Polly in Paradise

BEST PLACES TO STOP ON THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA

CAIRNS

Cairns is a very tropical place found in North Queensland. It is known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Swimming in the sea here is not recommended during the months of November to May this is because of crocodiles and jellyfish. There is a huge swimming lagoon in Cairns which is perfect to spend the day sunbathing around and taking multiple dips throughout the day. There are so many different companies that run boats that take you out on the Great Barrier Reef. I chose to go with “Pro Dive” and they were amazing. I am a qualified diver but there were options of “try dives” and snorkelling as well. There was also a photographer on board who you were able to buy the photos from which was great.

Scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef

WHITSUNDAYS

Some of the most amazing islands I’ve visited. I did the two day and two night sailing trip with New Horizon. This was perfect for me as a solo backpacker. I met so many people. The boat had a giant water slide, they offered scuba diving and you could bring your own alcohol. They took us to Whitehaven beach and Hill Inlet which are both absolutely stunning spots.

Hill Inlet

FRASER ISLAND

I started my tour from Rainbow Beach. I did the three day / two night tag along tour. This was great – we all headed out in a chain of 4WD that we were able to drive ourselves. You stay in nice tents with a comfy mat/pillow and there is also a sleeping bag provided.

Highlights on Fraser Island

  • Lake McKenzie: the most beautiful clear blue lake where you can take a dip
  • Large BBQ/campfire/party with your group
  • Champagne Pools: beautiful natural rock pools that you can swim in as the waves crash over them
  • Indian Head: when you climb to the top you have the chance to see some incredible wildlife – we saw a shark hunting below
  • Eli Creek: you are given a rubber ring to float down the creek (this was my highlight of the trip)
  • Lake Wabby: another lovely dipping spot
  • Maheno Shipwreck

NOOSA

Noosa was one of my favourite stops and I felt it was very underrated. When people talk about visiting the East Coast they mainly just think about the Whitsundays and Fraser Island, but this is definitely a great place to stop. My highlights here were the sunsets and the fairy pools.

These fairy pools can be found in Noosa National Park – it takes approximately 40 minutes to walk to them from the main beach at Noosa Heads. Make sure you check the tide times when going as you need to tide to be low for them to appear properly. Getting down to them involves a bit of scrambling so make sure you wear suitable shoes and have your hands free. I did get stung by a Portuguese Man O’ War whilst on the main beach in Noosa so do keep an eye out and speak to the lifeguards if you need assistance!

For the best view of the sunset I would recommend heading up to the Noosa Heads Laguna Lookout. The view from here is amazing. To get here you will need to walk 1.5km from the town centre – there is a path but there are parts that are a bit rocky. Be very careful if you are going alone as after the sunset it is quite a dark climb back down.

BRISBANE

Brisbane will always have a special place in my heart. I lived and worked here for 6 months. The city isn’t too big and you can get around it pretty quickly when walking.

Brisbane Highlights:

  • Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – the best place to go and cuddle a koala and feed the kangaroos.
  • Take a climb up to Kangaroo Point Cliffs and get a view of the skyline!
  • Head to Eat Street, Northshore for some amazing food!
  • Hike up Mount Coot-tha

HERVEY BAY

This location is best known for whale watching and wow it did not disappoint. I went with a company called Hervey Bay Whale Watch and Charters and it was amazing. The humpbacks were so close to us, swimming around the boat and breaching out of the water right in front of us. The most amazing whale watching experience I have ever had.

You were also able to go swimming with the humpbacks on this trip. You had to pay a little bit more to swim with you but it was worth it. You were given a mask/snorkel and a life jacket. You then have to hold onto a line of rope where you can then look underwater at the whales. You are only able to do this from July to early September as after this the mothers are usually with their calves and it is prohibited to get in the water with them then.

SYDNEY

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Sydney and thought it was very beautiful. But I do think it is a little bit overrated. I think this is because I love being by the beaches which is why the more coastal areas of Sydney were my favourite rather than the actual city centre.

Sydney Highlights:

  • Opera House – definitely a must see as it is such a famous spot and one of the most photographed places in Sydney.
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge – lovely to see. I was lucky enough to be in Sydney for New Years Eve and the firework display on the bridge was incredible.
  • Bondi Beach – I spent a few weeks over Christmas here and spent the day on the beach on Christmas Day which was super fun. If you walk further round along the coastal path you will come across my favourite beach near here: Tamarama Beach which is much quieter/less busy.
  • Manly – you can catch a ferry over to here. It is home to a colony of Little Penguins and if you’re lucky you might spot them! You can also see Weedy Sea Dragons when snorkelling/diving in certain parts of Manly. These can only be found in Australian waters and are really cool to see.
  • Blue Mountains – a beautiful mountain range full of waterfalls and stunning views. It is a two hour train journey from Sydney.
Three Sisters @ Blue Mountains National Park

MAGNETIC ISLAND

This can be found by taking a short ferry from Townsville. The most popular thing to do here is hire a Barbie car and explore the island and all of its beaches.

There are so many wild koalas around in the trees here. You can also see wild rock wallabies – you can buy food to feed them too!

MELBOURNE

Melbourne was much quieter than the other cities I visited along the East Coast, there were definitely much less backpackers here than everywhere else.

Melbourne highlights:

  • Street art – there is SO much street art on all of the streets around the city. I spent a whole day walking around to try and see all of the best ones.
  • Brighton Beach – a beach full of colourful beach huts, definitely a stop for the perfect Instagram photo.
  • Phillip Island – the HIGHLIGHT of Melbourne. THE PENGUIN PARADE. At sunset every evening the colony of penguins waddle from the sea to their burrows. The most amazing thing to see.

THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

The Great Ocean Road is 243km long. I decided to hire a camper van to explore along here.

Best stops:

  • Loch Ard Gorge
  • 12 Apostles
  • Boroka Lookout
  • Mackenzie Falls
  • Dimboola Pink Salt Lake

There are so many other places I went to along the East Coast that were also amazing and unmissable but if I was to list them all I’d be here a very long time (this post has nearly taken me all day to write as it is). I hope you enjoy all these places as much as I did!

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