Travel Guides and Stories

Mar 16–25, 2023 · 10-day East Coast self-drive

1) Itinerary:
Evening 15th: Guangzhou → Sydney
Midday 16th: Sydney → Brisbane · Stay: Brisbane IBIS
17th: Brisbane → Sunshine Beach → Gympie → River Head → Hervey Bay · Stay: Coconut Family House
18th: Fraser Island
19th: Hervey Bay → Bundaberg → Gladstone → Seventeen Seventy → Rockhampton · Stay: motel
20th: Rockhampton → Mackay → Proserpine → Airlie Beach · Stay: backpackers
21st: Whitsunday sailing · Stay: on board
22nd: Airlie Beach
23rd: Airlie Beach (Outer Reef flight) → Townsville · Stay: motel
24th: Townsville → Sydney
25th: Sydney → Guangzhou

2) Transport
Hertz car rental: pick up Brisbane, drop off Townsville

3) Costs:
Intl flights: 3015 RMB
Domestic flight: 210 AUD
Fraser Island: 150 AUD/person
Whitsunday sailing: 290 AUD
Whitsunday flight: 170 AUD
IBIS: 149 AUD
Coconut: 239 AUD/2 nights
Rockhampton motel: 185 AUD
Airlie Beach Backpackers: 25 AUD/person
Waterfall Backpackers: 32 AUD/person
Townsville motel: 160 AUD
Car rental: 750 AUD/9 days (full-to-full fuel)
Other: 500 AUD

My WeChat public account: cew_joytravel
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Back on Jun 11, 2022, China Southern ran a killer promo to Australia—990 RMB, totally irresistible. On impulse I bid on tickets to Sydney for over six months later.
I’d lived in Australia years ago and had already done Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, so we chose the East Coast coastal route. It’s a bit off the beaten path; many towns aren’t touristy and guides are sparse. Thankfully Tourism Australia’s regional info is detailed. *** We largely followed that plan.
In mid-March 2023, because a friend once missed a China Southern flight after an unannounced time change, I called ahead to reconfirm. First they told me one of our flights “didn’t exist,” which gave me a fright—turns out it was canceled. We’d received no notice or refund info. Our return was rescheduled too, also without notice. They claimed they emailed us, but nothing was confirmed on our end. Service… not great. In the end they rebooked us, so we let it go.
Our Guangzhou → Sydney flight was over an hour late, so we would’ve missed our Brisbane connection. Thankfully Virgin Australia insisted CZ handle our rebooking, saving us 60 AUD per person.

Arriving at Sydney Airport—this Virgin Australia jet was our connection. Not a cloud in that brilliant blue Sydney sky…

Our shuttle bus driver was a super-hyped lady. When she heard our plan she joked about ditching work to join us. Her smile blew away our delay blues!
After 3.5 hours we landed in Brisbane. Car rental counters are in-terminal; for pickup, exit, turn right, take the pedestrian overpass via the escalator, then follow signs to your company’s area.
Brisbane’s compact. We met friends at YHA, then took a quick wander around the CBD. Around 4 we drove up Mt Coot-tha for city views—Brisbane at dusk feels so calm and laid-back.

Brisbane panorama

Till our hair turns white—sometimes love is just you steadying me, I steady you, through the seasons and years…

The hilltop restaurant

Brisbane at dusk
On a friend’s tip we went to Morrison Hotel on Stanley St for steak. The steakhouse is wildly popular. We arrived late and sat in the bar area—the menu’s the same.

Day 2:
We strolled the Brisbane River, ducked into a church, and treated ourselves to breakfast riverside.

City Hall

Church

Skyscrapers by the river

Riverside restaurants

A lovely server brought us a hearty breakfast…

Old steamship
Then our East Coast road trip officially began!
Stop 1: Noosa, Sunshine Beach · light rain

A surfing paradise—those colorful boards lining the sand are a sight

Kids don’t care about weather—still pure joy on the beach.

Stop 2: Gold rush town Gympie · drizzle
A seemingly work-free town—pretty houses, quiet streets, lazy vibes—we fell for it hard.

Chilled-out Gympie… On a weekday it was eerily quiet—peak relaxation. The rain never really let up, and the empty A1 felt spooky. We finally reached Hervey Bay and checked into a fantastic family home.
Day 3: Fraser Island—the world’s largest sand island

The ferry to Fraser Island…

On this offbeat route, you rarely meet other Asian travelers

Boss cat on board

Rainforest on Fraser

A canopy so dense it blots out the sky

Shipwreck remains

Lake McKenzie—crystal-clear, vast and calm—unforgettable
Day 4: Bundaberg → Seventeen Seventy → Rockhampton · bluebird skies

Our Coconut family house—great price, fully equipped, comfy, well-located

Step out to the beach—good weather, good mood

Scenery like a painting all the way

Cane fields by the road to Bundaberg (a historic sugar town)

Arriving in Bundaberg

Roadside blooms

Lots of white buildings—stunning against that blue-and-white sky

Oddball rigs on the highway

Strolling through Seventeen Seventy—a boho seaside town named for Captain Cook’s 1770 landing

Town of 1770
Perfect weather carried us into steak capital Rockhampton. Alas, in laid-back Oz many kitchens shut by 8-something. When we were about to give up, a hardworking Chinese-run noodle bar saved dinner—a family from Hubei bringing us a comforting taste of home.

Day 5: Rockhampton → Mackay → Proserpine → Airlie Beach · torrential rain
A cyclone had hit Townsville, and cities down the line were drenched. The A1 in a downpour is no place for 150 km/h. Visibility was poor; our little Japanese car had us nervous. Near Proserpine, floodwater stopped many cars. After ~20 minutes, big 4x4s started forging through thigh-deep water. Dusk closing in, we followed to make Airlie before dark. Spray from the trucks blinded us, but the little car soldiered through. We even spotted two wallabies by a grove—our excited shout scared them off. White-knuckle day, but we made it to Airlie. Fingers crossed for fair seas tomorrow.

Day 6: Airlie Beach → Whitsunday Islands (Whitehaven Beach, Turtle Island)

A gloomy morning had us worried—open ocean isn’t forgiving.

Our very “manly” captain said it’d be bumpy but fine. We were already aboard—faith it is!

Soon we sailed into blue skies and sunshine. That’s Hamilton Island—the famed “rich people’s island.”

Blue so close you could touch it

Whitehaven Beach—this sea just opens your heart

Our sailboat for the overnight

Glass-calm water

Dusk at sea
That night we lounged on deck, the boat gently rocking. Looking up, thousands of stars formed a bright river—so close, so clear. The crew pointed out the Southern Cross, Orion, and more. The ocean’s quiet was addictive.

Day 7: Sailing back to Airlie Beach

We helped hoist those sails—powering our way home

Caper’s—locals raved about it; lots of celeb signatures on the wall

Looked great, tasted better

Day 8: Great Barrier Reef → Townsville
There’s no ferry to the Outer Reef, and we wanted to see the famous Heart Reef we’d seen in magazines, so we splurged: 170 AUD per hour for a small-plane flight over the massive coral system.

Our 7-seater plane. Hotel pickup included.

Sitting right behind the pilot—so exciting

Whitehaven from above—somehow even prettier

Entering the Outer Reef

The legendary Heart Reef—tiny, blink and you’ll miss it

Jaw-dropping scenes—may they be protected well. Even at that price, supporting conservation felt worth it.
After the flight we headed for our final destination: Townsville.

Finally, a train sighting…

A small town with nostalgic architecture

Our brave little red car

That sunset glow

Steak again—we’re unabashed carnivores!

A steakhouse claiming to be the best in South Australia—packed, long wait, seaside location

UV in Townsville is fierce—skin cancer rates are high
Day 9: Townsville → Sydney

Sydney from the plane—clear skies, crisp shots
Day 10: Sydney in a day: University of Sydney → Darling Harbour → Fish Market → Opera House → Sydney Harbour Bridge
Having lived in Sydney for a few months, this was basically playing tour guide. Surprised how sharp my memory still was—so I led the way.

Stop 1: University of Sydney. I’ve visited many Aussie campuses; this grand old one still has my heart—pure atmosphere.

Stop 2: Darling Harbour

Stop 3: Fish Market

Stop 4: Royal Botanic Garden—stumbled upon a local wedding

Stop 5: Sydney Harbour Bridge at dusk

Sydney Opera House

By a little after 8 pm we were back at Sydney Airport, wrapping the 10-day journey. Australia, for me, is about nature and the warmth of its people. It’s a place I’m eager to return to—hopefully before my multi-entry visa expires.

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