Where should I visit in Australia? Part One

I’m not an expert on everywhere in Australia yet, but, by popular request, here’s what I like of the parts of it I’ve seen so far.

If anyone wants a detailed itinerary for a visit to Costa Rica or New Zealand I can definitely oblige!

Sydney        
 
You city slickers will doubtless love Sydney, especially if you have a fat wallet to match the souped up city prices. Cool people, perfect harbor, fabulous beaches and eclectic architecture all add up to a fun place to hang out, except in the ocean where there are way too many man-hungry sharks. Could do with being a bit hotter.
 
Byron Bay
 
I love Byron Bay and have never even seen a shark there, although I’m sure there are plenty as they love to hunt with dolphins and I did see plenty of those frolicking in the waves. Byron Bay was like the holy mecca for me. I am an obsessive planner and researcher (amongst other things) and when I lived in New Zealand, Byron Bay sounded like the ideal place to live. I was always looking for the perfect place to live and Byron Bay boasted a perfect sub-tropical climate, beautiful and artistic people plus sublime beaches. But when I finally got to my Mecca it was a huge downer. The town was just one long traffic jam lined with cheap backpacker tour offices flogging the latest adrenalin rushes. I was gutted. I hated it.
 
Also, because Byron Bay’s accommodation prices are highly over-inflated, I was staying in Berts’ Cottages. Bert was a once cool surfer from way back, now only a few weeks away from total senility and too short-sighted to notice that his cottages were filthy and the buildings themselves should be condemned. But after we had hacked through the cobwebs and managed to gain entry I got used to the place. It was reminiscent of other dives I’d stayed in in Africa and India ten years previously. Quite possibly Bert had modeled it on some of those crusty third world hovels.
 
But Byron Bay is special, though it’s hard to pinpoint why. Could it be that it’s “the most easterly point on the Australian mainland”? Is it the good vibes that get the hippies flocking there? Whatever it is there’s a certain magnetism about the place that somehow got to me too, even though I am an ex-hippie. It must be the rolling beaches and hypnotic waves, and the lighthouse that presides over the bay. You’ll have to go there and decide for yourself. For the mega rich a stay at Watego’s Beach is indispensable. For the rest of us, a day trip to Watego’s from Berts’ Cottages will just have to suffice.

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Stay tuned for Where should I visit in Australia? Part Two when I’ll be raving about Cape Tribulation, Noosa and The Sunshine Coast. Just subscribe to email updates from In the Hot Spot now to make sure you don’t miss out.

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Good luck with all your travel plans!