Guy from Europe needs some suggestions and advices for his trip to Australia?

Question

Hi folks!

Yesterday I asked how to work and travel in Australia as a young European Tourist. Now, after I was told I will not be allowed to work down under, because my country doesn't have that kind of work and travel visa agreement with Australia.

So let's say I will have one month, starting around december 15th, and I will start my trip in Melbourne, going up along the Eastern shores (Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane...) What are your suggestions, what do I really have to visit, what are the must-sees on this road. And which advices can you give me? How are the backpacker hostels? The campings? Can I make it by Bus/Train or should I buy an old car?

Thank you very much for your kind answers you gave me yesterday and those you will give me on this one. I'm really looking forward to coming to your country, seeing some of the most beautifuls spots and attractions and getting to know some really nice people there!

Christophe, 23, from Luxembourg

Answer 1

Good luck, mate. Australian chicks are the hottest on the planet.

Answer 2

i must say...

when your in sydney and your comming here in december a must see is definatly BONDI beach! iam from sydney and my favorite place in the whole of sydney is bondi beach. lol iam there almost everyday in summer and plan to buy a beachpad there when iam older. lol iam a female and i have 2 say the women in  bondi beach are the most hottest you'll ever see in all sydney and majority of people there are toursts and backpackers so everyone is really friendly there.

if you go to some bars along the bondi beach strip or even on the beach itself you'd make alot of friends from just talking to people there and a great pick up spot.

other than that for me the rest of sydney isnt as friendly because the other places like harbour bridge etc are in the city cbd where most people work and are in the hussle and bussle and time restricted as it is like all cities where ppl who go bondi come there to relax and have sum fun in the sun.

if you want and looking for someone to have a chat with or go to the beach with in sydney just send me a msg. im 22 female.

as most of the people above me have said... i dont think buying a bomb car is a gr8 idea. public transport here is cheap. buying a bomb car and rising gas prices would mean you would spend over $1000 in the month you are here just on the ravel costs that would cost only half of that if you use public transport.

flights between the east coast cities are pretty cheap. flights from sydney to melb and melb to sydney are only about $100. canberra is pretty dead. (sorrry ppl from canberra) lol but theres really nothing there @ all. i recommend staying extra time in either syd or melb. if you still want to go canberra i think you can take a train there or a bus thats really cheap. i would prefer to take a train than a bus as trains are more comfier.

For NYE i highly recommend staying in sydney and mayb going out with a few people you have met during your trip here and going in the city to watch the fireworks in the harbour. i warn you.. Go there early and as ITS A HUGE crowd by the harbour. its a very great vibe as its a huge crowd and everyones happy and in a party mood. it makes u feel happy 2. LOL

it depends what you are into and what you like. there are alot of music festivals as well during dec/jan in sydney/melb east coast area so if your a big fan of going to music festivals and stuff i recommend going to one.

Answer 3

You must must must be in Sydney, around the harbour for the fireworks on New Years Eve, you must take a blanket early on the same day and get a friend and stake out a spot with the families, this you will remember for the rest of your life.  I have heard the hostels are good as we have lots of competition here and rules on how they are run.  The train goes all the way up the east coast, you must stop at Byron Bay, you will love this as a young man, after Sydney and Before Brisbane, many alternative lifestyles there and friendly people, many travellers from all around the world.  Remember it will be very hot here at the time you are travelling.  If you are going to get an old car, you should join the RACV, RACQ, or NRMA it will cost you $100 or so, but if you brake down, they (or their brothers in another state) can come and save you!  You will meet more people on the train or bus, just remember the huge distance between our cities, you may want to share the driving with another.

Answer 4

Hi, I'm from Melbourne (and I have been to Luxembourg) so you will find the cost of petrol cheaper here than in Europe.  I would suggest you buy and Greyhound bus pass  (they have various sorts unlimited kilometers/ so many thousand kilometers/certain time periods etc.  The only requirement is that you travel in one direction which suits you if you start in Melbourne and head north.  It will be much cheaper and more flexible than the trains here  (we don't have the population to support the great train system Europe has for interstate travel).  If you are only doing the east coast and are only here for a month or so I would recommend staying in the youth hostels which are on the whole pretty good.  You will get to meet lots of people like yourself from all over the world who are all doing the same thing.  It would be great if you could make it as far north as Cairns.  Just remember also that the time you are coming is our major school holidays so you will find  the camping grounds all booked up with families taking their Christmas holidays.   Youth hostels and Greyhound bus pass is definately the way to go.  Have a great time and remember it will be hot (hope you like the beach).

Answer 5

Dont buy a car, petrol is unbelieveable! Bus from Melbourne to Canberra is $60, probably the same Canberra to Sydney. Also keep an eye on www.virgin.com.au- for cheap domestic flights. They can get as low as $50. In Victoria, check out Melbourne, very cool city. If you have time, go to Wilsons Prom, its so beautiful. Also the Grampians, are wicked. If you want to see the penguins (they are sooo cute) go to Phillip Island, there are heaps of youth hostels and trips there.

Canberra, you can do in a weekend. They say it is the city with no soul, it has no personality at all. but they usually have cool art exhibits and historical stuff there. Also the war monument, but i dont know if that interests you.

Spend the most time in Queensland, and definately spend the money to go out on the reef. Its like $150, but amazing, and soon it will all be gone. I promise you'll be glad you saw it.

Answer 6

Hi :-)

Firstly, I must agree that we aussie chicks ARE the hottest on this planet ;-)

And secondly, my tip - don;t just do the cities - go check out the Australian country...rural Australia...it's really very beautiful...

Answer 7

Hi christophe,

You don't have much time!  You'd really regret it if you didn't visit:

sydney harbour bridge

opera house

bondi beach

kings cross

byron bay

fraser island

airlie beach

cairns (for the great barrier reef)

I'm not snubbing victoria, just haven't been there - I'm sure there's plenty of must sees there as well!

there is a company www.wickedcampers.com.au - i haven't rented from them, but am on the road a lot and there is hundreds of their campers on the road, so am guessing they're a good way to go if you want to rent a camper to travel around.  that way it's also possible just pull up on the side of road and have a sleep and cook your own food without worrying about accommodation.  On the main highways there's a lot of rest stops specifically for that purpose with no charge for pulling up and staying for a max 24 hours.  some even have toilets, showers and bbqs.  It'll also allow you to stay in caravan parks and camping grounds without having to pitch a tent or wandering around town looking for a backpackers!

If you're not into just seeing the sights and having an adventure you'll probably be better off just seeing where the road takes you.  Most towns have a well signed tourist information bureau where you can get lots of local information (and sometimes a cup of tea), or more importantly the local pub, and if you just start driving north from Melbourne with no set plan you'll find lots of great places.  there's just so many beautiful and interesting things to I'm sure once you land and start moving you won't be disappointed wherever you end up!

good luck!

Answer 8

For a month you would need disposable cash to buy a car and right now petrol is $1.60 per Litre. From Melbourne you might want to head southwest along the Great Ocean Road if you did have a car.

Answer 9

hi christophe

you've already received a lot of good answers but i can hardly believe the no-one has mentioned stopping at phillip island to see the penguin parade, squeaky beach on wilson's promontory (the sand is so fine it squeaks when you walk on it) or ninety mile beach along the coast to the east of melbourne.

i think you had probably buy an old car to get the best adventure possible. some of the smaller towns won't have backpacker hostels but you can probably get a cheap room in one of the hotels.

there are plenty of other things to see depending on how much time you are willing to spend in one area. check out the tourism victoria website for more information

http://www.visitvictoria.com/

Answer 10

Hey there Christophe.

Ok so I live in Melbourne (best city in oz) and grew up on the coast of Victoria so anything along the Great Ocean Road is awesome but very same same after a while.

I would deffinitely check out the harbour bridge and opera house in Sydney and the theme parks in Queensland are pretty fun if you're into rides.

Umm what else....if you love wine I'd check out a wine tour on either the Yarra Valley (Victoria) or the Borossa Valley (South Australia).

I'd probably check out the great barrier reef on a cheap snorkling boat as they'll probably close it off in a few years.

Also in Melbourne there's some fantastic architecture int he classic old buildings.

For transport i'd suggest buses as trains between states are quite expensive.

If you're in Melbourne trams and trains are pretty cheap. If you'd like to know more about getting around cheaply in melbourne just email me [e-mail].

If you're in Sydney the buses are pretty good but you can get a day pass that allows you to travel on trains, buses and ferry's (that go under the bridge).

Anyway, good luck...perhaps i should ask also, what's good to see in luxembourg?

Answer 11

Hi Christophe,

you can travel by air,train,bus or car quite easily. We drive on left-hand side of road,like England. there are "rent a bomb" companies with good second-hand cars as well as plenty of old cars but suggest you also look at "standbycars.com.au"

Good luck. We think aust' is best place in the world and expect you will enjoy your visit. not so many people nor pollution-unique fauna & flora, peaceful andfriendly.-Butch.

Answer 12

Hi Christophe. I have been through Luxemborg on a car journey through Europe very nice.  I would suggest you stay in Melbourne for about 5 days Hire a car for 2 or 3 days and  drive The Great ocean Road. Then look for cheap flights with www.jetstar.com.au  or Virgin blue and fly to Sydney. Fuel here is on the up and up about $1.65 a litre at the moment and because you will only be here a month this is probably the cheapest way to do your trip, Mind you it is school   holidays and prices for accomodation etc will be dearer than normal. There is not a lot to see in Canberra. Once in Sydney you can get all day runabout ticket for public transport it will take you on the local trains buses and ferries. Only use the commuter ferries take a ferry trip to parramatta and also over to manley. Train and bus will take you to Bondi beach. There is  such a lot to see in Sydney so at least a week there.   http://www.sydneybackpackers.com/ after Sydney go to Brisbane and the Goldcoast. You can book or keep looking for the specials for flights and book them before you come.

Answer 13

Greyhound bus is popular with backpackers. They have a hop-on and hop-off pass called mini travellers.

http://www.greyhound.com.au/Help/types-o...

Then you could mix it up with car rentals and flights to make the most of your time.

If you do visit the tropical north do it first as December is very nice usually but by January heavy wet season season rains usually start in earnest.

If you wanted to work without a visa you can do volunteer work that is or eg 4 hours work for bed and meals. Wwoofers is popular. Says organic farming but if lucky can also sometimes get a place on a boat for eg. Need to buy book though so hard to try before you buy but worth considering.

Backpacker trail includes Cairns, Airlie Beach, Fraser Island, Byron Bay so you can join them or avoid them lol :)