Australia for 2 weeks (kid friendly)

After a whirlwind vacation in India we headed down under.

While life in Burundi has been an incredible adventure it has not been without it'‘s challenges. Burundi is one of the least developed and poorest countries in the world, and with that brings difficulty in doing just about anything on the day to day. With no real infrastructure it requires some creativity to pass the time. These two weeks in Australia have seriously rejuvenated my soul. We ate amazing international cuisine, and soaked up all the conveniences of living life in the first world.

Two weeks in Australia: itinerary overview

Day 1-4 Melbourne

Day 5-8 Cairns

Day 8-10 Gold Coast

Day 10-14-12 Sydney

Wherever you originate from, it is most likely going to be a hike to get to Australia. I’m super happy we took 4 days to just chill in our first location (Melbourne). Secondly, while I’m glad we were able to see all these locations, it was a lot of bouncing around for only 2 weeks especially since we had to catch a flight to each new city.

Highlights: Sydney (all of it!), gold coast beach life, and off the chain delicious asian cuisine in Melbourne (who knew?!)

Minor disappointment- the weather in Cairns was super overcast and we had zero visibility on our one day to snorkel the great barrier reef. Silver lining: Chotu got to swim in the ocean for the very first time.

Pics and deets below…

Melbourne

I have hardly any pics of Melbourne (is that a sign we had a great time?). We stayed downtown in an airbnb, and literally ate our way through the city. Some of the best and most diverse asian cuisine.

The Aquarium’s in Australia are a must see, they have unique wildlife, and everything seems to be larger and more deadly down under. Truly impressive.

Take a walk along southbank promenade and rent a boat to see the city from the water. We also took in the view from Melbourne’s skydeck the highest point in the city.

Cairns

Melbourne to Cairns via air is about 3 hours. Traveling in Australia is easy, well organized and dare I even say a pleasant experience. Cairns is home to the great barrier reef, and where the rainforest meets the ocean. We could have easily spent an entire week here. If you are into hiking, and adventure tourism this is your spot! Definitely recommend renting a car, as you can drive up the coast to Daintree Rainforest. We drove up to Port Douglas (1 hour drive) and went to the Wildlife habitat- a conservation park where you can see some of Australia’s most famous animals up close. Feeding, petting and walking amongst the Kangaroos was a major highlight. If you are heading to Daintree recommend having an early start if you are leaving from downtown Cairns as it will take you a few hours, or you can shorten the trip and stay farther up north in Palm cove or Port Douglas. Both are smaller towns, with IMO a bit less to do for families. Port Douglas has fancier resort life- if you are into that.

Downtown Cairns is a convenient place for families to stay- there is an aquarium, the Esplanade Lagoon (a public swimming pool that is great for kids and adults alike), and it’s where most excursions take off from.

To get to the great barrier reef you can catch a ferry from Cairns to either Fitzroy or Green island. Fitzroy island is great for kids because you can access the reef from the beach, so super easy for kids to just walk in and snorkel.

Some eateries that we enjoyed: Muddy’s cafe & Yaya’s for greek cuisine.

Gold coast

We stayed in an amazing airbnb here- probably one of the best stocked apartments I have stayed in. It had all the water toys and supplies needed for the beach. We had a short stay in this gorgeous beach town, but we would absolutely go back. The high rise buildings on the coastline give Miami vibes, but it’s really more of a laid back San Diego type of town. Also known for its’ theme parks which we didn’t check out, as we stayed beachside!

Cairns to gold coast was a 2 hour flight, and gold coast on down to Sydney was a quick 90 minute flight.

Sydney

Nearly all my pics are varying views and angles of Sydney Harbour and the Opera house- this view never got old. We spent our last four days here and opted for a bit of luxury, so stayed at the IHG hotel. It was walkable to the harbour, and the botanical gardens.

Take a quick 15 minute ferry to manly beach or catch an Uber to Bondi beach.

Headed to Australia? Happy to share our airbnb’s if you are interested just shoot me an email!