Tuesday, October 14, 2008

about those 6 weeks off...

We'll be here:



I made a trip montage from flickr. yay. I think I might need a rain jacket? I don't have one.

Anyone have suggestions for must-see, must-do in Australia? Our itinerary is set, but we have no activities planned, except a dinner reservation, a spa treatment, and some snorkeling.

We will be going to:

Sydney
Byron Bay
Gold Coast
Hamilton Island
Port Douglas
The Daintree
Adelaide
Barossa Valley
2 stops on the Great Ocean Road
Melbourne

Most excellently, over the summer Design*Sponge did city and design guides for Australia. So at least I have those. And I found a couple great shopping/eating guides on The Design Files.

But we'd love any extra tips you, most awesome internet friends, might have for us!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello

I only discovered the world of blogs a couple of months ago when looking for some wedding design inspiration and I love your blog!

I live in London and have been to Melbourne a few times- there are so many great places to eat there, the names of most of them escape me but I do remember:

MoVida http://www.movida.com.au/docs/melbourne.htm

Longrain
http://www.longrain.com/melb_INTRO.htm

This bar/restauarant has a nice vibe - Cookie http://www.cookie.net.au/


Oh, and this is a great little cocktail bar:

Ginger
272 Brunswick St
Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
+61 3 9419 8058

Have a wonderful time!
Jess

Rachel said...

Oh my gosh. Can I be a stow away on your honey moon? This looks amazing.

jamie said...

Last night Ben announced that he wants to live in Australia before we "settle down". I asked him how we would get our 2 dogs and cat there, and he said he would settle for a trip.

Have a great time!!!

MouseClark said...

I've been to Australia twice (the second time for 6 months but on a backpacker budget) let me delved into my memory banks and see if I can actually remember names of some of the fabulous places Oz has to offer!

Mrs. Buck said...

I'm so jealous! I've always wanted to go to Australia!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago.. love it!

I'm originally from Melb but now live in Sydney... agree with Jessica, Movida in Melb is lovely, amazing tapas and is located down an alley with really cool street art...

Cookie is also worth a visit.

Melbourne is so spoilt for bars and restaurants! There are too many to recommend.

Sydney... I recommend hopping on a ferry from Circular Quay (near the Opera House) and heading out on the harbour... if you get off at Balmain East and wander up the hill, you will find lots of historic old pubs and some nice shops and restaurants (love Balmain!)

Surry Hills is great for eating out/cool little bars as well.

Oxford St has all the Australian designers... Paddington is a nice area as well

Hope that info is not too vague?!

Have a lovely time, your itinerary sounds perfect.. you are seeing some of the nicest parts of Australia!

sarah

Ruby and Scarlett said...

Ooh, I meant to add..

Byron Bay - AMAZING! You will love it. Gorgeous beaches... walk up to the lighthouse, it is the most eastern point of Australia (I think) and the views over the ocean are beautiful.

Also must visit Watego's Beach... so pretty!

Port Douglas: also lovely. There is a beautiful open-air restaurant there called Nautilus - set outdoors in the middle of a rainforest/tropical garden! It is a bit pricey from memory but worth it for a special dinner (and it IS your honeymoon after all! ;) You will need to book in advance...

http://www.nautilus-restaurant.com.au/

We also spent far too much time on the balcony at the Court House Hotel... really lovely spot to sit on the verandah and watch the sunset... maybe have a mojito or three?!

http://www.at-the-courty.com/

and... my last suggestion for Port Douglas is this place:

http://www.portdouglasseafood.com/

amazing, AMAZING views over the inlet... you can sit there with a bucket of prawns and just relax.... so nice

Ooh, now I want to go back!

have a great trip!
sarah

Anonymous said...

Hello, i live in Sydney. For wine, chocolate and cheese tasting and hot air balloon rides over beautiful vineyards - the Hunter Valley is a must! I am planning my own wedding and looking forward to starting my own blog.Yours is beautiful!

Akushla said...

Hi from Sydney, Australia! Love your blog! Your honeymoon sounds fantastic!
In Sydney, the shops in Paddington are great, and if you're there on a saturday, you'll love the Paddington Markets on Oxford Street - lots of handmade goodies and some yummy food!
So pleased you are going to Port Douglas! You must however, have a look at Palm Cove, about 1/2 an hour south of PD and between Cairns and Port Douglas. It is said to be the Spa Capital of Australia (I can recommend the Sea Temple Resort) and it has a lovely beach. There is one restaurant there that I still dream about :) it is called Nu Nu and is right outside Pepper's resort on the main street (Williams Esplanade). Gorgeous food! My fiance and I are thinking of spending our honeymoon in Palm Cove actually, as I don't think we will be able to do a big travel like we want to straight away...anyway, I ramble...have a wonderful trip!!

nest of posies said...

hello!
have been enjoying your blog. i don't have any melbourne advise, but enjoy your honeymoon! live it up. time goes too quickly.
p.s. love the picture of your guest room. very often my entire house looks like this with 3 kids.
best wishes for your wedding!

Lisa's Yarns said...

I studied abroad in Australia for 6 months & had the time of my life! So glad you are staying in Port Douglas v. Cairns!! Great choice, there!

My favorite city was Sydney. I loved it! It's such a walkable city (IMO) - we never took transportation, just walked all over the place.

We took a ferry over to Manly Beach, which was a cool area. Definitely worth it to walk thru the Botanical Gardens - maybe pack a little picnic & a blanket & lounge in the grass!

You will have a fabulous time!!

Anonymous said...

I live in Melbourne and love reading your blog.

Recommendations:

Flinders Lane/Collins street and Little Collins for Fashion, Design and Galleries.

Must see: Federation Square and the National Gallery for Art and Design.

Degraves Street for the best coffee, food and quirky shops.

The Block Arcade for old world classic Melbourne.

Melbourne's is great for markets, the Queen Vic, Prahran market, there's a craft market on the Yarra South Bank on Sundays. Also the Rose St Artists market Fitzroy.

Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Chapel Street, South Yarra and Fitzroy St/Acland St St. Kilda for shopping. Sydney Road, Brunswick and surrounds is my favourite, very multicultural lots of up and coming designers.

If you have a car head out to the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley for wineries and sightseeing. Mt Dandenong is only 50 mins from the CBD and provides a lookout over the whole city. The Mornington Peninsula is also great for a drive.

The round up on Design*Sponge is a good guide.
Having been to most of the major cities in the world (Paris, London, Rome etc) Melbourne is still my #1, although of course I'm biased!