An Awesome Little Day Trip

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• Love that swimsuit! It's been raining here for over a week straight.. I'm ready for some sun and beach as well!

• I've been thinking about how badly I want to go to the beach, but definitely don't want to deal with the traffic and craziness of beaches in Long Island. Will definitely have to take advantage of this ferry!

• Australia is the best! You're going to have a blast! I spent a month there a few years ago between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and it was amazing! I would recommend checking out Lone Pine koala sanctuary, hit up the Sydney Opera House for a show (it can be expensive but they usually have one that isn't too expensive), they ferry is Sydney Harbor is the most beautiful ride because you get to see the bridge, the opera house and the boats on the water and check out any random hole in the wall food places you can find - they're delicious! Also, they don't tip there so you don't need to worry about that and they won't bring the check at a restaurant until you ask for it. Have fun!!!

  • @Tricia @ A Couple of Dashes: Just to chime in on this to correct slightly as an Australian - we do tip, but it's not expected/obligatory. We tip for good service - one of the advantages of being a country with a reasonable minimum wage! Generally though we do about 10% in nicer places, or just round up to nearest amount in a cafe.

• Baseball cap!

  Love the suit!

• Long time reader, first time commenter from Australia. Hi!

  Sydney Harbour is the most iconic place to spend New Years but it's also the most expensive. And if you want a hotel room with views of the fireworks you probably need to book immediately. But all of the major population centres do fun things for New Years. I live in Brisbane and our fireworks display is over our river which is pretty amazing. Brisbane is also a great place to come to get to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts (about an hour's drive south and north of Brisbane, respectively) which have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. And the Sunshine Coast has Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo! But again, if you're going for iconic beaches, you can't really go past Bondi in Sydney.

  If you have time to get up to the Great Barrier Reef, Airlie Beach is a good starting spot. Very popular with backpackers, not too expensive and regular boats out to the reef to go snorkelling or to the islands in the Whitsundays. Just be warned, North Queensland in summer is HOT (easily 100F most days) and very very humid. But still worth it :)

  Finally, Melbourne is the other big city that's worth a visit. It's best for culture, shopping, food, wine and coffee. It's also an easy drive or bus tour out to some of Australia's best wine country. I just don't recommend asking anyone in Melbourne where you can find the nearest Starbucks. We have them, but Melbourners tend to be a bit (okay, very) snobby about their coffee and would treat it as the equivalent of being in Tuscany and asking for directions to McDonalds.

  Once you've decided where you'll be spending most of your time, feel free to email me for more recommendations. I live in Brisbane but I've spent plenty of holidays in Sydney and Melbourne so can give you some more specifics (restaurants, bars and other sights) once you know where you're going. I'm going to be in NYC this August so I might just ask you to return the favour :)

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• Exciting that you are coming to Australia! It's a long way from NYC (I've done the reverse AU to NYC a few times) so prepare for the jet lag! ;-)

  What cities are you planning on visiting? And what city are you planning on spending NYE in?

  I love Sydney and Melbourne, totally different vibes but just gorgeous cities. I live in Brisbane and I like my city but it's a night or two kinda place. I spent much of my younger years on the Gold Coast and it's pretty good for beaches, but over the top touristy. If you can make it to the Great Barrier Reef I'd recommend that. Cairns would be good for a tourist as there are a few things to see and tours you can do.

  Bring a hat and a shit load of sunscreen... It will be hot.

  Oh and we don't tip here. I certainly don't tip in restaurants it's just not expected. If I'm paying by cash I may round up (ie $27.50 I'll give them $30) but paying by card you just don't. No one will bat an eyelid if you wait for your change. On the money front, it's an expensive country compared to the US. Everything is just that little bit more expensive. The exchange rate is terrible at the moment too. No more online shopping for me!

  • @Karen: I just realised, the exchange rate is awful for me, but will be fantastic for you! So it probably won't feel that expensive for you ;-)

• So fun! Sandy Hook was the beach closest to us growing up, so we went there a lot for quick day trips. When I am home in NJ, I still love to go, especially closer to sunset. So pretty!

• Rocking that bikini! You look fit and strong!