After saying goodbye to the magic of Western Australia and mastering the four-hour flight from Perth to Brisbane, we still have a week and a half to explore the east coast of Australia around Brisbane before travelling on to New Zealand.
Perth and its many family-friendly travel destinations as well as Mandurah, Gingin and the Pinnacles have already made a big impression on us. So what does the east of Australia have in store? I’ll tell you: First of all, a lot of humid air and – mosquitoes!
View of the endless expanse of “Terra Australis Incognita” – the once unknown Australian continent, with us flying across it here.
North of Brisbane: Road trip to Sunshine Coast & Noosa Heads.
While Western Australia was still characterised by late summer heat and dry weather when we arrived in March, it wasn’t quite as hot in the east of the country, but very humid. Somewhat exhausted by the change to high humidity and trying to avoid the many mosquitoes (and probably also the spiders and snakes, but we never saw them;) we pick up our hire car directly at Brisbane airport.
From there we drive an hour north of Brisbane to the Nambour area near Sunshine Coast. Not only do great beaches like Mooloolaba Beach and Noosa Heads await us there: We are also visiting dear friends Amanda and Adam, who I still know from our couchsurfing days and who visited us in Vienna just a few years ago.
Together we visit “The Ginger Factory” and the weekly market in Yandina, explore “The Big Pineapple” and, for the first time, are advised to plan at least one day for the famous Australia Zoo. Check this out.
Staying with friends: A wonderful experience for our boys.
The Big Pineapple near Nambour welcomes us to pineapple plantations, a small visitor train as well as a zoo.
Great tip for families: The wide, very flat sandy beach at Mooloolaba Beach is ideal for families with small children. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and a playground all around.
Further iland, The Ginger Factory has some fun (ride) attractions for children of all ages.
Top tip: Day trip to Noosa Heads. The coast is a nature reserve, which you can also hike along several trails (part of the trailhead is suitable for strollers). The town of Noosa itself offers everything you need: ice cream, shops and more.
Australia Zoo between Sunshine Coast and Brisbane: We advise a whole day for your visit.
My husband already knew about the story of Steve Irwin, the famous Australian conservationist, including the fact that he founded his own sanctuary for reptiles, especially crocodiles, many years ago and unfortunately died in a tragic accident almost 20 years ago. However, neither of us knew that his legacy in terms of nature and species conservation, the huge Australia Zoo, is now being run so skilfully by his family and their team.
The word huge doesn’t really suffice for Australia Zoo – gigantic is more like it. Some animal enclosures are so large that you can’t fully see their boundaries. There are plenty of retreats for the animals, and the highlight fascinates us all: a crocodile feeding session led by Robert Irwin himself, Steve Irwin’s son. A must-do with children in the Brisbane area!
Australia Zoo: Levin’s first time touching a kangaroo.
Fascinating: We love learning about the mighty “salties”, the saltwater crocodiles of Australia.
The Irwin family still runs the Australia Zoo on the east coast of Australia very successfully today – and a whole host of conservation projects all over the world. Here is one of the last family photos together with Steve Irwin.
Streets Beach in Brisbane.
I have to admit that we were only able to touch on Brisbane during this trip around the world. Shame, I know, but hopefully we’ll have more time when next in Australia!
We went straight to Streets Beach in the centre of the city as a tip from our friends. It is a kind of city beach in the heart of town, not only offering a pleasant place to cool off, but also many cosy cafés and restaurants, souvenir shops and, of course, one or two playgrounds.
Streets Beach, one of Brisbane’s rather famous city attractions.
South of Brisbane: Road trip to Byron Bay, Clunes & Nimbin.
From Brisbane, it’s about a two-hour drive south to Byron Bay. We stop halfway in Tallebudgera Valley because we know a dear friend from Canada who is married to an Australian and lives there. Definitely, you can also stop in Gold Coast when heading further south of Brisbane on your way to Byron Bay.
Thank you for the nice catch-up over lunch, dear Penny!
Byron Bay is a beautiful place where I would have loved to stay longer. The large rocky outcrop with its historic lighthouse is just as worth a visit as the extensive sandy beach. Many international restaurants and great souvenir shops round off a visit to Byron Bay.
The view from Byron Bay Lighthouse. Sydney is “only” 700 kilometres to the south from here.
Byron Beach on a magnificent, late summer afternoon.
We spend the night nearby, in the small village of Clunes, because we have friends here too! Carol & Steve, very dear friends of my parents, invite us to their home for a few nights. Clunes really only consists of a few houses, but has a delightful little general store and a bookshop that are both really worth the visit. Above all, we are taking a holiday here from travelling and all our impressions – it’s simply wonderful (and important) to take a break like this on our long journey around the globe.
Thank you so much for having had us, dear Carol, dear Steve! We loved staying with you.
“Uncle Peter’s Books” shop in Clunes. Loved the booklover’s atmosphere around here!
Feeling lucky at our friends’ place in Clunes.
Last but not least, one last fun travel tip: Nimbin, the centre for “alternative lifestyle” in (East) Australia! A small village where things are very relaxed indeed 😀 Nimbin is a good hour inland from Byron Bay, but is definitely worth the diversions from the coast.
Business hours in Nimbin be like ..!
Easy going Nimbin at the “Nimbin Hemp Embassy”.