Tag: Maps

Tasmania Road Trip

We went to Tasmania and loved it! Tassie for short, it’s a beautiful large island surrounded by many islands south of the main island of Australia. We had less than two weeks and spent 10 days of it on our Tasmania road trip. Here’s where we went and what we loved!

Why Do a Tasmania Road Trip

Tasmania is the 26th largest island on Earth, about 1/2 the size of England and the same size as West Virginia. It is known for its diverse wildlife, natural beauty, and for having the cleanest air in the world. We also noticed Tasmania’s delicious fresh seafood and produce, extensive craft beer and wine scene, and a relaxed and fun lifestyle.

Tassie is located in the Roaring 40s, notorious to sailors for strong winds and big waves that damage ships. Now you understand why we didn’t sail. Over 26,000sq miles, Tassie’s compact size means a road trip is an ideal way to see Australia’s smallest state.

Tasmania Road Trip view farm and sky
View from the car on our Tassie road trip
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Christmas in Australia

For our sixth year living on the boat, we’re spending the holidays in another new place. It’s always fun to see how people celebrate holidays in other countries. This year, we’re spending Christmas in Australia, enjoying another warm holiday.

Stores stocked their shelves with Christmas products well before November. By month’s end, towns and shops followed with their trees and decorations. Here’s a brief description of some of the sights and traditions of Christmas in Australia.

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Cruising New South Wales

We, like many other sailors in Australia before us, aspire to spend our holidays in Sydney. To do that, we needed to get from Townsville in October to Sydney in December. And cruising New South Wales is quite different from cruising in Queensland. While the coast is beautiful and some of the anchorages are lovely, Queensland spoiled us, aside from the catastrophes.

Our Route Cruising New South Wales

We spent almost two and a half weeks cruising the 430 miles from Gold Coast to Sydney, where we’ll spend the holidays.

Sydney Harbor bridge and Opera House
It was exciting to sail into Sydney Harbor

From Gold Coast we sailed to Yamba, from Yamba to Coffs Harbor followed by Port Macquarie. From Port (as it’s called), we sailed to Broughton Islands for one night, before moving on to stop in Newcastle. Our friend Greg sailed straight from Newcastle to Sydney, but Brian and I wanted to explore some other ports, so we extended our trip.

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