Our Aussie Road Trip Part 2

From Byron Bay to Brisbane is about a two-hour drive so relatively short to many on our trip. Brisbane was where we were to say goodbye to our car that had taken us on this epic journey so far. We stayed at the Oaks Hotel & Resorts which is essentially self-catering apartments with a concierge service. Very well equipped and large spacious apartment with fantastic views across the Brisbane River. Brisbane much like Sydney has so much to offer and everything is spread out along the river so easy to access the many bars and restaurants on offer. I highly recommend Felon’s which is an open brewery sat right on the riverbank, you can watch the beer being brewed whist sampling a pint yourself. Moo Moo wine bar and grill is a restaurant I can highly recommend. Especially if you like meat. We had fresh oysters to start which were out of this world, followed by what I think is the best steak I have ever had. I do recommend booking but get there ahead of time so you can sit and enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail in their swanky bar. We took the trip over to the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary with Brisbane River Cruise. This half-day tour departs from bustling Southbank and cruises along the Brisbane River with views of iconic landmarks on the way to Lone Pine. Tickets are around £40 per adult but worth it and a fantastic day out.

The Whitsundays/Hamilton Island

The Whitsundays is always somewhere I have wanted to visit so was very excited that we were going to be spending 5 days there. Hamilton Island is one of the bigger Islands in the Whitsundays but there is plenty to do. On arrival you get allocated with your own golf buggy so you can explore the island. The was a novelty especially for the husbands! Our accommodation was just stunning, with fantastic wrap around balconies across two floors. The apartments are self-catering but there is a supermarket on the island so everything you need for your stay. There are also various restaurants and bars, we ate in Romano’s Italian one night which I can highly recommend for waterside dinning. No trip to The Whitsundays is complete without snorkelling The Great Barrier Reef. This can all be organised through the water sports facility on site. We did The Explore snorkel trip. A full day out to the outer reefs where it is quieter. They take you to two different reefs and you get to snorkel across them at your own pace but always with a professional alongside so great for the younger ones or anyone slightly nervous. Seeing the many fish and beautiful colours of the coral really is a must and a trip you won’t be disappointed with. We also did a trip to Whitehaven Beach which really does have the softest white silica sand I have ever seen. You are provided with stinger suits if you wish to go in the water as at that time of year there are tiny box jellyfish present in the water. Stinger season runs across the warmer months so October – May. You need to put any self-consciousness aside when wearing a stinger suit and it caused much hilarity, the four of us ended up looking like overgrown Smurfs!! Hamilton Island really does have something for everyone, there are plenty of trips to do or you can choose to laze on the beach or around the pool with a swim up bar. On our last night we went out on the Hamilton Star Sunset Cruise. A fabulous way to see the sun setting. A very relaxing trip with drinks and food supplied and the perfect way to end what had been a perfect 5 days.

Bangkok

Our five-week trip was to end in Bangkok for 3 days. We flew back to Brisbane from Hamilton Island for a one night stop over then onto Bangkok. Bangkok has very vibrant street life and many colourful temples and shrines. We stayed at the Millennium Hilton which was right on the boat filled Chao Phraya River and a good location to explore everything the city has to offer. We took a water taxi along the river and got off to explore The Grand Palace. Beautiful architecture and worth a visit. It does get extremely busy so best to try and go first thing or towards the end of the day. China town is worth a visit. Bangkok's Chinatown is a colourful, exotic, and pleasingly chaotic area, packed with market stalls and probably the highest concentration of gold shops in the city. There is so much to see in Bangkok from the floating markets to watching a Thai Boxing match! As we only had three days, we couldn’t fit everything in so to really explore what it has to offer I would recommend a 4- 5 day stop over if the time allows. The one thing that Bangkok is known for is its fantastic food and at very reasonable prices. There are street food stalls on every corner and the local cuisine really is worth a try. Our last evening, we found a little restaurant just tucked back off the river by our hotel it wasn’t much to look at, but the food was exceptional. We tried several of the local dishes and drank Singha Beer all for no more that £30 for 4 of us!!

I’ve recently qualified as an Aussie Specialist so if a road trip around Oz is something on your list, or you just want to know about the things to do, places to visit in any of the cities just let me know and I will be happy to help or indeed plan your next adventure, wherever that may be.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step……