1. Bribie Island, Queensland

Bribie? you say in disbelief. With all the stunning locations available in South-East Queensland, you pick Bribie?! Bear with me - there's a reason for this one :-) And besides, Bribie is quite lovely.

Located only 90km north of Brisbane, and only 130km from my home, Bribie is a sand island that measures 34km long and only 8 km across in it's widest part. It's joined to the mainland by a bridge that allows two lanes of cars and a walking path. The mainland facing side of the island has calm, quiet beaches perfect for strolling along, while the ocean facing side has lovely surf beaches. The surf isn't too wild because it's sheltered a little by Moreton Island. A large part of the island is national park.

I've been visiting and holidaying at Bribie since I was little. I find the island sleepy and relaxing, and my familiarity with the place adds a sense of comfort to any visit.

One cool thing about the island is it's accessibility. No car? All good - there's public transport all the way from Brisbane. A train to Caboolture, then a connecting bus to Woorim on the island's surf side takes around an hour and forty-five minutes.

I was last there in January - celebrating summer and the beginning of a new year with a dip in the Pacific Ocean. Later we roamed the shops at Bellara and checked out our favourite secondhand bookstore at Bongaree. We also enjoyed the historical displays at the Seaside Museum and sat on the jetty eating icecreams as the sun went down.

Under our current Covid restrictions I could actually visit Bribie right now if I wanted to. Work and school commitments thwart that plan though! If I could, I'd spend a week there just relaxing, walking on the sand, visiting the markets, dipping in the ocean, and reading books in the afternoon shade, with a backdrop of ocean waves and fresh sea breezes.

2. Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

There's this beach in Coffs that I just love. It's called Charlesworth Bay Beach and despite being right beside a number of large resorts, it retains a lonely, windswept kind of feel.

It's along the Solitary Islands Coastal Walk, and I think that just makes it even more perfect. The beach is covered in stones and a coarse sand, caused by the breaking up of stones and shells on the rocks. Every time we've been there we've spent ages combing through the stones for treasures, looking in rockpools for sea life, and just sitting on the shore gazing at the ocean.

As well as the lovely beaches, Coffs boasts some great places to eat and listen to live music. There's also tourist attractions such as the Big Banana and the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park to visit. One of the coolest experiences I've had was being able to meet and actually touch a dolphin at the marine park. We then spent some time throwing a ball back and forth with it.

Coffs is across the border in New South Wales, so out of reach at present with our border restrictions. If I could travel there I'd look at staying close to this little section of beach again so that I could visit it daily.

3. Tasmania

I've gone broad with this one - a whole state, rather than a specific place or town! I was lucky enough to visit Tasmania in 2015 and absolutely loved it. I've been wanting to go back ever since.

The landscape, the history. It was just stunning.

Although we were there for 2 weeks and squeezed a lot into that time, there was still so much we missed. If I went back I'd be sure to do Mona (the Museum of Old and New Art), visit cradle Mountain, explore further south of Hobart, and also try to visit the north-east and the Bay of Fires area.

I'd visit Richmond again and admire it's bridge, spend a day exploring Port Arthur, and sample a lot more Tasmanian oysters.

You can read more about my 2015 visit here and here. (Although for some strange reason the images now show sideways ...)