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McDermotts Travel Oz
McDermotts Travel Oz

McDermotts Travel Oz

We haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on our list. Read more🇦🇺Sydney
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  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler

    Bicheno TAS

    April 16, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Twelve months ago we enjoyed a delicious seafood platter beside a sparkling blue Indian Ocean at the Lobster Shack in Cervantes WA. Today we repeated the experience on the opposite side of the country beside a brisk Tasman Sea in Bicheno TAS. A very different setting, but equally memorable. Dare we say east coast lobster for the win 🦞

    To wash it down, a few kilometres down the road we visited Devil’s Corner Winery with its magnificent views over Great Oyster Bay. We enjoyed a private tasting and a new found favourite - Pirie, named Best Sparkling and Wine of Show at the 2023 Global Fine Wine Challenge. Of course the soundtrack to our drive home included a few clinking bottles 😉🍷

    Somewhere in between, we also managed to explore the quaint little town of Bicheno and the blowhole for which it's somewhat famous. Such a simple thing, but curiously entertaining to stand and watch water erupting out of a hole with each wave. Miraculously, in spite of teenage bravado, we all managed to stay dry.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler

    Bay of Fires TAS

    April 16, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    This morning Dan was up bright and early to capture the beauty of sunrise over the Bay of Fires. I was keen to join him but succumbed to the warmth of bed for some precious extra minutes. His images are spectacular, thank you for sharing xx

    The five of us did make it down to the beach later in the afternoon where we discovered it's not called Bay of Fires for nothing, with large smoke plumes visible to the north - planned hazard reduction burns, so we believe.

    Once named by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s ‘Most Beautiful Beaches’ there’s no doubt the Bay of Fires lives up to this reputation.​ It was absolutely stunning, with super fine cool white sand and crisp turquoise water. If only it was 20 degrees warmer 😍    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler

    Binnalong Bay TAS

    April 15, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Making the most of a beautiful Tassie day exploring along the Great Eastern Tourist Drive.

    First stop Eddystone Point lighthouse overlooking the Bay of Fires Conservation Area and marking the easternmost point of the Tasmanian island. Here we experienced the iconic granite rocks splashed in orange lichen against a backdrop of clean white beaches and clear azure seas. A truly stunning landscape, exactly like the brochures. Bucket list ✅

    Next stop, Little Blue Lake - a natural phenomenon resulting from the pioneering mining days of South Mount Cameron and the surrounding areas of the far northeast of Tasmania. Originally a mine hole, the lake reflects a vivid aqua blue from the minerals in its base. It was slightly overcast when we arrived and possibly lacking its sparkle, but an impressive sight nonetheless.

    Moving on we headed to the Pyengana Dairy, home of Australia’s heritage farmhouse cheese, continuing 135 years of tradition producing handcrafted dairy products. While Anthony and I enjoyed a Tasmanian tasting platter, the boys made a big call confidently declaring their ice creams to be the best ever - all eaten before I had time for a picture!

    Down the road we indulged Priscilla the beer drinking pig at the Pub in the Paddock. I was a little conflicted by this tourist attraction, but they assured us she only drinks a “specially watered-down” brew. We were amazed how quickly she guzzled it!

    A bit further down the road we ventured out to St Columba Falls - reportedly the tallest in Tasmania and one of Tassie's top 60 short walks. It was a lovely stroll through the rainforest down to the falls and back up again.

    All in all, a fantastic first full day in northeast Tassie.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler

    Launceston TAS

    April 14, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today we can claim to have visited every state in Australia within the past 12 months! Pretty impressive.

    We disembarked the Spirit of Tasmania in Devonport around 10:30 am and headed south, stopping on route at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm for the most delicious punnet of fresh raspberries ever. We took only a few hundred metres to completely devour them as we continued down the Midland Highway towards Launceston.

    Here we explored Cataract Gorge, a unique and unexpected urban wilderness wrapped around a dramatic gorge, just a stroll from Launceston’s City Centre. The highlight was the First Basin Chairlift which spans over 457m, including a central span of 308m making it the world’s longest single span chairlift. It was a delightfully slow retro ride with stunning views over the reserve.

    After a few short walks around the grounds we headed for the east coast and our first real destination, Binnalong Bay. The Lazy Waves Beach House will be our home for the next few nights as we explore the Bay of Fires and northwest region of Tasmania. The house is superb, with a generous balcony overlooking the beach - perfect for our first Tasmanian happy hour 🥂    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler
    Spirit of Tasmania East Devonport Terminal

    Spirit of Tasmania

    April 13, 2024, Bass Strait ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After a long wait for delayed boarding we eventually sailed out of Port Phillip Bay in the early hours of Sunday morning. Happily we were able to sneak a cheeky port on the port deck as we left port 🍷😁

    Our cabin was cozy with all five of us in it but much better than the complimentary recliner option. In fact, once in bed it was quite comfy. I could even get accustomed to the quiet hum and vibrations of the ship’s engines while being gently rocked to sleep.

    Big thanks to Helen’s forward thinking and loan of an inflatable hiking mattress, which fit like it was made for the space between the bunks. And bless Lachie for graciously accepting this as his bed for the night xx

    We had a lovely calm voyage and were even welcomed to Tassie this morning by a spectacular full rainbow just outside our porthole window. Let the adventure begin!    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler
    Murray River, Albury

    Geelong VIC

    April 13, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    A quick detour leaving Albury this morning to peruse LuftWasser 2024 in the park opposite our morning coffee stop. Advertised as Australia's leading independent Porsche event, the festival showcased cars that are driven not polished. The boys at least were impressed.

    Moving on we caught up with Dan & Helen and arrived promptly in Geelong around mid afternoon excited and ready to board the Spirit of Tasmania, only to find it had been delayed and boarding would not commence until 9:30 pm. Hence we are now intimately acquainted with the Geelong waterfront!

    On the plus side, I did find the best raspberry muffin ever at a cafe on the foreshore and we all enjoyed a yummy dinner at Hecho En Mexico, a happening little place on the beachfront.

    We’re now playing ‘spot the SOT’ as we patiently await its arrival in Corio Bay.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzTAS Road Trip 2024Traveler

    Albury NSW

    April 12, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    On the road again, heading south. Destination Tasmania. Very excited as none of us have ever been before.

    It’s a different kind of adventure for us this time leaving the caravan behind and taking our chances on a range of motel, short-stay rental and cabin style accommodation.

    It was a slow roadwork riddled start, but once out of Sydney we cruised down the Hume Highway stopping briefly for lunch at Sutton Forest, fuel at Yass, and a quick detour to view the HMAS Otway at Holbrook.

    Tonight we’ve made it to the Albury Manor House in central Albury. Let’s just say it would have been stately in its day 🤣

    Despite the room being twice the size of our caravan we do miss the convenience of having everything on hand - it sure beats unpacking and repacking the car for short overnight stops.

    A quick drive up Monument Hill for a beautiful sunset vista over town before dinner at the Commercial Club - recreating a memory from our 2016 Great Ocean Road trip. The boys were disappointed the all-you-can-eat buffet died out with COVID but were more than happy with their mega schnitzels instead!

    Looking forward to really starting our Tassie odyssey as 'spirited travellers' tomorrow.    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Bermagui

    January 11, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Finding things to do on another uninspiring beach day… 😬

    After possibly the best fish and chips on the south coast from the Marina at Bermagui, we doubled back to explore the only goldfield in Australia that goes into the sea - Montreal Goldfield, an amazingly intact example of alluvial diggings from the 1880s.

    We joined a guided walk led by volunteers who explained the history and mining of the goldfield area. They also recounted the mysteries and anecdotes of times gone by as we followed boardwalks and paths through the beautiful native forest of tree ferns, eucalypts and orchids - evidently inhabited by a million mozzies!

    Apart from these oversized blood suckers, it was a relatively peaceful experience, a far cry from the gold rush era's chaotic days.    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Whitlams

    January 10, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    A fun evening spent singing along to our favourite Whitlams songs of old, reliving the best of the ‘90s as they played live to a packed house on the lawn at the Tilba Valley Winery & Ale House.

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Central Tilba

    January 10, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today we stepped back in time to explore the quaint village of Central Tilba, with its perfectly preserved colonial heritage buildings and colourful old world shops nestled amongst a forever green landscape.

    We sampled some cheese at the cheese factory and enjoyed some amazing pies from the bakery, before letting the kids loose in the old fashioned lolly shop! 🍬

    We walked away with jumbo bullets, choc covered jelly babies, watermelon bon-bons, coffee creams, gum-balls and the most hideously sour suckers imaginable 😝    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Oyster Farm & Brewery

    January 9, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    When in Narooma, the oyster capital of the south coast…

    A fancy afternoon at ‘Oyster Farmers Daughter’ - a funky shipping-crate cafe on the shores of Wagonga Inlet offering not only offer a beautiful waterfront location to sit back and enjoy an afternoon socialising, but also some of the best local produce in the region - including the famous Narooma Oysters 🦪

    Followed by a stop at Narooma’s brand new Breakwall Brewery to further unwind with some local beers and cocktails.    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Seals

    January 8, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    In spite of the weather we ventured down to the harbour to witness the fur seals that reside on the Narooma Bar breakwall, colloquially called Seal Rocks.

    Despite their cute appearance and playful nature, the fur seals are a topic of controversy in the local community, with local fishermen claiming they’re eating too
    much of their fishing stocks.

    Us tourists on the other hand found the wide eyed mammals simply adorable 😊    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024
    Cookies & Cream

    Bodalla

    January 8, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    El Niño letting us down again 😬

    Another uninspiring beach day spent getting our cheese on at the Bodalla Dairy. We tasted several locally produced varieties before walking away with tonight’s happy hour selection - a delicious creamy cheddar and pepperberry cheese.

    On account of the weather we decided lunch in Bodalla’s top rated pub seemed like a good idea, before returning to the Dairy for a round of ice creams and thick shakes. Yummo 😋    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Freshwater Bay

    January 7, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    After a lazy start to the day we headed down to Narooma Marina for an afternoon on the water, BBQ boat style.

    As the wind came up through the main channel we dropped anchor in the sheltered water of Freshwater Bay where we enjoyed jumping off the back of the boat and indulging in a culinary BBQ feast.

    A nervous moment as we lost connection with Dan’s drone which had flown well out of sight around the end of the bay. The boys were dispatched on the SUP in the faint hope of retrieval should it return to home and land at its original take-off point, now approximately 50m away as we’d drifted with the wind.

    Fortunately connection was restored in the nick of time and we all breathed a sigh of relief as Dan was able to manually land it on the deck of the moving boat! #skills

    Thanks for the overhead shots Dan 😁    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Bar Rock Lookout & Australia Rock

    January 7, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    Bar Rock lookout captures a spectacular ocean view over the breakwalls and out to Montague Island, and in the opposite direction a lovely outlook over to Bar Beach and the Wagonga Inlet.

    On the southern breakwall is a hole in the rockface known as Australia Rock. When viewed at just the right angle, the hole in the rock bears a resemblance to the shape of the Australian continent (without Tasmania) - so they say (imagination required).

    There are various explanations for how the rock formed into this continental likeness, including that it is simply a natural result of thousands of years of erosion of the ancient chert and shale headland. One of the more interesting tales is that the hole was created inadvertently when a ship was moored to the heads with large chains. In heavy seas the chains wore away the rock to create the familiar shape seen today.    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Dalmeny

    January 6, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Now this is more like it!

    A beautiful beach day at Dalmeny, complete with fish and chips from the Blue Octopus (a local favourite).

    Anth, Dan, Helen and I enjoyed our obligatory holiday ‘happy hour’ while the kids played an extended version of their beloved Settlers of Catan game. What would we do without it 😁

    We ended the evening with a highly competitive game of Trivial Pursuit - kids vs adults - which the kids will tell you they won convincingly. Either we taught them well or the questions were rigged - nothing to do with the preceding happy hour 🤪    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024

    Narooma

    January 5, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Another uninspiring beach day spent exploring the town of Narooma itself. We walked the disjointed Main Street acquiring a bunch of ‘classic’ DVDs from Vinnie’s (in anticipation of more unfavourable weather) before stumbling upon a fabulous artisan bakery - Honour Bakery - and the best ever sausage roll with tomato chilli jam sauce 😋

    Lachie was very keen to try his luck fishing, until we realised we brought the rods but not the tackle box 🤦🏽‍♀️

    We therefore spent the rest of afternoon playing games before welcoming Dan, Helen, Claire and Michael to join us for the rest of the holiday. Let the fun begin!    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024
    Dalmeny

    Happy Birthday Lachlan

    January 4, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We officially have 3 teenagers in the house!

    Not even an invitation to sleep in stopped the newest 13 year old from waking excitedly with the anticipation of birthday fun. And he certainly was rewarded.

    We got in early before we left home with his signature teenage gift of a Trek Roscoe 7 bike. Then this morning he received a further bounty 🤩

    Being an uninspiring beach day we explored around Narooma and Dalmeny before somehow finding our way to the new Narooma Mountain Bike Trails. Something tells me we’ll be back… 🤦🏽‍♀️

    As the sun attempted an appearance we headed to the beach, only to very quickly conclude that wetsuits are most definitely warranted (another reason we usually head north). The pool on the other hand was entirely pleasant.

    We ended the day with a special birthday dinner at the Narooma Hotel with its ‘million dollar view‘ over the Wagonga Inlet and Bar Beach.    Read more

  • Narooma Summer 2024
    1

    Let the holidays begin

    January 3, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    A very long 377 km to Narooma, mostly spent navigating the 15 km or so from Lake Conjola to Ulladulla - a serpentine of crawling traffic reminding us why we usually head north! The stunning scenery a saving grace as the sun made a brief appearance.

    The fabulous Discovery Park Narooma Beach will be our base for the next week or so as we explore this part of the south coast.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzGold Coast 2023Traveler

    Bonny Hills

    October 7, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It’s official, I think we’ve found the best ‘glampsite’ in Australia at BIG4 Bonny Hills. Complete with our very own double sized astro turf site, ensuite, spacious private deck, fully stocked outdoor kitchen (including complimentary tea, coffee, milk and biscuits), TV with Netflix, dining table etc. It’s awesome!

    Plus the park is pretty fabulous too - with heated pool, waterslide, splash park, coffee cart, games room, jump pad, putt putt golf and plenty of shade - all right beside a beautiful beach, with a great surf club and a general store/takeaway food just opposite. We’ll be back for sure!    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzGold Coast 2023Traveler

    Currumbin & Coolangatta

    October 6, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Our final day on the Gold Coast spent exploring the southern beaches towards the NSW border.

    First stop, coffee at Elephant Rock with its spectacular views back over the Surfers Paradise skyline and south towards Coolangatta.

    At the Coolangatta beachfront we spotted a bike shop advertising ‘Fat Boys’ for hire. They had our names all over them! An hour later we had cruised the length of the coast from Coolangatta to Currumbin and back. Anthony and Ryan scored the turbo charged models while Josh, Lachie and I got the driving Miss Daisy versions 🤣

    A fun day ending with a swim back at the caravan park, and a lazy cook ourselves dinner.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzGold Coast 2023Traveler

    Sea World

    October 5, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Saving the best for last… Day three of Village Roadshow Theme Park madness: Sea World!

    We all agreed Sea World was the best of the three parks, with rides that were genuinely fun and plenty of other entertaining attractions. We especially loved the Affinity Dolphin show and Seal Guardians presentation. Our favourite rides were the Jet Ski Rescue, Storm Coaster and Leviathan 😁

    We celebrated the successful completion of our three park ‘Escape Pass’ with a seafood platter on the Surfer’s Paradise beachfront 😋    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzGold Coast 2023Traveler

    Wet ‘N Wild

    October 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Day two of Village Roadshow Theme Park madness: Wet ‘N Wild! (mixing it up on account of the weather 🌦️)

    Very different to yesterday, with respectable queue lengths - we conquered 4 rides in our first hour! I may even have been convinced I had fun at a theme park 🤣

    Hoping the weather holds out for SeaWorld tomorrow 🤞🏼    Read more

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