At the end of 2015 I enjoyed my first visit to Australia and wanted to make a brief blog post about my experience, as many of our clients who visit Vietnam are Australians.
My four weeks in Australia started in Sydney in late November where I spent a week, then I headed north to visit family in Port Stephens before flying to Brisbane.
Sydney.
Sydney Opera House
In Sydney I stayed in the CBD not far from Martin Place. The location of my home for the week, the historic Grace Hotel, was perfect for exploring the city and surrounds. From the Grace it was easy to walk all over the Central Business District to explore the many sights that this beautiful city has to offer.
During the week I managed to tick off most of the main tourist attractions including the Opera House, the beautiful Harbor, the Rocks and the Sydney Harbor Bridge as well as a trip across the harbor to Taronga Zoo.
Cruise ship leaving Sydney Harbor
Taronga Zoo
Sydney in November was hot because it was the beginning of summer but the heat was very different to the climate in Saigon and even days of 38 degrees did not seem as hot as Saigon. I think this was because the air was not as humid.
A great way to explore the city on warmer days is by the Explorer Bus. A ticket on the bus is valid for 24 hours and enables you to hop on and hop off the bus for as often as you want over a 24-hour period. This is a great way to see parts a little further from the city including Kings Cross and the Fish Markets.
It’s hard to choose one highlight from my week in Sydney but seeing the Sydney Opera House bathed in pink lights at night, walking across the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge and seeing, for the first time, a real kangaroo and koala for the first time, up close at Taronga Zoo were certainly experiences to remember.
Kangaroo's at the zoo.
Port Stephens
Wanda Beach Jetty at sunrise.
From Sydney I travelled by bus about 3 hours north the beachside area called Port Stephens where I spent two weeks visiting family.
Salamander Bay
Port Stephens is a beautifully natural and scenic place that lies on a harbor that is bigger than Sydney Harbor to the south. Spectacular surf beaches and bays surround Port Stephens and the area is famous for it’s fishing and watersports as well as for its natural beauty. I will never forget my trip on a dolphin watching boat where a pod of dolphins swam around our boat so close that I could almost reach out and touch them.
Brisbane
The Brisbane River, Brisbane CBD and the Story Bridge.
From Port Stephens I flew and hour north to close out my visit with a week in Brisbane. Again I stayed in the heart of the city and was able to easily walk to everything that I wanted to see. Brisbane is a lovely city of around 2 million people but it feels really more like a large town than a big city. Compared to Sydney the pace of life was slow and relaxed.
One of Brisbane’s many charms is its excellent City Cat river ferry system, which is a cheap and beautiful way to explore the city. By the time I hit Brisbane the pre Christmas shopping sales were in full swing and the shopping was excellent.
Brisbane CBD from Southbank Parklands
From Brisbane I flew back to Bangkok before travelling south to Phuket for Christmas and the New Year.
Thoughts on my first visit to Australia.
Sydney.
A spectacularly beautiful harbor city with everything for the visitor within easy reach. The pace of life is faster than Port Stephens and Brisbane and the people more fashion conscious. I was struck by how clean everything was, even the harbor, which is very busy. The food was great, as was the shopping and the people were friendly.
Port Stephens
A scenically very beautiful beach destination Port Stephens is one of the main retirement meccas on the east coast. Clean and quiet and beautiful you notice all of this as well as the ageing population. The seafood was delicious and I was again struck by how clean the water was. I really enjoyed my daily trip to the beach even if the water was a bit cold!
Brisbane
I felt very comfortable in Brisbane and I liked its slower pace compared to Sydney as well as the “big country town feel”. There is plenty to see and do and it was no problem keeping busy for a week here.
I really enjoyed my first trip to Australia and can’t wait to visit again. One of the main lessons that I learned from this trip is that although a week in one place seems a long time when you are planning it really isn’t that long once you arrive somewhere new, with a lot of new things to see and do, the days do go really quickly and it is time to move on again, when there is still much that you could do. When planning a trip it’s important to strike a happy medium between not overstaying in one place but also to not rush around so much that you miss out on a lot along the way.
Stay tuned for my next blog post on Bangkok and Phuket.