6 Reasons You Need to Travel the East Coast of Australia

Gap 360 traveller Teagan Eastman recently returned from her travels in Australia. Read on for her top reasons to travel the east coast of Australia...

1. The hustle and bustle of Sydney

Sydney is probably the first place you think of when you think about travelling to Australia. It’s where a lot of people start off on their travels and most likely return as there is just SO MUCH going on within and around the vibrant city. From the infamous Sydney Opera House to the Instagram-worthy iceberg pool on Bondi Beach (and so much more in between!). Can you believe that Sydney is such a vast city with STUNNING beaches minutes apart from each other?

2. Byron Bay

Or what I like to call it, Byron Bae. You will fall in love with the beach life and might even decide you want to be a full-time surfer when you visit here. The Byron lighthouse is the most western point of mainland Australia you can go to and has some INCREDIBLE views; especially for that 5 am wake-up call for sunrise (trust me, it’s worth it). Places like Byron remind us that life is made for living (and defo chilling out).

3. Brisbane by day and Brisbane by night

Apart from the super cool and massive ‘BRISBANE’ letters you see all over Google images when you search the city by name, it has so much to offer as a city! Renowned for being the cleanest city in the WORLD. Brisbane is a great place to feel that authentic city feeling. You can tour the city on foot or rent a bike or scooter for the day. There are some great things to see and do such as the free man-made lagoon on the river bank (it looks just like a real beach!) as well as venturing out for the day to visit Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.

4. K'gari

This is a MUST do on the itinerary when travelling the east coast. The Island is the largest sand island in the world and is home to one of the oldest rainforests ever as well as the wild Dingos. The best way to explore the island is in 4x4s as there is so much to cover such as McKenzie Lake, Eli Creek, Indian headland, Champagne pools and the Maheno shipwreck. At night, the sky is filled with stars and the sand is glowing with bioluminescent algae. Absolutely breathtaking.

5. The Whitsundays

Spend some time on board sailing or cruising through the magical Whitsunday islands. The Great Barrier Reef national park is located in and around these islands which is home to so much marine life which makes a great snorkelling spot so get your cameras ready! Venture onto White Haven Beach for the ultimate Whitsunday experience. Take a dip in the natural lagoon and find yourself swimming with lemon sharks and stingrays or take a mini hike to the White Haven viewpoint when the tide is low to see that gorgeous swirly light blue soft serve ice-cream effect mixed into the sand banks. 

6. Cairns

Spelt like Cairns but pronounced like CANS because you CAN do it all here. Cairns is a must-do if you’re looking for something thrilling to do to impress your friends and family back at home with. You could go scuba diving on the outer Great Barrier Reef, go white water rafting on Tully River, Bungee Jump or you might fancy going for a skydive to scare your parents. Either way, Cairns is the place to do it all. 

All of this sounds UNREAL, right? Believe me, it is so much more than words can express and if you don’t believe me, I guess you’ll just have to find out for yourself! 

Fancy seeing it for yourself? Check out our Australia East Coast Adventure