gold coast // australia

After just a short plane ride from Melbourne, we arrived in Gold Coast where we were hosted by the amazing Marc & Janelle. Shane had first met this dream team during his time in Italy when they invited him and his buddy Ryan onto their boat to yacht down the coast of Italy as part of M&J’s many-month boating cruise around the Mediterranean. Marc’s ability to make restaurant quality ethnic food and Janelle’s background as both masseuse and author may also make them the most interesting couple in the world…and phenomenal guides for our time in Gold Coast. 

We started off our first day with a beautiful breakfast from Elephant Rock Cafe right on Currumbin Beach. Once fed, no time was wasted in seeking out what had eluded us for the first half of our time in Australia...

KANGAROOS! Just a couple miles from the airport is the surprisingly expansive Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary that has all of the OZ animal favorites that you don’t just want to hope seeing in the wild. As a huge draw for locals and tourists alike, this is one you don’t want to miss but make sure you check around online for discounts and promotions before you show up. On a Groupon-like website, we were able to score almost 50% off and discounts on food and drinks.

Still on a high from all the time spent with our furry friends, we were ready to tackle another beloved Gold Coast stop the next morning: Tamborine Mountain. This small community is nestled into the Scenic Rim mountain range and overlooks the Gold Coast as far as the eye can see. Capitalizing on the incredible vista, a collection of boutique shops, artists and restaurants have concentrated along the one main road (referred to as the Gallery Walk) and are complemented by nearby nature attractions. Slightly off the main path was the delicious cafe/restaurant, Drift, that served as a wonderful breakfast stop and shelter from the occasional rain.

Just a couple kilometers from Drift is the iconic Curtis Falls that is often the poster child for Tamborine Mountain. Easily reached within 10 minutes from the carpark, it's not a bad way to work off your Eggs Benedict and latte. Other options include (the slightly overpriced) rainforest skywalk, glowworm caves, or paragliding off the western rim...depending on how big of a breakfast you had.

Don't miss out on Tamborine's expansive collection of wineries, breweries, and distilleries all congregated on the mountain top. We opted for the delicious Fortitude Brewery and a tasting platter from it's award winning neighbor, Witches Chase Cheese, Co.  A choice we did not regret.

Of course, no trip to the Gold Coast would be complete without copious amounts of beach time. A legendary surfing location from Shane's childhood, Byron Bay was an absolutely must do. This once sleepy beach town has exploded in popularity and the little streets are now lined with surf-chic restaurants and shops. Perfectly fitting this mold was the Byron Fresh Cafe that serves up heath-conscious meals and delicious smoothies of all varieties. Then make sure to stay hydrated on the beach (and look like an uber-tourist) by picking up a fresh $5 coconut from one of the several vendors perched along the shore.

Not far up the coast is the more local-centric, Burleigh Beach. To complement the sunbathing and surfing is a local market of artisans that setup every Sunday in the shade of the trees. We were able to find additional refuge from the heat on the breezy southern point of the beach that offers a great view of the golden coastline.

As a respite from the HOT Australian sun, we took a little detour 45 minutes inland to the Natural Bridge in Springbrook National Park. A 20 minute walk brings you to rushing falls that drop under this massive rock arch. As an added bonus, the cave at the base of the falls is full of bats and glowworms!

A huge thanks to our generous and awesome hosts, Janelle & Marc - who gave us some stellar recommendations, cooked us AMAZING meals, and even introduced us to their sweet and wildly fun friends.  Thank you so much!! We can't wait until your French canal boat tours take off and we can be some of your first American customers (if you'll take a couple Yankees)!

Last but certainly not least, what may or may not be our very favorite picture so far, we give you... the kangaroo selfie. 

We so wished we could have had more time to explore Australia, but now we have an excuse to go back. Where are some of your favorite spots in OZ?? Next post - New Zealand! 

the great ocean road // australia

With Melbourne as our first home base (thanks to the generosity of our sweet hosts, Leo, Maria and baby Zoe) we hit the ground running on our first full day in Australia and headed down the coast via the iconic Great Ocean Road. We grabbed a rental car from Avis in downtown Melbourne and we were off! The Great Ocean Road was originally built by WWI soldiers after they returned home and now serves as a beautiful memorial for those who were lost in the war. 

Thanks to crazy Melbourne rush hour traffic, Shane quickly adjusted to driving on the wrong side of the road and we made our way to Bell's Beach, made famous in surf cinema classics Point Break and The Endless Summer. Bell's is also home to the world's longest-running surfing competition, the Rip Curl Pro Surf & Music Festival. 

Sadly, the surf was totally lacking, so after some killer views of Bells and some long walks on the beach, we made the drive to the hip little beach town of Lorne, where we enjoyed some delicious (giant) burgers and fries (the real kicker was the chipotle chili dipping sauce for the fries reminiscent of Good Stuff Eatery back in DC) at The Bottle of Milk -- definitely recommend this locals joint for lunch along the Great Ocean Road! 

Many people make the Great Ocean Road an overnight excursion, but we were so happy with the length of our day trip! Since we left early in the morning, we had plenty of time to make lots of stops at stellar beaches and quaint towns, like the sleepy Apollo Bay. Here we stopped into Cafe 153 for a long black and some iced coffee which turned out to be coffee poured over ICE CREAM! I was so thrilled and have proceeded to order iced coffee throughout Australia and New Zealand to see if they will continue giving me ice cream and IT JUST KEEPS COMING! It's amazing. We need to make this a normal thing in the States, yeah?!

Shortly after Apollo Bay, the landscape drastically changed and we were soon surrounded by towering rainforest. Feeling a need for a break from the coastal heat, we pulled into a carpark on the left side of the road for Mait's Rest Rainforest Trail and were not disappointed by this very easy 1 km trail through the jungle. Also along this section of the road are a couple nature reserves that claim to have easy access to wild koalas but we were unfortunately deterred by rain.

Our hosts advised us to check out any pulloffs on the side of the road that looked like they may have paths to the beach as they often lead you to your own private relaxation spot. We struck gold on this one below that appeared shortly after exiting the rainforest but miles away from the crowds at more publicized beaches.

Our adventure down the Great Ocean Road ended with the Razorback rocks and the Twelve Apostles - eroded stacks of limestone off the coast of the Port Campbell National Park. Despite there only being 8 "Apostles" left due to erosion, these magnificent pieces of creation stand nearly 150 feet out of the water and are a majestic sight against the Antarctic Ocean. Some of the best viewpoints of these pillars face directly west and are ideal for sunset viewings if you still have the vigor for the 3 hour drive back to Melbourne.

We would love to hear about some of your favorite coastal drives! A road trip down California's Pacific Coast Highway is definitely on our bucket list but where else would y'all recommend?