Travel Tale: A Visit to Australia

By GAVIN ALEXANDER | Junior Reporter

My favorite place I have traveled to has to be Australia. Over winter break I went to Australia with my parents. The trip was incredible. On our trip, we explored Sydney and Melbourne, and also spent time on both the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. This trip was one of the best trips I have ever been on and I have been on many, as my family loves to travel!

Australia is a very beautiful place. Our winter is their summer so the weather was incredible. In addition to the weather, the locals in Australia were very friendly and every meal we had was delicious. In fact, I had some of the best Thai food of my life in Australia!

In Sydney, our adventures included the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, which had breathtaking views. The city’s beaches, Manly, Bronte, and Bondi, were a major highlight too as the water was crystal clear. We also explored Melbourne which had a different feel, more of cities like London or New York, while Sydney reminded me of a blend between San Francisco and San Diego.

Our next stop was the Sunshine Coast, where we stayed in Noosa. Noosa is a walkable town filled with great shops and restaurants. In Noosa, we spent a lot of time at the beach, walked a lot, and I learned how to hydrofoil surf in the Noosa River. We also visited the late Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. The Australia Zoo was by far the best zoo I’ve ever been to. While there, I held a koala named Burt and also got to feed kangaroos.

We made a quick stop along the Gold Coast. Surfer’s Paradise, located in the Gold Coast, felt a bit like Miami Beach. I was able to see a friend of mine from Los Angeles and we spent the day exploring the city.

After the Gold Coast, we flew back to Sydney where we stayed in Bondi Beach for a few days. We completed the scenic Bondi to Coogee walk which was filled with stunning beaches and even better views.

The New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney were a grand finale to our trip, with the midnight display being something I’ll never forget. Having grown up watching the NYE fireworks in Sydney on TV it was really amazing to experience them in person. They were unlike any fireworks I’ve seen before.

In short, Australia was incredible and I can’t wait to return. It’s a place I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for a mix of adventure, natural beauty, and city exploration. The entire trip was a perfect blend of action-packed activities and relaxation.