Why Australia Holds a Special Place for Me as a Traveler

I first really learned about Australia in the late ’80s when Crocodile Dundee hit theaters and Tourism Australia began airing those now-iconic commercials featuring Paul Hogan. Around the same time, the America’s Cup was taking place in Perth and my sisters just happened to be living there. Australia suddenly felt everywhere and it completely captured my imagination.

Growing up in Connecticut, we didn’t travel much by airplane and I had never traveled outside the country except for driving to Canada. After seeing Crocodile Dundee, I became obsessed with going to Australia. I talked my mom into taking me for Spring Break to visit my sisters on what would have been an epic itinerary: New York to San Francisco, Honolulu, Sydney, Perth, back to Sydney, then Fiji, Los Angeles and finally home to JFK, just 40 miles from our house.

But life had other plans.

Around that time, I was diagnosed with asthma and my doctor put the fear of God in me by saying I might have difficulty breathing on a long flight. The anxiety built quietly until it exploded at JFK just before boarding. I had my first-ever panic attack. Instead of starting the adventure I’d dreamed about, I walked out of the airport in tears. It was one of the worst days of my life.

Fast forward eight years and countless doctor visits later (with a different doctor), and I finally made it Down Under with my college girlfriend. Her parents were living in Sydney and I stayed for a month. One highlight was an unforgettable long weekend on Hayman Island in the Great Barrier Reef. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and, in many ways, the beginning of my lifelong love affair with Australia.

Since then, I’ve returned at least six more times, exploring more of this vast and endlessly fascinating country. I’ve wandered Melbourne’s laneways, surfed in Noosa, relaxed in Byron Bay and island-hopped around Hamilton Island, Orpheus Island and Fraser Island (now K’gari). I ventured into the Daintree Rainforest, explored Darwin, boarded The Ghan for an overnight journey to Alice Springs, flew to Adelaide and continued on to Kangaroo Island. I’ve even slept in luxurious “tents” near Uluru, waking up to one of the most spiritual landscapes on Earth. Along the way, I’ve experienced everything from laid-back adventures to journeys that rival the finest Australia luxury tours.

My Top 3 Australia Experiences

Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef

Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef is incredible and hard to describe and an experience I hope to share with my kids soon. Stretching over 2,300 km, this living underwater world teems with life … vibrant coral formations, shimmering schools of fish, sea turtles and an astonishing diversity of marine creatures that seem to dance beneath the surface. Floating above this kaleidoscope of color, you feel completely immersed in one of the planet’s most extraordinary ecosystems, a must-do for any adventurer visiting Australia.

Staying at Longitude 131 in Uluru

There’s something profoundly magical about staying at Longitude 131. It’s not just a place to sleep, it’s a front-row seat to the spiritual heart of Australia. Set among rust-red desert dunes at the gateway of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, each luxury tented pavilion frames the iconic red monolith and Kata Tjuta like a living work of art. Waking with the sun, sharing guided walks that trace ancient cultural stories or simply watching the colors of the rock shift at sunset, this is an unforgettable immersive experience. It blends raw natural beauty with genuine luxury and cultural depth in a way few places on Earth can.

Sleeping at the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo

The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney is one of those experiences that feels almost too good to be real. My kids really couldn’t believe their eyes when we entered our room and saw koalas on the trees right outside our window. This was our first hotel stay where they never once asked for TV or iPads. The show outside our window was just too good to take our eyes off of it!

Nestled within the bushland of the zoo and overlooking Sydney Harbour, the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga blends luxury accommodation with an extraordinary closeness to wildlife you won’t find in ordinary hotels. From the koalas and kangaroos outside your window to joining guided Sanctuary tours and behind-the-scenes encounters with native animals, our stay was so much more than a night’s sleep; it was living moments none of us will ever forget. And because it’s thoughtfully designed with sustainability and conservation at its core, every aspect of our stay felt meaningful as well as magical.

Each trip revealed a different side of Australia, but the feeling was always the same: freedom, wonder and a deep sense of connection.

My most recent visit was last year, when I brought my wife and our two young kids to Sydney and Brisbane over Thanksgiving. As animal lovers and huge fans of Bluey (the best kids’ cartoon ever made, in my humble opinion), they were instantly smitten (and loved being among the first to visit the newly opened Bluey’s World.) Seeing Australia through their eyes was pure magic and reminded me why this country has meant so much to me for so long.

Australia isn’t just a destination for me. It’s part of my personal travel story. It’s where dreams were postponed, fulfilled and exceeded. And no matter how many places I visit, Australia will always hold a special place in my heart.