Tag: wildlife

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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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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Magical Magnetic Island

One of the top things to do if you make it to Townsville, Queensland is a trip to nearby magical Magnetic Island. It’s an ideal destination if you like beaches, parks, swimming, fishing, hiking or wildlife.

Getting to Magnetic Island

I accidentally called it Magical Island a couple of times because it really felt that way to me. The locals call it “Maggie” so maybe that’s why I got confused. We anchored in Horseshoe Bay for two nights, and sailed to Townsville in a couple of hours, but the ferry is even quicker. It runs regularly from the Townsville waterfront and takes about 30 minutes. Once you’re on Magnetic Island, there’s so much to see and do!

Horseshoe Bay in Magical Magnetic Island
Horseshoe Bay Anchorage in Magnetic Island

Amenities on Magnetic Island

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