Support Aussie tourism by going local with Agoda

Brought to you by Agoda.

Last weekend we were lucky enough to take a mini break which we booked through digital platform Agoda where they encourage Australians to Go Local and support the tourism industry at this time by highlighting great places to visit and stay throughout our beautiful country. Get great value deals through Agoda’s Go Local initiative. They did a recent survey and it was found that 78% of New South Wales travellers plan to stay hyperlocal and travel within their own state. A relaxing island getaway topped the list as the most desired destination followed by city breaks then small coastal towns.

We travelled to Canberra and then on to the South Coast. Accommodation for my trip was easily booked through agoda.com where there is a great selection of hotels and Agoda Homes to choose from, whether you are travelling alone or as a family.

First stop was Canberra. I’ve lived in Canberra a few times over the years. I did kindergarten-Year 2 and then returned for three years to do University, but I never really got to see much (ha!) because I was always at the library or in the pubs ? The myth about Canberra being awful weather is not always true! It may be cold, but it’s ALWAYS sunny. We stopped at IKEA, did a few touristy things and found a lovely Chinese Restaurant nearby to our hotel (which was the Burbury in Barton).

The next morning we headed off on more adventures. We visit the South Coast a couple of times a year (especially Narooma). Last time we were there was right in the middle of the horrid bushfires and we were evacuated. You may remember seeing that on my Instagram. It was horrific and very stressful, but obviously worse for the tourism in this area (all year!). You can see all around you where the bushfires has been, but also how quickly the trees and scrub has regenerated itself.

We headed to the pub (the views are always the best!) for some lunch and hired e-bikes via ‘Things To Do’ on Agoda’s digital platform. This was the most fun thing to do ever!! Sally, the owner, was excellent to deal with. She sanitised everything and gave us a quick lesson and we were off. We rode 12kms and it was very easy for this old duck. You just pedal and let the bike do all the work. What a fabulous way to see the coastline. Again we got lucky with the weather. Of course we’ll be back at Christmas again!

The next day we headed just up the road a bit to stay in Bateman’s Bay at the Lincoln Downs Resort, but we popped over to Mogo Zoo for the day. Even for older teenage boys and Mum’s and Dad’s this place is so fun. We’ve been a few times but wanted to go back after the rough year they’ve had. I remember at Christmas time worrying about the animals when the fires surrounded them. You can see that almost all of Mogo got burnt but the animals were so lucky! 6 months later it’s astonishing to see the burnt trees regenerating again. The highlight was hand feeding a giraffe.

A little break away from the normal routine was just what the doctor ordered for us. As you can see I left my eldest kid at home and even he looked at the photos and said he’d wished he come with us! If you are thinking of a quick trip away, make sure you book something local and use Agoda’s booking platform. Good pricing, and easy to use and it even highlights local restaurants etc nearby.

#GoLocal #seemoreaustralia

Happy holiday! ♥ KC.