You know you will visit a place again when you leave wanting more. That's how I felt on my first trip to Australia a few weeks ago. Despite a 10 day trip to the land Down Under that consisted of visits to Sydney, Melbourne, and the Yarra Valley wine region, I felt like I had just scratched the tip of the iceberg. So many places to still see and explore in this vast country!

Let me let you in on a little secret: Traveling with kids isn't easy. Thus, we kept this vacation relatively simple in terms of the types of activities planned since we were traveling with the little one. So sadly, I didn't visit the Outback or rough it up Blue Mountain or climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge this time. But that doesn't mean we didn't have a good time. We opted for more child-friendly activities and a less hectic pace of taking in the sights. It proved to be worthwhile: happy kiddo = happy traveling parents! The first stop was Sydney. We strolled along Bondi Beach and neighboring beachfronts. We checked the box with a visit to the Opera House followed by an afternoon of walking along the harbor and downtown area. Then there was a day trip out to Chowder Bay with its seafront cafes and restaurants. All very doable in a four day visit if you're traveling with a family, or even otherwise.

(More on what we did in Yarra Valley and Melbourne in future posts so check back soon.)

A trip to Sydney is incomplete without a visit to Bondi Beach

Opera House on a hot summer day

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Took part in Australia's fine coffee culture

Fell in love with this cafe/bar in Chowder Bay. Check out the East Coast Lounge for sure if you go!

A view of Chowder Bay