Esk is a quaint little country town in the Somerset region, which is nestled between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Because it’s so close to both the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams, Esk is the perfect getaway for water sports enthusiasts. But even if water sports aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other amazing things to do in the area. Table of Contents 10 Best...
Last Updated: September 2026 During our stay in Ballina over Christmas, we drove an hour south to the picturesque town of Yamba, another delightful seaside town in northern New South Wales. Set right at the mouth of the Clarence River, Yamba is a little gem that is well worth visiting. Like Ballina and Byron Bay, Yamba is known for its beautiful beaches and great...
Last Updated: September 2026 The coastal town of Ballina is a short 30-minute drive from the famous Byron Bay. While the hipster town of Byron Bay attracts hordes of backpackers and tourists every year, Ballina is the perfect, quieter alternative. We don’t like crowds, traffic or sharing a beach with thousands of others, so Ballina was perfect for us. Basing...
Updated September 2026 A 90-minute flight from Manila, Bohol is one of the Philippines’ most fascinating islands. It has a little bit of everything: the famous Chocolate Hills, tiny tarsiers, spectacular waterfalls, coral reefs, beautiful beaches and plenty of opportunities to get away from the crowds. Bohol has become a popular tourist destination, and it’s easy to...
Updated September 2026 With its towering limestone cliffs, turquoise lagoons, hidden beaches and spectacular islands, Coron is one of the most beautiful places we’ve visited in the Philippines. It’s the kind of destination that looks almost unreal in photographs and somehow is even better when you’re actually there. But there is a catch: Coron can get very busy. The...
Last updated: September 2026 On our recent trip to the Philippines, we had a short stopover in Manila after exploring Coron and Bohol. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about the capital. I’d heard Manila was mostly about shopping and traffic, and as someone who prefers exploring over retail therapy, I almost skipped it. But then I read about Intramuros, the historic...
Last updated September 2026 On our most recent trip to Cairns, we finally made it to Fitzroy Island. It’s one of those places that had been sitting on our list for ages. We’d been to Cairns a couple of times before, yet somehow kept finding other things to do instead. Queensland is ridiculously big, and no matter how many times we travel around our own state, there...
Last Updated: September 2026 With 17 beautiful beaches, crystal-clear water, snorkelling straight from shore and kilometres of walking trails, Great Keppel Island is one of Queensland’s most underrated island escapes. Just a short ferry ride from Yeppoon, this Southern Great Barrier Reef island is surprisingly easy to reach and still feels wonderfully undeveloped...
Last Update: September 2026 The small rural town of Monto is not on everyone’s radar and being a two-and-a-half-hour drive inland from Bundaberg, it’s not an easy place to visit for most people either. However, it has become more popular in the recent years due to its Silo Art Trail. When I saw a picture of the Three Moon Silo in a local tourist guide, I knew we had...
Last Updated: September 2026 Yeppoon is a relaxed coastal town on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast, surrounded by beautiful beaches, scenic coastal walks and the islands of the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Just a 40-minute drive from Rockhampton, it’s a fantastic base for exploring this quieter and often overlooked part of Queensland. We visited during the peak Christmas...