RTW: Australia Round-Up

Posted by Heather on April 10th, 2009 to

Well two months in Australia has come and gone in a flash. It seems like eons ago that I was in soggy jeans and a hoodie in Sydney but now I'm back in the sunshine near Bondi Beach about to head off to Bangkok in less than 24 hours. Here's my Aussie Round-Up with the bests and worsts of two months around Australia.

The Where and How
  • Sydney to Melbourne in a campervan with a Belgian
  • Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island by car with an old friend
  • Train to Adelaide
  • Backpacker tour with lots of Germans to Kangaroo Island
  • Virgin Blue flight to Perth
  • Hop-on, hop-off backpacker bus up the West Coast to Exmouth via Kalbarri, Monkey Mia and Coral Bay
  • Greyhound to Broome
  • Air North flight to Darwin 
  • Jetstar flight to Cairns
  • Tour to Cape Tribulation
  • Campervan relocation to Brisbane via Mission Beach, Yeppoon, Hervey Bay and Mooloolaba
  • Bus to Coolangatta
  • Virgin Blue flight to Sydney
Best YHAs
5. Crocodylus Village YHA (peace and quiet)
4. Kimberley Klub YHA, Broome (great pool and atmosphere)
3. Sydney Central YHA (top-notch amenities and location)
2. Perth Beach YHA (beach access and good atmosphere)
1. Apollo Bay YHA (just a really cool eco-friendly building)
Best Places
5. Broome
4. Coolangatta
3. Coral Bay
2. Melbourne
1. Daintree National Park
Biggest Challenges
5. Leaving Melbourne
4. Meeting people in urban hostels
3. Learning to say toilet instead of bathroom
2. Worsening CAD/AUD exchange rate in recent weeks
1. Driving a 7-metre-long manual campervan from Cairns to Brisbane
Biggest Surprises
5. How much I can sweat
4. How many syllables Aussies use to say 'no'
3. How enjoyable Aussie Rules Footy is to watch
2. The Daintree
1. Successfully getting a 7-metre-long manual campervan from Cairns to Brisbane
Biggest Letdowns
5. Exmouth
4. Texture of mayonnaise
3. Rain and cool weather for first three weeks
2. Cost of transportation on the West Coast
1. Way too much to see
Top Wildlife Spotting Spots
6. Dolphins at Monkey Mia, WA
5. Sea lions at Kangaroo Island, SA
4. Fish/sharks/turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, QLD
3. Penguins at Phillip Island, VIC
2. Kangaroos at Pebbly Beach, NSW
1. Koalas on Raymond Island, VIC / Kennet River, VIC 
Honourable mentions: cassowaries and crocodiles in the Daintree, QLD and emus in Shark Bay, WA
Spots I Should Have Visited and Will Definitely Hit Up Next Time
5. Kakadu National Park
4. Southwestern Australia
3. Tasmania
2. Smalltown Outback
1. The Kimberleys
If you're heading down under or thinking about it and you've got some questions about getting 'round Australia or the hostels there, leave a comment and I'll do my best to fill you in.
Tags:

Comments

by Jean - 2009-05-07 08:50

I pre booked all YHA accommodation and all main transportation before going so had a timetable. I did find I could have saved a little with a bit more research. For instance, individual fares on NZ Intercity bus might have been cheaper than the 60hr pass and finding out Christchurch was an international airport so could go directly to Sydney without returning to Auckland. !! However even with extra's ie: upgrades to single rooms sometimes, a cabin on the Ghan train (well worth it) souvenirs, and a hotel in Vancouver at each end of the trip. 52days under $150 per day. I'm sure it could be done for less but I enjoyed every pennyworth.

by Jen - 2009-04-30 14:38

sounds like an amazing adventure - much better than my trip to Oz last year ... wondering, if you might share what sort of budget you had for all time in Oz? ... want to do it again soon and many of places you visited are on my wishful itinerary! :) cheers! great writing btw

by Jean Morris - 2009-04-30 09:35

Recently traveled alone in New Zealand / Australia for 2mths using YHA, by bus,train, a flight Christchurch to Sydney and Alice Springs to Cairns. It was amazing. Thermal footbath at the Rotorua bus station(ooh Greyhound! ) Cruising the Lake at Queenstown, snow at 500m. Watching Albatross (Dunedin) trying to fly in 90km wind and pouring rain, Yellow eyed Penquins and Hooker sealions within a few feet on the beach.In sunny, warm Sydney, cheap transport passes for bus,train and ferries. Free trams in many cities. Bluebottles (stinging jellyfish)on Bondi Beach. Ice cream at Manly. 37deg: at Uluru. wild camels on the road. The colors in the Red Centre, the desert greener than I expected. Hot and humid in Cairns. 7km cablecar over the rainforest to Karunda. Interesting Rockhampton..Coffs Harbour area recovering from recent floods, with it's nearby beautful valleys and National Parks. $25 rtn train trip into the Blue mountains (3hrs each way) Great people,all ages from everywhere. The YHA's, great locations, clean, friendly, none smoking inside. The downside! too many smoking areas under dorm windows? backpacks all over the floor in the dorms, I couldn't get to my bunk or open my case. Never enough hooks or shelves. Slamming doors at night seems to be a contest. Lazy folks who don't wash their dishes. Not enough people know about BC. One young Italian girl asked where in Europe was Canada? Hopefully, when the flu bug has gone and I've saved enough of my pension, I can do it again.

by Heather - 2009-05-10 03:42

My budget for Oz was $4000 and I spent $4200, over 61 days so that's about $69 (CAD) per day. The big money zappers were transportation on the West Coast and big ticket activities like snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. My laziness made me eat out more than I needed to so I could have saved a lot by self-catering. I also moved around a lot (Melbourne was my longest stay at a week) so if you stick to a few spots it could be cheaper. Buying a car could be a wise investment if you've got a few people to split gas/insurance costs and the time/patience to sell it at the end of your trip.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.