Backpacking to australia?

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Our Man In Bananas

as well as Sydey and Melbourne, make sure you go to Western Australia...that's awesome...

and as well as gapyear.com, check out the lonely planet Thorntree - worlds largest backpacker / independant travellers site!

For budget, whilst not fruit picking and working in bars (make sure your VISA let's you do that so you don't get thrown out early!), you can take the cost of a hostel in Sydney for one night, and treble that - that will give you a comfortable daily budget including food, some drink, museums etc and bus travel or domestic flights!

I've put the link to Hostelworld.com below so you can find out how much the decent (highly rated) hostels are... there are 4 or five really good ones like The Asylum Sydney, the Blue Parrot, Wake Up! Sydney Central and The Big Hostel and they all cost around Â£12 GBP an ight, so your average budget for Oz when not working could be around Â£25 to Â£35 a day...

Hope that helps...

Happy Trails
Philip

thekittiesinthehood

Re whether or not it is safe on your own...if you are careful, it is as safe as most other places...though there was an article just last week in the paper how over 3000 tourists have died here recently. It was in the sydney daily telegraph www.news.com.au
If you do a search on the paper's website with terms "tourist died" you will probably find the article.
Hitchhiking is definitely not safe and if going to remote areas, find a travelling companion (you should be able to hook up with others from hostels). 2 more backpackers have gone missing in the outback in the last couple months. For some reason this country has had more than our share of psycho killers in the outback..not just Milat, but also Murdoch, and another sicko threw a backpacker off a bridge in a small town here recently and killed her. And now with 2 more missing it looks like another sicko is at it. Have you seen the movie Wolf Creek? Lol.
If you are careful, you should be absolutely fine. You will find most people very friendly. And there are so many backpackers here all the time...Sydney probably has dozens of hostels. So you won't have problems hooking up with others when you need to. I backpacked Australia on my own as a female and was fine, though I did have an awful scary hitchhiking experience.
Should add that I didn't read the article, just hte headline and I suspect alot of the deaths were drownings. If you are not from a country with surf, please be incredibly careful at the beach...so many tourists don't understand about rips & things and wind up drowning. Stay between the flags on beaches & swim with a buddy if you can.

www.gapyear.com

Most people on there are backpackers that go to Australia at one point or another!!

go to the boards as well...

Brilliant site.

Jester

just stay away from ' Ivan Milat's backpacking tours '

:P

ben s

when you run out of money just go fruit picking. i met some realy top people when picking fruit in bundernburg
we went up to magnetic island together .
i have best memories from then

bannanas - tully

melons tomatoes capsicums ayr/bundenburg

sydney is good but its another town like here but better with and it has beaches EVRYWHERE

get up the coast to queansland
lots to do what you cant do in england

my advice is just be aware and try to travel in a group, if you are alone you will be ok anyway.

if you want to meet likeminded people then go fruitpicking for a week or two, then see where that takes you

you will have a great time and dont worry it is safer there than here (uk)

Rebecca

How much money you need depends on where you are planning on staying when you get to oz. I assume it will be backpacker hostels as thet is the best way to meet people when travelling. (hotels would be pretty lonely especially when travelling by yourself). You will meet lots of people so don't worry about going by yourself. I did myself 2 years ago and had the best time - i met some great people - and don't worry as you will not be in a minority.
If you plan on staying in dorms then you can budget less then if you stay in single private rooms. When you get to oz will you mainly be buying food from the supermarket and cooking your own meals in the kitchen, or eating out?
Are you pre booking travel (air/ coach pass etc) before you leave or once you arrive in oz?
Sydney is the most expensive city for accomodation. But i would say depending on where abouts you are the average price of a dorm room (depending on the style of backpacker hostel) is from approx Â£8-Â£20.
Food is pretty cheap to buy from the supermarket and also when eating out. (comapred to the uk) I would say on average (if you want to get out and about and do lots of sightseeing - city passes/day tours/ museum fees/ etc) then you will need approx Â£25 a day.
Less if you are not doing much and preparing your own meals.
Don't forget if you are going to oz on a working holiday visa if you find yourself running short of cash you can supplememt your savings by getting a job as a temp/in a bar/ restaurant/ fruit picking etc.
As someone else has said a really good website is the lonely planet thorn tree forum. Gives really helpful tips...And it may also be worth your while to buy the lonely planet guide to australia. (it's like the bible to backpacking round oz).
Have a great time in oz - you'll love it :-)

skidrow

Been twice on my own, awesome place, if in Sydney stay in Glebe at the YHA, about Â£12 per night.

Enjoy.

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