🇦🇺 Solo Female Traveler’s 11-Day Australia Adventure Guide

✈️ Day 0: Shanghai → Sydney (via Qingdao) 9-hour layover → Free stay at Huazhu Hotel. Late flight to Sydney. 🏙️ Day 1: Sydney Iconic Sights Arrived 10 AM, checked into hostel. Hit the highlights: "Most Beautiful Train Station in the Southern Hemisphere" Harbour Bridge + Opera House (inside tour!) Sunset cruise with Opera House views 🚢 Dinner in Chinatown, night stroll at Darling Harbour. 🚶 Day 2: Free Sydney Walking Tour + Coastal Hike Free city tour (local guide!) → Bondi Beach sunset. Saturday fireworks at Darling Harbour! 🎆 🦞 Day 3: Lazy Morning + Fish Market Slept in → Sydney Fish Market feast. Met a fellow traveler → Botanic Gardens walk (with helpful cops!). Red-eye flight to Cairns. 🌴 Day 4: Cairns Arrival + Koala Cuddles! Shared taxi to city → explored the pier. 4 PM: KOALA HUGS at sanctuary! 🐨 🐠 Day 5: Great Barrier Reef Magic Reef Magic cruise → Helicopter ride + snorkeling. Vibrant corals + endless blue = mind-blowing! 🤿 🌿 Day 6: Cairns Chill Day Grocery shopping + Cairns Botanic Gardens. Beachside sunset with mountain shadows. 🐨 Day 7: Melbourne Bound Early flight → checked into female-only hostel room. Lunch at Humble Rays (student-approved!). Wild kangaroos at dusk in suburban park! 🚂 Day 8: Epic Day Trip Rainbow Houses + Moonlit Sanctuary (30D koala encounter!) Puffing Billy Steam Train (legs dangling through rainforest!). Penguin Parade at night! 🛍️ Day 9: Melbourne City Walk Shopping + met a Japanese WHV roommate (babysitter in Sydney!). 🌊 Day 10: Great Ocean Road Reverse Tour 12 Apostles → Gibson Steps → Loch Ard Gorge → Split Point Lighthouse. Golden sunset farewell! 🌅 ✈️ Day 11: Homeward Bound Beach drive with a kind local → Melbourne Museum (forest exhibit wow!). SkyBus to airport → smooth flight home. 🌏 Final Thoughts: Australia = PERFECT for solo travel! Safe, English-friendly, and full of kind souls. Wish I’d added New Zealand! #SoloTravel #Australia #Sydney #Cairns #Melbourne #GreatBarrierReef #PenguinParade #TravelDiary ✈️✨