dancinbudgie's VirtualTourist Home Page

Everyone had a favorite family holiday spot as a child. My partner Grant spent his childhood summers at Arrawarra with his mum, dad and brother. It is on the Coffs Coast of NSW, a few hours drive north of us here in Newcastle. Now when we stop there, it is usually to break up the journey to the Gold Coast. It does make for a great stoppover, but has so much more to offer. Not much has changed in the 35 years Grant has been going there, it still has a small 'village' atmosphere, and is one of those places where you feel your kids can run off and explore.

Callalla beach is on the South Coast of NSW, a few hours drive South of our home in Newcastle. It is where my brothers, cousins and I spent all our childhood summers. While it has become a bit more built up, it is largely the way I remember it. Just like Grant's Arrawarra, it is a place the kids can run free. Now I only go there when I have a fit of nostalgia (last time I was pregnant with Brad), but I still love the place!

Cairns has a bit of everything...rainforest and reef, sun and sand, romance and adventure, history and modernity...you name it, Cairns has it! The weather is hot and humid, just the way I love it and the locals are warm and friendly. It is also an absolutely beautiful city...town planners did a great job!

This is always a great one for the kids! Just over the NSW/Qld border, it is an easy drive from our place (especially if it is broken at Coffs for a few days), with some great views along the way. The main attraction for the kids are the theme parks, but there are great beaches and national parks as well.

What can I say? This was a cultural experience extrordinaire!! We visited Tokyo, Nikko, Tsumago, Kanazawa, Himeji, Kyoto, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Uwajima, Kochi, Takamatsu, Shodo Island, Hakone, Kamakura and Enoshima. We were there for a month and have brought home memories that will last a lifetime!

Hi Everyone! We are just back from Fiji! It was a brilliant holiday and I look forward to creating my Fiji pages to share with everyone when I get settled. The wedding went off without a hitch...the diving was wonderful...the people we met fantastic...the places we stayed glorious, and the entire experience absolutely marvelous!

Our trip to Vietnam was schedualed for August 08, but it has been put back until early next year. While I am disapointed to have to wait so long, the upside is that we will have more time, and so will be able to add Cambodia to the itinerary. We hope to see Hanoi, Halong bay, Hue, Hoi-An, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Mihn City and Siem Reap

Next is a toss-up...I would like to start re-visiting those countries from 20 years ago, Philipines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, but there are also new places I would like to go. India is a big one..and so are Italy, Spain and Greece. Grant would also love to see England, France and Ireland, oh, and Russia and China. Then there is our own country, it is so big and there are so many places here I would like to discover or re-visit...especially the NT where we will retire (if I have my way) one day. It is really hard to pick the next destination as there are so many amazing places to go. The VT pages make it even harder...everyone makes everywhere sound fantastic!!!