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[canuck85]

I want to go to Australia hopefully in middle of Feb. Although I need some help with my traveling plans so hope you guys can help me out. My dates are not in stone just using them for guidance

Feb 14 till Mar 14 = Sydney

Mar 14 bus to Melbourne = $65

Mar 14 till Apr 14 = Melbourne

Apr 14 fly to Brisbane = $180

Apr 14 till Apr 26 = Brisbane

Apr 26 Bus from Brisbane to Surfers Paradise=$26

Apr 26 till May 26 = Surfers Paradise

Staying at YHA Hostels = $3800 there lowest rates were around $28-$31 a day.
Food = 3000
Other Expenses= $2000 (Tours,Bus,etc)

Is around $9,000 enough for 3 months? If I was going to turn it in to a working holiday and stay for 6 months and get a visa how would you map the itinerary. What place would you work for 2-3 months? What does the average person spend on a 6 month journey?

Appreciate any help. Thank you

Happy New Year to all !!!

[wakingdream]

Hey Canuck!

I'm no expert on Aus, as I've never been! But, just hold on to your socks because there are many travelers that frequent this forum that I know will have tons of advice for you

[ScottWoz]

This is very difficult to answer. If you turn it into a working holiday and extend your stay you'll open up a lot more opportunities. Personally I wouldn't have the itinerary. You won't know until you get there whether or not you'll like a place, so budgeting for a month at a place to discover on arrival that you can't stand it throws the whole thing out of sync. My advice would be to go with the flow. Australia's a doddle to travel and you'll meet heaps of like minds en-route. Your adventure will unfold by itself. Guaranteed. That said if you're hell bent on having an itinerary, there're plenty of people on here that have travelled on fixed itineraries that can help you, someone will show soon enough.

I'd take the working holiday visa though, you never when you might need it, plus you can open further doors for more opportunities: by putting in 3 months work in rural farming, fruitpicking, etc you'll qualify for a second WHV and another shot at completing the itinerary you wouldn't have completed in your first year. In other words Australia's a very big place.

One thing's for sure, you'll have a great time..

[rbisset]

I'd avoid the YHA hostels and stay at an independant instead. I found the YHA hostels to be overpriced and lacking in fun. The other chains seemed to be much more relaxed.

As for price the most I paid was A$28 in Sydney and the least A$15 in Cairns. So I'd suggest A$22/day * 90 days = A$1980 (C$1710). It's quite normal to get a night free if you pay for a week upfront.

Kitchen facilities in the hostels are generally of a good standard so it pays to cook your own food. I found food in Aus to be expensive.

$9000 will be enough I reckon but get the WHV anyway in case you get hooked and decided to stay on for a couple more months

[darrenstravels]

Three months and only those four places to go to? You'd be missing out on 95% of what Australia has to offer, including the attractions that everyone goes to....Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kakadu etc

As for money, we did it for around AUS$800 a month...in a campervan. Obviously that depends on what you want to do. Living in a city though, I'd imagine those prices would go way, way up.

[ScottWoz]

Very good advice. I'd also recommend travelling Aus by camper or car, independently. You'll get far far more out of the experience AND keep the costs down. I crossed the continent by motorbike and I experienced things I NEVER would have experienced if I'd took the standard tourist trail..

[andrea]

I agree with all the previous posters.... that would probably be enough money, but you'll miss out on a lot of what the country has to offer. A month in Sydney? Nice place but it IS just another sydney. I spent a year there (worked 3 months in melbourne and 2 months in perth...). I would never even think about missing the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins in the Great AUstralian Bight (South Australia) or driving up the west coast in a purchased car (there is NOTHING like camping on the beach with wallabies hopping around your tent, MILES from the nearest civilisation!)

[garro28]

I would agree with all that has been said already!

Take your working visa and head for a city, and then stay until you feel ready to move on....just make sure you do!

Nb. The aussie summer holidays are during the UK christmas break, so jobs in some cities are harder to come by at certain times of the year - just as they are in the UK. If you are going to work in a bar or restaurant serving drinks, you will need to get your RSA and RGS if they have pokey machines or any sort of gambling. These courses are easy to pass and usually take 1 day, but all the same you will need them if you are planning on bar work - most bars in australia have pokey machines. Courses take place periodically in all cities and they will cost around £60-100ish.

Unless you want to explore the country from Mel-Syd I would recommend the taking the XPT rather than the bus if time is an issue. The XPT takes 11 hours or so directly from Flinders St station into Central Station in Sydney.

I stayed in mainly YHA hostels - though slightly more expensive (by a couple of bucks) they were far cleaner and nicer places to stay. If you want to party party party then the independent hostels are ok, but most of them we stayed in were dirty and noisy, and the clientel were mainly 18 year olds who were drinking themselves from Sydney to Cairns.

I lived and travelled in Australia for a year and still have tonnes to see, but you'll have a great time and meet some great people whatever you choose to do!

Just make sure you don't stick with backpackers, and try and meet some locals as they will show and recommend the best places to visit and stay!

Have a great time