General: Australia

Australia is popular with all travellers, from budget backpackers to luxury holidaymakers, and it isn't surprising considering anything you could possible want to do on a holiday, you can do here. If your idea of a perfect holiday is sunbathing on the sand and the most energetic thing you do is walk to the cocktail stall you can do it here, if you perfect holiday is skiing or snowboarding you can do it here, if your perfect holiday is shopping in ...
...enjoy sightseeing, bushwalking, hiking, camping, adventure holidays, getting close to nature and seeing extremes of climates and landscapes you can do it all here!

Australia is the 3rd biggest country in the world but the smallest continent. It has a population of around 20 million - more people live in London and it's surrounding suburbs then in this vast land! And around 90% of the population live within a couple of hours drive from ... more

Australia is popular with all travellers, from budget backpackers to luxury holidaymakers, and it isn't surprising considering anything you could possible want to do on a holiday, you can do here. If your idea of a perfect holiday is sunbathing on the sand and the most energetic thing you do is walk to the cocktail stall you can do it here, if you perfect holiday is skiing or snowboarding you can do it here, if your perfect holiday is shopping in the big cities you can do it here, if you enjoy sightseeing, bushwalking, hiking, camping, adventure holidays, getting close to nature and seeing extremes of climates and landscapes you can do it all here!

Australia is the 3rd biggest country in the world but the smallest continent. It has a population of around 20 million - more people live in London and it's surrounding suburbs then in this vast land! And around 90% of the population live within a couple of hours drive from the coast. Until you actually arrive in Australia you can't quite fathom the vastness of it, even though people told me it would take 2 days to drive from Brisbane to Canberra the idea just seemed so bizarre that you thought these 2 days would be packed with getting out of the car, stopping at the beach, having lunch in some nice café overlooking the beach and maybe a couple of hours driving here and there! It's not until you actually sit on a bus for 12 hours and then get out your map and realize you have only traveled about a third of the way up the entire coast that you appreciate how big it really is! In fact it is so big that there are 3 different time zones! The western side is either 2 or 3 hours behind the eastern side (depending on daylight saving as only some states do this). Each state has their own government and there are even different education systems in each and different ages that people can learn to drive etc.! Just imagine the north of England having different rules from the south of England and you begin to understand how ridiculous this sounds!

The climate of Australia changes because of its vastness. The northern parts of the country are in the tropics and have a dry and a wet season. The best time to travel here is in the winter (remembering this is opposite to the UK so May to June) when temperatures still hit the high 20s celcius. I am told these parts are spectacular in the wet season because of water everywhere and the waterfalls, rivers and rushing waters it creates. However be prepared if you go in this season as many roads are closed so check before you go. The south gets really cold in winter so the best time to go is probably the summer months. Temperatures can get down to -9 below freezing in Canberra (the coldest of the cities) and Melbourne and Adelaide are not far behind! This does however allow for some skiing and snowboarding if you like this in your holiday (see my opinions on Perisher Blue and snowy mountains national park)

On the whole I have found Australia the perfect place to travel as I like doing lots of things. I like to see the beautiful beaches and relax in coastal towns, I like going skiing, I like bushwalking, I like to get out into the country miles away from anywhere and truly experience the 'outback' and realizing how big the world actually is, I like camping under the stars in the middle of nowhere, I like the buzzing cities and seeing famous landmarks like the Sydney opera house and harbour bridge and I like that you can do all of this without even leaving one country!

I also found Australia to be very similar to England in a lot of ways. Obviously there is no language barrier, the laws are similar and the people are really friendly. Because of this I think the culture gap is small and it is easy to fit in to the Australian lifestyle and people. (Just one thing though…. a lot of them are bitter about sport so don't mention the ashes or the rugby world cup final or their hospitality may turn sour!) On a serious note however I have found that most of them will go out of their way to help you in any way they can.

Below is some things which may assist you if you are planning a budget trip to Australia (have only done the budget ones so not really in a place to comment on any other means of getting around!)

**VISAS**
A tourist visa is easy to get and is valid for 3 months. Usually when you are booking your flights they will ask if you want a electronic tourist visa (ETA) and it costs around 10 pounds. They are supposed to be free but I have never met anybody selling them for free, they usually put some kind of admin charge on! They are available on the internet for 20 pounds. These are electronically put on your passport so no need for filling in forms and sending your passport away hoping you will have it back before your holiday!

Working holiday visas are available to UK residents under 30 years old. These are valid for 12 months and allow you to work, however your main reason should for visiting Australia should be to travel so there is a stipulation on this visa that you may only work for one employer for 3 moths and no longer. If you do harvest work for 3 months of your 12 month stay, you may now apply to extend your visa for another year. For more info on visa see www.immi.gov.au

**VACCINATIONS**
No vaccinations are required when traveling from the UK to Australia, and the incidence of diseases like Malaria are low, even though Mossies do bite so take some repeelent! However if you are going to some poorer countries before arriving, check what you will need.

**MONEY**
Australia uses dollars and it is a good idea to get some cash before you go. If you will be staying in Australia for a while and/or working there I would advise you to open a bank account. Just take in some ID (usually your passport is a good option) and the process is pretty simple as in the UK. They do however need an address to send your bankcard and PIN to make sure you have an address first or a friend's/relative's you can send it to.

Banks and ATMs are readily available in all major cities and most towns so money is easy to get to.

**TRAVEL**
Depending on the time you have in Australia and the places you want to see, flying is great for saving lots of time on buses/trains and is often a lot cheaper too! The main operators for domestic flights in Australia are Virginblue, Qantas and Jetstar, go to their websites and you can book with your credit card.

Backpacker buses are great for meeting like-minded people, for stopping and seeing things along the way (compared to your general bus that just goes from A to B), for getting around, for getting to all the good places (your driver knows where to go and is a fountain of knowledge on the whole area!) and for convenience. The main ones are Oz Experience (see my earlier review for more info) and Greyhound. Greyhound works all over Australia however doesn't do as many stops or sightseeing and fun things as Oz Experience but it runs a lot more frequently and isn't as much of a party bus so it depends what you want from your trip as to which one you should choose.

If you are travelling in the South East (i.e. Sydney to Canberra or Sydney/Canberra to the snowfields) try Murrays as these are often cheaper than Greyhound. If you book on the internet 2 weeks before traveling, you can get a ticket from Sydney to Canberra (200 miles) for the equivalent of 6 pounds!

**ACCOMMODATION**
Backpacker hostels are pretty much in every town you come upon. These are generally really clean and cost around $20-$25 per night for a dorm room. Expect to pay a bit extra in the middle of the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, and especially if there are events on such as the Grand Prix or something. Hostels are a great place to meet like-minded travellers.

**SOME SUGGESTED PLACES TO GO**

If you like beaches:
Anywhere down Queensland's coast!
Whitsunday islands (Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday island in top 10 beaches in the world and it is easy to see why!) Go on a sailing trip there from Airlie Beach.
Cape Tribulation and the tropical north
Sydney's northern beaches and Bondi beach near Sydney (Bondi is nothing special once you have seen some of the others but it is great to go there all the same!)
Western Australia - Shark Bay, Turquoise Bay, Perth's northern beaches and Cable beach in Broome
Great Ocean Road
Monkey Mia in Western Australia and see wild dolphins hand-fed (see previous review)

If you like bushwalking and camping:
Blue Mountains national park an hour west of Sydney
Wilsons Promontory national park (Australia's most southerly point)
Snowy Mountains national park (in summer!)
Karijini national park in Western Australia
Any other national park (these are just the ones I have been hiking in!)

For a true 'Australian' experience:
Ayers Rock (see my previous opinion on it) for the aboriginal culture and being in the middle of the outback - red sand, aboriginal rock art
Darwin for aboriginal culture and being in the outback
Alice Springs - an amazing place to visit as it so far from any other city and the coast and has a real outback feel to it
Anywhere else in the outback (which is most of Australia!)
Cape Tribulation for the rainforest
Great Barrier Reef for the coral, snorkelling and the fish

And that is all……. Enjoy your trip! If you do have any questions leave a message in my guestbook as I have travelled most of Australia
 

...less