Australia
CANBERRA, ACT
Canberra is the capital city of Australia, located in the state of ACT (Australian Capital Territory).
It took approximately 4 hours of driving to get to Canberra from Sydney. Some places of interest that I visited are the Parliement House and Cockington Greens Garden.
Check out my photo album of Canberra here.
GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND
Gold Coast, located at southern Queensland, is a beautiful tourist destination known for its sunny weather, beautiful beaches and water sport activities (surfing).
In the summer Gold Coast is really fascinating with its blue sky, however it could get really hot. We went to Gold Coast in the end of December 2008, stayed at Surfers Paradise, and due to its proximity to Brisbane, we took a day-tour ride down Brisbane as well.
P.S. Apparently Queensland is the only state in Australia that lets us hold a koala.
Check out our photo album of Gold Coast here.
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA
Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state of Australia, is a beautiful metropolitan city known for its quality of living, rated second best in the world after Vancouver, Canada.
I went for a 2-week stay in Melbourne in October 2006.
The Great Ocean Road (scenic coastal drive), The Twelve Apostles, Werribee Park Rose Garden, Ballarat Sovereign Hill, Philip Island, Yarra River, Federation Square, The Parliement House, Royal Botanical Garden, Victoria market, are some of the known places of interest. Melbourne also houses many parks and beaches.
Check out my photo album of Melbourne here.
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES
Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales, is the largest city in Australia. Very metropolitan and lively, this city offers very dynamic ambience especially around the city center. It is the hub for shopping and fashion, dining and cuisines, water activities, first class beach, and many more. Wollonggong, Hunter Valley and Manly Beach are among the neighboring towns and suburbans that I visited during my trip in October 2006.
Check out my photo album of Sydney (2006) here.
My second trip to Sydney was in December of 2008. I got there on the new year’s eve to join the crowd admiring the NYE ’08 Fireworks, celebrating the turn of 2008 to 2009. The fireworks show on the Sydney Bridge was simply stunning, making it our best new year’s eve experience so far.
Check out my photo album of Sydney NYE’08 Fireworks here.
It was summer in Sydney then, so my favorite Bondi beach was packed, which also meant that it was the season for moonlight cinema. We went for a movie “under the moonlight” at Centennial Park after new year.
Check out my photo album of Sydney (2009) here.
