Originally from Britain, Tom Jessett has been travelling and living overseas since 2010. Since buying his first compact DSLR camera in 2012, he’s become a fully-fledged travel photographer, visiting over 30 countries around the world and growing a 40,000-strong Instagram following.
Basing himself in Australia he’s now, arguably, an honourable Aussie, well... besides the accent!
We followed Tom and his partner as they road tripped from northern New South Wales all the way to Sydney, stopping in at YHA hostels along the way. This is our round up of the most photo-worthy locations along the east coast of New South Wales.
Murwillumbah
This first image was shot right here at the Murwillumbah YHA, on the doorstep of Mount Warning National Park! The view from the balcony communal area was awesome, straight after this shot I drove to the mountain and climbed it!
Byron Bay
Well you can't visit Byron Bay without visiting the famous lighthouse that sits at the most easterly point of mainland Australia! The sunrise this morning was quite spectacular, a huge reward for everyone that made their way up the hill from Byron Bay YHA!
Yamba
What an amazing couple of days in Yamba, a destination I had never heard of before! The town is surrounded by beautiful beaches and a river within walking distance of the town centre with some amazing surf breaks. I captured this sunrise yesterday morning at Main Beach, just a 5-10 min walk from the Yamba YHA.
Coffs Harbour
Sunrise at the Coffs Harbour Jetty just across the road from the Coffs Harbour YHA. I couldn't stay across the road from the jetty and not shoot a sunrise here. Ok it wasn't the amazing show of light that I hoped for but I still really enjoyed it.
Bellingen
Dangar Falls near Dorrigo yesterday afternoon. We are staying at the Bellingen YHA to explore the Waterfall Way and New England National Park. It's so beautiful out here! As much as I love the ocean, I also love coming in land for an adventure!
Port Macquarie
Exploring the Port Macquarie region from Port Macquarie YHA I found this beautiful old wooden jetty on the Hastings River. Once I found it I knew it would be great for a long exposure shot!
Port Stephens
We made it to Port Stephens and the first port of call was a sunrise shoot as Zenith Beach. I didn't see the sun through the cloud, but at least it wasn't raining! I opted to shoot some long exposures given the conditions before returning back to the hostel for breakfast!
Hunter Valley
I took a walk out of my room at the Hunter Valley YHA into the hostels owns vineyard to look at the stars! It was beautifully clear as I sat in amongst the Shiraz. In hindsight I should have had a glass as the earth rotates through our galaxy over 40 minutes for this image!
Sydney
The view from the Sydney Harbour YHA is pretty awesome, spanning across the entire harbour from the bridge across to the opera house and then beyond to the towering skyscrapers of the city you can really take it all in! The YHA must have the best rooftop view for any budget accommodation in Australia!