Road Trip SE Australia (2018)

After a cruise from Singapore in Asia we had an early arrival in the city of Sydney , New South Wales, Australia. Even if it meant we had to get up ridiculously early it was all worth it. There is hardly anything more spectacular than sailing into Sydney Harhour approaching the impressive skyline, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

View from the Stanwell Tops Lookout near the town of Stanwell Tops, New South Wales, Australia. The town is known for its beautiful coastal, escarpment and cliff views. The natural hills that rise up sharply from the coast to the escarpment with strong air currents make Stanwell Tops a prime spot for hang gliding and paragliding as well as the perfect spot to take a photo and admire the views of the ocean, the escarpment and the Sea Cliff Bridge.

The first small spout from one of the blowholes near the town of Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. It is a coastal country town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole.

Stunning rock details near the town of Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. It is a beautiful seaside town on the NSW South Coast, best known for its beaches, blowholes, volcanic rock formations and scenic stretches of coastal walks.

Berrys Bay and Seven Mile Beach near the town of Gerroa, New South Wales, Australia. True to its name, Seven Mile Beach makes up just over 12 kilometres of coastline, stretching from Gerroa in the north to Shoalhaven Heads in the south. It is bordered by dense plant life and provides the perfect escape into nature. It is also frequently home to surf lessons, snorkelers, swimmers and windsurfers.

Hyams Beach seaside cottages in the village of Hyams Beach, New South Wales, Australia. It is a seaside village on the shores of Jervis Bay. The village, 180 km south of Sydney, is bordered by two beaches, Chinaman's Beach to the north and Seaman's Beach (sometimes referred to as "Sailors Beach") to the south, with Hyams Beach being in the centre. A seaside resort, its beach is known for having turquoise/aqua-coloured waters and fine, squeaky, brilliantly white sand composed of pure quartz.

Burrill Beach near the town of Dolphin Point, New South Wales, Australia. It lines the inlet to Burrill Lake and backs onto a picnic area which is a great spot to go and enjoy some beautiful views. The inlet also offers shallow swimming for families, but there are strong currents.

Serene beauty near the town of Dolphin Point. It is a small, quiet village on the south coast of New South Wales just south of Burrill Lake. Surrounded by natural bushland, it is a place of unspoilt beauty with excellent fishing spots, safe boating, sailing and windsurfing.

A nibbling kangaroo on Pebbly Beach, New South Wales, Australia. Pebbly Beach is a beautiful sand beach famous for its kangaroos. The local kangaroos often come down to the water for a dip on a hot summer afternoon, and if not will be lazing about on the dunes behind the beach. They were dedfinitely not shy and we could even pet the little ones.

This kangaroo had enough of us on Pebbly Beach, New South Wales, Australia. Pebbly Beach is famous for its friendly kangaroos. There is a large resident kangaroo population quite happy to meet visitors and to pose for an instagram worthy pic. Even though most of them can be approached easily they are not all waiting for close contact. 

Heading for the beach at Pebbly Beach, New South Wales, Australia. It is a small, sandy beach, covered with large scattered pebbles and hemmed in at either end by larger rock formations. It does not have a long stretch of golden sand but it has a natural beauty of its own. There’s still plenty of sand coverage though.

The town of Eden in New South Wales, Australia is aptly named as it is a slice of paradise, the hidden jewel of the Sapphire Coast. It is a coastal fishing village that has come alive over recent years with beautifully restored historic buildings, world class mountain biking trails, and a busy cruise port. Here we are enjoying the view over an isolated beach.

It was really beautiful to experience this view of the inlet near the town of Mallacoota in Victoria, Australia. It is a popular holiday spot for boating, fishing, walking the wilderness coast, swimming, birdwatching, and surfing.

We spent some time at the Gipsy Point Lodge, a tranquil retreat with restaurant in a unique and unspoiled natural environment, abounding in bird and animal life. We loved the view from the small jetty at the Wallagaraugh River near the town of Gipsy Point, Victoria, Australia.

We loved visiting the historic town of Walhalla in the state of Victoria, Australia. Once one of Australia's richest towns and home to over 4000 gold seekers, this sleepy mountainside town is now frozen in time and is home to only 20 residents. Here we are walking towards the Star hotel in the lovingly restored centre full of heritage buildings.

We had a nice close encounter with this Australian king parrot While strolling around in the town of Walhalla, Victoria, Australia. The bird was not scared of us at all and we loved its bright green and red colours.

Moving forward on the Walhalla Goldfields Railway after having just departed from the town of Walhalla in Victoria, Australia. It was pretty relaxing and we were taking in the breathtaking views as the train followed the track through the spectacular Stringer’s Creek Gorge. It is considered one of the country’s most picturesque rail journeys.

The Walhalla Goldfields railway track as seen from Thomson station near the town of Rawson in Victoria, Australia. We loved our trip on the train and had to wait a while as the locomotive had to be turned around for the way back to Walhalla.

Water streaming through the rocks on Squeaky Beach in the Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria, Australia. The famous white sand of Squeaky Beach is so named because of the noise it makes when you stroll along it. Enclosed by impressive granite boulders at either end of the beach it's a truly beautiful place to be.

Crashing waves at Squeaky Beach in the Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria, Australia. Squeaky Beach is a popular surfing spot owing to higher waves and swimming is not recommended due to persistent rips. But those waves are spectacular to see.

Close to sunset we took an evening walk to Forest Caves Beach near the seaside town of Surf Beach, Victoria, Australia. Being there all by ourselves made it really special.

We experienced a truly beautiful sunset near the seaside town of Surf Beach, Victoria, Australia. We were the only ones on Forest Caves Beach and loved seeing the sunset lighting up the waves in the ocean.

We visited the Koala Conservation Reserve, offering fantastic koala viewing in their natural habitat. It is located near the town of Rhyll in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately 90 minutes from the city of Melbourne.

We walked on the elevated boardwalks which brought us closer to the koalas as they went about their daily business of sleeping, eating, and sleeping some more. Hang on little buddy, don't fall off the tree.

Visiting the Koala Conservation Reserve near the town of Rhyll in the state of Victoria, Australia. Koalas sleep a lof of the time, but we managed to get face to face with a koala that was actually moving around and eating. It's really fun to see the koalas in their natural habitat along the treetop boardwalks through the Australian bushland at the Koala Conservation Reserve.

We had a perfect stroll through lichens along the boardwalks around The Nobbies near the town of Summerlands, Victoria, Australia. We took quite some time absorbing the coastal views at lookout points set amongst natural sea bird gardens in this magnificent headland on the south-western tip of Phillip Island.

A peacock showing off its feathers on the heritage farm we visited on Churchill Island in the state of Victoria, Australia.

The colourful peacock we encountered on the heritage farm on Churchill Island in the state of Victoria, Australia. It wasn't shy at all and really loved to pose for this photo.

I am not a fan of graffiti at all, but when it's made into a tourist attraction it's hard to ignore. A true graffiti experience is Hosier Lane in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Here the facade of Bar Tini.

Driving along the Great Ocean Road in the state of Victoria, Australia was a fantastic experience. Perfect views around every corner and stopping at every lookout means it'll take forever. As an example, this is the Eastern view at Fairhaven Beach near the town of Moggs Creek.

Definitely one of the highlights on this road trip was driving along the Great Ocean Road. The start of this magnificent drive is marked by the Memorial Arch near the town of Eastern View, Victoria, Australia.

After a short drive out of Lorne we reached the stunning Erskine Falls in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was an easy walk to the first lookout, providing a spectacular view over the falls. We really loved the 30 metre falls tumbling into the pool below.

After an interesting walk through the forest we've reached the base of Hopetoun Falls near the town of Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. Hopetoun Falls plummets 30 metres into the Aire River in the Great Otway National Park. We also descended some 200 stairs leading through glades of tree ferns to the base of the falls.

It was wet but great fun using the boardwalk through the rainforest at the Maits Rest Rainforest Walk near the town of Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. The fact that it rained added to the experience of being in an actual piece of original rainforest.

Walking along Gibson Beach after descending from the Gibson Steps near the town of Princetown, Victoria, Australia. We were dwarfed by the 70-metre high vertical cliffs and marvel at Gog and Magog, the nicknames given to the giant limestone stacks rising up out of the sea. It was pretty easy to make our way down to the beach via the 86 steps that were carved into the face of the cliff by local settler Hugh Gibson.

The two rocks near Gibson Beach which are also part of the Twelve Apostles near the town of Princetown, Victoria, Australia. The harsh and extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then became arches that eventually collapsed, leaving rock stacks up to 50 m high.

Magnificent morning view on the Twelve Apostles near the town of Princetown, Victoria, Australia. The Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road. Eight of the original nine stacks remain standing at the Twelve Apostles' viewpoint, after one collapsed in July 2005.

Loch Ard Gorge on a sunny morning near the town of Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia. Loch Ard Gorge is possibly the most intriguing place in the Port Campbell National Park and possibly on the entire Great Ocean Road. The stunning gorge is surrounded by 20-30 metre sandstone cliffs. There are multiple short walks to explore that are flat and easy, but most fun was taking the stairs down into the gorge to the stunning gold sandy beach.

Great view on Mutton Bird Island near the town of Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia. It is located just 50 metres from the mainland at Loch Ard Gorge on the Great Ocean Road. It is a huge piece of sandstone that is the breeding ground for thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters, also known as Mutton Birds.

Admiring the Razorback on a sunny day near the town of Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia. One of the most astounding rock formations on the Great Ocean Road whose name comes from its jagged, narrow aesthetic. Being one of the most awe-inspiring natural landmarks in the Port Campbell National Park, the Razorback is easily accessible when viewing another one of the park’s wonders – the Tom and Eva rock formations.

The Arch near the town of Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia. It is an intact bridge-like rock formation along the Great Ocean Road. It is believed that it will, one day – imminently – break into two separate rock stacks. There are some good photo ops from the various viewing points looking down on it.

The once famous London Bridge near the town of Peterborough, Victoria, Australia. It's an offshore natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park and a significant tourist attraction along the Great Ocean Road. The stack was formed by a gradual process of erosion, and until 1990 formed a complete double-span natural bridge.

The span closer to the shoreline sparked comparisons with the nursery rhyme of the same name and collapsed unexpectedly on January 15, 1990.

I am really glad I walked all the way down to the Grotto near the town of Peterborough, Victoria, Australia.

The Grotto is perhaps the most enchanting of all the rock formations on the Great Ocean Road. Part-blowhole, part-archway, part-cave, it offers a peaceful place to enjoy the sea views and soak in the wonderful things nature is capable of.

Bonython Hall is the 'Great Hall' of the University of Adelaide in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It acts as the main ceremonial hall for the University of Adelaide as well as providing a grand venue for public events.

The six metre sculpture The Life of Stars dominates the entrance of the Art Gallery of South Australia with its ethereal sparkly presence. Its oval form and perforated concentric circles refer to Indra’s net, which is a metaphor of Mahayana Buddhism, symbolising the universe as a vast web of connections.

It was an absolute joy to have visited the Mortlock wing of the State Library in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Two levels with thousands of books with nooks where students can quietly sit and study.

Even though the accommodations were pretty basic, we had a great stay at the Rocky Mountains farm near the town of Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia. A perfect spot to take in nature. Apart from being a working farm there was a lot of wildlife like kangaroos, wallabies and wombats. The horses were beautiful, especially in the warm glow of the golden hour.

We really enjoyed our walk to Twin Falls near the town of Fitzroy Falls, New South Wales, Australia. The Twin Falls lookout is midway along the West Rim walking track in Morton National Park. With vantage points that overlook Twin Falls, Yarrunga Creek and Yarrunga Valley, it’s an ideal place to take in the scenery.

Checking out the Hampden Bridge near the town of Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Hampden Bridge is a heritage-listed single-span suspension bridge that carries Moss Vale Road (B73) across the Kangaroo River. The bridge is named in honour of Lord Hampden, the Governor of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899.

En route to our next destination we just had to stop at Grandpa's Shed near the town of Fitzroy Falls, New South Wales, Australia. Being Christmas day it was closed unfortunately, but still nice to look around for a bit.

We really enjoyed the company of this excited yellow-crested cockatoo on the deck of our airbnb in the town of Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia. Apparently, these cockatoos can be very destructive and most residents don't really like them.

Early morning in the Blue Mountains, just after sunrise, in the town of Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia. Great to have some peace and quiet enjoying this magnificent view with a fresh cup of coffee.

We had heard great stories about the Wolgan Valley so we decided to check it out. Here we have a quick stop at the Wolgan Valley Lookout near the town of Lidsdale, New South Wales, Australia. It turned out the valley is a delight to visit, especially the tiny town of Newnes at the very end.

The Wolgan River on a hot and quiet day near the tiny town of Newnes, New South Wales, Australia. In the rainy season this river can grow exponentially in size.

After a nice drive through the Wolgan Valley and visiting the tiny town of Newnes we were back at the Wolgan Valley Lookout near the town of Lidsdale, New South Wales, Australia. The locals call these the Mystery Mountains.

This kookaburra was very nosy and curious and stayed with us for quite some time while we were having dinner on the outside deck of our airbnb in the town of Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia.

We had a lot of fun watching the yellow-crested cockatoos on the deck of our airbnb overlooking the Blue Mountains in the town of Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia. This particular one was excited to get in on the action further up the railing.

Walking on the Sydney Harbour Bridge is a delight with beautiful vistas all around. Most prominent of course is the Sydney Opera House which is especially beautiful on a sunny day like the one we had.

The Sydney skyline as seen from the Captain Cook cruise we took through the Sydney Harbour in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The El Alamein Memorial Fountain in the suburb of Elizabeth Bay, part of the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a heritage-listed fountain and war memorial and was built from 1959 to 1961. The El Alamein Fountain was commissioned as a memorial to soldiers who died in 1942 during World War II in two battles at El Alamein, Egypt.

The centre of the El Alamein Fountain in the suburb of Elizabeth Bay, part of the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Even though similar fountains like this exist in the world, this is the original one.

We spotted this beautiful and colourful water dragon lizard in the Chinese Garden of Friendship in the Darling Harbour, part of the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

We had a perfect vantage point overlooking the Luna Park and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from a hotel in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The tickets we bought contained a full buffet service including unlimited drinks and of course a perfect view on the NYE fireworks.

Sydney New Year's Eve is an annual New Year's Eve fireworks event in Sydney. The event consists of two fireworks shows, with an evening display known as the "Family Fireworks" held at 9:00 p.m., and the main "Midnight Fireworks" held at 12:00 a.m. Fireworks are launched from barges in Port Jackson, as well as nearby landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which serves as the main focal point of the show via lighting and pyrotechnic effects.

Shooting fireworks from the Harbour Bridge during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

As one of the first major cities to celebrate the New Year, the event is widely-viewed in Australia and worldwide. Organizers have estimated the annual in-person attendance of the event to be around 1.5 to 1.6 million, with tourists accounting for a large portion of its attendees.

The Sydney NYE fireworks is considered to be the biggest party of the year, where more than one million people gather around Sydney Harbour to watch the world-famous fireworks display. Seeing the fireworks in all its splendid colours shooting off the Sydney Harbour Bridge is a truly beautiful sight. We had a perfect vantage point from across the harbour in North Sydney.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge turning green during the New Year's Eve fireworks, experienced from a hotel in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The New Year's Eve fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge were definitely the most spectacular fireworks we have ever experienced. We witnessed it from a hotel in North Sydney with a perfect view on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.