When it came time for honeymoon planning, James and I started the conversation by talking about where each of us dreamed of traveling to. It was also important for us to visit a place that neither of us had ever been to before. You see, James was a military brat, so his list of traveled-to and lived-in places is quite lengthy. And I was blessed to grow up in a family that valued travel highly, so I have lots of destinations under my belt as well. This created a bit of a challenge because it eliminated the typical honeymoon locals: the Caribbean, the majority of Europe, etc.
So, after first merely joking about it, we decided to honeymoon in Australia! I guess you could say we wanted to do it big :)
James and I landed in Sydney and spent a few days there, sightseeing and acclimating to the 14-hour time change (yuck!) While in Sydney, we were able to explore the amazing city, walk among (and pet!!) wallabies at Featherdale Wildlife Park, and travel to the Blue Mountains to see the gorgeous "Australian Grand Canyon." We then headed north to a picture-perfect town called Cairns (pronounced Cans), where we felt as though we had been transported to paradise.
While in Cairns, James and I stayed at a beautiful resort at the edge of the rain forest. I could not get over how beautiful everything was there. We spent our mornings relaxing by the pool or ocean, listening to the incredible variety of birds and frogs chirp away. We also were able to go out to the Great Barrier Reef, which allowed me to check seeing it off my bucket list! While on our Reef day trip, we SCUBA dove and snorkeled at Michaelmas Key and Hastings Reef. I was in awe of all the beautiful fish, rays, and turtles we were able to spot!
From Cairns, we headed to the Red Centre of Australia, specifically, Alice Springs. "Alice" as the locals fondly call it, was a bit strange for us. The area is full of gnats, which made it a little tough to enjoy. We did, however, absolutely love the Alice Springs Desert Park, where we were able so see a large collection of native plants and animals.
To wrap up our beautiful trip, James and I traveled back to Sydney for a few more days of sightseeing and exploring. We both just adored Australia, and James even tried to convince me to stay (to which I responded: "we can't afford the cost of living here!"). I am sure this first trip down under will not be our last!
xoxo J
To wrap up our beautiful trip, James and I traveled back to Sydney for a few more days of sightseeing and exploring. We both just adored Australia, and James even tried to convince me to stay (to which I responded: "we can't afford the cost of living here!"). I am sure this first trip down under will not be our last!
xoxo J