where i have travelled

I have been blessed to have travelled a lot around Australia. And twice I have been overseas.  I’ve been to most states in Australia except for the Northern Territory. I’m unsure if I can pick a favourite state, they are all so different.

I have included some of my favourite places I have been to. There have been many more, and I will blog about some of them later.

TASMANIA

A favourite destination would have to be Tasmania. I loved the scenery, the beautiful mountains, and the cool weather. The trip was in Autumn, so it was cold! We went all over the state as we hired a car. We spent time hiking in Cradle Mountain and Hobart and going to the Salamanca Markets. Lots of walking and checking out the places off the beaten track!

BUNDANOON, NSW

If I had to choose my favourite Australian destination it would be Solar Springs in Bundanoon. This is in the Southern Highlands of NSW, about 2 hours’ drive south of Sydney. It is a Health Retreat, and I loved going there. I mainly went alone and always met others there to chat with. They provide 3 healthy meals a day. Lots of activities are included: bush walks in the Morton National Park, yoga, aqua, weights classes, and meditation. They also offer PT sessions, fitness assessments, a full day spa plus loads more. It was all so relaxing. The gardens are beautiful, and you can participate in as much or as little as you would like. It is a beautiful old guest house.

I started going there in 2004. I pretty much went every year to rest and rejuvenate. It was so relaxing! The last time I went to Solar Springs was in 2018. New owners had taken over, and it does not have the same friendly environment.

CHINA

My biggest overseas trip was to China in 2011. I went with my parents, as I had never been overseas before (I was 30yrs old). We spent a month there and travelled all over. Highlights include Tiananmen Square, the Terracotta Army, a trip down the Yangtze River on a cruise and a visit to the pandas in Cheng Du. Also, The Great Wall was a highlight!

There were many other great experiences. The main disappointment we had was that we didn’t get to stop at Ikea! We drove right past, but the bus didn’t stop! Every place I’ve visited has so many memories, too many to share here! I made some lifelong friends on this trip and some great memories.

FIJI

This was my last overseas trip in May 2024. I had a great time. I went with my parents and stayed 5 nights at the Hilton Denarau.

We had the best time… swimming, reading books and relaxing by the pool! The Fijian people are so friendly. It was such a relaxing holiday, I can’t wait to go back again

I even had a facial and a massage. It was just nice to relax in a beautiful environment.

the adult's only pool

I have linked my YouTube video of our holiday for you to watch!

MY MOST RECENT OVERSEAS HOLIDAY

So, my most recent holiday was in Fiji. I had 4 weeks off from work.

I have always wanted to go to Fiji. I was chatting to my parents, and they asked if they could also come. Of course, I didn’t mind! We had separate rooms, and although I said I didn’t want to “spend every waking minute” with them, we did spend a lot of time together! It was nice to have the company.

We stayed at the Hilton on Denarau Island. And it was warm! About 24-27°C and sunny.

I have not been overseas much, only twice before Fiji. Once to Vanuatu on a cruise, and once to China on a 1-month tour with my parents. I will do another blog at a later date on my China trip.

I just wanted a relaxing holiday this time! Reading, swimming and RELAXING. Which is exactly what we did. My parents had a room with a kitchen, so we had dinner there most nights. We had a BBQ, and pizza, and then we went to the restaurant the last night.

A buffet breakfast was included, so we mainly had fruit for lunch or a sandwich we bought at the resort Deli.

After breakfast, we all went to the pool with our books. We would swim and read. Mostly we went to the adults-only pool! I often spent a bit longer at the pool than my parents. I even did aqua aerobics two mornings!

Afternoons we didn’t do much. I would go back for happy hour in the late afternoon. Mainly reading, and some more swimming.

this was the view for happy hour

One afternoon we all went for a “cruise”. It was to see the outer Fiji Islands where they would drop people off for their holidays at the outer Islands! It was a 3 hour trip.We even saw the Island where they filmed “Survivor” aka Mamanuca Islands

Survivor Island

One afternoon I got a massage and a facial, which was so relaxing!

I didn’t want to come home.

I have 2 videos on my YouTube channel about my holiday if you want to check them out.

HOLIDAY BLOG https://youtu.be/y759tBaIzuo

ROOM TOUR https://youtu.be/37kD5e829ZI