“I travel because I need to… Because my wild, adventurous spirit can’t live according to the “norm”. I travel to regroup, to reinvent myself, to be the best me I can be, to find joy in the ordinary and peace in exploring. I travel to be.”
The past four weeks that I’ve spent exploring Sydney and beyond have been absolutely breathtaking. I’ve seen so many beautiful sights, encountered beautiful minds and realized that seeing this utterly beautiful world is what makes life worth living. It is a gift to see what nature has blessed us with with our own eyes – and solely keeping this in our memory will shape our souls and accompany us for a lifetime.
See for yourself how much treasure Australia holds.
Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains, a world-heritage listed wilderness area, can be reached within two hours by train from Sydney. There is no better way than spending your Saturday breathing fresh mountain air while rising above the treetops – and lunching up there! Unbelievable that a place like this exists just shortly out of the busy city centre of Sydney. When leaving the touristic side of the Blue Mountains, the Scenic World, one actually finds themselves in a bit of a wild nature hike, which took us around three hours to complete. Of course to mention a lot of photo and food breaks..
Spit to Manly Walk
Out of all the coastal walks I did in the Sydney area so far, this was my favorite. I preferred it to the Bondi to Coogee walk because it was much less crowded and actually the views were a lot more impressive.
Warning – to get up to the nice views one actually has to pull through about 20 minutes of steep steps, but the climb was definitely worth it. During the walk, you’ll pass a lot of clear blue water lagoons, quiet beaches, lookouts and lush greens.
Within around 14km, the walk from the Spit Bridge takes you all the way up to Manly, a cozy coastal town with great shopping and restaurant options. The highlight of this Sunday was the ferry-ride back to Sydney. Watching the sunset above the ocean with the views of the harbor bridge and the opera house.. Am I dreaming?
Byron Bay
On my bucket list for Australia I wrote “Do something by yourself”. Yes, you might think, “you came all the way to Australia by yourself, isn’t that enough?” No, it isn’t. I wanted to immerse myself into the solo-traveling life, even for just one weekend. So I booked a flight from Sydney to Gold Coast, and then an airport transfer to Byron Bay, a bohemian-vibed town right by the beach. People weren’t lying when they said I’d fall in love with this place. And so it happened..
Byron Bay had everything I needed to absolutely feel at peace with myself. I stayed in a hostel a little outside of the city centre with a two minute walk to the beach. My days started with a 20-minute walk on the beach to the city centre to go to yoga class, continued with amazing brunches of Chia-Bowls, avocado toasts or Acai Bowls and ended with a sunset swim in the ocean.
Chia Bowl at Combi Cafe
Staying in a 6-bed dorm was certainly an experience, but it was one that I couldn’t have wished for any other way. This is definitely the best way to meet people just like you – traveling the world, exchanging views on places you’ve seen and sharing memories that will stay when you part ways again. If anything, this weekend has shown me that even meeting people for such a short amount of time can be so healthy for the soul – giving you some good laughs and talks that make your time even more memorable.
When visiting Byron, one has to definitely visit the lighthouse. This is the most eastern point of the Australian mainland and offers breathtaking views. If lucky like the time I visited, you’ll see whales splashing on the horizon and dolphins swimming below the rocks.
I absolutely loved my weekend up in Byron Bay. A place that I will definitely return to to soak up some sun, good vibes and food for the soul. Being here has really shown me that living and enjoying the everyday is what life is made up of. It is not about waiting for Friday to come, it is about waking up on Monday and being thankful that we have yet another day to keep trying. Trying to achieve where we want to end up in life, growing further every step along the way. I must admit it will take me a while to take in all of these new impressions, but I can already say that what I have seen so far of Australia has worked its magic on me. Next up is Melbourne – curious how it will differ from Sydneys busy big-city life.
Until then, love always.
Joana
Joana Serein 