Are you looking for tips to travel to Australia? Then you're in the right place: we just came back after a 3-month trip in which we kicked almost the half of Australia's most populated cities. We left Perth and arrived in Melbourne on our first roadtrip, did a housesitting on the Mornington Peninsula, flew to Tasmania and started a new road trip from Melbourne to Cape Tribulation. As an experienced traveller, here are some tips and advices which would help you for your journey.
Eye to the itinerary: Australia is a huge country
Australia is an enormous country(it is the sixth largest country in the world), flying from one coast to another will take about 6 hours and this will make you clear about how enormous it is.
So, if you have only 3 weeks of time, it is unfeasible to know the whole, so you will have to decide for a specific area. Personally, we have loved the West Coast, but for a first trip we recommend this itinerary, which touches a part of the South Coast and the East Coast:
* One-way flight to Melbourne
* Great Ocean Road
* Flight to Cairns
* Road trip to Cape Tribulation
* Roadtrip to Sydney
* Departure flight from Sydney
Is it worth visiting the Red Center?
We were not there, but we think it is very worthwhile, perhaps better in a second trip. This time we decided to focus on the South and East Coast, and left the outback for our return to Australia. If your idea is to make a single great trip to Australia, do not hesitate! Everyone talks wonders about Uluru and the most authentic Outback in the country.
In this case, if you only have 3 weeks, an itinerary could be:
* One-way flight to Melbourne
* Great Ocean Road
* Flight to Alice Springs (it's a bit expensive!)
* Road trip Uluru
* Flight to Cairns
* Road trip to Sydney
* Departure flight from Sydney
Traveling in winter (summer in Europe) is cheaper:
Yes, there may be areas where you get cold, but in general (and with a good coat) you should not have problems. If you want to save a few euros, traveling in the low season is the best.
New year in Sydney? Book with advance:
Spending the New Year in Sydney is a dream for many travellers: the fame of its party and its fireworks have crossed borders and surely, it would be an unforgettable way to welcome the new year. And if you plan to visit this event, remember to book months in advance because the prices can be exorbitant.
Is it true that in Australia everything can kill you?
Before going we had read a lot about all the threats that haunt travelers in Australia : the most poisonous snakes in the world are here (including the taipan, the deadliest), and those that are not poisonous can even swallow a whole kangaroo. There are hundreds of species of spiders and tarantulas that can give you serious displeasure. Not to mention the fright when you find yourself facing a huge crocodile (even on the beaches of the north of the country), or a shark fin that follows you in the sea while you surf ...
Although ending up with a shark's mouth is not the most dangerous of the Australian coasts, if while you snorkel and you find a jellyfish, don't be so silly, despite its small size, it has enough poison to kill a man, octopuses of blue hoops or pretty conches ... escape! They can also kill you.
On the beaches, due to the risk of jellyfish, there are stinger nets in the water and supposedly, it is safe to bath and it would prevent the deadly box jellyfish. But the irukandji jellyfish are very small and could pass through the stinger nets. Personally, I'm not interested to bath in the jellyfish season, I prefer pools over beaches.
And also, there are marine currents, the famous rips, which take the lives of dozens of bathers every year. From 2004 to 2016 the deaths by shark were 26, and 230 by drowning. So always try to bath on guarded beaches and do it between the red and yellow flags. And of course, do not get away from the beach.
Here, I will mention some of our personal experiences : We saw some snake, but it is not enough to leave the road and be attentive, we only found crocodiles when we went looking for them in an excursion, we did not have unexpected visits of sharks and, although we were not caught between marine currents. In theory, almost everything in Australia can kill you, in practice you do not have to worry too much.
Protect yourself from the sun:
There is a lot of talk about the dangerous wildlife in Australia, but one of the biggest risks has no legs or hairs. Australia is just below the hole in the ozone layer and is the country with the most cases of skin cancer in the world . Fortunately, this can be prevented by using some good quality sunscreen. I recommend using an Eco-friendly sunscreen and also, there are some creams on the market that could prevent jellyfish stings. Everyday the sun of Australia is super intense, so in addition to cream, wear a cap and do not expose yourself very long in the sun.
If you are going to drive in Australia
You have to keep in mind these things before embarking on a road trip:
* If you do not know, we'll tell you: in Australia you drive on theleft!!
* Remember to take the international driving license , without this document you will not be able to rent or drive a vehicle in Australia. You can get it for 10 euros.
* Eye to the roads : in several occasions (especially in the West Coast and in Tasmania) we find secondary roads in quite bad condition. Or rather, directly to the ground. If you plan to deviate from the main routes, perhaps the best idea is to rent a 4WD car.
* Do not drive at the first/last hour : it is when the kangaroos and other wild animals go out to jump out there and in "out there" the road is included.
* If you plan to spend the night in the car/van, it is not allowed everywhere. The best thing is to look for sites prepared for it in apps like Campermate or Wikicamps.
Is it true that you can rent vans almost free?
Yes, thanks to the relocation. You can search for deals on the imoova website. Normally, the cheapest relocations are for 3-7 days. A trick is to try to match several and divide the trip into small stages. The good thing, obviously, is saving. The bad, the little flexibility and the formalities of return procedures. Personally we recommend renting a van the entire trip.
Get a SIM with internet:
Do not count on free and good quality wifi in Australia. It is best to get a SIM with some data package for your day to day life, both on the road (essential) and in cities. After investigating a little, we recommend a company: the Telstra network, especially if you are going to travel in somewhat remote places: it is the one that has the best coverage.
We got a Boost SIM (we got a 50% offer at the Woolworths). It costed $20 instead of $40 with 8 Gb of data and unlimited calls in Australia, plus 100 minutes to certain foreign countries. It is a prepaid card, every 28 days the voucher expires, although in certain rates you can do the roll-on, that is to keep the surplus of data for the following month.
3 apps that you can not miss on your phone if you travel to Australia:
The travel apps are becoming our best ally when we move in a country, here we leave 3 that we use in Australia:
* Oanda : to check the current exchange rate.
* Wikicamps : to search for free campsites and interesting places.
* Maps.me : to download map of zones / cities and use them offline.
Learn some words in Australian EnglishHey? We already imagine your face. Yes, they speak English, but their slang is quite peculiar and there are some words that it is better to learn before going to not stay stunned.
Addy : address Barbie : barbecue Breakkie : breakfast Cuppa : coffee cup G'day : good morning good Arvo : good afternoon Lollies : sweets Loo : bathroom Maccas: MacDonalds Mate : friend, colleague No Worries : no problem Telly : television Pokies : Slots Pot : beer