Going to Australia

[johnrah]

Me and my friend are going to australia this summer from around may through july. We are a couple of kids from the southern part of america and are looking to do some adventerous things while were down there. im 20 and we are wondering what are the fun things to do, the good places to stay, where to meet people and girls, and what to do to have fun. also, we probably will try to find a job for a little while to make some money since we will be on a limited budget. We really don't nothing about australia, so any hints ideas or info you got will be a great help thanks.

[nikon]

Hey Johnrah, check out this thread gives you a few things to do in some of the different states click me, most backpackers go to Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland (brisbane)

Adelaide is were i'm from, ppls say its like a 'country town' i guess (i disagree but i'm from here) but its a good place for wine and kangaroo island. I've heard Perth is great place to visit, never been there before, but definately checkout North Queensland (great places, Cairns is a bit of a hole, not beach really but Port Douglas has awesome beaches).

If you after work check out this thread too, a few of us have posted here about work Clicky Here

Hope this helps!

[nikon]

also while i'm thinking of it ....

ohhhh also in Cairns they have this extreme day package i did when i was up there too, i did it a few years ago can't remember the price though, but in the morning you do hotair ballooning (which was great, saw an awesome sunrise) this followed by a breakfast, then onto white water rafting (great fun), the a big lunch and in the afternoon sky diving from 14,000ft - ohhhhh that was crazy!!

If you want adventure you could always do an adventure tour of NT (Northern Territory) i guess in the bush, google it and see!

there are plenty of clubs and pubs in australia, most of the capital cities have a free mag. with a list of what clubs and pubs have got on, pick it up @ music stores mostly. And about the girls, there is meant to be more women in aus than guys, so your in luck i guess.

[LiveFreeorDie]

Here are my comments as a recent visitor to AU from the U.S.:

If you like the beach, lots of girls and want a party town - Surfer's Paradise is place to check out. It would get old after more than a few days to a week though because other than the beach, clubs, and amusement parks, there is not much else (but maybe that's enough??). The beach is great (in a touristy - very busy sort of way) - take surf lesson.

For adventure tours - Cairns is the big tourist HQ. You can do all sorts of rainforest adventure tours, great barrier reef excursions, learn to Scuba, white water rafting, etc. I did all of those and it was a lot of fun. Cairns has some decent nightlife as well - but it is really a jumping off spot for tours - there is not much in town to do or see other than drink and get picked up for your next excursion.

As far as big cities go, Sydney is fantastic. Very scenic, lots of things to see and do, good social scene, etc. I highly recommend it.

Not sure what your budget is, but I flew between these three sites for relatively cheap money. Check out Virgin Blue(the Southwest Airlines of Australia) or Qantas. Fairly cheap flights can be had. I found one way tickets between cities for under $100 USD. Prices fluctuate constantly, though, so check the websites frequently for deals and strike when you see a good deal.

Enjoy - Australia is a great place - but is overwhelmingly large to pick and choose where to go.

[johnrah]

I appreciate it y'all. that sky diving sounds fun. Alright, is it easy to get a hostel once we get there, or do we need to plan ahead. also, since its winter, what will the weather be like? Sorry to ask so many questions, but i don't know what to expect

[kazza]

Hi i'm from Oz and thought id help out a bit with what weather to expect... you're arriving in our winter (may-july) so depending on where you end up visiting it will be range from as low as 11-20 degrees (Syd & Melb- vic/nsw) to as high as 22-28 degrees (Brissy & Cairns- QLD) please note these are daytime temps..... nights are colder! If you dont want to pack a coat and you're fine with 2nd hand clothes, id head for a 2nd hand shop and buy one. You can pick up a very good warm coat at cheap prices

You're also camping... bring a nice snug warm sleeping bag

Have fun theres lots of fun to be had!

[kazza]

LOL! sorry you're not camping... that was another post i just got you mixed up with.. doh

Just forget i meantion anything about sleeping bags and camping :P

[kazza]

*mentioned... hehe damn i need sleep! :P

[nikon]

Originally posted by LiveFreeorDie@Dec 1 2004, 10:16 AM
a party town - Surfer's Paradise is place to check out.

For adventure tours - Cairns is the big tourist HQ.* You can do all sorts of rainforest adventure tours, great barrier reef excursions, learn to Scuba, white water rafting, etc.

yeah like LiveFreeorDie said Surfer's Paradise is a big party town - but Australia is full of places 2 party

and yeah i forgot about the other things LiveFreeorDie said about Cairns; you can do the rainforest tours, the great barrier reef trip (swim/snorkel with the fish, just put sunscreen on ur back though ), plenty to do up there mate!

and to add also to flight thing, check out Virgin Blue and Jetstar they are our cheap airlines down here too.

Hostels i'm not sure about that, I'd prob. email a few of them and see what they have to say, maybe book a week or two ahead if possible too!


Like Kazza said as you gotta be down here around may through july - down south end of Australia (melbourne & adelaide) its gonna be cold and raining (avg temp. 16C say), but it will be the perfect time for the Queensland weather though nice warm climate that time of year (avg. 25C shorts + tshirt) - so enjoy it while you can!!!

HEY KAZZA wake up its still early down here

[theDOC]

that sky diving sounds fun

Yeah syk diving is fairly big in OZ, pretty much any where you go there will be skydiving. There is heaps of national wildlife parks, where there is like lions and stuff roaming in larged fenced areas. Thats the kind of stuff i like to go see.

Also the people are heaps friendly, although the girls take a little convincing to do more that just have a good chat to you, when you meet them for the first time. (It aint Europe!!)

Near Adelaide where myself and nikon comes from, you could also check out the Flinders Rangers. There are also heaps and heaps of wineries everywhere near Adelaide. THis is good if you are wanting to pick up some short time work, to get some more funds.

Australia is a very big country, and people dont realise how spaced out every city is, so you might want to just go to a few cities. Although I spose it is only a 2-4 hour plane flight to get to another city.

[zylah]

just how many adelaideans are there on these boards? (btw i am one)
maybe its cos its such a hole that we all want to travel away?

btw if u do get to adelaide go to kangaroo island, its brilliant.

[nikon]

Originally posted by zylah@Dec 2 2004, 10:23 PM
just how many adelaideans are there on these boards? (btw i am one)
maybe its cos its such a hole that we all want to travel away?

hahaha - hey zylah it ain't too bad in this little old town now, there are still heaps of things 2 keep me in trouble here

yeah unfortunately theDoc and me both went to uni together and somehow managed 2 become friends and now he's bumming a lift with me on my EU trip next year

*he's cast the bait out, just waiting 4 a nibble - ehee

[zylah]

so which of the 3 unis did u guys go too? this being adelaide we prob do already know each other irl.

[nikon]

theDoc and me went to UniSA, magill & levels campus. Where abouts did you go then?!

[Gumby]

Holy crap, is there anybody on this site that ISN'T from Adelaide? I've been here for 10 years - come to study at Flinders Uni from Broken Hill and never left.

Definitely go to the Barossa, McLaren Vale and check out the wineries - always a fun day out.

You'll also be here during footy season so you might want to give that a look - mainly Rugby League in Queenland and Sydney and stupid Aussie Rules in Melbourne and Adelaide.

Depending on your budget and interests, I went to Kunnunurra a few years back, did a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles and the North Coast of Western Australia and visited an isolated Aboriginal Reservation. Was pretty amazing. Also went to a Crocodile Farm at Wyndham which scared the absolute crap out of me - it's a big reminder when you go North how diverse Australia is.