What is there to see in Eastern Australia?
Is Australia worth the long flight and jet lag?
What about the creepy crawlies?
Is the Great Barrier Reef worth visiting?
What are the beaches like?
What is there to do in Brisbane?
Is it easy to fly from Brisbane to Sydney?

If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions here are the answers.

Turquoise ocean waves rolling on to the white sand of a New South Wales beach — Byron Bay. One example of the stunning beaches along the east coast.

In 2018, I took my ‘Trip of a Lifetime’, halfway around the world to Australia and New Zealand.

Beating the jet-lag

Having left London at 10 pm on 31 March, flown Emirates A380 Business Class (no judgement, please, it was the ‘Trip of a Lifetime’) through multiple time zones and landed in Brisbane at 6:30 am on 2 April, my body clock was in tatters.

Having done the trip several times, my friends knew how to beat jet lag and get me straight into Aussie time - a full day with no naps.

By 9 am, we were heading north along the Steve Irwin Way towards the Glass House Mountains and onto the quaint town of Montville. Then onto the Kondalilla Falls National Park for a 2 hour/5km forest walk down to the waterfall, where swimmers were jumping off rocks into the lagoon.

I couldn't help dosing in the car on the way home and, after a lovely first-night barbeque, I crashed out in bed at 9 pm.

The tough love worked. By day two, I was feeling a lot brighter.

Australian wildlife

The general reaction to the country’s wildlife ranges from adorable and cuddly to terrifying and dangerous. I confess that one of the biggest reasons I had never seriously considered Australia was the fear of the not so friendly creepy crawlies.

Suburbs

Having arrived in North Lakes that fear was not allayed, especially when I discovered that venomous snakes lived and slithered in the neighbourhood and to watch where I stepped whilst out walking - even on the pavements! Thankfully, I only saw one black snake about a metre long.

Then there are the spiders such as Redbacks lurking in the dark, ready to inflict a venomous and agonising bite, or the harmless, yet monstrous, Huntsman so named because of their speed and the fact that they literally run after their prey. Oh my goodness! I’m actually sitting here shuddering.

Cane toads (not as big as the crapauds found in Jersey) merrily hop around gardens but are particularly dangerous to pets and children as they secret a toxin from skin glands. Water dragons sunbathe on rocks around the lakes. At night the possums come out - I almost saw one but it got spooked and scurried away along the fence.

Sea

Oh, and it’s not just the land-bound creatures, you have to be aware of. As much as I loved being in the warm turquoise sea, I was careful never to go any deeper than my waist, just in case a peckish great white was passing by.

Great Barrier Reef

We somehow managed to squeeze in a three day trip to the paradise island of Hamilton, near the Great Barrier Reef. The domestic flight operated by Qantas, took around 1 hour 45 minutes. On arrival at our rented apartment, we were greeted by at least a dozen friendly white cockatoos. There are hundreds of them on the island and they certainly like to get up close and personal.

On Whitsunday Island, we saw several large lace monitors (up to 2m long), also known as lacey lizards. They like to come and say ‘hi’ which I was thrilled with as I’m fascinated by lizards, although somewhat wary when the guide told us they are superb climbers and climb up anything, including humans.

Even in this paradise, danger lurks in the sea in the form of deadly jellyfish, such as the relatively easy to spot Box and Bluebottle. Yet, one species called the Irukandji, appropriately nicknamed Stingers, are not only translucent but no bigger than a fingernail. I mean, really, what chance have we got?

There’s a fascinating page on the Australian Museum website. In fact, when I visited Sydney, this fabulous museum was a must-see, and the wildlife exhibition was very informative.

Australia Zoo

A safer way to see some of the indigenous creatures is to visit the famous Australia Zoo, opened and owned by the Irwin Family. It’s a 700 acres site and just 30 minutes drive from North Lakes. Steve Irwin, aka The Crocodile Hunter, was well known for his energy, enthusiasm and close encounters with crocodiles. Sadly, was killed in 2006 so his wife and children honour his legacy with conservation and education at the forefront of their minds. The family and keepers continue to hold a daily show in the aptly named Crocoseum with large, unpredictable saltwater crocodiles and huge birds.

But for me, the highlights were the kangaroos and koalas. These real-life teddy bears with their fluffy ears and gorgeous little faces are too adorable. We were incredibly lucky to be there when they allowed a few visitors to gently stroke the back of a koala bear, under the watchful eye of a zookeeper. Then we bought some ‘Roo’ food and took it to the large enclosure where young kangaroos roamed. I felt so privileged that these animals willingly let me stroke and feed them. Their mouths are so soft and fluffy with little bristles that tickle. These incredible animal experiences will stay with me forever.

East coast beaches

Surfers enjoying the Coral Sea incoming waves with Surfers’ Paradise on the horizon — Surfers enjoying the waves with Surfers’ Paradise on the horizon

People enjoying sunbathing and swimming at Noosa beach, Queensland, Australia — Noosa beach

Panoramic photo of lady looking at sea at Peregian beach, Queensland, Australia — A panoramic view of Peregian beach

I discovered there is such a thing as beach envy.

Coming from an island with a large selection of beautiful white sandy beaches, I'm constantly on, in or near the sea, so was pleasantly surprised that many of my days in Queensland and New South Wales were spent in a similar fashion. We visited several coastal beauty spots and I was in awe of the beauty, colours and expanses of white sand with warm turquoise blue Coral Sea/Tasman Sea waves rolling in.

This part of the world is tropical, in fact the Tropic of Capricorn runs through Queensland about 400 miles north of Brisbane. The sun is very strong, so I always wore factor 30 suncream and sat in the shade whenever possible.

We visited Brunswick Heads a two-hour drive south, crossing states from Queensland into New South Wales, and then made our way back up the coast, stopping at places such as Tweed Heads and the world-renowned, Surfers Paradise.

We drove as far north as Noosa Heads and worked our way back south visiting Peregian beach, Mooloolaba, and as far south as Byron Bay, the most easterly tip of Australia. I swam in the turquoise Coral Sea which was a warm 25 degrees, at least 7 degrees warmer than the sea in Jersey, where it ranges between 9-18 degrees and sea swimming happens all year round - we’re a hardy bunch!

Road trips

Yellow road sign warning with black kangaroo silhouette and word 'Dusk too dawn' underneath it — A bit different to the squirrel road signs I’m used to

The road sign warnings are a little different to those at home. Squirrels, ducks and cow images are replaced by kangaroos and crocodiles.

One of the quirky things I loved about our drives was spotting car number plates - yes, really (a game my Mum started when I was a kid, to stop my brother and me from getting bored on car journeys). In Jersey, all our number plates start with ‘J’ or ‘JSY’ but in Australia, you’re able to have any car registration plate you want.

Red Mustang car on a trailer with a witty registration plate - Bad Pony — Not a great photo of ‘Bad Pony’ but it made me giggle

I saw a large white ‘GATOR’, a family-sized ‘TOASTY’ and ‘SPANNER’ on a tool company pickup truck, but the best one was a witty Mustang owner who opted for ‘BAD PONY’.

Brisbane city

After Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane is Australia’s third most populated city. There was so much to see and do during my two weeks that we only spent a few hours in the state capital.

Taking centre stage is the Brisbane River which runs through the middle of the city. At 215 miles/345 km long, it winds its way from Moreton Bay to the Wivenhoe Dam. In the city, it’s flanked by modern high rise offices, apartments and restaurants. As well as several museums and vantage points, such as Story Bridge, there are the Botanical Gardens and Streets Beach.

We jumped on one of the free CityHopper ferries that stop at various places up and down the river. In fact, there are few ferry options with some doing river tours. It was a glorious day and we headed towards the fabulous area called South Bank.

Swimmers coming out of the lagoon onto the sand at Streets Beach, South Bank, Brisbane, Australia surrounded by palm trees and skyscrapers. — A beach in the middle of Brisbane city

I expected a riverside walk but it’s so much more than that. It’s got everything. Cool shaded gardens and botanical areas; restaurants; art galleries and a performing arts centre; museums; playgrounds and entertainment areas; a Ferris wheel; a Nepalese pagoda where black and white ibis happily roam; and the pièce de résistance, a manmade beach and swimming area, called Streets Beach. This is also where the ‘Brisbane’ sign can be found.

Having never visited this part of the world, I found the different species of trees fascinating. Around the city, there are huge Banyan trees (a type of fig tree) with roots and branches that cascade to the ground and Baobab trees with bulbous trunks.

There’s more information on the VisitBrisbane website.

Sydney

A trip to eastern Australia would not be complete without seeing Sydney.

Saying goodbye to my friends, I took the 90 minutes flight with Virgin Australia for the next part of my antipodes trip - a 4-day city break which completely won my heart.

In Summary

Without a doubt, yes, Australia is worth the long flight and jet lag. Agreed, the luxury flying option made the journey exceptionally easy.

Don’t let the fear of creepy crawlies stop you from visiting this amazing country. You must be aware of them but won’t see as many as you think.

The beaches are stunning and very much an important part of life. The Whitsunday Islands near the Great Barrier Reef are just a short flight away and well worth visiting if you can squeeze it in.

Brisbane is a vibrant city with loads to do and I would happily go back to see and do more. There are regular domestic flights from Brisbane to Sydney.

Eastern Australia exceeded my expectations - stunningly beautiful, friendly and unforgettable.
I will forever be indebted to my friends and their wonderful family. They were wonderful hosts and without their kindness, my trip would not have happened, let alone been as memorable. Nothing was too much effort and everything was done with a smile and enthusiasm, allowing me to see as much as possible.