Attractions in NSW

We have a lot of interesting attractions in NSW - here's my little selection from where I have been and those I've seen.

1. Dolphin Marine Magic

Location: Coffs Harbour

Website: http://www.dolphinmarinemagic.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DolphinMarineMagic

My personal review via DMM's website: http://www.dolphinmarinemagic.com.au/testimonials/joe-hupp

This amazing park is one I highly recommend - it is more hands on than Sea World. You can pat a dolphin, feed a seal and penguin and be kissed by dolphins and seals. Then there are the in-water experiences - there are experiences for everyone. From a shallow water experience, the Ultimate Dolphin Experience, experiences with seals and a Trainer For The Day program, no two days are the same. I was very lucky to be able to do a shallow water experience with one of their dolphins - even though it was shallow, I was amazed at how much we were able to learn and do with our given dolphin, a 7 year old female named Bella. The experience was well worth it and the memories I have taken away from this will be with me forever!

2. Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Location: Dubbo

Website: http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-western-plains-zoo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TarongaWesternPlainsZoo

This amazing zoo is in my home town - there are lots of different animals to see and interact with. My favourite interaction involves the Sumatran Tiger - one of the many encounters at TWPZ is the Big Cat Encounter with your choice of the African Lion or the Sumatran Tiger. I chose the Sumatran Tiger as I wanted to learn about these amazing yet endangered big cats. You can walk, ride or drive around the 6km round circuit - it's also best to leave walking around the zoo until the cooler months as Summer (Dec-Feb) can be really hot.

3. Tamworth Country Music Festival

Location: Tamworth

Website: http://www.tcmf.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamworthcountrymusicfestival

Technically not an attraction, the Tamworth Country Music Festival ranks here because it feels like one. Whether you visit for one day or ten, there's lots to see and do.

Travel types

There are many different types of travel on offer in Australia. Depending on what you want or need, you may want to do some research before you decide on one or the other. Here's a basic rundown on each of the types of travel available.

Self-cater:
This is where you use your own vehicle (whether it be a car, motorhome, motorbike, etc.) and pay for your accommodation and attractions as you go - the best way to do things if you have a family and/or are budgeting. Some hotels and resorts offer a kid's club which allow the adults to go do their own things.

Fly-drive:
This is where you fly to your chosen destination and rent a car for however long you want or need to (anywhere from a week up). Once you have finished, you simply return the car to the company you rented it from and fly home. This method is a more expensive option but can save you money on fuel and accommodation en-route - for example, you want to drive from Sydney to Brisbane... this will end up costing more in fuel and accommodation as you may want to stop in at attractions on the way up.

Coach:
This is, by far, the best way of travelling - you don't have to pay for fuel as the coach operator has that duty, nor do you have to stop and stretch every couple of hours. However, coach travel is more restrictive in what you can do - you can only spend an given amount of time in any attraction you may stop at, you can't always use the loo on the coach, etc.

As was said earlier, it pays to do your research on any place you plan to go to - a lot of research can be done using a website called TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor has information and reviews for lots of places, not just in Australia but across the world! If you want to review places, you simply need to join or can log in via Facebook - I prefer the FB login method as TripAdvisor shares any activity you share there onto Facebook for your friends to see. Just go to the TripAdvisor website: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/

Main user interface on TripAdvisor:

Each attraction/hotel, etc. then has it's own page where reviews are:

On TripAdvisor, attractions are given a overall ranking based on however many attractions have been reviewed - the higher ranked an attraction, the higher the overall ranking.

Review Window - this review is my review of Pet Porpoise Pool - Dolphin Marine Magic:

Most attractions have their own Facebook page - Dolphin Marine Magic does here:
https://www.facebook.com/DolphinMarineMagic - these can also be a minefield of info for the attraction. On DMM's FB page, they run competitions where you could win something - whether it be a family pass or a in-water experience with a dolphin, the competition is to caption a photo. This starts at midday Monday and runs til 4pm Tuesdays where a lucky winner is drawn. That winner receives the prize.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog dedicated to my travels!

I will use this blog not just to share my travels but to inspire others on where to travel in Australia -being Australian has it's benefits....this blog will also show you attractions and things to do in each of the places I have visited and all the different types of travel you can do!

Any questions??? Feel free to contact me via email josephhupp@bigpond.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephhupp

I will endeavour to answer all messages and comments in future blogs.