Travel: BLUE MOUNTAINS & HUNTER VALLEY, AUSTRALIA

*Check out my adventures in Sydney here first!*

Sydney is the gateway to plenty of interesting places just beyond the city, and whilst in this area of New South Wales, I thought I'd do my best to see some of them. First up was the Blue Mountains, so I awoke early in my Sydney hostel,  rolled out of bed and onto George Street to be picked up by Sam and his Colourful Tour which would take me into the Blue Mountains for the day. 

We drove out of the city to our first stop, Featherdale Wildlife Park, where we had an hour to explore the largest collection of Australian animals in the world. These included a vast array of pademelons, koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles, emus, dingoes, a plethora of birds including my favourite, the Gouldian Finch; penguins, and the cutest animal in the kingdom, the quokka. Lucky for me, there was even a baby quokka to hand, so I spent my hour very well sitting on the floor and watching the tiny thing hop around. 

From Featherdale we made our way higher into the mountains which got increasingly foggy as we climbed. We stopped at Sublime Point for a view of, quite frankly, not much thanks to the fog, and then to Echo Point. Here too there was supposed to be a view, this time of the famed Three Sisters rocks, but again, we could see very little. 

This made things rather eerie as we walked onto one of the Three Sisters, with the fog making the drop off the rock seem deceptively far. It was a shame not to be able to see much, but alas these things happen, and at least I'll be able to say that I've visited the Blue Mountains. 

We stopped for a picnic lunch in Katoomba. Normally this would be held outside but due to the inclement weather we opted to eat in the nearby YHA. Lunch was the Aussie go-to of a classic salad roll or meat pie followed by a yummy apple pie from a local bakery. 

Then we began the long walk of the afternoon to Katoomba Falls. The hour and three quarters walk took us through rainforest-like trees down to the aforementioned waterfall. The waterfall was little more than a trickle, but even this was more than had been previously due to the drought that had plagued the country in recent months. The fog flowing over the cliff edge gave very Game of Thrones vibes, so even though we hadn't had the best views for the day, it was an interesting experience nonetheless and one that most visitors to the Blue Mountains would not get. 

It was pretty much a straight route home with a minor detour back to Echo Point to see if the fog had cleared (it had not). The Blue Mountains were beautiful for sure, but I can only imagine they become even more so in good weather!

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Another must-see area around Sydney is the Hunter Valley, famed for its beautiful wines. Whilst far from a wine connoisseur, I knew that this was a must-do when in the Sydney region. 

Collected by a tour bus, we drove out through the rainy weather for a few hours before arriving at our first winery, De Uiliuus. This young winery served us a whopping seven wines, including the three most famous varieties of the region - Semillon, Chardonnay, and Shiraz. We also had a score sheet to decide whether we thought the wines were okay, we liked them, or loved them. 

The drive had taken us such a long time that it was almost time for lunch at the Hunter Valley Resort, but first, a few more wines to try. I particularly liked this tasting because it included cheese tasting, of which I was a big fan. We tried labna, feta and cheddar cheeses before heading into the lunch room. I had chosen the only vegetarian option of the day - a pumpkin salad (since when was a salad classed as a meal) which was nice enough, and by this point the group had become comfortable enough to chat throughout lunch which was particularly nice for the solo travellers like myself. 

After lunch we headed to Leogate for another seven tastings, including the Shiraz that has been served in Qantas Business Class for the past five years (the more you know). The sommelier poured what looked to be a spare glass on our table, which of course was soon snapped up, only for us to realise it had been meant for someone in the bathroom... I don't think the sommelier was particularly impressed with us asking for a refill (I'm sure people try that all the time) so didn't spend too much time talking us through the wines. Alas...

We had two more stops for the day, the first being the Hunter Valley Distillery. This stop was not for wines, but liquor, and we had the opportunity to taste 8 different vodkas and liqueurs, including apple, caramel, and the interesting blue-coloured and pineapple-flavoured butterfly pea.

The best for me was saved until last - the chocolate factory. Sadly we had nothing planned here as we had at our other stops, but got four small tastings of chocolates and were then given free rein to buy whatever we wished - I chose a blueberry creme filled echidna. 

After a long and busy day we drove on home and I packed my bags to head to the next city on my itinerary - Canberra!

Thanks for reading about my Sydney day trips! I have so much more travel around Australia that I can't wait to see - what areas would you recommend, or where would you be keen to go? Drop me a message in the comments below, and check me out on Twitter @CiarasCountry for even more travel content like this!

Travel: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

*Check out my previous Australian adventures here first!*

It felt so good to get back to a metropolitan city. I adore the trains in Sydney - double deckers with seats that you can move to decide whether you want to date forwards or backwards - how novel! I took the train from Sydney airport to Central station, a short walk away from my home for the next few days, Wake Up! Sydney hostel. 

Firstthing on my itinerary was, of course, a city walking tour, but this didnt start for another hour or so, so I decided to head out and explore the parts of town I wasn't likely to see otherwise. The next suburb over from where I was staying was Surry Hills, a leafy tree-lined suburb with lovely streets packed with all sorts of interesting shops. It gave off major Portland vibes and I can imagine that it would be a very liveable area indeed. 

The end of Surry Hills took me out to the bottom of Hyde Park, London's much smaller cousin. The park, whilst quite tiny in comparison to the Hyde I was used to, was still rather pretty with its Anzac Memorial, Greek-style fountain, and views of St Mary's Cathedral. I decided to make the latter my next destination as I'm well aware the Cathedrals can have some of the most stunning architecture. 

St Mary's was no different, quiet and serene with large stained glass windows and stations of the cross. Interestingly, all Holy Water had been removed and replaced with signs explaining its lack due to the risk of spreading disease in the form of the Corona virus. 

I was right on time for my walking tour which left at 2:30 outside the Town Hall. Led by eccentric ex-drama student Jake, we were brought to the lovely QVB, filled with upmarket shops selling everything from cashmere to macarons; Pitt St Mall; the various places named after Macquarie; Circular Quay with its views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House; before finishing at the Rocks, the oldest area in Sydney. The tour was very informative, and I felt like even in those short few hours I had seen quite a lot of Sydney. 

It was now late in the day and about time I got something to eat, so I raced to find a quick bite and then headed back to the Rocks for my second tour of the day. This tour was full of history surrounding the convicts and criminals who had inhabited the area in the early days. As the sky darkened, it was time to head back through the busy streets and hope for a good nights sleep ahead of the following days excursions to the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley. 

On one of my free evenings in Sydney, I decided to take a short walk to Messina, which I'd read made the best gelato in Sydney. I asked to try the top sellers - salted caramel & white chocolate, and pistachio praline; both of which were out of this world good. I was a very happy customer indeed. 

The next day began with good food too as I went in search of Sydney's best breakfast which appeared to be found at bill's. This was back in Surry Hills, and I opted for the ricotta hotcakes, subbing banana for strawberries. The thick and fluffy pancakes were pretty good, particularly when doused in light maple syrup or the housemade butter. 

The hostel had planned a walk from the world famous Coogee to Bondi beaches, so at 11am, a huge group of us accumulated in reception to head out. We caught the bus to Coogee and began our walk along the coast, passing through various beaches which I have no doubt would have been even prettier in the sunshine, and ending up at Bondi and its famous iceberg pool, a saltwater swimming pool where the sea water sloshes over the edge. 

Much of the group were staying at Bondi for lunch, but I had places to go, people to see, so I caught the bus back to Circular Quay to finish up my Sydney explorations. I walked around to get up close and personal with the Opera House, and then into the adjoining Botanical Gardens. Sadly the main attraction for me, Mrs Macquaries Chair, from where you are supposed to get the best views back onto the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, was closed for renovation, but I still enjoyed wandering around the green park for a while. 

A cafe caught my eye as I left the gardens, as it offered taro frappes. This root vegetable, which I believe is quite popular in the Philippines, has a bright purple hue, so I was keen to test it out and hike my purple drink over to Darling Harbour. This harbour is home to Sydney's family attractions like SeaLife and Madame Tussauds, but also is just a very pleasant walk, with many restaurants lining its banks and boats pulling into the harbour from left, right and centre. 

After my day of intense exercise, it was about time I refuelled. I'd made a booking at Jack & Knife, purely on the fact that one of the reviews I'd read mentioned that they did a superb mac & cheese. Now, if you've read any of my blog posts before, you'll know this is the dish that I would die for, that I am legally obliged to try in every form in every city that I visit. Imagine my shock then, when I'm told by the waitress that they might not have any mac & cheese left because of the function taking place upstairs, but she'd check.

My heart started beating again when I was told they could indeed make me one. My mac & cheese arrived in a steaming bowl topped with melted brie. I don't say this lightly at all, but it was the best thing I've ever tasted. A friend asked me recently if I would consider myself a foodie, and whilst it wouldn't be an adjective I would automatically describe myself with, I realise I do tend to seek out the best food that a city has to offer, so I hope you can take my word when I tell you just how good it was. I gave my compliments to the chef and told him that this dish should have a space on the Main Menu rather than just as a side. Life changing. 

Thanks for reading about my time in Sydney! I have no doubt I'll be back in this beautiful city before too long - what are some things I should check out on my next visit? Drop me a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry where you can also be the first to know when I post a new travel blog!

Travel: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA

Waking up in Darwin (read about my time there in this blog post), it was another early morning as I raced the thirty minutes down to the pier to pick up my tourbus for the next three days. You can imagine my frustration as the bus then headed into town and picked up more travellers from the very hostel that I had left that morning, and I wondered why my travel agent had not chosen that logical location as my pick up point instead…

Once onboard, our driver/guide Candice drove us the long way to Kakadu National Park where we stopped for photos at the sign before moving on to Ubirr Rock. Here we were told the interesting stories behind the Aboriginal rock paintings, and climbed up to the Nadab Lookout for views over the extensive floodplains and into Arnhem Land, an area still pretty much off limits to visitors.

I enjoyed this little excursion, with the exception of the persistent flies which quickly became the bane of my time in Kakadu. They just can’t seem to get enough of you – flying to one area of your face only to be batted away, and then return to the exact same place! Believe me when I tell you that gets very old very quickly…

Indeed I was very pleased to be rid of the flies back in the van as we drove to Warradjan Cultural Centre where we stopped for a simple picnic lunch and the opportunity to explore the mini museum, before heading on to the evenings campsite at Cooinda. As there were so few of us, we each had a tent to ourselves which was pleasant, and they even had fans in them which certainly felt like a necessity.

We chilled at the campsite, enjoying the resort pool for a few hours before dinner. Alas, it seemed that my travel agent had neglected to tell the tour company that I was vegetarian in spite of being notified numerous times, so I was slightly disappointed with the food options, although Candice did try the best with what was available.

Day two was a very early start as we drove a short way down to Yellow Waters billabong to catch one of the first crocodile cruises. If you read my Daintree adventure, you’ll know that I went on one of these tours there too, but let me tell you that this was on a completely different level. First off, we had an excellent guide in the form of Ruben, who did not stop talking for the whole two hours, which was amazing as he shared fascinating stories about anything and everything, and was continuously pointing out wildlife left right and centre. I particularly loved the Jabiru bird and the water buffalos which we saw crossing the river.

Of course, this is without even mentioning the crocodiles, of which we saw more than I could count, and very close too. We were even lucky enough to catch a crocodile fight in close quarters. This was a definite highlight of my Kakadu adventures and I would recommend it to anyone heading to the Northern Territory.

We hopped into the bus towards Gunlom Falls where we trekked towards the falls and then had free time to swim. One thing which we were told is that every place that we were swimming most likely had crocodiles in them. Whether or not we would see them or be bothered by them, we didn’t know; but it was our guides duty to make us aware that we were swimming in crocodile infested waters.

So, you can imagine my trepidation as we arrive at this huge plunge pool, the bottom of which you have no chance of seeing, and knowing that that’s where the crocs are. I had brought goggles but decided I was better off without them, not really wanting to see the delightful creature of the deep coming up to chomp off one of my limbs.

Anxiety aside, I survived my dip and we hopped back in the van. We were given the option of taking a big, hard trek up to Nawurlandja lookout, or heading straight to the campsite so we’d get there in time for sunset. Being a sunset lover, I opted for the latter option as did the other travellers, only to discover that Candice had mixed up her sunset times and that we in fact could have done both options.

Alas, this meant that we arrived at our Mount Bundy campsite earlier than usual, so I took the opportunity to say hi to the animals who lived around the site, including horses, pigs, peacocks, and heaps of little wallabies. When it came, the sunset was rather spectacular and an enjoyable way to end the day.

We left camp before the sun rose to drive towards the termine mounds, where huge structures of over 60 years old reside, some still full of millions of tiny creatures still building each and every day. They really are massive and rather impressive, particularly when you take into account just how tiny these termites are.

We had a few swimming holes to head to that afternoon, including Florence Falls, Wangi Falls, and Buley Rockhole. At the latter, I was swimming away when I heard my name being called. ‘Don’t go any further,’ Candice warned me. ‘That’s the crocodile breeding ground.’ Okay then… And so day 3 was very much a swimming day, and one that I thankfully managed to survive with all of my limbs still intact.

And with that, it was time to make the long drive back to Darwin, and for me to take my flight back to Brisbane after my extensive East Coast and Northern Territory travels. Now just to explore the rest of Australia and the world!

Thank you for reading all about my adventures in Kakadu! If you enjoyed today's blog, there's plenty more to come, so feel free to drop me a follow on Twitter @CiarasCountry to stay up to date with where I'm heading to next, and I'd love to hear about your adventures too - please leave a message in the comments below with your favourite trips or any you have coming up!