People may tell you that Canberra is boring but for a visitor interested in more than beer and barbecues, I would recommend spending a couple of days there for the War Memorial. National Museum, National Gallery which has some amazing international exhibitions as well as Australian art, National Library of Australia, National Sound and Film Archives, National Portrat Gallery, National Arboretum, and Parliament House (both old and new). If you are truly interested in learning about Australia's history and culture, go there. In Sydney visit the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, and in Brisbane the Southbank area including Gallery of Modern Art. Of course if a booze up on the beach is what you are looking for, stick to Bondi and Byron Bay.
Just to see Namatjira painting at the Canberra art gallery is worth the visit look them up they are breathtaking. The colours are amazing and it’s watercolours I don’t know how he did it
I'd agree. Canberra also has a nice range of interesting buildings of some to great architectural merit. When you go to the National Museum just brace for a bunch of politically distorted half-stories of settlement.
Loved the final comment about Sydney as it is a long way to come just to tick off Sydney thinking that is Australia. One thing that is missing here is taking the opportunity to check out the ancient culture of Australia's first nation people.
Best trip I had for overseas visitors was a trip on the Manly Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. These ferries are being removed with only 1 or 2 left but the 30 minute trip is worth it as you will see more of the harbour than on any tourist cruise. When you get to Manly - you have to have fish & chips on the sand ------------------------------ but beware of the Sea Gulls who will look for free food LOL. Hard to know you are 30 minutes away from Sydney CBD by boat.
It is REALLY IMPORTANT to pay attention to ALL signs on beaches and rivers as many of our waters can be dangerous if you are not a very good swimmer and can read the water conditions
Well said, Michele. And if you don't see anyone else swimming, there's usually good reason for it. If you are not a good swimmer, stay between the flags on patrolled beaches.
@@scottlang7271 sadly even over confident Aussies die too often in the surf or fishing off rocks ( on the news this morning that a father and young son died off rocks while fishing. Not sure which state though. So sad and SO unnecessary to lose anyone in the surf
If anyone is coming to Sydney, I can highly recommend 'The Harbour View Hotel'. It is in North Sydney just behind Luna Park. Every room has a view of Sydney Harbour, and the night lights are impressive. North Sydney Railway Station is under the hotel, so getting back after sight seeing is super easy. 5 minutes to the foreshore or catch a ferry to any destination you want. Some deals will get you free parking and a buffet breakfast included. Cheers
Good varied list and practical advice👍. The coastal walks are an absolute must. Even if you're not that fit or a hiker. They're pretty easy with those pathways along the coastline. The eastern suburbs in Sydney, Bondi to coogee coastal wwlk, Maroubra to Little bay walk. Over north Manly to spit bridge coastal walk. The sunshine coast in Qld has some nice coastal walks too. Visiting at least one of the national parks is also a must. Royal national park South of Sydney is gorgeous. Some fairly secluded beaches. There's so many beautiful national parks all over NSW and the rest of Australia. Something we have in common with the USA. 😊 Far North Queensland is a different world too. More tropical, gorgeous tropical islands in the Whitsundays. Rainforests etc. Whitehaven beach is possibly the most stunning beach ever seen. Love what you said about the smaller locally owned hotels. Couldn't agree more. A pub meal is definitely a must, like you say. And fish and chips on or by the beach! (And if they ask you do you want plain or chicken salt...it's always chicken salt 😜)
Too true. I've lived in Aus my whole life and have only seen a fraction of it first hand. There are some nice bushwalks in Springbrook National Park (SE QLD). It can range from scenic vistas, to waterfalls to rainforest, and dense river valleys to jagged pinnacles, well-defined paths to seldom-used footpads. Maybe I'm biased :) . Cheers.
if you're in sydney or come back be sure to do the Coogee to Bondi Coastal walk, really scenic and pass through many of Sydneys nicest beaches, best to go mon-fri as the weekend will be busy.. it's a easy and accessible must do
Hi Caitlin, some hikes you will both probably really enjoy are: The Wonga Walk, in Dorrigo National Park, inland from the NSW mid north coast. And, Lamington National Park in south east Queensland, where from O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, you can hike the Elabana Falls trail. Both locations are covered in lush sub tropical rainforest. Enjoy! Regards from Tony, Sydney, Australia.
Jellybean Pools 😁 Wow that's a good memory. Plenty of fun times there. As you said, the Blue Mountains is a lovely place. I'm from Springwood originally, but have lived in the U.S for about 6 years now. Your videos are definitley making me home sick, but thank you very much.
100% right on each city is very different, but even if you haven't the time to visit more than 1 capital city, there's different culture (and country towns of varying size) within easy reach of every capital city (if you have a car and/or access to someone who can drive you).
Kaitlyn, you asked for hiking suggestions. For a 3 hour walk near Sydney, try the National Pass walk at Wentworth Falls. I have taken visiting friends from Ohio and relatives from England on this walk. Stunning scenery, suitable for anyone moderately fit or better.
The beaches, and the cafes are a must. Campervans are a good way to get out of the cities. Avoid January, that is the main school holiday time, and every tourist attraction will be absolutely packed. November to mid December, and February are the best times to holiday in Australia l think.
Some parts of the country it would be better to do September to November or March to May because mid summer is too hot and in the tropics it’s best in the dry season.
The Illawarra Escarpment has some amazing trails from Mt Keira to The Royal National Park through eucalyptus forrests to dence subtropical rainforest. The lookouts from the top of the escarpment give a full view of the coast, beaches, Wollongong City and from Austinmer down past Lake Illawarra. Because the mountains are only 6km furthest from the coast you're looking down over the ocean. It's only 40 minutes south of Sydney down the freeway or take the coastal route through the Royal National Park, drive over the ocean on the Seacliff Bridge then along the beaches and headlands of Wollongong's northern suburbs then back up Bulli Pass to the top of the escarpment.
Next time you're in Canberra, you might like to visit: Inside the Parliamentary Triangle: - Parliament House - Old Parliament House (Museum of Australian Democracy) - Australian National Gallery - National Portrait Gallery - Questacon (National Science Museum) - Australian Archives - National Library Rest of Canberra: - Australian War Memorial - National Museum of Australia - Cockington Green (miniature village) - National Dinosaur Museum - National Zoo and Aquarium - National Carillon - Lake Burley Griffin - Blundell's Farmhouse - Royal Australian Mint - Australian National Botanic Gardens - Various embassies in the suburb of Yarralumla (many built in national styles) Outside Canberra (but nearby): - Mount Stromlo Observatory - Cotter Dam - Lanyon Homestead - Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex
I you are spot on about the campervan trips, i have been telling a friend in the USA in Illinois when he comes here to holiday don't get locked down in the tourist areas , hire a campervan and do some road trips because they come fully equipped with rooftop tent, cooking equipment, fishing rods etc etc etc and Western Australia is perfect for the Weather and road trips. ✌😎
I didn't know hiring one had so much equipment with it! When border restrictions ease up a bit I might have to convince my partner to go camping or a week or two in WA, the beaches there are stunning!
@@julzhunt7790 I lived on York Peninsula in SA for a few years and drive 20 minutes east to catch a sunrise over the St Vincent Gulf, then in the evening 10 minutes west to catch a sunset over the Spencer Gulf. I'm in Wollongong on we get sunrise over the ocean, but sunrise and sunsets over the two Gulfs is like no other. Both Gulfs are large enough to only see water on the horizon with no land.
@@reddog5378 I’m 2 mins drive from the beach in WA and the Sunsets are spectacular. All the purples and pinks and oranges. Lived here 40 years and I could never tire of them. I used to live up in the hills North of Perth and the nights were awesome being so dark sky. All the stars in the Milky Way. Tbh I don’t think it matters where someone lives in Australia it’s an awesome place to be. Such wide open beautiful spaces.
@@julzhunt7790 Same, I've got the beach and Pacific Ocean at my back fence. I've been lucky enough to have lived in so many different places in different states from the desert to rainforest and everywhere in between. My job delivering boats by road took me from Wollongong to Perth numerous times (my favourite drive), far North Qld, and every capital and out of the way coastal hideaways. I've seen more of Australia than most would ever get to and there is so much more than just the main highways between cities.
been lucky enough to see most of australia,tassie and the kimberlys about the 2 places I have not been too but would like to go,especially the kimberlys
museums dont just exist in buildings but in sydney itself if u go to town hall and walk around you will see alot of statues of famous people in history plus cant remember exactly where but you have the queen victoria building as well in the city
I'm in Canberra and hiking is one of the main things to do here. I'm not much of a sports guy or a surfer or gym goer but I love hiking (also known here as bushwalking).
I’m sooo glad you mentioned Mona! Poor old Tassie is left off the list so often. Seriously one of the best destinations in Australia….. and I’m a melbournian.
Hi Kaitlyn, some suggestions for hikes/bushwalks in Victoria: Wilson's Promontory, Grampians/Gariwerd, Alps (Mt Bogong, Feathertop, Mt Buffalo), Dandenongs.
I've lived here for 40 years, still haven't seen all of Australia. 7 weeks in the US basically non stop on a bus got me through most of the wild west and even a sniff into Mexico but that is not even half the country. You will find the same here. Still find it funny about hearing people inquiring about a day trip to Perth from Sydney - sure if you account for the 10 hour round trip on the plane, and an hour or 2 fluffing about in airports you can spend 12 hours there if you don't want to sleep at all and are real tight on your schedule.
Hi, thanks for your interesting posts. Just a short comment on American coffee retailers moderate success in Australia. Starbucks used to be here and they had over 40 outlets, but all were closed except for two. The reason was we have such a strong coffee culture here based on a high proportion of Australians of Italian and Greek extraction when they brought their strong coffee cultures with them, and we turned that into a unique version of our own. Surveys of overseas visitors to here indicate that our coffee culture is in the top three things which most impress overseas visitors. Now we are exporting it, particularly to North America.
The Great North Walk is one of the most scenic walking tracks in Australia. it stretches almost 200 Kilometres North from Sydney to Newcastle. at 200 Kilometres it is obviously not a novice walk. but if you have the time and are seriously into hiking it's stunning. i wouldn't do it alone. depending on experience and fitness can do it 2 - 3 days. there are even some small camp sites along the route. also very beautiful and close Sydney, but much easier to access are the blue mountains.
Thanks for mentioning my home city Melbourne a few times and yes our coffee culture is amazing. In all, a great video with positive reviews of what Australia has to offer. 👍👍🤗🤗
At the risk of going counter to the last recommendation, do not plan to see "too much". This is a big country, with real distance between centres. There is little point is seeing Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, The Reef and Uluru and flying out on day 6. You will be exhausted and will have spent more than half your time preparing for, recovering from and actually travelllng domestically. Find a place or two to base yourself, see and do what you can from there, and come back again later to see something else. Note that most of Kinda's suggestions fit into this pattern. For reference, Sydney to Cairns is 3 hours in the air. Sydney to Perth is 5 hours.
theres a hike trail in sydney its self cant remember wat its called but u start with catching a ferry to taronga zoo and and to the left if i remember is a hiking trail that takes you through the trees and such and past a small little beach before ending going over the harbour bridge a beautiful hike
recommend Lamington National Park, behind the Gold Coast. Places to visit for the day or stay, quite expensive, but lots included, O'Reilly's Guest House or Binna Burra, there are camping options at Binna Burra. Spectacular scenery
Hi Kaitlyn, enjoying your videos. A tip if I may, being a photographer the first thing I noticed with this video was the door and you were on a lean. Either use the camera or tripod level to ensure are correct.
In Your last Vlog I commented on My Historic connection to The Blue Mountains. I also told You about The Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland. It's a popular Tourist Destination with pretty much Everything Cairns has to offer minus The Great Barrier Reef and that High Humid Heat. It's only an hours drive from Cairns, up a Mountain Range. Tourists usually visit both areas. But I would recommend Hiring A Car as it's a Country Area, but it's well worth it.
I would add - don’t just see the cities and urban areas if you visit Australia. Some of the best things to see are in the bush. Just a few places off the top of my head are Kakadu, Katherine Gorge, Uluṟu and the wonderful Indigenous culture in the NT, wineries, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide Hills in SA Broome, Shark Bay, Margaret River, Karri forests in WA Great Barrier Reef, Daintree, in QLD Port Arthur and the wilderness areas in Tassie. Snowy Mountains in Vic and NSW Then there is the Outback. If you have the time get out of the cities. There is so much to see.
Starbucks tried to set up its chain of coffee shops here and failed dismally. We're used to high quality coffee from what are usually owner-operated shops. The best way to put it is that neither the style or quality of coffee Starbucks offered matched the wishes of potential customers, who quickly reverted to their usual shops.
Morton National Park is my favourite for bushwalking. If you get a chance, you should do the Pigeon House Mountain walk or if yiu are more adventurous the nearby Castle walk.
Im now59 kaitlin,have a20 year old son,he,s been with me to the states and loved it.we love summer at home though and a road trip from sydney to the Goldie is a must. Wr have friends in vaginia and Houston who we,d like to visit again after covid.love your vids,keep em coming
The first thing to do is GET OUT of Sydney, anywhere else will do. North you get Newcastle and then keep going north. South, again many places to keep going to ( Ok I can't remember all the south coast names ), West, wide open spaces. Sydney has a bridge and a funny-looking building, you have seen them on the "postcards".
If you want true coffee culture, travel down to Melbourne, cafe's everywhere, even in the business district along St. Kilda Rd in Melbourne. Couldn't find a cafe in Sydney, walked almost the entire length of George St and nothing. I am sure they do exist, but we couldn't find one!!
Interesting you mentioned The Jellybean Pool, I lived just up the road from there in my younger years. It was mine and most my friends local swimming spot.
If you're looking for somewhere to camp (camp site to cabins) in your new Aussie back yard, have a look at the Tourist Park in Lane Cove National Park in Sydney.
I love that you came here and really tried to experience the local culture and support small businesses. Starbucks did try to open here in Australia, but it failed really quickly. Their products were expensive and the coffee wasn't good, and many of the non-coffee products were too sweet for our tastes. We inherited a very civilised café culture from the Italian migrants who came here after world war two. The coffee market here was well established and usually people have a specific café they go to where the barista will know your name. I believe Starbucks is going to try and open here again, but their shops will only be in areas that attract a lot of tourists from Asia and the USA as it's clear Aussies just don't like what they offer. Additionally, pub culture has really changed (for the better) over the past few decades. When I first turned 18 and could go to pubs (although you can usually sneak in from around 16 or 17 years of age) everyone was just there to get blind drunk (these types of pubs are derogatorily called 'beer barns' and Sydney was very famous for them). Over the past 20 years, the amount of alcohol consumed by Aussies has decreased dramatically and now people tend to go out for a few pints in a small pub or bar that also does good food. People here became far more interested in healthy living and drinking for pleasure, not just to get drunk. I'm really glad that generational shift happened. I hope you continue to enjoy your time in Australia!
@@TimmyTickle the majority of it is in WA. But I believe they have one cafe in Hobart, not sure if they closed that. And they do have international ones as well although they are more high-end in those places compared to the WA ones.
So have you got any plans for Australia day? Any videos planed? On Museums, I was a country family member of the Powerhouse museum. It is great as a central place to meet with out of city friends in Sydney in the members lounge plus its free entry. It was always different every time we went there, plus you have visiting rights (free entry) to other museums around the country for example Questacon in Canberra.
We're supposed to have a pretty chill day at home. No one is having any barbeques or anything in our friends group because of COVID, so it'll be a relaxing one at home for us this year. Hopefully the weather will hold out!
I grew up in Hobart. MONA is okay and it's worth a visit, but in my personal opinion, it's not the best thing about Hobart, unless you're really into art.
Don't be like the crazy South Carolinan I met a few years ago. Christmas day, 2016 my wife and I were driving from Adelaide to my home town in the southern Flinders Ranges. It was stinking hot, well over 40C. We pulled in to a servo for a pitstop and there was this guy, standing in the sun, without a hat, puffing on a smoke! "Hot enough for you?" I asked. He responded that they stopped there hoping for some relief,; after all, the place was called Snowtown. He explained that he and his friend wanted to see Australia, but with limited vacation time, decided to do a road trip and had already done Brisbane-Perth-Alice Springs/Uluru and were heading to Adelaide. They were planning to do Melbourne and Hobart before going to Sydney for NYE. Yep, they saw Australia, but barely experienced it. True story!
Absolutely stop at an aussie pub...... but don't leave tips on the bar! I warned my American brother-in-law when he visited our local town that aussies don't tip at pubs (or anywhere for that matter, and they don't do table service at pubs either) so if he left money on the bar thinking he was leaving a tip, it would still be there at the end of the night. Sure enough, as we were getting up to leave, the barman shouted "hey guys you need to grab your change!" just as I had warned. 😂
LOL as an American I feel so guilty not leaving a tip whenever I go to a pub. I even look around for a tip jar and have to remember that tipping is jut not a thing here.
@@KindaAustralian, don't feel remotely bad about it. If there is a tip jar, and you have been given good service, by all means tip the hard-working staff. But our trade unions fought long and hard for decades to get minimum wages and conditions, which is why we don't have a tipping culture. And given in recent years we have had various scenarios with workers being underpaid, I feel that the last thing we want is for that tipping culture to arrive en masse here, as it will only encourage unscrupulous employers to rip off their staff and to tell them to rely upon the tips they get. And it's not just on land that this attitude holds sway with many Australians: www.ozcruising.com.au/blog/do-you-need-to-tip-on-australian-cruise-ships
It’s Parma, if you think Sydney has good coffee, you’ve never been to Melbourne! Melbourne has better beaches, markets, coffee, hiking, camping and general friendliness. Melbourne is the only place to visit in Australia. Sydney is the last and most boring place in Australia
Doppy me has fat fingers doing dumb things.. Starting at, say.. Bondi go north to a different beach every day definitely 30 years to get back to Bondi..
People may tell you that Canberra is boring but for a visitor interested in more than beer and barbecues, I would recommend spending a couple of days there for the War Memorial. National Museum, National Gallery which has some amazing international exhibitions as well as Australian art, National Library of Australia, National Sound and Film Archives, National Portrat Gallery, National Arboretum, and Parliament House (both old and new). If you are truly interested in learning about Australia's history and culture, go there. In Sydney visit the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, and in Brisbane the Southbank area including Gallery of Modern Art. Of course if a booze up on the beach is what you are looking for, stick to Bondi and Byron Bay.
Just to see Namatjira painting at the Canberra art gallery is worth the visit look them up they are breathtaking. The colours are amazing and it’s watercolours I don’t know how he did it
I'd agree. Canberra also has a nice range of interesting buildings of some to great architectural merit. When you go to the National Museum just brace for a bunch of politically distorted half-stories of settlement.
How could you not mention Questacon?
Loved the final comment about Sydney as it is a long way to come just to tick off Sydney thinking that is Australia. One thing that is missing here is taking the opportunity to check out the ancient culture of Australia's first nation people.
If you like Hiking then Tasmania has you covered, the most beautiful, untouched wilderness you could ever imagine.
Best trip I had for overseas visitors was a trip on the Manly Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. These ferries are being removed with only 1 or 2 left but the 30 minute trip is worth it as you will see more of the harbour than on any tourist cruise. When you get to Manly - you have to have fish & chips on the sand ------------------------------ but beware of the Sea Gulls who will look for free food LOL. Hard to know you are 30 minutes away from Sydney CBD by boat.
It is REALLY IMPORTANT to pay attention to ALL signs on beaches and rivers as many of our waters can be dangerous if you are not a very good swimmer and can read the water conditions
Well said, Michele. And if you don't see anyone else swimming, there's usually good reason for it. If you are not a good swimmer, stay between the flags on patrolled beaches.
@@scottlang7271 sadly even over confident Aussies die too often in the surf or fishing off rocks ( on the news this morning that a father and young son died off rocks while fishing. Not sure which state though. So sad and SO unnecessary to lose anyone in the surf
I just came across this post.
With regards to the best beaches my favourite beaches are not on the tourist trail but require a little local knowledge
If anyone is coming to Sydney, I can highly recommend 'The Harbour View Hotel'.
It is in North Sydney just behind Luna Park. Every room has a view of Sydney Harbour, and the night lights are impressive.
North Sydney Railway Station is under the hotel, so getting back after sight seeing is super easy. 5 minutes to the foreshore or catch a ferry to any destination you want. Some deals will get you free parking and a buffet breakfast included.
Cheers
I concur ...Ive stayed there a few times.... Great View, and comparably amazing value.
And not expensive
Good varied list and practical advice👍.
The coastal walks are an absolute must. Even if you're not that fit or a hiker. They're pretty easy with those pathways along the coastline. The eastern suburbs in Sydney, Bondi to coogee coastal wwlk, Maroubra to Little bay walk. Over north Manly to spit bridge coastal walk.
The sunshine coast in Qld has some nice coastal walks too.
Visiting at least one of the national parks is also a must. Royal national park South of Sydney is gorgeous. Some fairly secluded beaches.
There's so many beautiful national parks all over NSW and the rest of Australia. Something we have in common with the USA. 😊
Far North Queensland is a different world too. More tropical, gorgeous tropical islands in the Whitsundays. Rainforests etc. Whitehaven beach is possibly the most stunning beach ever seen.
Love what you said about the smaller locally owned hotels. Couldn't agree more.
A pub meal is definitely a must, like you say.
And fish and chips on or by the beach!
(And if they ask you do you want plain or chicken salt...it's always chicken salt 😜)
Too true. I've lived in Aus my whole life and have only seen a fraction of it first hand.
There are some nice bushwalks in Springbrook National Park (SE QLD). It can range from scenic vistas, to waterfalls to rainforest, and dense river valleys to jagged pinnacles, well-defined paths to seldom-used footpads. Maybe I'm biased :) . Cheers.
if you're in sydney or come back be sure to do the Coogee to Bondi Coastal walk, really scenic and pass through many of Sydneys nicest beaches, best to go mon-fri as the weekend will be busy.. it's a easy and accessible must do
Hi Caitlin, some hikes you will both probably really enjoy are: The Wonga Walk, in Dorrigo National Park, inland from the NSW mid north coast. And, Lamington National Park in south east Queensland, where from O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, you can hike the Elabana Falls trail. Both locations are covered in lush sub tropical rainforest. Enjoy! Regards from Tony, Sydney, Australia.
Jellybean Pools 😁 Wow that's a good memory. Plenty of fun times there.
As you said, the Blue Mountains is a lovely place. I'm from Springwood originally, but have lived in the U.S for about 6 years now. Your videos are definitley making me home sick, but thank you very much.
100% right on each city is very different, but even if you haven't the time to visit more than 1 capital city, there's different culture (and country towns of varying size) within easy reach of every capital city (if you have a car and/or access to someone who can drive you).
Kaitlyn, you asked for hiking suggestions. For a 3 hour walk near Sydney, try the National Pass walk at Wentworth Falls. I have taken visiting friends from Ohio and relatives from England on this walk. Stunning scenery, suitable for anyone moderately fit or better.
The beaches, and the cafes are a must. Campervans are a good way to get out of the cities. Avoid January, that is the main school holiday time, and every tourist attraction will be absolutely packed. November to mid December, and February are the best times to holiday in Australia l think.
Definitely! I've noticed a lot more campervans on the road these last few weeks!
Some parts of the country it would be better to do September to November or March to May because mid summer is too hot and in the tropics it’s best in the dry season.
Spring and Autum, best times.
The Illawarra Escarpment has some amazing trails from Mt Keira to The Royal National Park through eucalyptus forrests to dence subtropical rainforest. The lookouts from the top of the escarpment give a full view of the coast, beaches, Wollongong City and from Austinmer down past Lake Illawarra. Because the mountains are only 6km furthest from the coast you're looking down over the ocean.
It's only 40 minutes south of Sydney down the freeway or take the coastal route through the Royal National Park, drive over the ocean on the Seacliff Bridge then along the beaches and headlands of Wollongong's northern suburbs then back up Bulli Pass to the top of the escarpment.
A great walk to do in the Blue Mountains is The Grand Canyon that's located at Evans Lookout Blackheath.
The various bridge-climbs in capital cities have become very popular since the original Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb started in October 1998.
Next time you're in Canberra, you might like to visit:
Inside the Parliamentary Triangle:
- Parliament House
- Old Parliament House (Museum of Australian Democracy)
- Australian National Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- Questacon (National Science Museum)
- Australian Archives
- National Library
Rest of Canberra:
- Australian War Memorial
- National Museum of Australia
- Cockington Green (miniature village)
- National Dinosaur Museum
- National Zoo and Aquarium
- National Carillon
- Lake Burley Griffin
- Blundell's Farmhouse
- Royal Australian Mint
- Australian National Botanic Gardens
- Various embassies in the suburb of Yarralumla (many built in national styles)
Outside Canberra (but nearby):
- Mount Stromlo Observatory
- Cotter Dam
- Lanyon Homestead
- Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex
I you are spot on about the campervan trips, i have been telling a friend in the USA in Illinois when he comes here to holiday don't get locked down in the tourist areas , hire a campervan and do some road trips because they come fully equipped with rooftop tent, cooking equipment, fishing rods etc etc etc and Western Australia is perfect for the Weather and road trips.
✌😎
I didn't know hiring one had so much equipment with it! When border restrictions ease up a bit I might have to convince my partner to go camping or a week or two in WA, the beaches there are stunning!
@@KindaAustralian WA has the most stunning sunsets.😁
@@julzhunt7790 I lived on York Peninsula in SA for a few years and drive 20 minutes east to catch a sunrise over the St Vincent Gulf, then in the evening 10 minutes west to catch a sunset over the Spencer Gulf. I'm in Wollongong on we get sunrise over the ocean, but sunrise and sunsets over the two Gulfs is like no other. Both Gulfs are large enough to only see water on the horizon with no land.
@@reddog5378 I’m 2 mins drive from the beach in WA and the Sunsets are spectacular. All the purples and pinks and oranges. Lived here 40 years and I could never tire of them. I used to live up in the hills North of Perth and the nights were awesome being so dark sky. All the stars in the Milky Way. Tbh I don’t think it matters where someone lives in Australia it’s an awesome place to be. Such wide open beautiful spaces.
@@julzhunt7790 Same, I've got the beach and Pacific Ocean at my back fence. I've been lucky enough to have lived in so many different places in different states from the desert to rainforest and everywhere in between. My job delivering boats by road took me from Wollongong to Perth numerous times (my favourite drive), far North Qld, and every capital and out of the way coastal hideaways. I've seen more of Australia than most would ever get to and there is so much more than just the main highways between cities.
been lucky enough to see most of australia,tassie and the kimberlys about the 2 places I have not been too but would like to go,especially the kimberlys
museums dont just exist in buildings but in sydney itself if u go to town hall and walk around you will see alot of statues of famous people in history plus cant remember exactly where but you have the queen victoria building as well in the city
Ice Blocks is a more generic term for icy goodness on sticks. “Hey was ice blocks do they sell at the servo?” Etc.
Loving your channel.
I'm in Canberra and hiking is one of the main things to do here. I'm not much of a sports guy or a surfer or gym goer but I love hiking (also known here as bushwalking).
I’m sooo glad you mentioned Mona!
Poor old Tassie is left off the list so often.
Seriously one of the best destinations in Australia….. and I’m a melbournian.
Tassie is so underrated! It is absolutely beautiful there. Hobart is stunning and so quaint and charming.
Hi Kaitlyn, some suggestions for hikes/bushwalks in Victoria: Wilson's Promontory, Grampians/Gariwerd, Alps (Mt Bogong, Feathertop, Mt Buffalo), Dandenongs.
Can highly recommend Springbrook National Park. It's about 2 hours south of Brisbane. Behind Hinze Dam. Absolutely breathtaking.
I've lived here for 40 years, still haven't seen all of Australia. 7 weeks in the US basically non stop on a bus got me through most of the wild west and even a sniff into Mexico but that is not even half the country. You will find the same here. Still find it funny about hearing people inquiring about a day trip to Perth from Sydney - sure if you account for the 10 hour round trip on the plane, and an hour or 2 fluffing about in airports you can spend 12 hours there if you don't want to sleep at all and are real tight on your schedule.
Hi, thanks for your interesting posts. Just a short comment on American coffee retailers moderate success in Australia. Starbucks used to be here and they had over 40 outlets, but all were closed except for two. The reason was we have such a strong coffee culture here based on a high proportion of Australians of Italian and Greek extraction when they brought their strong coffee cultures with them, and we turned that into a unique version of our own. Surveys of overseas visitors to here indicate that our coffee culture is in the top three things which most impress overseas visitors. Now we are exporting it, particularly to North America.
If you ever come to Victoria you have to go to Wilsons Prom to do some hiking and bushwalking good scenery on the coast lots of good hiking tracks
The Great North Walk is one of the most scenic walking tracks in Australia. it stretches almost 200 Kilometres North from Sydney to Newcastle. at 200 Kilometres it is obviously not a novice walk. but if you have the time and are seriously into hiking it's stunning. i wouldn't do it alone. depending on experience and fitness can do it 2 - 3 days. there are even some small camp sites along the route. also very beautiful and close Sydney, but much easier to access are the blue mountains.
Thanks for mentioning my home city Melbourne a few times and yes our coffee culture is amazing.
In all, a great video with positive reviews of what Australia has to offer. 👍👍🤗🤗
At the risk of going counter to the last recommendation, do not plan to see "too much". This is a big country, with real distance between centres. There is little point is seeing Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, The Reef and Uluru and flying out on day 6. You will be exhausted and will have spent more than half your time preparing for, recovering from and actually travelllng domestically. Find a place or two to base yourself, see and do what you can from there, and come back again later to see something else. Note that most of Kinda's suggestions fit into this pattern. For reference, Sydney to Cairns is 3 hours in the air. Sydney to Perth is 5 hours.
theres a hike trail in sydney its self cant remember wat its called but u start with catching a ferry to taronga zoo and and to the left if i remember is a hiking trail that takes you through the trees and such and past a small little beach before ending going over the harbour bridge a beautiful hike
For hikers looking for hiking tracks the ultimate would have to be the Bibbulmun Track which stretches 1000km from Perth to Albany in WA.
Binna Burra in South East Qld (Lamington National Park) has some fantastic walks. - Close to Brisbane/Gold Coast
If you're in gorgeous Hobart on a Saturday you MUST go to Salamanca Markets. Nothing like it anywhere.
Yes! I have been there before and it is such a sweet little market. The locals there are SO friendly too :)
recommend Lamington National Park, behind the Gold Coast. Places to visit for the day or stay, quite expensive, but lots included, O'Reilly's Guest House or Binna Burra, there are camping options at Binna Burra. Spectacular scenery
Hi Kaitlyn, enjoying your videos. A tip if I may, being a photographer the first thing I noticed with this video was the door and you were on a lean. Either use the camera or tripod level to ensure are correct.
In Your last Vlog I commented on My Historic connection to The Blue Mountains. I also told You about The Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland. It's a popular Tourist Destination with pretty much Everything Cairns has to offer minus The Great Barrier Reef and that High Humid Heat. It's only an hours drive from Cairns, up a Mountain Range. Tourists usually visit both areas. But I would recommend Hiring A Car as it's a Country Area, but it's well worth it.
I would add - don’t just see the cities and urban areas if you visit Australia. Some of the best things to see are in the bush. Just a few places off the top of my head are
Kakadu, Katherine Gorge, Uluṟu and the wonderful Indigenous culture in the NT,
wineries, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide Hills in SA
Broome, Shark Bay, Margaret River, Karri forests in WA
Great Barrier Reef, Daintree, in QLD
Port Arthur and the wilderness areas in Tassie.
Snowy Mountains in Vic and NSW
Then there is the Outback.
If you have the time get out of the cities. There is so much to see.
Starbucks tried to set up its chain of coffee shops here and failed dismally. We're used to high quality coffee from what are usually owner-operated shops. The best way to put it is that neither the style or quality of coffee Starbucks offered matched the wishes of potential customers, who quickly reverted to their usual shops.
Morton National Park is my favourite for bushwalking. If you get a chance, you should do the Pigeon House Mountain walk or if yiu are more adventurous the nearby Castle walk.
Im now59 kaitlin,have a20 year old son,he,s been with me to the states and loved it.we love summer at home though and a road trip from sydney to the Goldie is a must. Wr have friends in vaginia and Houston who we,d like to visit again after covid.love your vids,keep em coming
The first thing to do is GET OUT of Sydney, anywhere else will do. North you get Newcastle and then keep going north. South, again many places to keep going to ( Ok I can't remember all the south coast names ), West, wide open spaces. Sydney has a bridge and a funny-looking building, you have seen them on the "postcards".
If you want true coffee culture, travel down to Melbourne, cafe's everywhere, even in the business district along St. Kilda Rd in Melbourne. Couldn't find a cafe in Sydney, walked almost the entire length of George St and nothing. I am sure they do exist, but we couldn't find one!!
Interesting you mentioned The Jellybean Pool, I lived just up the road from there in my younger years. It was mine and most my friends local swimming spot.
If you're looking for somewhere to camp (camp site to cabins) in your new Aussie back yard, have a look at the Tourist Park in Lane Cove National Park in Sydney.
Good coffee culture! I am a tea person though.
I love that you came here and really tried to experience the local culture and support small businesses. Starbucks did try to open here in Australia, but it failed really quickly. Their products were expensive and the coffee wasn't good, and many of the non-coffee products were too sweet for our tastes. We inherited a very civilised café culture from the Italian migrants who came here after world war two. The coffee market here was well established and usually people have a specific café they go to where the barista will know your name. I believe Starbucks is going to try and open here again, but their shops will only be in areas that attract a lot of tourists from Asia and the USA as it's clear Aussies just don't like what they offer. Additionally, pub culture has really changed (for the better) over the past few decades. When I first turned 18 and could go to pubs (although you can usually sneak in from around 16 or 17 years of age) everyone was just there to get blind drunk (these types of pubs are derogatorily called 'beer barns' and Sydney was very famous for them). Over the past 20 years, the amount of alcohol consumed by Aussies has decreased dramatically and now people tend to go out for a few pints in a small pub or bar that also does good food. People here became far more interested in healthy living and drinking for pleasure, not just to get drunk. I'm really glad that generational shift happened. I hope you continue to enjoy your time in Australia!
First thing to do before arrival, Subscribe to you. Then go to any beach and cafes and a pub.
Any visitors to Australia go to the Outback. You will meet a different side of Aussie people.
I would love to see the Outback. Definitely on my list of places to see in the next year or so!
I would kill for a meat pie'n peas from Harry's Cafe Du Wheels, just a bit down the road fron Garden Island Dockyard
was that dome cafe picture from perth or hobart?
quite a comprehensive list. enough to fill up the days for any potential visitor to this country.
Perth!
Pretty sure Dome is WA-only
@@TimmyTickle the majority of it is in WA. But I believe they have one cafe in Hobart, not sure if they closed that. And they do have international ones as well although they are more high-end in those places compared to the WA ones.
another place is janolan caves
Jellybean pools ain't far from where I am. I'm in Penrith at the base of the Blue Mountains.
Yummy 😋 the best to do bbq 🍗 is In Australia 🇦🇺. Australia have the cute 🥰 animals. You Should visit the Feather Dale Park.
So have you got any plans for Australia day? Any videos planed?
On Museums, I was a country family member of the Powerhouse museum. It is great as a central place to meet with out of city friends in Sydney in the members lounge plus its free entry. It was always different every time we went there, plus you have visiting rights (free entry) to other museums around the country for example Questacon in Canberra.
We're supposed to have a pretty chill day at home. No one is having any barbeques or anything in our friends group because of COVID, so it'll be a relaxing one at home for us this year. Hopefully the weather will hold out!
I grew up in Hobart. MONA is okay and it's worth a visit, but in my personal opinion, it's not the best thing about Hobart, unless you're really into art.
Don't be like the crazy South Carolinan I met a few years ago. Christmas day, 2016 my wife and I were driving from Adelaide to my home town in the southern Flinders Ranges. It was stinking hot, well over 40C. We pulled in to a servo for a pitstop and there was this guy, standing in the sun, without a hat, puffing on a smoke! "Hot enough for you?" I asked. He responded that they stopped there hoping for some relief,; after all, the place was called Snowtown.
He explained that he and his friend wanted to see Australia, but with limited vacation time, decided to do a road trip and had already done Brisbane-Perth-Alice Springs/Uluru and were heading to Adelaide. They were planning to do Melbourne and Hobart before going to Sydney for NYE. Yep, they saw Australia, but barely experienced it.
True story!
Australians don't go to Starbucks that's strictly for tourists that don't know any better.
It would take around 30 years to visit a different beach every day..
If you started at Bondi
Better beaches in the West!
Absolutely stop at an aussie pub...... but don't leave tips on the bar! I warned my American brother-in-law when he visited our local town that aussies don't tip at pubs (or anywhere for that matter, and they don't do table service at pubs either) so if he left money on the bar thinking he was leaving a tip, it would still be there at the end of the night. Sure enough, as we were getting up to leave, the barman shouted "hey guys you need to grab your change!" just as I had warned. 😂
LOL as an American I feel so guilty not leaving a tip whenever I go to a pub. I even look around for a tip jar and have to remember that tipping is jut not a thing here.
@@KindaAustralian, don't feel remotely bad about it. If there is a tip jar, and you have been given good service, by all means tip the hard-working staff.
But our trade unions fought long and hard for decades to get minimum wages and conditions, which is why we don't have a tipping culture. And given in recent years we have had various scenarios with workers being underpaid, I feel that the last thing we want is for that tipping culture to arrive en masse here, as it will only encourage unscrupulous employers to rip off their staff and to tell them to rely upon the tips they get.
And it's not just on land that this attitude holds sway with many Australians: www.ozcruising.com.au/blog/do-you-need-to-tip-on-australian-cruise-ships
12000 beaches and 60000km of coast line.
Did you see a Tazmainian Devil there
As an aussie some of us do notbabacue.
1. Must visit Northern Queensland. Lol
It's definitely on my list once the borders settle down! Maybe 2023 🙏
@@KindaAustralian *extra sunscreen required.
A large flat white, 2 sugars, extra shot, extra hot! Oh yeah!
What about the footy I mean real footy AFL
Beyond the border of queensland ,nsw ,vic boarders northern territory, Southaustralia, western Australia dont excist
It’s Parma, if you think Sydney has good coffee, you’ve never been to Melbourne! Melbourne has better beaches, markets, coffee, hiking, camping and general friendliness. Melbourne is the only place to visit in Australia. Sydney is the last and most boring place in Australia
Sure Jan.
WICKED CAMPERS in Perth
👍🤠👍
It’s been said it would take 27 years to visit every beach in Australia
Over 10,000 beaches according to Australian Tourist Commission.
And that’s why it would take 27 years to visit them all
There are 10 thousand beaches in Australia
Australia 🇦🇺 is the beach capital of the world 🌎
Doppy me has fat fingers doing dumb things..
Starting at, say.. Bondi go north to a different beach every day definitely 30 years to get back to Bondi..
Just be careful. They said have sharks 🦈
Get out of Sydney, Australia is more than Sydney. Get to the West Coast..
I'm with you neighbour, S.A. is much more than just wineries.
yeah, good luck with that 🤣
I'd love to... but I don't think I'm allowed in at the moment!😬
@@clarrievivian4208 Big country town, thats what is felt like living in SA for 20 years!
OMG, has our tourism minister been following this feed?
my advice is don't come here. not while our government's going nuts.
wait a few years till they calm down.
What a ridiculous comment
Wait until the May election and see what happens
The only ones going nuts are the far right loonies.
Again posting videos from your sofa and taking no pictures of Australian. I don't believe you even live in Australia, enough already