Welcome to part 3 of my series about our 55-day trip to New Zealand and Australia with Fantasy RV Tours. If you missed part 1 about New Zealand’s South Island you can find it here or part 2 about New Zealand’s North Island you can click here. I hope you enjoy the tips, information, and photos of our journey of a lifetime to the amazing land down under.
Australia: Apr 25-May 10
After our time in New Zealand was over, we flew from Auckland to Cairns in Australia. Our Fantasy RV Tours wagon masters took care of all hotel reservations, hotel and airport transportation, flight arrangements, and country visas. It really made travel into and out of the different countries a breeze for our tour group of 40 people.
I never realized how large the country of Australia is. Did you know that it is as big as the 48 contiguous states here in the US? To put it in perspective, traveling from Sydney to Perth (East Coast to West Coast) is about the same as traveling from New York to Los Angeles. It’s also worth noting that Australia’s population is significantly less than America’s –the whole of Australia has about the same number of people living in it as the state of Texas!
Cairns:
Because of the distance involved, we did not pick up our rental RVs in Cairns. Instead, we stayed at the Crystalbrook Bailey Hotel while we explored the area for several days. Cairns was one of the group’s favorite locations because it is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. This tropical city in far north Queensland is the closest and easiest way to access the reef, which stretches over 1400 miles along its coastline. It is the largest coral reef system in the world and covers an area of about 133,000 square miles.
Our first outing was a sailing catamaran trip to Michaelmas Cay with Ocean Spirit Cruises. Even though Cairns is the gateway to the Barrier Reef, it is still a 2-hour trip out to the reef itself. The experience was a day-long event which included morning and afternoon teas, a hot and cold buffet lunch, and presentations by marine biologists. Upon arrival we had a fish feeding demonstration and toured the area on a semi-submersible glass bottom submarine. We had a fun 4-hour stay at the reef where we could take the shuttle from the ship over to the sand bar for snorkeling, bird watching, or sunbathing. It was amazing to view the coral and sea life up close!
Just a short 30-minute drive from the coast we boarded the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway for a journey into one of the world’s oldest rainforests. The railroad is considered an engineering marvel because of the 37 bridges and 15 hand-made tunnels that were built to traverse the steep landscape in the late 1800s. We gazed at spectacular waterfalls, strolled through the markets at the town of Kuranda, and enjoyed beautiful views as we rode the Sky Rail back down the mountain.
A fun stop at the Rainforestation Nature Park included an Army Duck Rainforest Tour on both land and water. It was a stark comparison to New Zealand where there are no snakes and few deadly animals. Here in Australia’s rainforest, even the plants are unfriendly!
We also enjoyed the Pamagirri Aboriginal Show and Experience, and seeing the iconic Australian animals in the Koala & Wildlife Park. Our group had a delicious buffet lunch and many of us got our first chance to hold a Koala.
Landsborough:
After 3 days exploring all of the sights in and around Cairns, we flew to Brisbane. We picked up the rental RVs and stocked them up at a local grocery store before heading off for the short drive along the Sunshine Coast to Landsborough. Here we thoroughly enjoyed a day at the Australia Zoo. Steve and Terri Irwin’s vision has always been to make Australia Zoo the biggest and best wildlife conservation facility in the entire world, and we were very impressed by the whole place.
Plus, we also got to schedule a koala experience which was amazing! We spent over 30 minutes talking with a naturalist and getting to hold the cute koalas. Such a bucket list day!
Miami:
Not in Florida, this Miami is along the Gold Coast of Australia. We walked the beautiful beaches here and sampled local cuisine and wonderful gelato. Another favorite stop was the nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where the lorikeet feeding is something we will not forget. There were also many animal habitats to explore and interesting demonstrations and shows at this well-kept sanctuary.
Here we had our third and favorite koala experience. Our trainer led us through the koala habitat where we walked among over 15 of the cutest, cuddliest creatures while they hung out, climbed the branches, and ate to their heart’s content. Of course, we also got our picture while holding one as well and Mike was happy to finally get his turn.
Southwest Rocks:
A long drive along the eastern coast brought us to Southwest Rocks where we toured the Trial Bay Gaol (Jail) in Arakoon National Park. This prison was built specifically to provide manpower for the construction of a breakwater to make Trial Bay a safe harbor between Sydney and Brisbane in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, the plan failed. During WWI, the prison became an internment camp for people of German descent who were feared to be enemy sympathizers. Today this picturesque historic ruin and its museum give visitors a view into life during those the times.
Cape Byron:
The Cape Byron Lighthouse stands resolute on the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. It was built at the turn of the 19h century to protect ships passing along the coast. Australia’s most powerful lighthouse was operated by lighthouse keepers until 1989 but is now automated.
Blackheath:
We had heard a lot about the beautiful Blue Mountains region of Australia which was our next stop. Our group had tickets to Scenic World, known for spectacular views on the world’s steepest passenger train, scenic cableway, and the skyway that glides over 800 feet above the valley below. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and delivered rain and fog much of the day. All was not lost however, and we enjoyed the things we could see.
Sydney:
When we arrived in Sydney, we turned in the rental RVs and checked into the Raddison Blu Plaza Hotel. We loved this hotel which is right downtown for easy walking access to so many of Sydney’s fun sights. Our group enjoyed a guided bus tour of the city which included lots of great information about the area and stops at top spots Sydney Harbor Bridge and Bondi Beach. We also visited some of Sydney’s beautiful opal shops. Australia is the origin of 90% of the world’s opals and now I have my own lovely necklace and earrings to remember it by.
Our Sydney Harbor Cruise was perfect for a different perspective of the city and included a buffet lunch. A tour of the Sydney Opera House gave us a behind the scenes look at this iconic performance venue which is home to more than 1800 concerts, plays, musicals, and ballets each year. We were able to score tickets for an afternoon orchestra performance of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony—a real treat!
Our 4 days in Sydney passed quickly and we ended with a farewell dinner before flying out for our Outback Add-On portion of the trip. Stay tuned for the last part of this series about our time in this rugged interior region of the country and then a few final days in Sydney to finish up.
Thanks for all the glorious pictures and info. Maybe one day I’ll get around to going DOWN UNDER!
Glad you enjoyed it, Lisa. It’s a long flight over there, but so worth seeing all of the incredible sights and countryside.