A Month in Western Australia

After spending a year and a half in Australia, we still never made it to W.A. For non-Aussies, W.A. is the short form for Western Australia, the state that covers the entire length of the west coast of Australia. It’s funny that we had to get to Indonesia to visit Western Australia. We sailed to Indonesia and spent a few months there, then stopped in Lombok when the wind turned against us. That’s when we flew back to Australia. We spent a month in Western Australia and enjoyed exploring some cities, beach towns and more in this sprawling state.

The Busselton Jetty
Busselton Jetty in W.A.

Where We Went in Western Australia

Western Australia is the hugest part of a massive country. It covers over 2.5 million square kilometers, a third of Australia. It’s 4x the size of Texas and 10x the size of the United Kingdom. We knew we could barely see any of it, so we had to be selective. It was hard to choose!

Western Australia map of Australia
Western Australia on a map of Australia

We flew direct from Bali to Perth airport, shorter and cheaper than flying from New South Wales. We got off the plane in Perth and changed terminals for our domestic flight to our first and northernmost destination in W.A.: Broome.

Continue reading “A Month in Western Australia”

Visiting The Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley wine region is the birthplace of Australian wines, and is a beautiful area. A top day tour from Sydney, the region has scenic landscapes, gourmet food and drink, parks and other activities. I recommend an overnight visit. We liked visiting The Hunter Valley so much, we went twice.

About The Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, and the most prestigious in New South Wales. With over 150 wineries, breweries, and cideries, it’s a very popular weekend destination. The number and variety of quality restaurants is just as big, another reason to go.

kangaroos in a Hunter Valley vineyard
Kangaroos in a vineyard in The Hunter Valley
Continue reading “Visiting The Hunter Valley”

Auckland Favorites

We don’t normally get to spend large chunks of time in big cities on the boat, so we tried to maximize every minute in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city. Our conclusion: we could live there! Auckland is a vibrant cosmopolitan city with a lot to offer, from museums to excursions to food. This post details our Auckland favorites.

About Auckland

I thought it was the capital, but that’s Wellington, at the southern end of the North Island. Instead, Auckland is New Zealand’s most populated city, with nearly 1.7 million people.

Located in the north of the North Island, Auckland is on a narrow isthmus between two large harbors and is known as The City of Sails. With it’s waterfront location, Auckland is home to beautiful beaches, waterfront trails, fish markets, and scores of sailboats. It’s also based around multiple volcanos, great for hiking.

Auckland Harbor
Auckland from the water
Continue reading “Auckland Favorites”