Eleven Days Down Under

A lot of people asked us why Australia was part of our itinerary. Isn’t it going to be just like back home? Don’t you want to spend time in more exotic places while you have the year off? Isn’t it too expensive for a budget traveler? To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect. Maybe it would be similar to what we were used to back in the States. Maybe we would get to the big cities and find that they were just that, big cities with nothing particularly unique or memorable to see.

View from a lookout point over the Daintree Rainforest (a UNESCO site)

Inside the rainforest

But, we added it to the list for two reasons. One, Christina’s dad was headed to Melbourne for a speaking engagement, so her parents would be there. And secondly, because when it comes to traveling, we feel that if you have a curiosity about a place, you should GO. It doesn’t matter what you read or hear about it from other people. If you don’t see it for yourself then you’ll probably always wonder, but you’ll definitely never know what a place is really like.

Good thing we followed our curiosity, because we had an awesome, eleven-day trip. Not only did we have great weather, amazing food, and several, unforgettable excursions, but we also got to see five UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Beautiful day at the Great Barrier Reef (a UNESCO site)

We started off in Cairns (pronounced Cans), near the Great Barrier Reef. We spent an incredible day snorkeling out on the reef. There was so much marine life to see out in the water and Christina managed to stay calm when we ran into a reef shark, so we considered the day a success! While in Cairns, we also took a drive through the beautiful Daintree Rainforest and spent time with Chris’s sister, cousin and aunt in nearby Port Douglas.

Poolside in Port Douglas

Next up, we visited Sydney which is one of the most beautiful cities we have seen on the trip so far. The harbor is stunning with the Opera House, bridge and Botanical Garden views. We spent a day at the zoo and another afternoon in Blue Mountains National Park where we saw the Three Sisters and rode the steepest passenger railway in the world (it was horrifying, but at least it was short). We also had (maybe? possibly?) the best meal of the trip so far at the Spice Room. The Indian food was mind-blowing, but unfortunately we don’t have any photos to share because we were too busy devouring it.

The Sydney Opera House (a UNESCO site)

Obligatory kangaroo picture

Riding the steep railway through Blue Mountain National Park (a UNESCO site)

Our last stop was Melbourne. It kind of reminded us of Chicago with the Yarra River running through the center of town. It was beautiful, super clean and there were so many perfectly manicured, public parks that we had a great time exploring. If you follow our Instagram account, you’ll know that we had dinner in Melbourne’s Little Italy one night at a pizzeria called 400 Gradi. We had been dying to visit this restaurant because their Margherita pizza recently won first place in the Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza in Parma, Italy, beating out 600 other competitors. Pretty impressive, right? Let’s just say it was well worth the 40 minute cab ride to get there and we’ve been dreaming about that pie ever since.

Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (a UNESCO site)

Melbourne’s Parliament Gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens

No caption necessary.

So, yes, there were plenty of similarities between Australia and the States – the language, many of the same chains, and a lot of the food. But, scratching the itch of curiosity to see a new place is always worth it and we’re so glad we did.

-The Morts