Travelling to Australia?

Question

hi, i've been planning to travel to Australia.

Is there anything I need to know e.g. medical information etc..

also, any tips?

Answer 1

First of all, Australia is an English speaking country. Generally it's a safe country (just use your common sense i.e. not hanging around by yourself in a quiet street late at night, etc).

We drive on the left side of the street (the opposite to driving in US). You can hire a car and drive with your foreign license up to 1 year of your arrival as long as you hold a full driving license (ie. not probationary or learner license). If you're under 25 years old, you might pay more to hire a car.

Prior to your travel, you should get travel insurance and make sure you're covered if an accident happen to you (especially if you plan to do some sporting activities such as skiing, diving, rock climbing, etc). Our emergency phone number for police, fire and ambulance is 000 (instead of 911).

If you plan to bring food items in Australia, after passing immigration in the airport, you must declare them in the custom. If you don't declare it, you'll get fined (sometimes there're some dogs sniffing around while you're waiting for your bags in the conveyer belt). You can get most food items in Australia (all common brands such as krafts, nestle, coca cola, etc) as it's a very multicultural country where you can get anything from Asian, Greek, Italian to Middle eastern food. In Melbourne, we even have a shop that's specialising in US food.

Australia is a whole continent :-). To give you an idea to drive from Melbourne to Sydney will take approximately 10-12 hrs. While to fly from one end of Australia to the other end (Melbourne to Perth) will take you 4.5 hours.

In Australia you can ski, experience dessert, nice beaches and tropical weather in one :-)! most major capital cities have nice bars, clubs and restaurants you can feast, drink till your heart content and party :). Australia's generally a safe country but use your sense and be aware of your surroundings (i.e. don't walk around yourself late at night at a really quiet street, etc).

I will list the states and the main attractions below:

NORTHERN TERRITORY (The Top part of Australia with major capital city called DARWIN, located on the north of Australia)

http://en.travelnt.com/

- Famous for The Ayer's Rock (or known as Uluru).

This is magnificent rock and has different colour (brown, red) depending on the sun light on the rock.

- Kakadu National Park for amazing Northern territory natural landscape of waterfalls, dessert, aboriginal experience.

You can spend days or weeks depending on the depth of your travel.

- Spot a crocodile - just be careful, don't just swim in any rivers in this area as the high chance of them infested by crocodiles :)

- Ride a camel in dessert

QUEENSLAND (top east coast)

Queensland is one of the biggest state in Australia

http://www.visit-queensland.com/visit-qu...

Tropical North Queensland (major capital city being Cairns)

You can visit:

- Daintree Rainforest region (where you get to walk the canopy, see cassowari birds, stay in one of their lodges)

- Cape Tribulation (where you can snorkle/dive the great barrier reef in peace instead of the more popular place of Port Douglas where you get loads of tourists), Drinks and really experience tranquality as it's very remote. You could pick coconuts off the trees as well as do sea kayaking

- Port Douglas - you can snorkle/dive great barier reef, nightlife here is nice too for the far north Queensland region.

- Watch out for the cane toads, destroy them if you see them around as they're pests.

Sunshine Coast

- Lots of nice swimmable beaches and also visit Steve Irwin Zoo (for the true croc experience)

Brisbane City

- Cosmopolitan city, just drive past it when you are on the way from Sunshine coast to Gold coast unless you have a spare time.

Gold Coast

- This is where the Year 12 students would have their end of highschool excursions and parties.

- First of all the beach is long, white, the sand is soft and warm...as you walk in the beach, due to the softness of the sand, it makes noise :-). You can swim at night too, the water's sooo warm and spend lazing around the beach.

- Home to 4 theme parks (Warner Bros Movie World, The Dreamworld, Wet and Wild and the Sea World)

- At night, lots of nice bars and restaurants - great to party in a beach mood.

- Voted by Travel Channel top 5 world's best beaches (Activity beach) - you can play cricket in the beach :-)

Whitsundays

- great if you sail, you can sail to whitsundays islands :) or do sea kayaking expedition.

NEW SOUTH WALES (east coast of Australia with major capital city called Sydney)

http://www.visitnsw.com/

Sydney

- beaches (manly, bondi) within close proximity to the main city, Sydney Opera house, Tarronga Zoos. Great party city, great restaurants, nightclubs and bars, Sydney Harbour Bridge (Make sure you experience the climb)

Perisher Blue - Ski in New South Wales

Blue Mountain

- Nice national parks

Hunter Valley Winery

- Amazing vineyards in New South Wales region

Newcastle (2-3 hrs North of Sydney)

Smaller than Sydney but great beach to surf and also student town

Wollongong (south of Sydney)

Similar to Newcastle, again great beach to surf.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY (capital of Australia called Canberra)

- Good design of the city as this is the youngest city in Australia and was 'artificially' designed. So the city was designed then built :-). This is where the central parliament and federal government of Australia rules. Visit the parliament house.

VICTORIA (south east coast of Australia with major capital city of Melbourne)

www.visitvictoria.com.au

Melbourne - the home of Australian open tennis tournament, Melbourne Cup Horse Racing and Australian Grand prix

- The world's most livable city, little alleys full of hidden bars, pubs, cafes and clubs. European buildings, very cute.

- St Kilda Beach - the closest and cosmopolitan beach in Melbourne

- MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) - make sure you experience watching Australian Rules or Cricket in the ground

- Melbourne Zoo (voted one of the best zoos in the world) as well as their open range zoo and healesville sanctuary (for true upclose experience with Australian native animals, you can see platypus here :-) )

- Melbourne museum, Science museum, Melbourne Arts Centre

Dandenong Ranges

The best view of Melbourne city, catch a steam train while enjoying forest experience

Penguin Island

You get to see little penguins going inland to retreat from the sea during dawn :)

Torquay Beach, Bells Beach

within 1.5-2hrs drive from Melbourne, voted to be the best surf beach in the world, great waves. Around there there's a lot of things to see and do including the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road and The Grampians

Picturesque coastal drive (hire a sports car hehe) also spot the 12 apostles rock formation in the sea. Go hiking at the Grampians or do rock climbing (see some waterfalls and amazing hills)

Mt Buller, Mt Hotham, Falls Creek for down hill skiing or Lake Mountain for cross country skiing

Ballarat

The old gold town (the reason why people back then come to Melbourne during gold rush)

Wilson Promontory

Great for camping, natural wonders :)

Rutherglenn

The home of the famous Australian Shiraz :-)

Yarra Valley Winery

The vineyards of Victoria

TASMANIA (it's an island in the south of Australia)

http://www.discovertasmania.com/us/

This is the natural wonder, very green part of Australia

I once saw an ESPN TV crew filming one of the alternative sport of rock jumping.

You can fly to the island or take a ferry from Melbourne/Sydney. You can spend Days or Months here.

There're claims of sightings of Tasmanian Tiger but you'll have to see it for yourself to believe it :-)

Experience having ciders and scallop pies (Pie filled with scallops) :)

Hobart

- A very nice cute city woth visiting, especially on Saturday where they have the market called Salamanca Market

- Make sure you have Tasmanian oyster in barilla bay where you get to feast on FRESH oysters :) - like really fresh off the sea with the top shells intact.

Port Arthur

- This is where the convicts was sent :-), You can visit Port Arthur Jail, do a ghost tour, probably the most historic place in Australia, do a cruise around the jail park.

- Visit Tasmania Devil Park where you get to see Tassie Devil upclose and personal :-)

- Port Arthur is unfortunately a place where the famous Port Arthur massacare happened which made Australia reviewed their gun ownership policy.

Wine Glass Bay

Hike the mountain to get to a bay in a shape of wine glass, beautiful beach as well and torquoise water but too cold to swim. I spent a whole day there.

Craddle Mountain

Climb and do a 3 days or 5 days hike of Craddle mountain. This is where Terry Irwin was (Steve Irwin's wife) when Steve died of the stingray attack. So worth doing.

Huon Valley

Climb the canopy of treetops, feast on huon valley mushrooms.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA (major capital city called Adelaide)

http://www.southaustralia.com/uk/

Adelaide

Cute little small town, worth to base yourself here to explore South Australia.

Kangaroo Island

a trip here to experience nature and wilidlife, home to rare seals of Australia

Flinders Ranges National Park

Aboriginal Arts and walking trails

Coober Pedy

http://www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au/site/pag...

The world capital of Opal :-). You can experience staying in a cave to keep yourself cool in hot weather (amazing experience)

Barossa Valley

Famous winery in Australia

WESTERN AUSTRALIA (major capital city called Perth)

This is also one of the biggest state in Australia

http://www.westernaustralia.com/uk/Pages...

- nice long coastal and tropical weather beaches

Perth

A very nice cosmopolitan city. Make sure you go to fremantle to experience the coastal  

Answer 2

Well done Mini!

If I didn't live in Australia your answer would sway me to want to come here.

Answer 3

One thing mini doesn't tell you and that is swim between the red flags when you go swimming at our beautiful beaches, because many tourist drown when they come here for holidays, as most of our beaches have under currents which can drag you way out to sea and if you swim between the flags you will know you are safe and the life guards are watching you.