If your trip will include Australia, be sure to browse through all the Australia articles below. We at The Cheap Route have already done a lot of first hand research about Australia, we've been there done that when it comes to Australia, continue reading to gain first hand insight. Our goal is to to provide the hard to find information and photos about Australia.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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Several of the apostles as seen from the helicopter
One of the most iconic Australian Adventures is the Great Ocean Road of Southern Victoria. The highlight of the Great Ocean Road tour is the 12 Apostles, and the best way to see them is by helicopter. I personally had never ridden in a helicopter before this, but had always wanted to. On our tour they announced we had the option to either walk down and check them out, or pay an additional $70 and fly over the 12 Apostles by helicopter. This was a no brainer for me, although that's a lot of money, it doesn't seem bad for a helicopter ride, and it's one of those once in a lifetime opportunities you can only regret not doing.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
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Eating Lechon (roasted suckling pig) and sushi on a private beach with friends
As 2011 comes to an end, I thought it would be cool to talk about my top 5 travel experiences of the year. My year was split roughly 6 months in Australia, 3 months in Southern Asia, and 3 in the US. It's hard to pick just 5, but here are my favorite travel memories from 2011, in no particular order.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
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Some kind of a red fish
If you've got more than a few days in Sydney, Australia, check out the Sydney Fish Market in the Pyrmont area. It's the third largest fish market in the world, and they've got some cool fish on display. Pretty sure they do guided tours, but we went on our own and just walked around for free. To get on the floor you'll need a bright colored vest, long pants and shoes, but you can walk around the top floor and look down on the action without proper attire.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
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Julian Rocks Marine Reserve & Dive Site
Before visiting Byron Bay, my perception of the place was that my trip would be mainly party oriented with some beach time during the day. I arrived in the morning on a shuttle from Surfers Paradise and walked straight into a shop to ask about diving a place I had read was one of the top 10 dive sites in Australia, Julian Rocks. They quickly ushered me over to the Byron Bay Dive Centre and said a boat was leaving in a few minutes.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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A girl enjoying the corner beach on Great Keppel Island
The east coast of Australia has a well worn travel path carved into it, running from Cairns to Melbourne in either direction. Along the way there are a set of stops which virtually everyone picks, and all the tour agencies promote. These include from south to north: The Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay, Gold Coast / Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, Fraser Island, Agnes Water / 1770, Airlie Beach & The Whitsundays, Townsville / Magnetic Island, and finally Cairns. Most people don't stray very far off this path, but some of these places were not even that developed until fairly recently, so why do people not explore new places more often? Recently I took a road trip from the Gold Coast up to a place called Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast, where we set off for a sail around the Great Barrier Reef and Keppel Islands.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
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A Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and a Rainbow Lorikeet eating some leftover food off a table
Word to the wise, watch out for the Cockatoo's, they're poopers. I'm usually not much of a bird person, but the birds in Australia are pretty cool. This is just a small sample of the types of birds they have in Australia and in particular the birds on Hamilton Island. These Sulphur Crested Cockatoo's and Rainbow Lorikeets can be found all around the East Coast of Australia, and I believe up in parts of South East Asia as well.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
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Driving a rental boat through the canals of the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is famous for being one of the premier tourist destinations in Australia. There are so many things to do on the Gold Coast, it's impossible to do everything in one visit. This means you have to choose wisely. For those of you who don't know anything about the Gold Coast, it's set on a VERY long stretch of beach on one side, and an intricate system of canals on the other. It actually has more canals than Venice. I've been living here for the past 4 months, and my time is ending in a week, so I'm scrambling to do everything I've not managed to do yet. This afternoon we decided to rent a boat and cruise the Gold Coast Canals, and it turned out to be one of my favorite things to do here.
Friday, May 13, 2011
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Al Fresco Italian Restaurant in Surfers Paradise, QLD
You've been traveling the East Coast of Australia. You've arrived in Surfers Paradise, the most touristy city of all. The streets are lined with kebab joints, stale pizza slices, McDonalds, and take away Chinese. Where do you go for food? From the heart of town, cruise down Gold Coast Highway towards the Q1 tower. On the left hand side you'll arrive at my favorite restaurant in Surfers Paradise, Al Fresco.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
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Beaches, Streams, Sand Dunes and Forest cover Fraser Island
Fraser Island is one of the best places to visit in Australia, worth going out of your way to see. Fly into Brisbane, and head a couple hours North to Rainbow Beach, Tin Can Bay, or Hervey Bay, the 3 crossing points over to Fraser. You have several options on how to get around: you can rent your own 4X4 doing everything yourself, do a self drive tour, where you ride along in a caravan of 4X4s, but drive your own vehicle, or take one of the massive offroad buses in a group of 15-25. I made the mistake of doing the bus tour, because my license had expired, and this tour provided transport in and out of Gold Coast; I knew straight away this was a mistake.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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A tourist drive in the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland
Australia is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and driving is one of the best ways to see it. If you find yourself road tripping across Australia, you'll notice they have a lot of scenic routes, and if you're not in a rush, you may find yourself tempted to take them. After several attempts this weekend, I recommend you research these routes before veering off course for them.