Australia

Adelaide

Gorgeous wine region with fabulous restaurants and countless boutique cellar doors. McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, and Adelaide Hills are all within driving distance, as well as downtown Adelaide with shops, restaurants and a cute boardwalk. That's right - you can see the sea from the vineyards. Stay at least 2-3+ days.

Restaurants:

The Salopian Inn (upscale)
- Highly recommend! We let them select the menu for us and every dish was tastier than the last. The setting is cozy and charming. You will leave full and happy. More
The Barn (nice casual)
- Another wonderful option for a delightful meal in a charming setting. More
The Kitchen Door at Penny's Hill (nice casual)
- The food here is so delicious, we can remember it four months later. Fresh ingredients, hearty portions, and nice ambiance. More

Activities:

Chook's Little Winery Tour
- Owned and operated by a lovely husband/wife duo, this tour is hyper-local and caters to small groups. More

Activities:

Orana (upscale)
- This is one of the nicest restaurants in Adelaide, however, we did not enjoy it. Extremely slow service, aggressively overpriced wine, and average food - skip it. More

Melbourne

Modern, hipster-esque city with beautiful parks and lots to see and do. Stay at least 2 days.

Restaurants:

Pastuso (nice casual)
- Delicious Peruvian food in a fun setting. More

Activities:

Royal Botanic Gardens
- Large park in downtown Melbourne, which is a lovely place to stroll and enjoy the afternoon.
Great Ocean Road
- The Great Ocean Road is absolutely worth seeing, but we recommend renting a car and staying overnight along the way, so you can enjoy all the small towns and sites. It's too long to see in one day and if you're on a bad bus or with a bad group of people, you are stuck. Do not hire Wild Wombat Escape Tour.

Skip:

Embla (nice casual)
- Decent appetizers but small selection of Australian wines, and disappointing entrees. More

Port Douglas

Relaxed beach town with 4-mile beach and entry point to Great Barrier Reef. We were told it's less touristy than Cairns, and it did feel that way (though we didn't visit Cairns). Stay at least 2 full days.

Restaurants:

The Mexican (casual)
- Mouthwateringly good tacos. More
Watergate (upscale)
- Delicious Australian cuisine in a romantic setting, tucked away from the street. We tried crocodile and kangaroo and loved them both. More

Activities:

Great Barrier Reef
- Blue Dive - In between a large boat and a private yacht, this tour company has lots of options to choose from. We went scuba diving and had a fabulous time - we felt well taken care of and underwater photos were included. More
Daintree Rainforest
- Tony's Tropical Tours - This boutique tour group was excellent. Our guide (Rob) was incredibly knowledgeable and found lots of creatures and old trees for us to marvel at. There were only 8 people total on the tour, so it's a comfortable size. More

Skip:

On the Inlet (casual)
- Supposedly the best restaurant in town, except it isn't. More

Yulara

Beautiful rock formations (Uluru and Kata Tjuta) that are sacred to the Aboriginals. This is a good place to learn about their culture. However, this can definitely be skipped because it is hot and expensive.

Hotels:

There seem to be many hotels at Yulara, but they are actually all owned by one company and are varying degrees of expensive. It is a total racket. If you go, be prepared to spend a lot more money than you think is fair for what you get.

Activities:

We took a bus tour, which we wouldn't recommend. Better to go with a smaller group so you can spend more time around the base. Definitely buy a face net before you go - this is ESSENTIAL - the flies are miserable.

Insider Tips

Pro Tips - Rent a car for the Great Ocean Road and Adelaide. Buy a face net (for flies) if you go to Yulara. Make a liberal budget - Australia is very expensive.

LGBT - Felt fine mostly everywhere.

Bathrooms - Good quality most places

ATMs - Readily available, but everywhere accepts credit card.

Water - Potable

Tipping - 10-20%