3 November 9^th

The next day we took a relaxing stroll with the free walking tour. This was a great way to see the main sights in the city while learning some history. When we were done with the tour we hopped on the bus to Bondi Beach.

Bondi Beach is a popular beach town nestled in a suburban area right outside of Sydney. We were lucky enough to catch the last day of The Sculpture by The Sea. An event that happens each year that is located along Coogee Coastal Walk. A beautiful walk along the ocean where they had transformed the area into a seaside art gallery.

Without rest from another long day of walking, we decided to gather with all of the backpackers at a popular backpackers bar called Scubar. The bar is set up as an underground tiki bar that has hermit crab racing and all you can eat kangaroo pizza.

Day 4 November 10^th

Manly beach is another must see attraction in Sydney. Just a short 30-minute ferry ride to this little beach town. The day we took this trip we spent the afternoon on the beach. This location is very unique because the beach is covered in strikingly beautiful tall pine trees. I didn’t go too far into the ocean that day because that morning they had a few great white sharks lurking in the water.

Later that day we took a long un-guided tour through North Head Sanctuary. As we walked for a few hours we found ourselves on the other side of the Harbour overlooking Sydney and the Opera house from a private view. A cruise ship passed us as we looked at the city and it was blasting “Up Town Funk” so loudly that we couldn’t help but dance.

We then rushed back to catch the bus back down to Manly. We choose a perfect restaurant on Manly Wharf where we could watch the sunset on the water at the Bavarian Bier Café. We all ordered an extremely satisfying bowl of goulash soup with a sausage/cheese plate and hummus bowl to start. When I got back to the states I had to recreate the goulash soup. I use this warm and comforting recipe, here, with a few healthy additions. Ground turkey, a couple potatoes, and a red pepper. The seasoning in this German dish is what makes it unlike any soup I have ever had, make sure you choose a delicious sourdough bread to dip in it.

 

 

When I return to Sydney it will be for a much longer stay. I hope I can go to see the fireworks for NYE one year. Some locations on my list had to be skipped because of lack of time, like the hike up to The Three Sisters and a road trip through all the unique towns along the coast up to Brisbane.

I would love to hear where some of your favorite places are in Sydney.  Or if you need help planning your trip to Australia read my guide on How to Plan a Two Week Trip to Australia. Or shoot me an email, I am delighted to help with anyone’s travel plans!

Next stop of the trip was Byron Bay… read about the adventure here.