Tag: whales

Animals of Australia’s East Coast

One of my favorite pleasures when visiting new places is encountering the local wildlife. Not at zoos or in cages, we like to see the animals in the wild! And we’ve had a great time spending time with the animals of Australia’s East Coast. Picture the animals you can only see in Australia and we’ve been fortunate to get up close to a lot of them! Here are some of our best sightings and places to see animals of Australia’s East Coast.

Kangaroo Animals of Queensland Australia
Kangaroo in North Stradbroke Island

Australia’s East Coast

We spent almost four months in the state of Queensland, the second largest and third most populous state in Australia. For reference, Queensland is 7 times larger than the United Kingdom, and is home to 5.5 million people.

Queensland occupies the northeast coast of Australia, from Gold Coast up to Cairns. We sailed from Gold Coast up to Townsville, with plans to make it to Cairns next year.

Highlights of Queensland include beaches and coastlines, beautiful islands in the Coral Sea, the capital city of Brisbane, The Great Barrier Reef, and awesome animals. Although we did have a few issues with the boat in Queensland, we loved all the great sights and amenities.

Queensland in Australia map
Map of Australia with Queensland highlighted

Other than Queensland, we’ve seen animals of Australia’s East Coast in New South Wales, from Coffs Harbor down to Sydney. We’ve only been in about half of Coastal NSW, but we’ve seen a lot of wildlife.

Koalas

australians and koalas

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Haapai Tonga

Without a doubt, our favorite part of Tonga was Haapai. We only had a week to spend in this beautiful island group but we enjoyed every minute. Once we found our anchorage, we loved it so much we didn’t move. If you ever visit the Kingdom of Tonga, don’t miss Haapai.

About Haapai Tonga

Ha’apai is pronounced “Ha a pie.” Located south of Vavau, the Haapai island group includes 51 islands plus atolls and coral reefs. We spent our week there in one perfect anchorage, and also walked to the main island a couple of times.

Sailboat anchored in beautifful waters in Tonga
Sava alone in her anchorage in Haapai

After weeks waiting in Vavau for a starting engine, Haapai was just what we needed! Less populated and quieter, we found it beautiful and relaxing.

We anchored by Foa island, home to two resorts and several beautiful beaches. Just south of Foa and across a bridge is Haapai’s main island of Lifuka and the port town of Pangai.

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Marine Encounters in French Polynesia

French Polynesia covers a vast area in the South Pacific with 5 island groups spreading over more than 2000 kilometers. People often compare it to the size of Europe. Unlike the wide diversity of land animals in Colombia and Panama, French Polynesia has only a few and they’re primarily domesticated. The real action is in the water. In our year there, we had amazing marine encounters in French Polynesia. This post features our best videos and tips of where to spot marine life from The Marquesas to the Society Islands.

Fun with Marine Animals

One of the highlights of living on a sailboat traveling around the world is getting up close with marine animals. After over four years on board, spotting these animals in their natural habitat still gives us a thrill! Turtles, sharks, and dolphins have been regular sights since the beginning, and rays and whales are more common since we’ve hit the Pacific. The South Pacific, so far, seems more untouched than much of the Caribbean. We love spotting marine life in French Polynesia just as much as everywhere else and here are some highlights.

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