July 2003, hubby and I went to Australia for our honeymoon. We hired a car and had such an amazing time driving around Gold Coast, Melbourne and Yarrawonga (of course we took a flight from Gold Coast to Melbourne).
It’s been a decade since that wonderful trip and hubby and i are thinking of re-creating that trip….this time with our two boys who share our passion for travelling! We’d hire a lovely Holden Captiva 7, an Australian car with amazing features which is a delight to drive and would be spacious enough for the four of us with our luggage.
Ideally, I’d love a 21-25 day trip to comfortably cover the eastern coast without being to hectic for the kids.
Week 1:
Starting with Cairns, our first stop would be “Nemo’s home”, The Great Barrier Reef, that the kids have been eager to see ever since they saw Finding Nemo.
The geography lessons would continue as we move on to the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, the Daintree Rainforest which is 135 million years old!!! The tired kids would then love to relax and play in the sands of Hamilton Island for a couple of days after which, we’d start the 22 hour drive to Brisbane.
Yes, a 22 hour drive does sound a bit too long especially when travelling with two restless boys whose favourite question, during a road trip would be “Are we there yet?”. But there are lots of cute little towns and beaches along the way where we can break the journey, stretch the legs and play in the sand. And if nothing else, there’s always the iPad and PSP! Also, I didn’t drive in 2003, but I certainly do now so hubby and I can take turns driving 😉
Or maybe, we’d just fly to Gold Coast coz the drive time that we save would certainly be put to good use in Gold Coast.
Week 2:
This week would be entirely dedicated to Gold Coast. With three theme parks, Sea World, Dream World and Movie World, requiring a day each, a week is a bare minimum. Add to that the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, the beaches of Surfers Paradise and the lovely town of Byron Bay with the beautiful lighthouse, this would be a truly action packed week. Once the tired kids are tucked into bed under the watchful eyes of a babysitter, hubby and I would head to Jupiter’s Casino at Conrad Jupiters for some gaming ;). And of course, SkyPoint Observation Deck which wasn’t there in 2003.
Week 3:
Sydney is approximately a 9-10 hour drive from Gold Coast and an ideal break would be at Hunter Valley with its lovely wineries. The boys would have so much fun in a Hot Air Balloon ride over the vines and hubby and I can also do tandem skydiving! After a couple of days in Sydney to check out the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, we’d begin our 18 hour trip to Melbourne. Along the way, we would get to visit the Croajingolong National Park that has been nominated by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve as well as Philip Island to see the Penguine Parade which is when hundreds of penguins emerge from the sea and waddle on the beach.
Re-visitng Melbourne would be such fun…Federation Square, Flinder’s Street Station, Crown Entertainment Complex. One entire day would be dedicated to the Great Ocean Road drive and the Twelve Apostles. These natural rock formations off the coastline are simply breath-taking! And of course, we’d love to plan this trip around the time of the Cricket World Cup in 2015 so that the cricket crazy boys and their dad can catch at least one match at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) 😀
Of course, so many hours spent in the car would mean that there will be loads of Lays, Doritos, cheese slices, fruits etc being consumed in the car. And who would want such a perfect road trip to be ruined by a smelly car? Well, the perfect solution to that is the Ambi Pur car fragrance that removes all the stale smell from the car and gives it a fresh, pleasant fragrance. And don’t all good things come in small packages? Well the Ambi Pur mini clips are so tiny and portable and last for 30 days…perfect for a road trip in a hired car! Check out their link here: http://www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia
PS- This post is an entry for the Indiblogger.in The Perfect Road Trip contest. Did you like my idea of the perfect road trip? Where would you like to go?
Thanks 😀
I really liked your idea of this road trip.:D
Hope you get to visit your dream destination soon 🙂
Europe is awesome too. Much more practical and fun, by train
Lovely Post – You know what – Australia is MY DREAM DESTINATION <3
A Road Trip across Australia seems so awesome! My dream trip would be around Europe..:)