chloedickensonLast Updated on 14th March 2020
If I’m being completely honest, Australia was never really a place that I was absolutely dying to go. Unlike literally everyone else I know, Australia was a place that I knew I’d always visit but it wasn’t a top, TOP priority for me.
I think that fact largely stems from my immense (irrational) phobia of spiders; I think I’d convinced myself that I couldn’t go to Australia without seeing one and then my entire trip would be ruined (insanely ridiculous, I know).
However, pretty much the moment we landed in Australia, I fell absolutely head over heels in love with everything about it; from the people, to the cities, to the food, even to the animals and kind of the bugs, Australia captivated my attention and we now have a firm love affair.
In celebration of my adoration for all things Down Under, I wanted to share with you the top 5 places I fell in love with in Australia while I was there in a bid to convince you to add it to your bucket list if, like me, you weren’t too sure!
The Gold Coast
The Gold Coast was without a doubt my favourite place that we visited during our entire East Coast road trip.
As soon as I saw that skyline for the first time, I fell head over heels in love and it’s now firmly on my list of places that I want to live one day. It’s the perfect, eclectic mix of sun, sea, sand, skyline and scrumptious food and I just felt so comfortable there.
The skyline reminded me of my favourite place in the world; New York, and the fact that there’s towering skyscrapers right next to the beach and sea makes it the perfect place to set up home!
We spent 2 days in the Gold Coast and while we saw as much as we could, I still don’t think we scratched the surface and I know that I will be 100% heading back there one day.
We stayed with some of Matt’s family while we were there and it was so nice to see how they lived; their lives looked pretty spectacular!
Sydney, Australia
While I mentioned above that for a long time I wasn’t overwhelmingly excited to go to Australia, I have to admit that Sydney was a place that I was desperate to visit.
It’s arguably the most iconic place in Australia; with the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Zoo, it’s hard to find a more iconic Australian city.
I adored the vibe in Sydney so much; it just felt like my kind of city and was a place that I could have happily spent weeks exploring.
We managed to cram so much stuff into our full day there but I know that I need to head back one day to tick off the rest of the things on my list; trip to the Opera House, anyone?!
The Whitsunday Islands
When you think of paradise, it’s hard not to imagine the beatific Whitsunday Islands. I’ve truly never seen anything more spectacular in my entire life; the colour of the water really is that blue!
I absolutely fell in love with the Whitsundays and it’s a place that I could happily retire to for the rest of my days with copious amounts of cocktails and good books 😉
We took a boat tour with a company called Skedaddle around the Whitsunday Islands who took us to Whitehaven Beach, as well as snorkelling in two different places where we swam with numerous fish and beautiful coral.
It was an experience like no other and I’d highly recommend adding the Whitsunday Islands to your East Coast Australia bucket list!
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne was the first place we visited in Australia as it’s where we landed straight after our South Island New Zealand road trip.
It’s also the place that we spent the longest time (5 days) and I think that it was the perfect amount of time to see as much of the city as possible.
We did so much while we were there, including watching an Aussie rules game, walking around the beautiful Botanic Gardens, visiting the Queen Victoria Market, plus so much more!
Melbourne doesn’t get quite as much praise as the likes of Sydney but I think that’s largely due to the weather. While it was pretty warm while we were there at the end of July, by the time we were up towards Sydney and the Gold Coast, the temperatures had dropped to single digits in Melbourne which is what puts a lot of people off during the winter.
For me, Melbourne is the kind of place that would make an excellent city break, if only it wasn’t literally the other side of the world to the UK! If you are planning a trip to Australia however, you should definitely factor in a little time in Melbourne; 2 or 3 days would probably suffice but I’d give yourself as much time as you can as it’s pretty big!
Brisbane
We barely spent any time in Brisbane at all; in fact, I think we were only there for less than 24 hours and yet it’s still made its way on to my list of 5 places I fell in love with in Australia!
There’s not a whole lot to do in Brisbane, which is largely why we didn’t spend days there, but you could still happily stretch everything out over the course of a couple of days if you wanted.
We headed into the city just before sunset so everything was beautifully covered in a captivating golden hour glow. We wandered along Southbank, the Story Bridge and through the markets. We also finally met up with my blogging friend Gi, who I’ve known online for so many years but we’d just never met in person!
I don’t think I’d necessarily add Brisbane to my list of places that I’m desperate to live in, but I would definitely go back again if I had the chance!
As you can see, Australia well and truly captured my heart and it’s a place that I know I will return to time and again in the future as it just has so much to offer. I think next time will have to be a West Coast road trip, with maybe a little trip to my beloved Gold Coast as well! 😉
Pin for later – Places I fell in love with in Australia
Have you ever been to Australia? Which of these places would you most like to visit? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @imjustagirl_16.
