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Tour to Australia

8K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  bennett 
#1 ·
Hey.

I am a first time poster here, just looking for some advice, hints, tips or suggestions on my travel plans

Myself and my girlfriend are planning to travel to Australia around April/May this year and are looking to gain as much useful information as possible.

Basically, we are open to any suggestions and advice, must see's, must do's... but also, as a first time traveller... what would, in your opinion, be areasonable amount of funds to undertake a 2 month trip (I'm aware that is quite a personal issue - as everyone spends their money differently) but I was just hoping for some ideas... as frankly I'm not sure.

We are more than willing to do some seasonal work whilst there, so any advice on that would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Head to the northern half of australia.
April/May is the beginning of the tourist season and the tourist industry will be looking for bar staff,waiters and kitchenhands and free/discount accomadation is sometimes included.
Its also the best weather from April to October in the north.
The south will be in winter and will be wet and cold(by our standards).
 
#8 · (Edited)
Hey Bikehike,

If you want to work in Australia officially, you need a visa which has a work permit, a tax file number, superannuation and a bank account. If your thinking about working under the radar so to speak (i.e fruit picking for cash or something) it may be a bit more difficult to find.

A lot of employers are affraid of getting caught out for offering cash work but it's still certainly possible if you can meet them face to face first. Other then that, have you considered the WOOFing route yet? It's a chance to get free food and accommodation for a certain amount of hours work per day with various people around Australia.

If you're only out there for a few months it may not be worth it but it sounds like you are looking to subsidise your trip and thats one definate way you could do it.

For cost of living in Australia you need to use the web to find the costs of things for your budget. Checkout this site for much more detailed information.

SOURCE: OzUltra - The Backpacker's Budget for Australia

Regards OJ
 
#11 ·
There is not really a bad time, you only have to know where to be in the right season.

For example,in winter (=June, July, August) you should avoid the southern parts like the Adelaide and Melbourne areas and Tasmania if you came for the warmth. It would be better if you traveled up north to the Northern Territory and Northern Queensland and northern Western Australia at this time as it will to 99.9% not rain there at all and it'll be around 25-30 degrees.

In summer on the other side, you should probably not be in the North if you don't like lots and lots of rain and wet, the humidity going through the roof and temperatures about 40 degrees at the same time.
The south is perfect then!

So you see, you just have to have a look at where the right spots to go are and there is never a bad time for visiting Australia.
 
#12 ·
There is not really a bad time, you only have to know where to be in the right season.

For example,in winter (=June, July, August) you should avoid the southern parts like the Adelaide and Melbourne areas and Tasmania if you came for the warmth. It would be better if you traveled up north to the Northern Territory and Northern Queensland and northern Western Australia at this time as it will to 99.9% not rain there at all and it'll be around 25-30 degrees.

In summer on the other side, you should probably not be in the North if you don't like lots and lots of rain and wet, the humidity going through the roof and temperatures about 40 degrees at the same time.
The south is perfect then!

So you see, you just have to have a look at where the right spots to go are and there is never a bad time for visiting Australia.
Thanks a lot Laegil for this explanative answer. Between, any suggestion for visiting Sydney? I mean the best time..
 
#13 ·
Hey,

Sydney is basically fine all year round, although it does get a bit chilly during winter (for an australian, that is, so still around 15 degrees during the day).
Autumn is good for cheaper prices, St. Patricks Day and Mardi Gras and is generally still warm enough for the beach.
Spring is also good for cheaper prices and still good weather.
Summer is probably the most popular time for Sydney, there is a lot going on with festivals, lots of tourists coming and of course it is wonderful warm, but also humid weather. You can go see the start of the sailing race on Boxing Day (December 26) and of course New Years eve is the very best time to be here. Also, there is the Sydney festival in January with a lot of art performances going on and on Australia day at the end of the month the city goes mad.

So I'd say if you like it a bit quieter and don't come especially for the festivals go there in Spring or Autumn. If you want a lot going on, go there in Summer.
 
#14 ·
Hello,

This is from a site which has tons of useful information on budgeting for Australia and making travel plans etc.. It wont let me post it all here but I recomend it to you anyway, so if you get the time check it out.

Source : OzUltra - Money Management for the Backpacker in Australia

Money Management for the Backpacker in Australia

In this section you can learn how to set up an Australian bank account (A.B.A), read about transferring your money to Australia, see how to create a financial contingency plan for emergency situations and find some helpful tips on budgeting.

Have you decided which visa you will need yet? If not, you may wish to check your eligibility and the costs associated with it (see section Visas for Australia). This way you can allow for it in your budget and be as sure as possible about meeting the requirements before you get too far into the planning phase. The last thing you want is to plan everything out only to find the visa has not been granted.

If you have recently decided that you want to go Australia and are in the initial stages of getting funds together for the trip... Save, Save, Save!

Remember! You put the work in now and reap your rewards later. This means not spending money on unnecessary things, like big bash weekends or shopping sprees when it can go towards your trip.

How you manage your money will depend on the type of trip you intend to make. For example, if you are taking part in a working holiday program or will be travelling indepently on a tourist visa it would be advisable to setup a bank account. However if you are meeting with friends/family members who you can trust, you could always transfer money to their bank account in advance of your trip.

Alternativly you could make use of some travellers cheques and take a small amount of cash to get you through the first few days. However you decide to do things a contingency plan of some sort is also a very good idea in case of any emergency (see section Contingency Funds).

When considering how share out your money, its a good idea to know which are the best options available for each set of circumstances.

For example an aboriginal man in the outback may trade his hand crafted artwork for some money from your Cash Supply but it's unlikely that he will take Travellers Cheques. Or carrying big bundles of cash around in the city may be risky so you might opt for the safety of a new bank card (see Australian Banking) making electronic payments instead. Or if you're only in Australia for a week and don't need a bank account you may consider taking travellers cheques to draw small amounts of funds when you need them.
 
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