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[robynhar]

I am overwhelmed by the info on the web. My first question, is there anyone in the 50s that is into a bit of backpacking? Everyone i know has every excuse in the book for not going anywhere. I lost my husband, travel buddy and its been 2 yrs since I have done anything fun. So I am planning a trip fall or summer to Austrailia, just starting to do research. I will probably end up going alone rather than waiting. I have done enough of that. I want to travel light, go where I want when I want. But I do need an Idea, any help will be appreciated. Plan on a month. When is the best time of season, where to fly into and why, all that. I have no doubt once there I wont be bored !! Thanks robyn

[travelingdiva]

Hi Robyn,
Can you give us a little more information about what kind of holiday you are looking for in Australia? I guess it depends what you are interested in seeing because it's a very big country and one month isn't enough time to see it all. I spent 3 weeks there and only covered Melbourne to Adelaide and Cairns to Brisbane with a few days in Sydney, and at times we felt a little rushed.

So, what kind of experience do you want and what kind of weather do you want? I went in the fall and it was beautiful by Canadian standards! But if you like it really hot you might prefer the summer ... so the best advice other travelers can give you will depend on what you are looking for

[robynhar]

I am overwhelmed by the info on the web. My first question, is there anyone in the 50s that is into a bit of backpacking? Everyone i know has every excuse in the book for not going anywhere. I lost my husband, travel buddy and its been 2 yrs since I have done anything fun. So I am planning a trip fall or summer to Austrailia, just starting to do research. I will probably end up going alone rather than waiting. I have done enough of that. I want to travel light, go where I want when I want. But I do need an Idea, any help will be appreciated. Plan on a month. When is the best time of season, where to fly into and why, all that. I have no doubt once there I wont be bored !! Thanks robyn

I am outdoor type, active, so better weather is great. since I believe I will be traveling alone, (first time !) I can go and do whatever....that is my issue, where to go that is the best for me. I love water sports, diving or anything water oriented. Do I go to New Zealand or Austrailia or the small island, what islands. Enormous decisions and I am just getting started. I will be ready anytime after July, but then it is not the time to go in winter there. But what about other areas? I just dont know...yet.
What about estimates on $ spent per day.....I will backpack and hostel, but not all the time. I want a bit of everything. What I need to know is overwhelming but I have a lot of time to learn. I will appreciate any info, thanks Robyn

[travelingdiva]

I guess all I can really tell you is what I enjoyed when I was in Australia. You should also read through the Australia forum here, and get more practical advice from the locals.

Well if you want to go diving you are going to want to go to the Great Barrier Reef which you can access by daytrip from Cairns or you can do a liveaboard trip to get further out. A good place for snorkeling is the Whitsundays. Surfing is also good in Queensland, further south from the Whitsundays but then you can see Fraser Island along the way. I learned to dive in Noosa and this was good because the waves weren't overwhelming. If you are diving then obviously your budget is going to have to be higher than if you don't. Anyway, for me this was how I enjoyed the water sports and activities when I was in Australia. I went in September and the weather was great up north! It was a bit chilly (I mean below 20) in Melbourne and along the south coast but I would consider this great hiking weather.

[donmiller]

Hi Robyn,
I was toured the East Coast for 3 weeks about 10 years ago and then Perth last May for a couple of Days. And I am helping a friend prep for her 6 week trip starting Feb 8.

If you like Wine tours, there are many wineries just North Of Sydney, Around Adelaide and all around Perth.

Cairnes is a good jump off point for water activities. Go North to experience the rain forests. Cairnes is a party town for the kids, in my opinion, and I didn't find much to do there other than stage for the trip to the Rain Forest and dive trips.

Brisbane is a nice city from what I hear but I only drove through.

Beyond the usual sites of Sydney, The Blue Mountains are an easy train ride away. Nice change from big city life

I like Melbourne the most. Seemed a bit more blue collar that Sydney.

A tour group bus (get a small group tour) along the The Great Ocean road is a great way to get to Adelaide. There is some really fun rock climbing in the Grampians kind of along the way ifyou are into that. I took a group lesson and had a great time.

Not much to do in Perth except ejoy the victorian look and feel of the place.

I didn't make Ayers Rock so I can tell you how much work it is to get there.

Australia is expensive especially the further you get from the Major East Coast Cities.

That is my high level knowledge.

[robynhar]

I am overwhelmed by the info on the web. My first question, is there anyone in the 50s that is into a bit of backpacking? Everyone i know has every excuse in the book for not going anywhere. I lost my husband, travel buddy and its been 2 yrs since I have done anything fun. So I am planning a trip fall or summer to Austrailia, just starting to do research. I will probably end up going alone rather than waiting. I have done enough of that. I want to travel light, go where I want when I want. But I do need an Idea, any help will be appreciated. Plan on a month. When is the best time of season, where to fly into and why, all that. I have no doubt once there I wont be bored !! Thanks robyn

Hi Robyn!
I'm Australian, so thought I'd give you my few tips!

First of all don't worry about your age. There are all sorts of travellers here, and let's face it you're going to go anyway, so don't worry about it. (not worrying is something you'll learn here hopfully )

best time to go: please avoid winter (june-aug). Depending on where you go to, early sept can be a little cold if you head south. if you're at the very north it will be hot no matter when you go! december it's starting to get pretty hot, but we can have unpredictable summers...this year it started and finished early

it's probably best to fly into sydney and head upwards along the east coast...it's the most popular area to travel, but it's the most popular for a reason.
Sydney obviously has a few things to offer.
A 2-3 hr drive from Sydney is Port Stephens (eg Nelson Bay) which is lovely! it's small and quiet, but has a lovely walk up Mount Tomaree which has AMAZING views, and there's a selection of beaches. Not much of a nightlife.
Going up, you should drop in at Byron Bay (about a 1 hr flight from sydney or 8-10 hr drive). Amazing beaches and food, just check it out on google if you havent already. Also has countryside, rainforests, waterfalls, famous for "alternative" lifestyle. Extremely popular and highly recommended.
The Gold Coast is the next up from Byron, good for shopping and casinos, but it's very touristy and lots of clubs means lots of young people.
Going up further you'll find sunshine coast, noosa, hamilton island, the whitsundays (islands)....all of these are worth a look for wonderful views,beaches and pics sure to make your friends jealous.
Great Barrier Reef for snorkelling/diving obviously.
Furthest north is Cairns which is good for beaches and skydiving etc. Watch out for jellyfish and crocs! haha

From Sydney, you might also want to check out Melbourne (South, about a 1.5 hr flight). It's a really great city. Colder, amazingly unpredicatable weather, it changes every 15 minutes, but excellent shopping, food, art.
A couple of hours on the train will get you to the Blue mountains.
Also if you want more "adventure" if you head inland to the centre of Australia, you should try to see Uluru. There would be lots of outback driving and hiking tours to/from there i'm sure.
Or...there's a large island at the south of Aus, a state called Tasmania. It's cold, windy, has lots of bushland, but is really pretty and has a chocolate factory (you'd need to fly into Hobart)

Another popular option is to fly into one end of the east coast eg Bris north, Syd central/south, Melb south, and travel up/down east coast by rail/bus and then fly out of the other end.

Now New Zealand is certainly worth a look but it is seriously cold. It'd be great for skiing and great mountain views, but as for water sports, you could maybe do white water rafting.

Cost estimates (in Australian dollars)
Well accommodation at hostels can range from $20 to $60 depending on room and inclusions. While travelling in between the cities you should look for smaller establishments to stay at, if you're travelling before december you should be able to get an ok hotel room for $60-$80 if you search around.
Food..the same as everywhere else i should imagine. Cafe lunch for $10-$15, Dinner $15-30 depending on where you go and what you order. Takeaway pizza $11 from a chain. Obviously if you go to a supermarket you can get things cheap, or a bakery...a bread roll will be like 40c
Alcohol: in a bottle shop (liquor store) you can get bottles of wine from $8 (gross) and as much as you want to spend. Spirits generally range from $30 per 700mL. If you're out, drinks are around $6.50-$9 depending what sort of place you're at.
Attractions: Well one good thing is the main attractions in Australia are usually free because they're beaches and rainforsts etc. You'll only really see big museums and things in the cities and entry is probably around $15. Smaller places may have cultural sites, monuments and guides and these are more likely to operate on a donation basis, or small fee eg $5.
Transport: In the cities they will have their own rail (eg Cityrail in sydney) and bus system. Train ticket to/from your destination usually well less than $10, so you'd be best to buy an all day pass.
Rail up/down the coast is usually by a company called Countrylink and you can get pretty far on $60 or so.
Flights: if you keep looking you'l be able to get some insanely cheap flights eg Sydney to Byron $69....you can get cheaper if they have a sale, but you should be able to get $119 or so without too much effort. The discount airlines in Aus are Virgin Blue, Jetstar and Tiger airways, but Tiger has less destinations. Just check out their sites to see if they have any offers for the time you're there and take whatever interests you!

Of course I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're after, if you have any questions let me know!


Lisa

Thanks so much for all the info ! I have made a few decisions, a month in October, the latest I can go......maybe Oct and first of Nov to hit the better season. I am still unsure where to fly in to , coming from the Us , western Washington State. I am reading a lot, studying and asking so many questions from everyone I can. A tour to the outback is high on the list, as well as one or 2 of the small islands. Good island weather is a must. We have always travelled with an attitude of "we will know when we get there" but now that I am planning this alone I do want a bit of structure. Big cities and culture, not my thing. We are small town horse people here, but again it can be a bunch of "firsts". Anyone know how you find a good outback tour, I hear they are all different. Also, which island or chain does one recommend and why? I have checked some and the stay can be really expensive with high end accomodations. I can stand a bit of that, but I also would like to not be pampered as much as going a doing and seeing things. I want an Oz experience without all the tourist stuff. Thanks for any info......robyn

[rossport]

I am overwhelmed by the info on the web. My first question, is there anyone in the 50s that is into a bit of backpacking? Everyone i know has every excuse in the book for not going anywhere. I lost my husband, travel buddy and its been 2 yrs since I have done anything fun. So I am planning a trip fall or summer to Austrailia, just starting to do research. I will probably end up going alone rather than waiting. I have done enough of that. I want to travel light, go where I want when I want. But I do need an Idea, any help will be appreciated. Plan on a month. When is the best time of season, where to fly into and why, all that. I have no doubt once there I wont be bored !! Thanks robyn

Robyn October will be a good time to hit the out back before the heat sets in a web site i looked at has tours costing around $490 for a two night Alice springs Uluru tour bear in mind any prices quoted here in Australia dollars and are usually including the tax some airfares may have a price then the tax is added on to get to Alice springs from either Sydney or Brisbane My home town will set u back on a special that runs out on the 29/4/2010 for roughly $267, another thing is WE DON"T TIP any one, so if some one asks for a tip say no and walk away this includes taxi drivers an restaurant staff they are well payed earning in excess of $ 20 an hr where to fly into is well u only have 4 weeks so my suggestion is Brisbane then fly north to the barrier reef and do your snorkeling diving and then fly back to Brisbane and out to the rock then decide the south route and fly out of Sydney for home if u need more info or help with local research yell and i would be happy to supply the info via emails as i researched my 77 day around the world trip via the net and know the trick of now cutting down search time
Cheers Stewart