Travelling To Oz,!.?

Question

hi, all, daughter traveling,, to oz,,( alone for 6 m,ths) in sept, any good tips on the do's and dont,s of traveling this vast country plz, thank you.

Answer 1

if she has good gut instincts ... tell her to listen to them.

Most aussies are decent people and will help her out if she needs anything ... but there are the odd few that I would be wary off...

will reply more later.

Answer 2

Avoid drunken Irish and English backpackers---they are the bright red ones who sizzle in the sun all day long-the english are the loudmouths who act as if they own the place and whinge if they have to wait for anything.

Answer 3

Don't hitckhike.

Answer 4

Don't talk to taxi drivers, WHAT RUBBISH! If you are going to hitchhike do it from a roadhouse where the truckers stop, never put your feet on their dashboard and don't think you are just getting a free sleep in their truck cabin.   Since the Ivan Milat backpacker murders years ago, most Truckers are more than helpful if you are polite etc.  Just use your radar like you would in any situation, the backpacker's hostels are regulated over here, she will have heaps to do.  People are helpful and friendly over here, if in doubt, ask a woman when your daughter gets here.

Answer 5

Australia's a safe country to travel in, but we have weirdos like everywhere else and she mustn't even consider hitchhiking. Our vast distances make it very easy for someone to do the wrong thing without much chance of being caught in the act. The rest is simple commonsense.

She'll meet heaps of like minded travellers in hostels and won't be alone for long if she's anything like all the other young Irish who come here. Even so, she should make sure someone knows where she is and where and when she's expected when she's travelling. If she goes out at night alone, she should stay away from quiet or poorly lit areas, just like she does at home.

She shouldn't learn about our harsh sun the hard way and should always wear a shady hat and use heaps of high SPF sunscreen. People from Ireland and the UK simply don't realise how badly you can burn in 30 minutes or so.

She should always swim between the flags, even if an unpopulated beach looks safe and inviting. Our lifesavers get heaps of action even between the flags which are carefully placed in the least dangerous areas - swimming outside the flags is asking for trouble and we lose a few tourists every year who do just that. Also, swimming in our surf and alcohol are a dangerous combination at any time, but especially at night. We lose a few more that way too.

Don't worry about her, she'll have a marvellous time. Australians are very friendly and helpful and we love the Irish - they have our sense of humour and know how to have a good time and so do we.

Answer 6

See our beaches mate... they are world class

Doesn't matter which state your in, there's plenty of awesome beach in Australia.

Also try our beers & liquor, they seem to be pretty popular amongst Americans (Victoria Bitter, Emu, Bundaberg)

And finally go on some hiking tours through the outback, you'll see some great scenic stuff

As for all the horror stories people have posted here:

Snakes, spiders, sharks, taxi drivers(wtf), etc...

Ignore it, we're extremely laid back, there's nothing to be afraid of here, trust me.

Answer 7

Don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but don't be tempted to travel alone or without solid good advice from experts in the far outback. Many people have perished out there because of ignorance of conditions in those desert areas. Best to stick to big towns & cities. Never go anywhere alone after dark.

Answer 8

dont go to any where near wolf creek.... jokes :)

beware and aware of spiders and snakes

and heed the no swimming sign in creeks and rivers and beaches -could mean anything from sharks to crocs to rips(undertow) not because we dont want u swimmin in our pond sort of thing

also when at the beach stay between the flags this is the safest spot and lifeguards can see u if ur in trouble ie u stuck in a rip dont swim against it swim across or swim with it and raise ur hand straight up and life saver will come to ur rescue

Answer 9

Travel in company , be careful in pubs & clubs , don't hitchhike , obey the law , have a plan of where to visit & an itinerary before leaving home , have medical & travel insurance , take duplicates of passport cover pages & other travel docs ....

Above all , come with a sense of adventure...this trip will change her life !

Answer 10

That miust be a bit daunting for you!

I live in Oz and the country and people are very much like Ireland. There are good and bad folk and good and bad places. Your daughter would do well to hook up with some trusted friends esp on trips to out of the way places and keep to public areas that are frequented by her type of people.

She doesn't need to be paranoid about this but take as much care as she would if she was travelling in England or Europe.

Everyone here is very friendly and would be more than willing to give her tips on places to visit.

Hope she has a great time.

Answer 11

DON'T hitchike

DO always swim between the flags at beaches patrolled by lifeguards

DON'T believe any stories about drop-bears

DO always wear sunscreen

Answer 12

Do's - all the tourist things

Don't - hich hike, always go with someone else if you are going out at night, dont stop if someone random starts talking to you on the street if they look dodgy.

Ignore the idiots.

I really would reccomend her not going out at night by herself, its dangerous and silly to do so.

Answer 13

what state or territory are you going to?

don't leave your bag unatended, a pie is usually a meat pie, don't walk around the cities at night by yourself, don't go to Wolf Creek ( it's an actual place in Western Australia)

Answer 14

It would have helped if you said like where in Oz.

It is a big Country and someone over East knows

very little about the West or North and usualy Visa

Versa.

I have lived in W>A> for all my life and have travelled all

over the north......and every state exept the Capital or

Tasmania. Some places i have travelled to 3 or 4 times.

My own state i have been All the way up Nortrh to Kunnannara

and all the way down to Albany and thurver.

To Do :  Use government info sites , all citys have that.

* On trains, plan your journey and travel with other

fellow travellers.

*  It is illigal to beg - so when you see undesirables

or loud groups of indiginious people and other rough

people.- Avoid - Avoid- Avoid

the females can be very vicious with their mouths and hands

(they are not everywhere, but sometimes you may have to

walk past a point. or near public transport.

* We dont tip as a law in Australia, for Taxis or Restaurants.

unless it is a ***** star establishment.

Though a lot of places try and encourage by little signs ! You

don't need to if you cant or dont want to!

*The police are usualy visible on and around public transport

and nightclub spots. It is perfectly okay and they are easy

to talk to, to go and approach with any queries.

*Buy all day tickets and you can travel all over Perth and can

change from Bus to Train to Boat all day long.

* Take one of those special tourist buses to show you around

*Motels have their own buses to ferry you from A/port to Motel

and back

* If coming to Perth the largest State in Australia

get Train tickets to take you Down South of the State........

totally different from the city.Check with the info.places for

details.  

Again go all the way up North to as many places you can

North of West Australia is HOT, the higher you go.

we have the Ningaloo Reef World heritage. Cape york

And lots of beautiful town's all on the Ocean along the coast.

I would also say ask for directions from shops and companies

not the person in the street.  Been new , you may approach

the wrong people.

All  the major stores in Australia have public conviniences,

toilets for free. The hours it takes to fly from the West coast

of Australia to say Sydney is approximatly 5 hours.

have fun and enjoy.  i could go on about all the other places

but takes too long. contact me personaly through email if i

can help with any particular question

Answer 15

DO's

blue mountains, Gold coast ( omg i love that place )

AND THE LUCKY LAST my home town sydney ... best fun ... u gotta love the city

Answer 16

6 months? That will allow for a working holiday, casual basis jobs. Easiest is to register with agency for office temp jobs in the cities, nasty fruit-picking in the farming areas, bar / waitress work almost anywhere.

Good chance to get ripped off because you're a tourist. The big backpacker hostels have long-term guests who give great advice, better than the locals, about jobs and tourist activities.

Make a shortlist of places of interest, but be prepared to travel heaps ... the dozen major cities are 1000km+ apart (600mi):

Great Barrier Reef and far north Queensland;

the outback in central NSW / north WA / west Qld;

skiing in the Alps of Victoria and ACT;

the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast near Brisbane;

the green wilderness of Tasmania,

the beaches / coves / bays of Sydney,

Blue Mountains near Sydney,

vineyard districts near Newcastle / Adelaide / Margaret River;

national parks in Wilson's Promontory / Lakes District / Great Ocean Road near Melbourne.

Brisbane and Perth are laid-back student-friendly cities, Sydney is the great party place if you have the $$, Melbourne is beautiful once winter is over.

The high-school breakup parties (Schoolies / Leavers) hit the various coasts November-December. The most famous of the horse-racing carnivals is Spring in Melbourne (November).

Answer 17

ok do's are:

see all the sites you possibly can

get yourself use to all the main streets so you can find your way,

try all the good restaurants

go to the beaches

DON'TS

talk to taxi drivers

drive on the right side

Answer 18

First thing your daughter should do is right a list of the must see things she wants to do. She probably won't be able to fit in everything she wants to do but she can try! There are some beautiful places throughout Australia that aren't as famous as Uluru, Great Barrier Reef or Sydney Harbour.

September is spring in Australia and the weather is different all over the nation. So she should make sure she packs some clothes for warm and cool weather.

Do and Don'ts are much the same as everywhere. Use common sense. Be careful. Let someone know your trip itinerary. Make sure you use sunscreen cause the Australian sun can be very hot and can burn you in minutes.

Hope your daughter has a great time!

PS. Bee...i'm curious why she shouldn't talk to taxi drivers?!