By Nimesh – Travelling with Nikki, Yathaarth and Kshitij

From the moment our plane touched down in Melbourne on 4 May 2025, we knew this family trip to Australia would be special. As a family of four – myself (Nimesh), my wife Nikki, our elder son Yathaarth and younger son Kshitij – we had dreamed of seeing kangaroos up close, watching penguins waddle home at sunset, and standing before the dramatic cliffs of the Great Ocean Road. What we experienced over the next two weeks far exceeded those dreams. It was a perfect blend of wild nature, thrilling adventures, starting from Melbourne to Tasmania and going upto Great Barrier Reef.

Here’s our story – a heartfelt recap of our 14-day journey from Melbourne to Tasmania, the Gold Coast, the Whitsundays and Brisbane.

Arrival in Melbourne! No Luggage Arrived. Night Shopping upon Arrival

When we arrived in Melbourne, the first thing that took us by surprise was the biosecurity check at the airport. Dogs were sniffing the bags to check if we had carried any fruits, nuts, or dairy products from India. We had 2 bags full of food items, and we were really scared that the biosecurity check might catch it and we would have to dispose of all the items. But we had another surprise waiting for us. While we were waiting for our checked baggage, we were called to the office and informed that none of our luggage had arrived and it could only come the next day. The officers of Singapore Airlines were kind enough to give us a Rs 40k worth voucher to arrange for clothes and essentials in the meantime.

We were in a state of shock for a few minutes and panicked as we did not know where to go for shopping. We were all very hungry as well, but due to the paucity of time, we had to first go to the nearby Woolworths to do essential shopping and then only go for dinner. We quickly passed through the biosecurity check as we did have only hand luggage and picked up our rental car. We headed to the nearest Woolworths and quickly finished shopping in 2 hours.

We checked on the nearest Indian restaurant, and Jaimals Bhojan Bhandar popped up. It was quite late, and we were not sure if it would be open by the time we reached there. We arrived by 9:30 PM, and the restaurant staff were just closing the restaurant. I requested the owner to kindly open the restaurant for us, as we were really hungry. The owner agreed and asked his team to make hot chapatis and dal for us. It was the best food we had during our entire trip to Australia. I am really thankful to the owner of the restaurant. He was really kind.

With the Owner of Jaimals Bhojan Bhandar

In hindsight, I feel that what happened with us upon arrival was in best interest for the family. If luggage would have arrived it would have gone through Bio-security check and we might have had to dispose lot of items which was our lifeline.

Melbourne Arrival & Phillip Island Magic (5th May)

We checked in pretty late in our Apart Hotel – Pegasus Apart hotel. Very strategically located in CBD and quite spacious apartments with all facilities including washing machine room. We used it quite extensively during our stay. :)- They also have heated pool but unfortunately we did not have time to use it. I would highly recommend the Apart hotel for families.

The next morning we were up by 7:00 AM heading to Moonlit Sanctuary by 9:30 am. It is a small but well managed park with all native species of Australia. We really enjoyed playing with Kangaroos, Wallabies and Pademelon here. Still hard to differentiate between all of them :)-. We also saw Koala, Tasmanian Devil, Dingo. Quokka ( happiest kangaroo), Echidna and Wombat. There were multiple species of birds as well, most noticeably Tawny Frogmouth, Pink Cockatoo and Brown Goshawk. We spent almost 2.5 hours here and also attended a session on Wombat and their peculiar poo.

Girl at Moonlit sanctuary feeding a wallaby

Phillips Island

Post this we set out for Phillips Island. As we entered the area, it looked like a different place altogether. Frankly, there is so much to do in Phillips island that half a day is not enough. In hindsight I feel that we should have kept one full day for the island.

First thing we did on the island is a bicycle tour. We had pre-booked an electric bike from Cowes Bike Shop. We reached there by 1 PM and started our biking towards Rhyll Inlet Walkway. It was one of the best experiences in Melbourne. We biked upto the shore area and it was quite wonderful out there. We lost our way and could not reach exactly to Rhyll wetlands., but the entire experience was still worthwhile.

Biking around the shore in Phillips Island

From there we headed towards Chocolate factory on Phillips Island. It was an ok affair and I would say that if you have paucity of time, skip it. There are better things to do on the Island. We had to rush to Penguin Parade from here and therefore could not do other things which were planned. I would highly recommend that you skip this and do other things like Seal Rock, forest cave and Antarctic museum at nobbies centre.

Video of Exhibit at the Chocolate factory

And now it was time for the grand finale – Penguin Parade where hundreds of little penguins waddling up the beach after a day at sea. It was funny and amusing to see so many little penguins making their way, parading in the night. Since photos were not allowed we could not take a good shot of this phenomenon. But this is must do in melbourne. We took Penguin Premium and they were definitely worth the extra price we paid. The entire area where this natural show happens is also done very well. We also spotted few wallabies in the area.

Video of Penguins parading in Penguin Parade area

It was almost 10 PM by the time we arrived in Melbourne and we concluded our day with a dinner in Sarvanna Bhavan.

The Great Ocean Road: Kangaroos, Koalas & Iconic Coastline (6 May)

Our Great Ocean Road day was pure bucket-list magic. Leaving Melbourne at 8 am, we first stopped at Anglesea Golf Course where wild kangaroos grazed peacefully on the fairways – a surreal sight captured perfectly in our photos. I found the tour price at Anglesea little expensive but it is still worth it. The guide who took us to the tour was quite knowledgeable and explained us about a lot of facts about Kangaroos which were quite startling. From here we headed to Split point lighthouse. We could not climb the historic Split Point Lighthouse as it was closed but we enjoyed the view around the place.

Kangaroos lazing in Anglesea Golf course

Then we drove to Kennet River for the famous koala walk. Spotting sleepy koalas high in the eucalyptus trees felt like a dream. The area was absolutely pretty and we fell in love with area immediately. We did not have the energy to take a long walk around the area and after 15 minutes when we did not see any koala we retreated back. Fortunately we were lucky to see people stopping by on the road to see a koala sleeping on the tree. And yes, we also saw it !!!

Cockatoos in Kennet River area

Close-up photograph of a Koala sleeping on a tree enroute to Twelve Apostles

Finally we reached the most important landmark of the Great Ocean road. The Twelve Apostles and London Arch emerging from the misty ocean. Standing on Gibson Steps with the waves crashing below, we felt small yet incredibly connected to this ancient landscape. Every photo we took here turned out to be different and unique. It was quite windy out there. The place is very very pretty and wild.

View of Twelve Apostles

We head back to Melbourne at 5 PM and by the time we reached Melbourne it was 9 PM. Dinner with friends at Laddu Gopal Pure Veg was the perfect way to unwind.

Artvo Museum & Puffing Billy (7th May)

Morning we headed to Artvo Museum in the Docklands area. Artvo is a 3D museum where you can take some unreal photos. It was quite fun to take photos out there. Some photos really turned out to be very amazing.

Days highlight was boarding the Puffing Billy steam train at Belgrave for the scenic ride to Lakeside – the boys loved waving to passengers and feeling the historic engine chug through the forests. If you have time you must also spend some time walking around the locality before you enter Puffing Billy. It is one of the nicest and poshest area in Melbourne. Ensure you cover yourself properly before you board the train, as it is quite chilly out there. The entire experience in quite unique as you sit on train sideways with your legs pointing out. The route is also very scenic.

We ended our day doing Melbourne Skydeck. The tickets were quite expensive and not worth the experience.

City Vibes & Spirit of Tasmania (8th may)

Next day we did MCG and melbourne cricket stadium. The stadium is quite huge with multiple stories but the tour definitely gets boring after a point of time. Not recommended if you are not a die hard fan of cricket. And if you plan to do, do only MCG tour, no need to pay extra for Melbourne Sports Museum. That evening we drove to Geelong and sailed overnight on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry, arriving refreshed in Devonport the next morning. We had pretty scary experience here as the car rental company at Geelong closes exactly at 5 PM and we were late. We had to find some other centre about 40 minutes detour and gave the car there and then rushed in taxi to Geelong port.

Boarded Spirit of tasmania. The boarding was quite smooth. Went around the ship in night and then called of the day.

Arrival in Tasmania: The Apple Isle (9th may)

We arrived at the city of Devonport in Tasmania by ship in the morning around 7 AM. Getting a rental car at Devonport was quick and easy and we straight headed to the misty Cradle Mountains.

As soon as we arrived at the visitor centre in Cradle mountain we are wowed by the mystical weather there. We were greeted by wombats just outside the visitor centre. There are multiple walks / hiking paths in Cradle mountain, ranging from 1-2 hrs to 6-7 days. We opted to got for Enchanted walk which was a 1 hr easy walk. We boarded the tourist bus at Cradle mountain and stopped at the Dove lake point. As we started to walk up the Enchanted walk, our hands were freezing as it was misty and windy with temperature hovering around 2 degrees. We passed by Dove lake and a small hut by the lake. Since it was quite chilly we did not bother to go upto wombat pool and returned back.

Dove lake, Cradle Mountain

While we were returning back, we stopped by a small rivulet as we saw lot of people gathered around the rivulet and clicking photos. Lucky were we, that we spotted platypus in the rivulet

Platypus at the Rivulet in Cradle Mountain

From Cradle Mountain we headed to a small town names as Queenstown. Here we had booked a Mines & Pine tour. Queenstown is one of the prettiest town we saw in Australia. Dotted with beautiful houses and colourful cafes, it houses an historic railway station along with the cafe. Queenstown hold historic significance because the town has a history of Iron mining & Pine tree trade.

The tour started by 3 PM and we were being escorted by a very old energetic lady. First she took us to the Pine Forest and explained about unique varieties of pine trees available in the region. She also explained how railway lines were built in 1900’s to cut and carry these pine logs to far away places.

Pine Forest near QueensTown

Lady Guide explaining us about different kinds of Pine trees and mushrooms found in the area

After a tour to Pine Forest, the lady took us to an abandoned gold mine nearby. All of us wore helmets and we were searching for Gold 🙂 It was a nice and memorable experience.

Gold Digging in an Abandoned Gold Mine in Queenstown

We had planned to cover Ironblow lookout and couple of water falls around Queenstown but it got very late and we had to drop the plan. If you have time you must do Nelson Falls. At night we stayed near Derwent bridge in Derwent Chalets. They were the best in all of places we stayed in Australia.

Rail Track Ride & Mount Wellington (10th may)

Next day morning we intended to quickly go around Lake St. Clair which was close to our Chalet and then head out for Rail track ride. Due to shortage of time we could not do that, but would highly recommend this. First we visited The Wall, where we saw beautiful pieces/ sculptures being carved out of wood.

Railtrack Riders is situated between Queenstown and Hobart and can be accessed from both sides. This is a really cute and unique experience where you actually ride & pedal on a rail track. We were hoping to see some porcupines near the track but were unlucky. Overall I would say it is must do experience in Tasmania.

Rail Track Riders, Tasmania

From here we headed to Hobart and decided to go to Mount Wellington. Mount Wellington is the tallest mountain in Hobart and one can see the birds eye view of the city from here. To our surprise there was snow at various places in Mount Wellington and kids had real fun playing with that.

Mount Wellington, Tasmania

We reached our hotel in Hobart in the night. There were plenty of Wallabies & pademelons in and around the hotel. Infact, we spotted couple of them as we were walking by in the night.

Pademelon near the hotel in Hobart

Museums in Hobart & Glow Tour (11th may)

We started our day visiting the famous MONA museum. Kids did not like it at all, and frankly we also got bored. Not recommended unless you are a die hard lover of art. Our next interesting Pitstop for Pooseum (museum on Animal Poo). It is being run by a small lady and it is extremely informative. Some of the facts about Animal Poo are really quirky. The town (Richmond Town) around Pooseum is also very beautiful and we lazed around the place and clicked some beautiful pictures.

Old Bridge in the Richmond Town, Hobart

Highlight of the day was Glow Tour at night in Hobart which is conducted by a lady scientist. She is meticulous in her approach and she ensured that we see plenty of wildlife in a park in hobart during night time. We saw a couple of Wallabies, pademelons, platypus, glowing scorpion and Brush tailed possum. Infact, we saw two possums. This tour leaves a lasting memory in one’s mind. Very unique experience and must do in Hobart.

Hastings Cave & Sydney Fasttrack(12th may)

It was our last day in Tasmania. We had hoped to see Southern lights and we were using Aurora app to see if we can spot one. But unfortunately the signals very weak and we could not spot Aurora.

In the morning we headed to hastings cave which is a limestone cave situated 2 hrs from Hobart. It is nice, but if you have seen other limestone caves elsewhere you can skip it.

Hastings Cave, Tasmania

Though we had not planned Sydney in our itinerary, it happened !! Our Airlines had cancelled Hobart to Brisbane flight the next day and instead gave us an option of Hobart to Sydney on 12th night and 13th morning Sydney to Gold Coast. So we utilised this to our advantage and did a quick tour of Opera house once we reached Sydney at night.

Opera House, Sydney Harbour

Rain Forest in Gold Coast & Outback Adventure (13th May)

We had a packed day on 13th. As soon as we reached the Airport, we picked up the rental car and headed to Tamborine Mountains. Our first stop for Mount Alpaca tour. It was our first encounter with the Alpacas. They are colorful, fluffy, stubborn and they seem to have infinite stomach (always eating).

Alpacas in Tamborine Mountain

Next we did Skywalk in the rainforest, followed by Glowworm tour. I would recommend Glowworm tour as it gives you a very nice insight on this unique species.

Highlight of the day was Outback Adventure tour. It is a 7-D live experience with stage having multiple screens and people performing on the stage. One of the best live performance we saw. Real Australian Cowboy experience. While some people would prefer Thrill parks in Gold Coast, my view is that thoose you will find elsewhere as well, but this experience is very unique to Australia. It shows, how people in the Outback ( heartland of Australia) struggle and work together to overcome thoose struggles.

Australian Outback Adventure, Gold Coast

At night we stayed in 20th floor apartment on Surfers Paradise with beach in front of us and parakeets greeting us in the balcony.

Gold Coast Waterfront Sports & Reaching Airlie Beach by night (14th may)

The next day started with the unusual AquaDuck amphibious tour which a bus turned boat. It short of time one can give it a pass. Next we did Infinity attraction museum which is good to go.

The highlight of the day was going to be Parasailing and Jet Skiing at Surfers Paradise. Our Parasailing got cancelled because of weather but Jet Ski was real fun. I wish I had done another round of Jet Ski. We had done Jet Ski in Chennai earlier, but in Chennai you don’t get to drive the Jet Ski. The fun part in Gold Coast is that you do a guided tour where you drive the Jet Ski.

Jet Ski, Gold Coast

Post the fun in the water, we headed to Brisbane Airport where we had a flight to catch to Mackay. Once we arrived in Mackay, we took the rental car and headed to Airlie Beach town which is 2 hrs away. The road from Mackay to Airlie was quite scenic. There were lot of sign boards on the way stating that bad road condition ahead, but the road was absolutely fine.

Airlie beach is beautiful happening town with lot of cafes. We really loved the ice-creams here and actually found them to be cheaper than India.

Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef: Pure Paradise (15th May)

Next day, early morning we headed for full day Great Barrier Reef tour. It was a truly mind boggling experience as we experienced the world’s biggest reef. It took 2.5 hours for the junk boat to cross Whitsunday Islands and reach the pontoon where the boat was parked. We did a Semi submarine tour organized by the company free of cost. We also had booked Scuba Diving tour with the company. Though it was our first time as diving, the organizers very good and really enjoyed seeing the reefs down under.

View of Reef from Semi Submarine Tour

Scuba Diving at Inner Reef

Corals at Reef

Whitehaven Beach & Heart Reef (16th May)

It was beginning of yet another memorable day in Great Barrier Reef. We were supposed to do a helicopter tour over Heart Reef but it got cancelled because of weather. It is a must do tour here.

We headed for 6 hour tour to Whitehaven beach. Whitehaven beach is a UNESCO world heritage site and is the largest pure Silica beach. We headed on speed boat to the beach. Boat was cruising at such high speed that everything around was flying. What a thrilling experience it was.

Speed Boat from Ocean Adventure, Airlie Beach

Once we reached Whitehaven beach we went around Hill Inlet and took some beautiful shots of the beach from there and then went straight into the beach.

View of Whitehaven beach from Hill Inlet

We spotted Sting ray and Juvenile Lemon Sharks in the beach just in front of us while we were in the water.

Sting Ray & Lemon Shark in Whitehaven beach

While retreating back, we stopped at once and went snorkelling into water to see beautiful school of fishes.

Snorkling near WhitSunday Islands

We flew from Mackay in night and reached Brisbane

Brisbane Finale: Bridges, Cycling & Last-Minute Memories (17 May)

Our last full day began with the thrilling Story Bridge Adventure Climb at 8 AM. Though the climb is easy but I really loved the way they have organised it. Nice little thing to do in Brisbane.

Story Bridge Climb, Brisbane

Post that we went around cycling near Brisbane river. We ended our day visiting Queensland Museum and shopped at DFO. We regret spending less time in Queensland Museum. Ideally one should have 3-4 hrs to do justice. DFO was nice but it closes by 6 PM so we could not shop much.

We had a late night flight from Brisbane to Bengaluru via Singapore. With this, we came to end of this sojourn.

Summary: 10/ 10 for Activities and variety in Australia

There are very few countries in the world as diverse as Australia. It’s wildlife is unique and it is everywhere. We had close encounter with more than 20 species here – Kangaroos, Wallabies, Koalas, Pademelons, Wombats, Tasmanian Devil, Sting Ray, Lemon Shark, Brush Tailed Possum, Dingo and many more…

In a short span of 14 days we visited a place with unpredictable weather ( Melbourne), to cold weather ( Tasmania) to sunshine weather (Gold Coast) and then to Gold Coast. Each city unique in it’s own way. While I ponder on my trip to Australia, it seems 14 days is not enough for a vast country like Australia and one needs atleast 2-3 visits to visit the hinterlands and experience the desert life , reptile species and Great Barrier Reef. We will visit again !! Thank you Australia.

All photos by Nimesh & family. Follow us for more family travel stories.