Port Douglas Faves

1 | Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas - Beautiful, yet dangerous! Many jelly fish, string rays and other posinous sea creatures in these waters. You can see the roped off area in the water that was for swimming!

2 | Wallabies (the cutest things ever) - Loved feeding these little guys at all of the zoos we went to! Tried to sneak one home but security took it! JK

3 | Plant Life - The flowers, plants and trees in Port were just gorgeous! So many exotic types and they were beautiful. 

4 | Seafood - So many different types of fish, mussels, clams, etc. in Port. Loved these clams! 

5 | Cape Tribulation - Where the rainforest meets the reef, aka most beautiful sight ever!

6 | Great Barrier Reef - This was by far my favorite part of the trip. Pictures do not do justice to what my eyes saw. The most gorgeous coral and fish I have ever seen and probably ever will! 

7 | Coral - Breath taking coral on one of our dives.

8 | Port Douglas Market - This was on a Sunday. So many different booths selling handmade things from AUS! I went home with a bracelet, purse, earrings, and a wallet! I also bought some natural juice from the market that was so good! 

9 | Ziplining in the Rainforest - Pretty much the coolest zipline experience I've ever had. We were so high up in the air! The views were incredible and you could see Cape Tribulation from some of the zips. 

10 | Sunrise - Port is one of the few places on earth where you can watch the sunrise and sunset all in the same day. This is a picture of sunrise - so gorgeous by the beach! 

Sibling Surprise

Surprised my brother at the Indianapolis airport a couple weeks ago! He returned safely and in one piece from his semester abroad in Australia! He took classes towards his major of wildlife biology at Purdue. He studied in Yungaburra, Queensland which is up near the Great Barrier Reef. He had a wonderful time abroad and I am so proud of him for doing it! Enjoy the pictures! He truly had no idea I was going to be at the airport. It was so fun to see his reaction!

First hug on U.S. soil since Australia! 

Siblings happy to be back together

Check out the awesome sign 

Indy car in the background -- wonder where we are!? 

My lovely family back together again

The first thing Matt wanted was Steak 'n Shake drive-thru

The next day we celebrated his 21st birthday... just a month or so late! 

Brother & sister lovin'! 

Dad and Matt on Matt's very belated birthday

Matt opening presents

Matt got a game that he played during his time abroad

Present from me!

Free liquor in the bow

Thrilled

Mom observing everything!

Dad watching 

Little shot glass from Miami! 

Sydney Favorites

Darling Harbour | Such a fun area of Sydney. Modern restaurants and shops line the bay. The red flags were lined up for Australia Day! 

The Gap | Just off the coast of Sydney. Feels like you are in Ireland or something. Gorgeous color of water.  Walking paths all around that you can use. 

Opera House | Who knew that there were restaurants all around the Opera House?? Had such a fun time eating dinner by the Opera House on Australia Day! Great people watching and lovely tasting food. 

Seafood Salad | Had this lovely salad at a restaurant near the Opera House. We ate here before we went to see our Opera. The food was fresh and tasted so so good. Paired it was a glass of white wine!
 

Lord Nelson Brewery | This place reminded me of Harry's Chocolate Shop at Purdue. There was memorabilia all over the walls. Wood floors and pictures everywhere. Loud atmosphere and fun! My family and I really enjoyed trying the different types of beers. I drank a pint of 3 Sheets (reminded me of a Blue Moon).

Darling Harbour Bridge | One evening my family and I walked across the bridge just to get pictures of the city. It was neat to see the city from the bridge. There were lots of runners and bikers on the bridge - people just getting off of work and heading home. It was neat to see how Aussie's commute to work.

Ferry Rides | It is relaxing just to sit on a ferry ride around the city and to gaze at the sites. I liked seeing all the different neighborhoods of Sydney and getting views of the city from the water. 

The Glenmore | Rooftop restaurant in the Rocks district of Sydney. Such a fun dinner spot. Sits right on the bay with great views of the city and bridge. It was so lively and full of young professionals.

3 Wise Monkeys | This lively little pub is near Darling Harbour and Chinatown. Such a great pub with three floors of bars and dancing. Matt and I had fun sipping beer here on Australia Day!

Sydney Siders

4 Mile Beach - Port Douglas, Queensland

I had the opportunity to vacation in Sydney, Australia about a month ago with my parents and brother. It was a wonderful vacation. We spent a week in Sydney and a week in Port Douglas. Sydney reminded me a lot of Chicago. It was a large city, but had different neighborhoods and was easy to navigate. The city was very clean and not too crowded. The Aussies drive their cars on the opposite side of the street and also walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk! I was not expecting that. Sydney has all sorts of transportation to get around. They have metros, buses, monorails and water taxis.

The Gap - Sydney, Australia

Sydney seems to be a very healthy city. Most people walk or bike to work. Others take the metro. I saw a lot of business men and women biking home or running home from work. They would go over the Harbour Bridge to the other side of the city to where they lived. The people of Sydney also seem to be very relaxed. When they are not on their way to work, they dress down. A lot of people wore beach wear and surf gear. Since there are beaches all over the place, they are always ready to hit the beach!

Sydney Opera House

Up north in Port Douglas it was mainly tourists. Port Douglas is a small tourist town. You can walk the entire town in about 20 minutes. We went to a market on Saturday downtown Port Douglas. There was a lot of jewelry and hand-made things for sale. It was a lot of fun looking around. There is a lot of seafood to choose from at the restaurants as well. Port Douglas was very hot compared to Sydney because it is closer to the equator.

Blue Mountains, New South Wales

Port Douglas and Sydney were very different places. It is like comparing Chicago with Maui. You just can't compare the two because they are so different! Port was a gorgeous place. When I picture Australia, Port is what I picture... palm trees, beaches, lush mountains, and exotic animals! Hope you enjoyed the post! I will try to write more about specific things I enjoyed in each city.

Darling Harbour - Sydney, Australia