Off The Beaten Path Experiences In Australia
You know by now that at RatPack we like to do things a little bit different and that includes our RatPackers too! Holly will be sharing her top tips including:
- Where to find the best wildlife in Aussie
- How to get to these lesser known spots
- The exact secrets to finding each spot
- Her own personal tips on how to make the experience epic!
RatPacker Holly hit up the east coast and got well off the beaten track and saw all the sweet spots including some that you might not have heard of before…..check out her blog below!
Click images to see more.
Secret spots to check out
St Kilda penguins, Melbourne
Who have thought hey!? Penguins in Oz…Well, if you look carefully enough and tread lightly, you may be lucky enough to spot St Kilda’s colony of little penguins. You’ll find them at the end of St Kilda breakwater every night, at the end of St Kilda Pier, just past the kiosk. Make sure you get there about 30 minutes after sunset to be sure to get a spot.
TOP TIP: Look below you, under the wooden slats of the pier; they’re real shy, so a load of them hide under here.
Whiting Beach, Sydney
If you board the ferry from Sydney to Taronga Zoo, but head left at the wharf instead of going towards the zoo, you’ll come across the beginning of a headland walk. Walk for about 10 minutes along the path and you’ll discover Whiting Beach; a secluded spot with immense views of the Sydney skyline.
TOP TIP: Bring a camera, the views are not to be missed!
Palm Beach, Sydney
Ok, so not so ‘secret’, just more so that it’s not bothered with as it is quite a distance away from Sydney. But, it is worth the journey…believe me! The lighthouse walk is epic and when you [finally] reach the top, the 360 views are insane! The suburb is essentially a double beach; what more could you want! One side is pretty choppy whereas, the other is completely still and perfect for a little swim around. Also, if you are lucky enough to be there at any point between May and August, make sure to look out to sea for a spot of whale watching.
TOP TIP: Reward yourself after the lighthouse walk with a bite to eat at The Boathouse.
Fairy Bower Sea Pool, Manly
Arguably one of the coolest spots along the East Coast (my absolute fave to say the least). Situated about three quarters of the way along Marine Parade (to the right of Manly Beach), it is a glistening, inviting, picturesque pool of dreams. Its warm too, which beats the freezing cold water at Shelly Beach! Opt for this little sliver of paradise if you want to get away from Manly’s crashing waves on Main Beach. You can swim between the two though, if you fancy a change in scenery!
with RatPack Travel?
Wategos Beach, Byron Bay
Take a pit stop from the sweaty Cape Byron Lighthouse walk and cool off in the sheltered, sandy beach. It’s peaceful, not too crowded and sheltered, so the water is lukewarm and the perfect spot for paddle boarding, wave diving, swimming or simply taking a moment to float and soak up the sun. Now get back up, dry off and keep on going strong towards the lighthouse, you can do it!
TOP TIP: Look out for Byron’s pod of dolphins that like to frequent this area. AND make sure you cruise in and see the RatPack crew >>> Byron Bay is their home!
Tallebudgera Creek, Burleigh Heads
First things first, weave yourself along the Burleigh Heads headland walk, it’s great and extremely picturesque. By the way, Burleigh Heads is about a half hour drive away from Surfers Paradise. Anyway, on to the good bit…Tallebudgera Creek; the glistening, light blue lagoon positioned at the end of the headland walk. Take a whole day here to wind down, relax and take in the incredible scenery; you’ve got the National Park on one side and the creek to the other…perfection.
TOP TIP: Bring a snorkel – there are schools of teeny, shiny fish everywhere.
Wallaby watching at Geoffrey Bay, Magnetic Island
Here’s another one to add to your Maggie Island itinerary. At dusk, when the weather begins to cool down a little, head on down to Geoffrey Bay (it is just to the right of where the ferry drops you off, so a perfect activity to end the day with).
Here, you’ll come across the island’s huge population of rock wallabies…it’s amazing! They’re super cute, extremely friendly and will keep you entertained for hours. Be sure to keep very quiet and make minimal movement, then they should come right up to you.
TOP TIP: Pack a banana, they love them!
Lake Echam, Cairns
Second to the Great Barrier Reef, this was one of the highlights of my time spend in Cairns. It is simply just a huge lake, but it’s so much fun! It was formed by a volcanic crater, so the water is naturally really warm and super clear. There are numerous pontoons around to jump in from and swim between. It is a pretty cool, unique location surrounded by the Atherton Table rainforest.
TOP TIP: Look out for tree kangaroos.
From our RatPackers
I booked my campervan to travel in NZ via RatPack Travel, who managed to find me the perfect van at relatively short notice and with a discount! It was a real help to have someone do the searching and mediate with the company, once they had dates and information from me. Thanks for the prompt and friendly service!
Great service! Jenner was so much help and gave us lots of options to suit our journey. Very attentive and made it an easy process.
This was the best customer service I ever experienced! I highly recommend you if you are looking for a Van or Camper to leave your email address so somebody of their team can get in touch with you. They compare for you all camper hire company’s and you can choose with one suits you the best. I literally talk to this awesome lady from Holland (as I’m only available after 8pm MEL time, so the arrange for me a call with somebody from the EU team for free) and she got our dream van for the most incredible price few minutes after we talked! And not even one day later I got my booking confirmation from the camper company. Their service is free of charge as they earn commission of your booking but this doesn’t cost you a cent. I did my own research before but the deals they give me was way better than I could find by my own. I highly recommend to get in touch with this team and let them find your Van. They literally saved us our fuel cost for a 3 weeks travel from Cairns to Sydney. Yes- that’s almost $1000 they saved us! Go and get your van! You won’t regret it.
So far, so so good. I should have started with RatPack to begin with and saved all that time searching for a camper and feeling like I was getting nowhere. Jenna was incredibly helpful -doing all the hard yards and getting us the best deal. Very prompt service. Thanks for making it so easy !
Very friendly service with Tammy. Super attentive and keen to help us. Got us a discount and one of the last available options.
Ratpack was super helpful! They were extremely responsive and helped us get an amazing deal on two 3-person camper vans. Highly recommend giving them a shot!
Really straight forward helpful and friendly people!
Mike helped us with finding the best van for us for our 3 week trip and was very knowledgeable. With some quick phone calls he gave us the best quotes and walked us through the process in detail. Everything was made clear and we booked our trip in just an hour! I would highly recommend their service.
Great experience with the RatPack travel team! Really went out of their way to help us book our Van’s for two different trips! They have great rapport with the various Van companies, were able to help us book the last available Van for our time in WA and were able to get us some discounts as well. Zan and Mikey were both so easy going, made it feel like we were chatting with friends who genuinely cared about our travels haha, awesome guys! Definitely recommend the RatPack service, will save you time and money fellow travellers!
Mike was amazing - helped me find a van and gave me quotes, a full breakdown, etc super quickly no stress! Just what I needed. Can't wait to start my trip. Thanks dude!
Booked a 3 week trip with MIKEY! Customer service was on point. No Buls**t straight to the point. Saved us a further % on the original price of the campervan and sent me a map of the east coast with highlighted areas he highly recommended to stop at. looking forward to our trip! 🇮🇪 🇦🇺
Highly recommend this company! Mike was incredibly helpful; he gave us lots of useful info and managed to get an excellent deal on a camper for our trip. The whole process was quick and easy. Thank you! Alison and Amy x
Mikey was amazing at helping us plan our 3 week schedule for the east coast. He went over and above to make sure that we were able to fit everything in that we wanted to in the time we have. His knowledge has been a great asset for us making an itinerary. Can't recommend enough!
If you want to book a camper for your trip, you should only do so with Ratpack. The team is incredibly fast and provides great service. No annoying comparison of providers, since Ratpack takes over. They are looking for the best deal and can offer great discounts. they respond individually to your wishes and give you additional tips for the trip. Since there is also an EU team, you could make calls at individual times of the day - simply excellent all around - thanks for everything
Absolutely delighted with the service provided by RatPack Travel. In particular, the excellent guidance and support offered by Jules! We explained our plans and she found a suitable solution to meet our needs. Very grateful and suggest other travellers use this facility. Thank you 😊
