Australia

City Guide Australia Outback Odyssey

Manly beach

bondi icebergs club

Sydn Ey

A traveler’s experiences abroad are comprised not just by the places they visit and the sights they see; rather, every person marks their personal journey by assigning value to a myriad blend of moments that only they can curate. In my case, my trip to Australia was defined as much by the food and wine I ate and drank, songs that highlighted specific moments, and the company I kept as it was by seeing the sights. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My friend and I began this particular adventure in the bustling heart of Sydney, where we took the proverbial bull by the horns from the moment we landed and headed straight for the Taronga Zoo, jet lag be damned. After playing with the zebras, giraffes, and elephants (the noticeably-absent koalas were clearly in a staff meeting or something), we proceeded full-steam ahead with making the most of our rainy first weekend Down Under, starting with a photo shoot in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House. Within Sydney’s many hotel-bars, remnants of a time when establishments were required to offer lodging for overly-intoxicated patrons, we explored the mishmash maze of corridors and rooms while sampling Sydney’s best takes on a variety of cuisines. Marching in the world-famous Mardi Gras parade, we learned pre-rehearsed choreography and danced down Oxford Street with a friendly group of topless women who were cheerfully advocating to “Free the Nipple.” As we hiked the the cliff trail at Bondi Beach, the word “scenic” simply wouldn’t have done justice to the dazzling landscape that stretched as far as the eye could see. All of this, and still another city yet to explore…

Mid-week, we caught a flight down the coast to visit Melbourne, the indie kid sister to Sydney’s grown-up city slicker. Starting with a meal at what may be one of the best restaurants in the world, we continued to immerse ourselves in the culture and character of the city with gusto with a private guided tour of the Yarra Valley, where we sampled some of the best wines that the state of Victoria had to offer. We strolled through the Queen Vic Night Market while sipping sangria, searching for knickknacks for friends and family back home and inadvertently catching some live music in the process. We toured massive cathedrals, watched street art being created, and gambled in the sprawling Crown Casino, then punctuated these activities with bites of the best tacos, soup dumplings, and churros that the city had to offer. After mailing some postcards and finishing our glasses of rosé, it was then time to return to Sydney for one last weekend of relaxing with friends at the beach and recounting the innumerable memories we’d made over the course of the last 10 days.

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The cullen hotel

chin chin

Queen Vic Night Market

Melbourne Unique Tours

Yarra Incredible Travel Foray on Which I’ve Ever Embarked.

Future trips will be hard-pressed to compare; every piece de bortoli along the way played an integral role in creating a fully-satisfying whole. These are memories which can never be oakridge replicated, the unique product of both my exploration of an indescribably-beautiful country and the amalgam of Yering Station experiences that will always be fondly associated with it.

Valleyneedless to Say, This Vacation Was by Far the Most

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