The world class wineries of the Hunter Valley is only a short drive away from Sydney, therefore, it is a must-stop for your vacation.  There are a large variety of wineries and vineyards in the area ranging from small family businesses to large multi-national operations.  With so many choices, I highly recommend you arrange your trip to the Hunter Valley with a tour operator.

We took our trip with Australian Wild Escapes.  They break up the 45 minute drive with an Aussie morning tea break.  Our guide had a full wicker picnic basket packed with china cups for tea/coffee and freshly baked lamingtons and anzac biscuits (two traditional Aussie foods).  We stopped on the outcrops of a national park, which overlooked the Warragamba Dam, which make an idyllic spot for a midmorning snack.

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area.  He took us to some of his favorite boutique wineries in the Hunter Valley.  We got to admire the owners’ quaint cottage locations and taste their wines.

For lunch, our guide took us to the Bluetongue Brewery Cafe.  Our lunch was scrumptious.  Served family style, we passed a variety of salads and pasta around.  We had a line of tasting glasses filled with reds and whites in front of  us, which we drank in accordance to what was currently on our plates.

The Bluetongue is also famous for its beers; the brewery is directly next to the bar!  You can order a paddle of beer to try their varieties which includes a unique alcoholic ginger beer.

There’s no better way to spend an afternoon than wining and dining in the Hunter Valley!

The Shangri-La in Sydney is truly an oasis.  The rooms on the harbour side overlook the Sydney Opera House, which provides fantastic sunrise/sunset views.

One of my favorite things about this hotel is their fabulous breakfasts on Level 36 in their Altitude Restaurant.  Sip expresso and nibble on a pastry as you watch the sun rise over the Opera House, and you’ll definitely feel like you’re in paradise.

This iconic building put Sydney on the architectural map. The building is one of the most recognizable and photographed in the world.  All due to Danish architect, Jorn Utzon’s brilliant design.  Design should compliment its surroundings.  The Opera House does just that.

We took the Essential Tour, which exposes you to the wonder that is Utzon’s design.  The building reflects the harbour.  Each of the domes is shaped to be like a sail.  More nautical themes follow inside.  I won’t spoil the rest for you.  You have to take the tour!  Learn about Utzon’s inspired design and his falling out with the Australian committee leaders (don’t worry, the story has a happy ending).

Another great way to experience the Opera House is to see a show….but the show will have so much more impact after learning about the context of the building.

After checking into the Shangri-La Hotel, we took a brief pause to gaze at our gorgeous view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and famous Opera House (along with a 5 minute shower to freshen up and change clothes).  Then we were off again!

We headed to Q Station.  Leaving from Campbells Cove, a private water taxi cruise will take you through the lovely waterways to Manly where early travelers used to be quarantined before entering the country.

The Quarantine Station is now a historical site as well as resort that emphasizes rejuvenation.  What can be more of a retreat than going to a secluded hideaway where they used to purge others from diseases?

Their methods were highly successful with remarkably low death rates.  We were taken on a tour of the facilities in a mock demonstration of what it would be like to arrive there in the days of shipping.

First, you are separated from your belongings.  Kind of like during rush. Unlike rush, your clothes are taken to be steamed to extremely hot temperatures and dried.  Guaranteed shrinkage and (hopefully) complete purge of disease.

Then you are taken through the same process as your clothes.  In the cleaning chambers, there are three sections of rooms.  Undressing occurs in the first section (these clothes are burned).  Proceeding onto the shower, both doors will shut ominously. Water isn’t coming out of the spout in there though….it’s carbolic acid.  If you sense this and just pretend to watch, they’ll catch you.  There’s a little peep hole behind all the shower pipes.

The third section is where you redress in your newly shrunken clothes.  Then you are left to mull around on the small island for 40 days until the quarantine is over.

Luckily, visitors today don’t have to stay there that long.  I do recommend that you at least stay for lunch though.  The Boilerhouse restaurant is located at the edge of the harbour.  We enjoyed a lunch outside taking in the magnificent views of Sydney.  It was a bit chilly, but they had outside heaters.

Most of the packages offered by Q Station include dinner at the Boilerhouse. The Ghostly and Dine Package includes overnight bed & breakfast, two tickets to the adult ghost tour, and a two course dinner from as low as $388 (AUD).

I highly recommend the many tours.  You can opt to get a chill (their ghost tours) or the thrill of knowledge from their story tours, but either way you are bound to have a great experience.  Our guide brought these immigrants’ stories to life…and made history entertaining.

When first arriving in Australia, do not linger in your hotel room.  If you slow down or stop moving, you will be tempted to sleep.  And if you sleep….well all is lost.  Take the red eye and arrive in Australia bright and early two days from the day you left (the international date line makes things very interesting time-wise).

Our first adventure on the FAM trip was a tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens.  We met Leon, our Aboriginal Guide, at the Woolloomooloo Gates.  Woolloomooloo is an Abroiginal word derived from either from Wallamullah, meaning place of plenty or Wallabahmullah, meaning a young black kangaroo. Leon had an Abroiginal name too, but I’m not sure how to spell it.

Smiling Leon was holding many types of branches when we greeted him.  He crushed up the leaves and had us smell the intoxicating scents of lemons and licorice.  Having just arrived from a stressful airport and a long flight, it was nice to breathe in nature and unwind.  Inhaling big sniffs of the lemony leaves and fresh air, I was content just to close my eyes and listen to the birds.  These weren’t birds I was listening to though….but flying foxes!  For bats, they made some really pretty noises.

Leon led us through the gardens pointing out various plants and their uses.  Aboriginal people thrive on their connection to the land.  After explaining and showing examples of various ways his people live with and from the native bushland, Leon graced us with a song played on the didgeridoo.

Didgeridoo is a long wooden wind instrument, which has been carved out by termites and fashioned into a musical instrument.  It has many different Aboriginal names depending on the tribe and the region which they are from.The song he played us was about a hunter who tries to catch a kangaroo with a boomerang while a kookaburra sits in a tree laughing all the while.  It was amazing how you can tell all the different parts through the sounds.

We then leisurely strolled through the breathtakingly beautiful gardens where many joggers, families, and a flock of cockatoos were enjoying the brilliant morning on the harbourfront.  The gardens are located just by the water’s edge, and walking around the garden brought us directly to the Sydney Opera House.

Definitely a must-stop on your vacation to Sydney.  Free guided tours are offered  every day at 10:30am and 1pm Monday-Friday; The Aboriginal Heritage Tours, which I experienced, run about $28 per person; $15 per student/child.  If you find you don’t have time for a tour, at least take a stroll, a picnic lunch, or early morning run through the gardens during your stay.  You won’t regret it.

Flying from America to Sydney will take about 13-17 hours, depending on what coast of America you start.  When faced with a long flight, desperate options are considered: “should I pay $100 extra to change my middle economy seat to an exit row?” to “I need to find the strongest drugs on the market!” I am not a fan of fees and I dislike sleeping medication, so neither of these are a option for me, which can be a dilemma when put in a middle seat in economy.

The middle seat in the middle aisle of economy class can be the seat from hell.  It was the seat I had from LAX to SYD.  Here’s my secret: Hydration, moisturization, gum, good headphones, and an eye mask.

During flights, the dry cabin air can really become a bother.  In economy, steerage doesn’t get the luxury of hot warm towels.  However, you can bring lip balm and lotion (as long as it fits the sizes required by TSA regulations) to fight dehydration.  In the terminal, you can buy water to aide in this combat.  While at the newsstand, a book and gum are other great purchases. Chewing gum helps pop your ears from the changing altitudes, and the book will take away at least a few of those hours.

The best way to use long haul flight hours is to sleep, of course.  If you picked a stimulating book that doesn’t bore you into sleep, try one of the many movies offered on international flights.

Most international flights (such as the Qantas flight I took) offer a little goodie bag of a pillow, blanket, socks, toothbrush, pen, and eye mask.  Some people swear by travel pillows, I find them a little goofy.  MIT blogger, Star Simpson came up with a solution of wearing children pool floaties as a travel pillow, which Jaunted made fun of here.  I personally find the best way to sleep is with a good pair of headphones (ones that will block out any crying babies) and a sleeping mask.

Just find the best thing that works for you and stick with it.  TIP: Arrive early to see if you can be upgraded if the plane is overbooked.

When you’re slagging through the brittle cold of winter, Aussies are enjoying Christmas at the beach!  As it is in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia’s seasons are the opposite of those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.  Winter = Summer.  Summer = Winter.  Another difference is that the further you travel south, the colder it gets.

So, picturing Christmas among the kangaroos.  This is probably the worst time you could travel to Australia.  From Boxing Day (Dec. 26) to the end of January, Aussies are on summer vacation!  Which means most of the hotel rooms and airlines will be booked to the max.

The best deals offered by US airlines usually fall between mid-April to late August.  These are great times to visit the Red Centre, the Top End, and the Great Barrier Reef.

What? But you just said that’s their winter!  Yes, but much of the country, Queensland, all of the Top End and the Red Centre, and the north half of Western Australia are actually quite pleasant.  Daytime temperatures are 66-88 °F and it rarely rains.

June, July, and August are the peak travel season for US and European travelers though.  So you’ll have to book in advance, and you’ll probably miss out on tours with lower rates.

Personally, I think the best time to visit Australia is September and October.  It’s still warm enough to hit the beach, it’s cool enough to visit Uluru, and the rains haven’t come to Cairns and the Top End.  Plus, the wildflowers will be in full bloom in Western Australia because it is spring!

October through March is Australia’s summer.  It’s just too hot, too humid, or too rainy to get a great experience.  Many attractions and tour companies close during this season as floodwaters often render access off-limits.