well this is my first time posting anything here and everyone seems pretty friendly, so i figured i would see what advice i could get!

so my best friend and i are packng a bag and heading to australia in May.. we plan to go for 6 or 7 months..
so, my questions:

1) because the weather is not the most warmest in May because it will be their winter, we wanted to start our trip in the northern territory (maybe darwin), and head down the coast aas it gets warmer... any thoughts on the cheapest way to do this?

2) how much money do i need?? we are planning on working there and we will pretty much do even the crappiest jobs because we are both pretty poor right now.. will we make enough to sustain ourselves there? how much do we realistically need when we go?

3)any other tips anyne can give about anything are much appreciated! i know it;s pretty early to be asking this stuff, but well, we are pretty excited so we thought we'd get a head start

thanks!
*becca

http://www.harrythecat.com/graphics/w/welcom12.gifTo the Boards beeltree!!!!

To answer some of your questions:

The cheapest way to get around would be to hitch hike, but I would not recommend that, but what might work is hooking up with some other trav'las at the hostel and seeing if any of them have bought a car and are going the way you wanna go, road trips are very common for trav'las in Australia, even people from over seas do it.

Your next cheapest option would be to travel by Bus they have special deals and Passes

Next would be Train This site has all the info you will need on that.

And then of course flying is an option, but now your talking some serious coin...

I don't know what currency your converting to Australian dollars, so its hard to answer you question about how much money you will need to bring...but for everyday expences I would say bare minimum would be 40$, then getting up into the higher end where you will be living a much more lavish life in the area of $60...but seeing as you going to be working and not spending all your time treking about, the low end seems more likley.

Here are some links for Australian Jobs, I assume you have a visa to work, most of these will require it...If you do not have the visa, start checking bars and pubs for work under the table, or if your going to be near any vinyards, check in to see if they are looking for help with the crops, i don't know what time of year the harvest though.

Hope that helps ya some!!! :cheers: :afro: :cheers:

hey, thanks a lot!
i am coming from Canada, so i'm talking canadian funds here...
in terms of working in the smae place for a while... is getting an apartment best? i am assuming yes, because stayin in hostels for 6 months would get pricey!

i don;t have a work visa yet, but i'm getting one.. still lots of time for that!

the car idea is what i was thinking... but... i am not that familiar yet with how far everything actually is from each other so bear with me.. but if we start off in darwin or cairns, where do we go from there? i believe we were thinking down the coast, eventually the whole way to sydney..
now i know it's not a small country... so in terms of driving vs. busing, where is best to drive and where would it be best to hop on a bus?

thanks again!

Your student wrok/travel visa will require you to have $5000 to show that you can support yourself while you are there and will not be a burdon of the Australian social system..I know this because i was a razors edge from moving to OZ myself. Something to keep in mind.

Looks like from that Greayhound site you can catch a bus pretty much anywhere, this pic is poor quility, but you get the idea http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/a...ses/wpe192.jpg This is the bus routes from GReayhound Australia

Between Darwin and Sydney is 3920.4 KM, a driving time of about 44 hours, now that is a direct route, I can assure you that the coastal drive will be much much longer...and so it should be, it is the better way to go...

Australia is a HUGE country, but not much different socialy ecomicly, or geographicly, we are very a like, so if you have ever done a road trip here in Canada, then you should be able to swing it no worries!!!

If you think you are going to drive whiel you are there, get an IDP you will need it if you wanna share in the driving. It also really fun to drive on the other side of the road!!! :lol:

Hello there, I am also from Canada and I just got back a few days ago from spending 3 months in Australia. We went from Sydney up to Cairns. I will start by saying it was an absolutely awsome trip.

So yes we travelled by bus, and it was great, but I would defiitely go with Greyhound vs. the cheaper bus Premier, Greyhound just offers lot more buses per day at each location, where as Premier only offers one.Greyhound cost us $252 for 3 months, and I am sure you know that the Canadian and Australian dollar are almost the same). We had friends that rented cars as well, which is a great way to see more of the small little nothing areas, but then you also have to think of Gas and maintenance for the car, as well as getting rid of it at the end. And you will prolly need about $1000 each to get a car and will not break down on you in a week. Most cars that you would be buying will come with all your camping gear(tents,coolers,stoves,sleeping pads, and so on) so that may cover some accommodation costs if you take advantage of the gear.

From Darwin you would either go to Alice Springs and Ayres Rock, or over to Cairns. I just left Cairns and it was a super awsome city, so much fun and quite a bit to do, definitely will want to take a day trip out to the reef, it is beautiful up there. Also there are lots of jobs working in bars and what not there, and just south there is work doing fruit picking at a place called innisfale.

Just a few things that are a must along the coast heading down. Airlie Beach you will want to do a boat trip out to the Whitsunday Islands. Usually a 2 night 3 day trip, and definitely worth the cash. You get to go snorkelling and diving all around some beautiful coral and fish. Next is a Self Guided 4x4 trip on Fraser Island. Again 2 night 3 days in a 4x4 vehicle that you and your group get to navigate around the beautiful Fraser Island. Everyone in the group takes turns driving and it is absolutely amazing. It was definitely a hightlight of our trip. Also if you book those two trips together you can get a great deal, costing you about $300-$400. But do your research when booking those.
Towns to definitely vist on your way down the coast are.
-Cairns, Mission Beach, Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach, 1770, Hervey Bay, Noosa, Brisbane, Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay, Port McQuarie, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, and Sydney of course.
Anyways I hope some of that advice helps ya out, if you want any more info just e-mail me.
Happy travels

sparklehead17@hotmail.com

hell, why not consider coming to new zealand, we are much more friendly than those uptight aussies, smaller country, and our dollar is weaker.

also, you can hitch hike basically anywhere without any worries for safety, i dont know of one person that has been killed hitching here.

just a thought

that statement just oozes friendliness.

I'm just back from a couple of weeks in Darwin, it's an awsome place, the people are really decent and friendly. If you can hook up with a local that would be cool, cause they'd be more than happy to show you around. You've gotta go to the croc farm there. And if you can get out to Litchfield national park it's well worth it, they have some cool waterfalls that you can go swimming at and jump off, and the old lady that works at the kiosk could make a sailor blush, she's a real outback character. Those northerners can really drink, so expect to see some mighty drunk people at the pubs, but its all fun. Also, there is no such thing as winter up there, it never falls below 30 degrees all year round, i think Darwin's average would have to be around the mid thirties for winter. The time that you'll be there is the best time to tour up north because it's dry season so its not rediculously hot, it's not raining every day, but its still definately hot enough to go swimming.

I reckon going from darwin to cairns then down the coast sounds like a wicked plan. Buses are definately the way to go. They're not too expensive, and because you wont be going too far in one hit you shouldn't be spending too long sitting on the bus. There are heaps of cool places to visit down the east coast, Byron Bay would definately be one of my favorites, the beach is beautiful, and the people are really friendly.

actually we have had several tourists get killed here backpacking....and new zealand is way too damn cold....



may in aus really isnt that cold.cairns is very warm throughtout the year, and sydney and melbourne are the only cold cities.

canadian dollar to aus dollar is pretty much dollar for dollar,so unfortunatly you wont win in that situation, as for emplyment...fruit picking is common, bar work...or if ya hot, take some skankyish clothes,some cute heels, and make more cash dancing/stripping....hehe ive met tonnes of backpackers who make their way around doing this.

if you want to get an idea of what Darwin is like go to My Homepage. I've got a trip report and photos from my trip there.

Damn, $252 for 3months travel. Thats sooo cheap. I would love to know if thats unlimited or not?

Anyways, May will be fine, even down here in melbourne. I would say depending on how long your staying, say if it was three months, start south and work north, but if it was for say 6months, well, maybe then start the other way. June/July are obviously the coldest months, but even then, our cold winter is nothing on Canada/states. Hell, you can still wear t-shirts in winter, even on our coolest days.

Cheers, and be prepaired to have a ball..

Oz.

HEy guys,
Just a couple of things to do with working in AUS.
There is this programme called WWOOFING. Havn't done it myself, but have met travellers doing it. Basically, you can work on farms in return for food and accommodation.
It is a world wide programme, and they have a website
www.wwoof.com.au
Check it out!
OH, and also
seek.com.au -for employment, but the best is probably
www.jobsearch.gov.au
This site lists lots of seasonal work such as fruit picking ect. :taz: