The Modern Nomads

Why visit Australia? Let me give you just a few good reasons: Australia is full of adventure, pristine beaches, vibrant cities as well as that laid back Aussie lifestyle. Because of the diverse landscape and the sheer size of this country, there is something for everyone. Australia is an amazing place and if it isn’t on your bucket list, you should definitely consider adding it!

Australia, commonly referred to as “the land down under” is located in the Southern Hemisphere.

You will also see other nicknames for Australia such as “Oz” and “Strai’yah”. These nicknames are both due to the pronunciation and accents associated with Australians. The other term you have probably heard when referring to Australia is “The Outback” which refers to the areas in Australia that are “outback” of the larger cities and coastline (the inner part of Australia).

You can see on the map below that Australia is broken up into regions or states. During our trip to Australia, we were able to visit areas in Queensland as well as New South Wales which are both along the east coat of the country. We began in Brisbane and over a 6 week period made our way down the Gold Coast with stops in Byron Bay and ending in Sydney.

Click the links below to read more about our time in each of those areas:

Fun Facts about Australia:

• Australia is the only country that is its own continent. It is surrounded on all sides by the oceans and seas; which by definition also makes Australia and island, or island continent.

• Australia is the largest island in the world. And you probably guessed, I had to check to see what trusty google had to say about that. So what I found out was that Greenland also holds the largest island label but that has something to do with the continental shelf that Greenland sits on and not the coastline, so I digress.

• Kangaroos only exist in Australia and yes they do roam in the wild, I know because I saw them. They are similar to deer in the US, so while you won’t find them roaming around the city, you may find them in smaller suburbs and golf courses but your best chance is those early morning hours in the countryside!

• Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent on earth. The center of Australia (the Outback) makes up more than 40% of the continent and is mostly unpopulated due to the vast desert terrain. (Technically the driest continent on Earth is Antarctica but that continent is however not inhabited with exception of research teams and explorers.)

• Over 80% of Australia’s population lives within 50 kilometers (30 miles)from the coastline. While the main reason is the conditions not being suitable inland, you can’t help but also contribute that to the beautiful Australian beaches.

When to visit Australia:

To decide when to visit Australia will depend on what you plan on doing while you are there. With such a vast and diverse land mass, you can visit Australia anytime but keep in mind the seasons in Australia may differ from where you are.

Australia’s Seasons:

• Summer – the hottest months are December, January and February
• Autumn – March, April and May
• Winter – the coldest months will be June, July and August
• Spring – September, October and November

The High or Peak Season for travel in Australia is during the summer time. The temperatures are soaring but the beaches will be spectacular. The downside is not only will be the crowds as well as the higher prices. The best time to visit Australia if you are factoring weather would be Autumn and Spring. The weather is not too hot, nor too cold, but you can still enjoy just about anything you had on your bucket list!

We visited Australia in April thru May so the temps were nice and mild and things had slowed down as the tourist had started to slack off.

The Great Barrier Reef

One of the most iconic places when you think of Australia is the Great Barrier Reef. While we are avid scuba divers you might think that we plan on diving this area during our visit but we actually did not include that on our agenda. As widely known the reef has experienced some significant bleaching over the past 30-40 years and since Pete had already been diving in this area in the past we decided to skip that as part of our trip this time.

One thing I will note is that after reading a lot about the Great Barrier Reef there are significant efforts in place to try and help restore or minimize continued damage to the reef.

Not only has this fact decreased tourism to the reef, the recent pandemic has also halted some of the tourism which this area has grown to depend on. The biggest concern that seems to be looming is that with a reduction in tourism, there may be a reduction in social and economic rationale for why the reef needs to be protected.

So while we didn’t dive during this trip to Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system and would be something you definitely consider adding to your agenda if you are ever in this part of the world!