Well, I guess if "Near" is close to home, neighbourhood and work, then "Far" needs to be everything else?
Places we recommend visiting
(As all of Mike's travels have been within Australia to date, and Mike is the one doing most of these updates, it could be safe to assume that "Far" will remain in Australia for now.)
I'm sure there are so many great places to visit (or even live in) around the world. If this site is still going when I get into International travel, it'll also contain those marvellous places I get to partake in. (Meantime, whatever I can extract from Shona's international travel recollections [apart from how much she loves Singapore] may also get included).
Places we particularly like (so far) in Australia:
Noosa Heads is at the top end of the Sunshine Coast, but still toward the bottom of Queensland. It has a fabulously warm climate with an outdoor lifestyle and lots of alfresco dining. Even when it's raining, it usually continues to be warm. Beach activities, boating, bush walking on defined tracks and paths are all on your doorstep here. A short drive inland takes you to the hinterland and gives you an idea of what the whole area used to look like before the developers stepped in converting rain forest to resorts, shops and high to medium density living.
What a great place to just kick back and vege out, or there's also the bush walking and exploring of the gorge. Wild life (grey kangaroos, rainbow lorikeets, king parrots, pretty face wallabies, rufus bettongs, goannas, dingoes, skinks, green tree frogs and of course cane toads!) are all on your doorstep here, and the various caravan parks have a bird feeding activity each afternoon.
Apollo Bay is about half way along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The Otways ranges and rain forest are almost wrapped around this beachside town. The ocean is usually a bit wild and foamy rather than calm and inviting, so surfing in thick wetsuits or beach combing in jackets and scarves are more likely than sun bathing or taking a dip. (Great Ocean Road aerial photo copied from Comfort Inn site)
If you like fine food at a reasonable price, we can highly recommend "Buffs Bistro".
Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay, Anna Bay and Fingal Bay are on the lower part of Port Stephens in New South Wales. The climate is a bit cooler than Noosa and a whole lot warmer than Apollo Bay. Within a few hours drive of both Newcastle and Sydney, the lifestyle here is a whole lot more relaxed.
Hahndorf is a suburb of Adelaide in the Adelaide Hills area. It is quite leafy and green and has a bit of an Austrian feel to it. One of our next holidays will be over to the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley. We'll add to the pictures after that! (Meantime, these two pictures are from postcards.)
One of my favourite drives! A road that's a little like the Great Ocean Road in that it twists and turns and is carved into the side of a mountain range. This time, the drive is predominantly through fern gullies and rain forest rather than along an ocean coastline. In some places the road is not much wider than a single car, and about half of the 132 kilometres is unsealed. (Actually there are quite a few similar drives throughout the Great Dividing Range, it's just a matter of finding or stumbling across them! Of recent we found the access road to Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney is another.)
Perhaps not as up market as the Noosa area, but Airlie Beach appeals to all who want a climate (and similar lifestyle) to what is available on a tropical island. (Airlie Beach is perhaps what Noosa Heads was like 15 years ago. The developers are currently working on various areas and have denuded a number of the hills preparing them for penthouses and other forms of dwelling with ocean views.) Ferries leave from Shute Harbour to the Whitsunday island resorts. Loads of facilities for backpackers, and hired motorhomes of all sizes attest to the popularity with travelers. Many of the travelers do not have English as their first language.
