Australia is one of the most popular travel
destinations in the world. It’s known as a major backpacking, camping, and
driving destination, but no matter what your travel style is, there is
something to draw you here. The country is filled with incredible natural
beauty from Uluru to the outback, rainforests to pristine white sand beaches,
and of course, the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney’s Harbor Bridge and Opera House
are iconic man made wonders, and Melbourne’s café culture will make you feel
like you are in Europe. Coupled with world class surfing, and it is no wonder
people never leave. I’ve been three times, and every trip, I find something new
to love. Use my extensive travel guide to help plan your next trip. I know you
will love the country as much as I do!
Typical Costs
Accommodation – Hostels start at $20
AUD per night for a dorm room, though they get get as high as $40 in the
big coastal cities. Private rooms with a double bed and a shared bathroom in
hostels range between 80-100 AUD per night. For budget hotels, you are
looking to spend at least around $75-95 AUD for a double room, private
bathroom, TV, and breakfast. Larger, chain hotels cost closer to $200 AUD.
Camping costs between $15-30 AUD per night for a spot that can either
be for an RV or tent.
Food – Food isn’t cheap in Australia! Most
decent restaurant entrees cost 20 AUD or more. Originally, I thought I was
doing something wrong spending so much, but as many of my Aussie friends told
me, “we just get screwed here.” If you cook your meals, expect to pay 100
AUD per week for groceries that will include pasta, vegetables, chicken,
and other basic food stuffs. Grab and go places cost around 8-10 AUD for
sandwiches. Fast food is around 15 AUD for a meal. The best value food are the
ethnic restaurants where you can get a really filling meal for 10!
Transportation – Local city trains and
buses cost 3-4 AUD. The easiest way to get around the country is via Greyhound.
Passes begin at 145 AUD and go all the way to 3,000 AUD. There are also
backpacker buses like the Oz Experience that have multi-city passes starting at
535 AUD (though I don’t like the Oz Experience and wouldn’t recommend it). The
most popular and cheapest way to travel is to drive yourself. Camper-van
rentals start at 60 AUD per day and can also double as places to sleep.
Flying can be very expensive due to limited competition, especially when going
from coast to coast. I generally avoid flying in Australia unless I am pressed
for time or there is a sale.
Activities – Multi-day activities and tours
are expensive, generally costing 400-540 AUD. Day trips will cost about
135-230 AUD. For example, a one day trip to the Great Barrier Reef can
cost 230 AUD while a 2 nights sailing the Whitsunday Islands can cost
upwards of 540 AUD. A 3 day trip to Uluru from Alice Springs is around 480 AUD.
Walking tours are around 50 AUD and day trips to wine regions are between
150-200 AUD.
Money Saving Tips
Get a plan – The telephone company Telstra
has really improved their service and offers great phone packages that have
great coverage throughout the country. Their call/text rates aren’t that high
either, so the credit will last you awhile. Vodafone has amazing deals
(sometimes better) too but they have more limited coverage around the country.
Drink goon (box wine) – Goon is infamous on
the Australian backpacker hostel trail. This cheap box of wine is a the best
way to drink, get a buzz, and save a lot of money at the same time. 4 liters
typically costs 13 AUD (compared to a six pack of beer for the same
price). Drink this before you go out and save on spending money at the bar
(where it is about 10 AUD per drink). Also, blow up the bag when you’re done
and have a little pillow to rest your head on!!!
Cook often – Again, eating out is not
cheap. The best way to reduce your costs is to cook as many meals as possible.
ALDI is the cheapest supermarket in the country, followed by Coles and then
Woolworths (though sometimes you don’t get a choice at which place you can shop
it! Some small towns only have one!).
Car share – Australia is a big country that
can be expensive to get around. If you are traveling with friends, it’s smart
to buy a used car or camper-van (or rent a new one from one of the many rental
companies in the country) and split the costs of gas. You can also hitch a ride
with other travelers using sites like Gumtree, Jayride, or a hostel message
board.
Book tours as a package – This country has
a lot of exciting activities and tours that eat into any budget. Booking
activities together through a hostel or tour agency will get you a discount and
save you hundreds of dollars as a repeat customer.
Get free internet – The internet in
Australia is painfully slow and expensive (just ask any Australian how they
feel about this), but libraries and McDonalds have free wi-fi that you can use.
Work for your room – Many hostels offer
travelers the chance to work for their accommodation. In exchange for a few
hours a day of cleaning, you get a free bed. Commitments vary but most hostels
ask you stay at least a week.
WWOOF it! – WWOOFing is a program that
allows you to work at farms in exchange for free room and board. Everyone I’ve
met who stays in the country long term does it for at least one month. You
don’t even need to know anything about farming – you’re mostly picking fruit
the whole time!
Top Things to See and Do in Australia
Visit Uluru — Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) is one of
the hottest attractions in the country. Make sure you are there for both sunset
and sunrise because both are equally as spectacular. It’s a pretty breathtaking
sight considering it’s just a big rock! Also make sure to visit the Aboriginal
center nearby where you can learn about the local population. I hated waking up
early to see the sunrise but I loved watching the red hues change as the sun
rose in the sky
Dive the Great Barrier Reef — Find your
very own Nemo in the Great Barrier Reef. There’s a ton of marine life and
beautiful coral here to explore—this is a must do activity. Even if you don’t
dive, you can still take a boat out to the reef and go snorkeling. Try to get
on a boat that has a permit to go to dive sites a couple of hours from show so
you can avoid the onslaught of other tourist boats and divers that inundate the
shallower dive sites closer to shore. Here is a video of my trip to the reef
(minus the fish pooping in front of my face):
Explore Fraser Island — The world’s largest
sand island is a popular place to do some camping, swim, hike, and avoid
dingoes. It’s also extremely popular with the locals because of its rustic
beauty is easily accessible from mainland. They camp a lot on the island.
You can hire your own 4WD car or take an overnight tour through the island
that’s famous for it’s fresh water lake (and dingoes). Sadly, you can’t go in
the water nearby as it’s rough and full of sharks!
Sail the Whitsundays — 3 day, 2 night
sailing trips are a popular way to see some of the most beautiful sand islands
in the world. Whitehaven beach on a clear day is mesmerizing—I even ran into a
couple of turtles and dolphins while in the are! A few of the islands have
resorts if you want to go on your own and stay longer in paradise but I prefer
taking a boat around the islands. It remains one of my favorite activities in
the country.
Hike the Daintree — The world’s oldest
rainforest (yes, older than the Amazon) offers hikes that range from easy to
challenging, dense jungles, beautiful mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, and
cliffs. Make sure you spend a few days hiking around and getting out of
touristy Cairns. If you really want to get off the beaten path, head all the
way up to Cape Tribulation, and enjoy some real peace and quiet (just watch out
for jellyfish when you go swimming. There are few folks to help if something
goes wrong). There a lot of tour companies in the area but I like Uncle Brian’s
tours the best (though he goes more into Atherton Tablelands and not up into
the forest up north).
Explore Sydney — Australia’s largest city
has a range of activities to keep you busy. Climb the Sydney Harbor bridge,
surf in Bondi Beach, party in King’s Cross, sail across the harbor, visit the
Opera House, and take in world class innovation in Darling Harbor. Sydney
is a bustling big city that still has a laid back, beach vibe too it. It’s
amazing (though very expensive). Be sure to head up to the laid backed suburb
of Manly and get out of the Bondi beach tourist scene! Another favorite
activity of mine is to spend the day in Domain with food and a good book!
Chill out in Melbourne — Melbourne is much
more relaxed than Sydney (and, personally, I like it a lot more). There are
more cafes and restaurants with fewer clubs, crowds, and better music. This is
the place to relax by the river, walk through the gigantic city gardens
(all day and every day), eat amazing food (Melbourne is the food capital of
Australia), jam out at amazing rock concerts, and party in St. Kilda—my
favorite nightlife spot. Melbourne has a well deserved reputation as the
country’s hip city.
Have a Sunday
Session in Perth — Perth is Australia’s west coast capital and is
often overlooked by most travelers. It’s expensive to get out there from the
east coast so most travelers avoid it but I love it! In fact, it’s probably my
favorite city in all of Australia. Perth feels like a large town than a city
and is the best place to have a “Sunday Session” (an Aussie tradition of
drinking on Sunday afternoons). From the beaches, food and beer (be sure to
take a day trip to Freemantle), Perth is just awesome.
Explore the outback — No trip to Australia
is complete without a trip to the outback to see crocodiles, valleys, lakes,
and the red desert. Find your own Crocodile Dundee as you explore the Red
Center and Western Australia. Must visit places I love: Karijini National Park,
the Kimberlys, Kakadu, and Litchfield National Park.
Surf in the Gold Coast — Australia is
famous for its surfing, and one of the best places to learn is on the Gold Coast
right outside of Brisbane. You’ll find world class waves, a wide beach, and
lots of available lessons. If you don’t like the Gold Cost, there is always
Noosa, Byron Bay, Bondi Beach, Perth, and—well, you get the idea. There’s a lot
of surfing in Australia!
Take a wine tour — Whether you go down to
Margret River, Hunter Valley, or the Barossa Valley, you will have many chances
to taste Aussie wine right from the source. Visiting the wine country should be
on your list of things to do. If you rent a car, you can stay longer or you can
do guided tours from major cities. I think it’s best to base yourself in the
area and spend about 3-5 days in each area tasting as much wine as possible!
The Ningaloo Reef — The Great Barrier Reef
gets all the hype, but the Ningaloo Reef on the west coast is a far better reef
system. Because it’s less developed and attracts fewer tourists, there are
actually more fish and wildlife—you can even swim with whale sharks! Plus, at
some points, the reef comes so close to the shore that you can swim right to it
on your own. More fish, less crowds = a better time.
Western Australia — The most overlooked
area in the country is the west coast where the country really shines. Here you
can escape the crowds of the east coast, explore the outback, the Ningaloo
Reef, Coral Bay
(one of my favorite spots in the world), Broome, Perth, and the Margaret River.
It’s much less developed than the east coast, more distance between each place,
and not as much of a tourist infrastructure to get you around (the bus is also
a nightmare) but if you take one piece of advice away from this guide, it
should be to visit this part of Australia. It’s the version of the country you
picture in your head!
See Tasmania — This is a very “off the
beaten track” destination. Despite everyone knowing its name, hardly anyone
ever makes it down here. Tasmania has amazing hikes, beautiful bays (Wineglass
bay being the most famous), small towns, and excellent people, just a ferry
away from Melbourne. If you have the time, go down under.
The Blue Mountains – Right outside of
Sydney, the Blue Mountains are an awesome place to explore—particularly in 4WD.
As you adventure into the rainforest of the outback, you will see kangaroos,
parrots, kookaburras, and more.
