My Amazing trip to Australia
Australia was always a ‘holiday of a lifetime’ for me and waited for the right moment to make the decision in my life to take that recent journey. My partner and I were meeting his daughter who I hadn’t ‘yet’ met and would be a very special time for us all. We decided to postpone the stopover in Abu Dhabi until our return trip and instead decided to treat ourselves to business class with our accumulated points with ETIHAD.
We flew out of Dublin on a Boeing 777 and changed over to the all new Airbus A380 in Abu Dhabi.
The Airbus A380 has the upper deck of the plane dedicated to both first and business class passengers, with the added benefit of a fully stocked cocktail bar if you feel the need for a night cap. Upon arrival into Sydney, it was surprising how refreshed we felt. We started our holiday with a visit to the opera house and then took a short journey across the bay to climb the Sydney harbour bridge, which I must say, was both exhilarating and life-affirming.
Afterwards we travelled to the blue mountains and boarded a cable car down onto a valley floor to experience the hand excavated mines and some aboriginal artefacts. We then commenced our road trip to ‘Brisbane’ via ‘Coffs Harbour’, which is an Australian coastal city located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales about 5540km (340 ml) north of Sydney and 390 km (240 ml) south of Brisbane, where we were confronted by an enormous plastic banana and a beautiful sandy beaches. We stayed in the most beautiful ‘Aanuka Beach Resort Hotel, right on the beach, the rooms were amazing with a clear sky view in our bathroom, with bath / shower in the middle. The food was beautiful and the service was something that would truly impress you. The road is currently being upgraded and it can feel slightly narrow at times, it is also a good idea to use the toilets in the ‘main service areas’ where possible, as the ‘Aromas’ emanating from the ones located in the lay-by’s may test your resolve!!.., thankfully the Australian Police are not to be found hiding behind bushes with speed cameras, and are kind enough to erect signage warning you of any impending speed checks, so keep your eyes peeled for their notifications.
The weather in Sydney can be quiet changeable, but the weather in Brisbane is far closer to what one would consider typical Australian weather and its general layout makes it my favourite city amongst the ones we visited.
We then flew to Ayers Rock, and stayed at the ‘Sails in the Desert’ Hotel. We booked the ‘early hours’ sunrise tour, set our alarms for 330am, to prepare for our once in a lifetime trip to see the rock being illuminated during the morning sunrise. This is truly a spectacular view, an experience we will treasure forever, so much so, it seems to attract millions of visiting flies, who are also competing for the best view advantage points!! so would highly recommend you purchase a hat with some netting, these are provided at Hotel Reception at a cost.
We left Ayers Rock and flew to Melbourne where we visited various landmarks in the city, the weather was once again ‘changeable’ and we experienced the four seasons during our visit. Melbourne is a lovely city, it is busy and has some amazing restaurants (right in the heart of the city with shoppers passing by, where you can enjoy lunch with a view). We took our leave of Melbourne and flew to Abu Dhabi with ETIHAD on the A380 back to where we stopped over at the most amazing ‘La Royal Meredian Hotel Jumierah Beach Resort, we also stayed in ABU DHABI which is also beautiful and well worth a visit. We visited the highest building in the world, (Burj Khalifa) which is a must see, but must be pre-booked. We visited the wild wadi water park which is extremely entertaining, especially for children, we also visited the desert in off road vehicles, which is great fun, but those with back or neck problems, may wish to sit this one out.
The golf is great, especially with the sun on your partners back, but it might seem slightly expensive, if you’re not on your game, followed by Lunch at the Marina, Dubai. The Irish town is also a nice place to visit and I believe the Guinness is a very nice pint!!! All in all Dubai is a terrific destination and all that you wish to experience, We will be back next year to once again enjoy the customer service this country provide and take pride in.
