A trip to Sydney wouldn't be complete without a visit to Manly via the ferry across Circular Quay. To be honest, I don't have a lot of specific information to share with you about Manly, I just love it. The vibe is completely different from Sydney, despite being so close and easily accessible. It's like being away for the weekend, while still being in the city. The main beach is a short walk from the ferry terminal through the corso, which is overflowing the everything from unique boutiques, gift shops, bars and open air restaurants. 

The iconic ferry that takes people between Manly and Circular Quay offers some of the best views of the harbour, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, and is just something that can't be missed if you're visiting the city. Take a short day trip around to the northern beaches of Sydney for a late lunch and relaxing afternoon at the beach.

If you ask international visitors what they know about Australia, almost all of them would mention Sydney Harbour. They might even quote the infamous address from Finding Nemo, P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney! The walk around the waters edge offers the perfect way to see some of the most iconic sites and attractions around harbour, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Beginning at Mrs. Macquarie's Chair and winding past the Royal Botanical Gardens, the walk can either take you through the historic Rocks or even across the Harbour Bridge. 

With the temperatures rising as the Australian summer really starts kicking in it kinda feels like everyone from the city of Sydney relocates to the beaches, with Bondi sitting firmly as one of the most popular. There's no place like it. It's one of Australia's top beaches, infamous for it's unique culture and definitely the place to be during the long hot summer days. Bondi Beach is like a destination all of it's own with regularly changing street art lining the walls of the sidewalk, buff gym junkies pumping iron at the beachside Bondi gym and lifesavers in blue watching over their precious beach. 

It's surprising to think that a walking trail anywhere could regularly be listed as one of the destinations top attractions, but after actually taking the six kilometre walk from Bondi to Coogee beach you will completely understand. The cliff top walk across the coastal Eastern suburbs of Sydney winds across cliffs, beaches, bays, parks and rock pools and offers some spectacular views of the New South Wales coastline, with each beach offering something unique. 

Cheer up, slow down, chillout. The sign on Ewingsdale Road leading into Byron Bay sums up the vibe perfectly. The famous beach town holds a reputation completely unique to any other in Australia. Whilst it's well known for its beautiful coastline, perfect weather, surf breaks and close proximity to the hinterland, it's the distinctive barefooted, colourful gypsy vibes that makes it such a special place. The centre of town can be found only a block away from the beach and the streets are littered with spray painted combie vans, tie dye t-shirts and a picture of alternate lifestyles. Let's just say, it's a place where a hula hooper would fit right in and that's what makes it so special. If you're heading to Byron Bay for the first time here's everything you need to know. 

One of the best ways to explore Anna Bay and the Port Stephens region is to just pull into any dirt or sand track that looks big enough to fit a car and see what you find at the end. That's how we found Little Rocky! It is one of our favourite places to have stumbled across along Australia's East Coast and it was a complete accident! It is the perfect example of how taking risks, following your instincts and seeking adventure can have such a beautiful outcome. 

Making our way back to the ocean our road trip continued along the Central Coast of New South Wales. The Central Coast encompasses the area from Sydney to Newcastle in the north, beginning at the Hawkesbury River and stretching all the way up to the southern end of Lake Macquarie. The whole region is full of quaint little towns mixed into the natural bays, beaches, inlets, lakes and hinterland area, offering the perfect places to relax, unwind and slow down the pace. 

The first stop on our roadtrip was the Blue Mountains, shamefully despite many visits to Sydney it was a region we have never visited. The Blue Mountains National Park can be found under two hours out of Sydney in New South Wales and is known as a World Heritage Area with a giant variety of activities to try and lookouts to visit. Overloaded with natural attractions, spectacular views and even the steepest incline railway in the world there's so much more to the Blue Mountains than anyone would expect, and it can definitely take a couple of days to get through them all. 

For one of the most unique and popular dining options in Sydney you need to check out The Grounds of Alexandria. It isn't just a quirky cafe, it is truly an experience. With The Cafe indoors, the outdoor 'Potting Shed', a petting zoo, florist, organic gardens, and specialty cheese and meats stores, The Grounds are a destination to be experienced during your time in Sydney. 

I'm going to be very honest, we were extremely unprepared for the Coastal Walk at Royal National Park. After seeing the infamous Wedding Cake Rock on Instagram, my sister and I decided we wanted to see it for ourselves. So without doing enough research, we literally typed "Wedding Cake Rock" into Google Maps and blindly followed it's instructions. It was so much further away and harder to get to than we expected, and for anyone planning on heading down to Wedding Cake Rock, I would definitely recommend doing some research! But for now, I am going to try and give you as much detail as I can about experiencing the Royal National Park Coastal Walk, which in all honesty, is definitely one of the most beautiful walks I have ever experienced and I am so lucky we accidentally stumbled across it.