At the gateway to the Great Ocean Road lies the lovely city of Geelong. We arrived here after a long drive from Ballarat, and discovered a cute and relatively big city. After all, Geelong is the second largest Victorian city behind Melbourne.
Category: Travel
The Grampians National Park
Grampians National Park is a nature reserve in Victoria, Australia. It’s known for its sandstone mountains, wildflowers and wildlife including echidnas and wallabies. Near the village of Halls Gap, the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre gives insight into local Aboriginal history and rock art.
Ballarat and Sovereign Hill
Ballarat is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. What makes it attractive is its unique history – it was the center of a gold rush migration during the 19th century. Not far from the city centre is Sovereign Hill. It is an open-air museum which depicts Ballarat’s first ten years after the discovery of gold. However, this is not a typical museum. As a replica of the town during the Victorian gold rush days, it comes alive with real characters from the old days, taking all visitors back in time.
Melbourne – Part 2
While Melbourne is one of the two big cities in Australia, it does have a magical feel to it if you dare to explore. We started with a cruise on the Yarra River that goes across the city suburbs, under monumental bridges and giant commercial ports. We ended up back where we started, close to Federation Square and its numerous art galleries, walked past the streets of the busy central business district and hopped on and off the trams.
Melbourne – Part 1
Melbourne is the capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. At the city’s centre is the modern Federation Square development, with plazas, bars, and restaurants by the Yarra River. Overall, there is an artistic and colonial feel to the city, much like most european capitals. So how would it feel visiting the big city in the middle of a road trip where you spent most of your time out in the wild? Well, we’re about to find out.
Mornington Peninsula
Frankston is a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, known as “the gateway to the Mornington Peninsula”. Further south is the holiday town of Mornington where you can drive on the white sandy beach and taste a bit of the magic this peninsula has to offer.
Launceston and North Tasmania
Our last few days in Tasmania until we need to board the ferry back to mainland Australia. We took the long and winding road towards Launceston, Tasmania’s second major city. The main highlight in town is clearly Cataract Gorge, a piece of wilderness just minutes away from the city centre.
Bay of Fires
Bay of Fires was given its name in 1773 by Captain Tobias Furneaux – an English navigator who accompanied James Cook – as he saw the fires of Aboriginal people on the beaches. It is known all over the world for its extraordinary clear blue seas, brilliant white beaches and striking orange lichen-cloaked boulders.
Wineglass Bay
Heading up north on the eastern coast of Tasmania, we are heading towards one of the biggest attractions on the island – Freycinet National Park. Freycinet has a global appeal – it is iconic, memorable and breathtaking by all means. The park is best known for the stunning beauty of Wineglass Bay with its crystal-clear waters and white beach, making it one of Tasmania’s most celebrated views.
Port Arthur Historic Site
Port Arthur is a village and historic site in southern Tasmania, Australia. Sitting on the Tasman Peninsula, it was a 19th-century penal settlement (considered to be the worst of the worst…) and is now an open-air museum. Unfortunately we found ourselves underwhelmed…
Bruny Island
Bruny Island is located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. To get to the island we had to take a 20-minute ferry to discover a unique and isolated landmark with very few locals, many more tourists, and stunning views.
Day Trip in Hobart
Hobart is the lovely capital of Tasmania, and it truly is lovely. We arrived to the city late afternoon and went straight to the Waterfront Piers to walk by the water and have an early dinner in one of the many restaurants. The following day, Saturday, is market day at the famous Salamanca Market. There’s lots to see and do.
Mount Field National Park
Heading south to one of Tasmania’s oldest national parks and also one of its most diverse – Mount Field National Park. After an interesting encounter with a friendly echidna, and a glimpse of a sneaky platypus, we took a leisurely walk through the towering tree ferns and giant eucalypts to Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. Both are stunning and the whole walk is kids-friendly, meeting plenty of pademelons along the way.
Lake St Clair National Park
After an eventful day at Franklin-Gordon National Park, we arrived to Lake St Clair Park for a late afternoon stroll by the lake, skimming rocks on the still water, and taking an endless amount of photos. Black and furry possums greeted us on the way back to the caravan.
Franklin-Gordon National Park
Cutting through the heart of Tasmania, we’re crossing from the wild West Coast inland through national parks and new adventures. First stop in Queenstown, a nice town surrounded by dramatic hills and mountains, which was once the world’s richest mining town. Next, we make a few stops at Franklin-Gordon National Park, which appears to be very special.