Explore Australia: 14-Day Tour of Five Must-See Destinations
At the beginning of January, I embarked on an exciting journey to Australia with my mother, aunt, and cousin, making a lively group of five. While I’m not an Australian student or a seasoned traveler, I’m eager to share some of our experiences and lessons learned. Let’s start with the budget: in the end, it averaged about 17,000 RMB per person.
Given that we were a group of five women, we opted for Airbnbs with three or more beds throughout our trip. We also rented a car for self-driving, except in Sydney. I was the designated driver, using Zuzuche, and we purchased full insurance from the rental company, thankfully without any incidents.
On the first day, our adventure began with a flight to Guangzhou, followed by a six-hour layover before boarding an 8+ hour night flight to Brisbane. On the second day, we arrived at the airport early in the morning. The five of us went through customs together, and as expected, we were thoroughly checked.
Since we were tourists, we didn’t bring any food, and after waiting for almost an hour, we finally passed the inspection. We had pre-booked a shuttle, which required a phone call, so it’s crucial to buy a local SIM card in advance on Taobao; otherwise, communication can be quite a hassle! In Australia, Airbnb check-in is typically after 3 PM, and check-out is at 10 or 11 AM, so we had to store our luggage in the car and explore the area.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary tickets, along with the koala petting experience, cost over 400 RMB. I wish I had bought the tickets on Ctrip to save some money [crying emoji].
On the third day, everyone was in the mood to enjoy the summer rather than heading to the Gold Coast, so we drove to Noosa Beach. The entire beach was stunning, and it was perfect for taking photos on a sunny day—just remember to apply plenty of sunscreen! In the afternoon, we took in the breathtaking views of Brisbane. The city in Australia is truly…
On the fourth day, we flew to Airlie Beach’s PPP airport and rented a car from Avis. The homestay was incredibly charming, with a spacious kitchen, and the view of the jelly-like sea below made us want to stay in all day [cute emoji]. I quickly realized that my half-day of planning wasn’t as effective as I hoped.
Both Xiaohongshu and English travel blogs suggested booking tours locally. Concerned about unexpected situations like rain, feeling unwell, or missing flights, I scoured various tours on Taobao and in English but didn’t book any. To my dismay, there were no available tours on Taobao. After a long search, the local travel agency informed us that we could only join a half-day tour to Whitehaven Beach on Friday morning.
As for taking a small plane to see the heart-shaped Great Barrier Reef or going out to sea to see the Great Barrier Reef, those plans were dashed [crying emoji][crying emoji]. So, if you plan to visit Australia in January, book your tours well in advance. Thus, on the fifth day, we ended up hiking in a nearby national park, exploring the rainforest, and cooling off in a public pool in the evening.
On the 6th day, we ventured to the breathtaking Whitehaven Beach, a place of stunning natural beauty that left us in awe. I chose the southern route, and even though the snorkeling session was brief, it was an exhilarating experience. The vibrant live corals were a joy to see, especially considering my severe seasickness, which made me eager to minimize my time on the boat.
Stay tuned for more adventures in the next post!
