Horsham International Hotel: The Perfect Overnight Stop Between Melbourne & Adelaide
No visit to Australia is complete without a road trip. From coastal journeys and outback adventures, driving is one of the best ways to see this great Southern land.
Driving Australia can be easy on most routes, but you do need to be prepared for the distances. Once you find yourself outside the main cities, much of Australia is very spread out, and towns can be few and far between. So prior planning is essential, especially when it comes to choosing overnight stays to break up the trip.
For those traveling between Melbourne and Adelaide, we recently stayed at Horsham International Hotel which was the perfect overnight stopover for this route.
read moreHow We Got Up Close With Australia’s Birds of Prey
Kangaroo Island is less than one hour ferry ride from the mainland of South Australia, yet here you’ll feel a million miles away.
The Galapagos Islands of Australia, this is one of the world’s greatest nature based destinations, and with more than one third of the land preserved in conservation parks, the island acts a sanctuary where native Australian animals roam free.
People travel from all over the world to see sea lions basking on unspoiled white beaches, koalas dozing in lofty eucalyptus trees, and bottle-nosed dolphins and fur seals jumping from the sea. Though more than 260 bird species also call Kangaroo Island home, and it is here where you have the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with Australia’s most impressive birds of prey.
read moreOvernight in an Airstream: A New Glamping Experience on the NSW South Coast
In 1931, Airstream began with Wally Byam’s dream: to build a travel trailer that would move like a stream of air, be light enough to be towed by a car, and create first-class accommodations anywhere.
85 years later, when it comes to spotting one on the road, no other travel trailer comes close to the classic, instantly recognizable “silver bullet” look, and after decades of touring the roads and campsites of America (and the world), the Airstream has gone from being an oddity to a true American icon.
For those who have ever wanted to spend a couple of nights in an iconic Airstream travel trailer, a new glamping experience awaits you on Australia’s NSW South Coast. Having come a long way since Wally’s first design, modern Airstream trailers now resemble a luxury home.
read moreTop 5 National Parks to Visit in Gippsland, Australia
While the majority of travelers to Australia head straight for the iconic sites of Melbourne, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef, this amazing country offers so much more. Occupying the vast eastern corner of Victoria, Gippsland is one area in particular that travelers should explore; a region of spectacular natural landscapes of unparalleled beauty.
With quaint seaside villages, alpine towns and farming communities, unspoiled beaches, ample farm-fresh produce and beautiful lakes, rivers and mountain ranges, we are fortunate to call Gippsland our home. Being such a large area, National Parks are a plenty here, and our days and weekends are spent camping, bush walking, fishing and relaxing on unspoiled beaches along the coast. This is a paradise for those who love nature and the outdoors.
The following are the top 5 National Parks to visit in Gippsland, Australia.
read moreThe Best Places to Photograph the Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic, most visited and most photographed landmarks in Australia, and if you love travel photography, getting the perfect shot will most likely be at the top of your list.
Situated on one of the most beautiful harbours in the world, whether you’re on the water, above the water, or even below it, there are a million ways to get a shot of the Sydney Opera House. It’s quite easy to take a great photo here. Though this is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world, so what’s not always easy is taking an interesting one. As a tourist, it’s difficult to capture a unique angle which the world hasn’t already seen.
The following are great photography locations for shooting the Sydney Opera House. Head here if you’re looking to travel like a photographer and not a tourist.
read moreSydney’s Only Beach Skydive: Video and Photo Review
It can be a pretty terrifying experience. Sitting in a tiny prop plane and watching those in front of you position themselves on the edge of an open door and tumble out into the abyss. At an altitude of 14,000 feet, their screams carried away by the wind.
You follow their lead, of course, and shuffle your way to sit on the edge of that open door while the plane is still in flight. You’re strapped to a beautiful stranger who instructs you to arch your head back on their shoulder, though I haven’t yet figured out if this is for actual safety or merely to ensure you don’t freak out from look down!
When I heard my cousin was visiting Sydney to Skydive in celebration of her 18th there was only one possible reaction. I was driving three hours to Sydney so I could come too!
read moreThe Best Cities in the World for Shopping
For those who love to shop, this can be as much an international sport as any you will find in the program at the next Olympic Games.
It’s the thrill of haggling in international markets, the strained faces of people fighting for items in a mall, and the stamina to get up at ungodly hours for a city’s sample sale stampedes. It’s the bragging rights in finding a souvenir or luxury item for so little that you’re the envy of your friends and family on returning home. For some, just the search for that must-have item can be as fun as owning the actual product.
Yes, shopping is a sport. And some cities offer shoppers a variety of options. So, where are the top shopping destinations around the globe?
The following destinations are some of the most fashion-frenzy, shopping capitols of the world. And, if getting paid to shop for people while you’re overseas sounds like the dream, you should set up a free account on Grabr; a peer-to-peer delivery service where travelers get paid to shop for people and bring home hard-to-find items for a sweet delivery fee. Your travels take you to distant places…why not make some extra money shopping for people while you’re there?!
read moreHow to Spend 4 Days of Adventure on Australia’s Gold Coast
For generations, the Gold Coast has been Australia’s capital of fun, embracing and entertaining travelers with a spectacle of golden beaches, legendary theme parks, iconic rain-forests and lively attractions. Though with opportunities for adventure on land, air, and sea, the most difficult question is actually how to fit it all in!
To help you out, the following is a 4 day Gold Coast itinerary suited to the luxury adventurer; a terrific combination of adrenalin pumping thrills set on one of Australia’s most spectacular natural stages.
Modeled on our recent trip, follow this guide for rainforest glamping, horse back riding, transparent kayaking over sunken shipwrecks, skydiving over the southern beaches, and suiting up in a harness for Australia’s largest and longest zipline.
read moreMy Gold Coast Skydive: The Time I Jumped From a Plane and Landed on the Beach
If you’ve been following this blog for a while now, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I have an issue with scenic flights. From the Swiss Alps, to the Blue Mountains, and now Australia’s iconic Gold Coast, I’ve never made it through a whole plane ride. On reaching 12,000 feet I’ve always opted for the quickest route back down to the ground. Free falling at 200 kph after having jumped mid flight.
But I truly can’t stop. The air rushes into your face and your heart starts racing. As the adrenalin rush kicks in, you feel like you’re floating on a cushion of air. The silence is amazing, the view is sensational, and as the initial shock of the free fall quickly wears off your fear disappears, replaced with an intense and exhilarating thrill of soaring through the air.
I’m addicted to the jump. I crave the adrenaline at this point. Skydiving is an electrifying experience far more thrilling and intense than any sort of drug. Though I had never before jumped over the coast and landed on the beach.
read moreThe Ultimate Overnight Experience in Australian Glamping
The Crimson Rosella’s are forced to scatter as a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets decide it’s their time to feed. They descend upon the bird feeder we’ve packed with seeds, sending the two Rosella’s into a fast retreat. A sudden burst of vivid plumage and squawking fills the air. The Lorikeets have first pickings here. They have their run of the rainforest and make sure every other bird knows it too.
Over the past few years, Mike and I have been fortunate enough to experience our fair share of sensational accommodation. Think plush penthouse suites in Las Vegas where the range of in room amenities is so excessive it will fulfill every wildest dream. Or an intimate boutique loft apartment in New York. Think a decadent hotel built atop ancient Incan ruins in Peru. We recently also stayed in a room which came with a zoo!
Suffice to say, we have slept around quite extensively when it comes to luxury rooms. And it as such takes something truly exceptional to wow us to our core. Who knew it would be our first experience glamping, in the Australian bush no less, which would leave us both in absolute awe.
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