Backpacking from Cairns to Sydney

Book a hostel for a few nights when you land to adjust, jet lag and get your bearings.

The east coast can take as little as 1-2 days or as long as you want. It depends on where you want to go, what you want to see, how long you spend in places you like etc. Just go in with an open ended plan on things.

Hostels are good for meeting people, making friends etc... A good, inexpensive way to get about is finding rideshares on Gumtree with Aussies making a trip down the coast and looking to save fuel costs or other backpackers who have bought a vehicle and want to cut their costs. I've driven from Cairns to Sydney in about 4 days when I bought my Landcruiser camper van over 2 years ago and picked up 12 different people at different stages on the trip down and it cost me $40 in fuel to travel about 2500km. I've done trip back up to Brisbane and that cost me $50.


Another option is to get rental relocation vehicles (they've been rented 1 way previously and the rental companies want them back at their original destination so you get the rental for free, cheap ($1-$5 a day) and sometimes you RECEIVE money for fuel from them upon producing receipts at the destination. All the rules with rental insurance apply though and you are given a set amount of days and KM's to do the trip in.
It's a good way to make/save money if you get a rental relocation vehicle (they can be a small car, big car, pickup/ute up to a big 3-4 berth camper van saving you more money on accommodation) and get a few other backpackers to chip in for fuel etc...
You just have to look and book in advance and you are set to go. I think the site is called imoova.com.au or something. google rental relocation in Australia.

Greyhounds are pretty expensive and you have no control over where you want to stop.

You'll meet people looking to do the east coast up in Cairns. A popular backpackers hostel in Cairns is Gilligans I think? I think I picked up some travellers there to give them a lift to Byron Bay.

Fraser Island is good. It can be expensive with the cost of the ferry across. There are tours/trips you can do where they have 4WD tours with a lead vehicle and 2-3 other Landcruiser 8 seater 4WD's following. The cost gets split 8 ways obviously and you get to drive up and down Frasier Island, see dingos etc, camp out etc..

The hostels will have all the info/leaflets for the excursions. Try sites like Groupon or Livingsocial deal websites for whatever area your planning on being in. You an get big reductions in the price of excursions. For example I did a canyoning/abseiling day for $150 a while back in the Blue Mountains that normally cost $350 or something.

Smaller towns along the coast will be slightly more expensive, even in supermarkets. Avoid corner shops too. $3.50-$4 a can of drink and the same for a bar of chocolate. It can be done cheaply.

If you're coming down the east coast, Byron Bay is a good place to stop and see. good surf, hippie vibe, relaxed. Lots of backpackers etc. Port Stephens just north of Newcastle is a good spot. It's got Australias biggest Sand dunes to the south at Stockton Beach. You can take 4WD tours into the Dunes, go sand boarding and if you rent a 4WD you can drive along the waterfront (no sand dune driving at the minute unfortunately, they are recovering from storms the past few years.)
There is some free camping spots nearby at 1 Mile beach at Hannah Parade with showers (cold), free gas BBQ, toilets etc.

Seal Rocks is nearby too and is another good spot. A bit out of the way but worth it from what friends have told me.


If you have somewhere to stay in Sydney for a while, thats a big help. Rent,even in a share house can be as little as $150 for a small room in a not so great house upwards.

4-5 weeks is lots of time. You might find you don't like some places as much as others. You can always be on the look out for some rural/farm work on the way down if you come across it. That could help with getting some of your 88 days work to secure a 2nd year WHV, earn you some extra money for your travels and meet new people. It will all open up with opportunities when you get here.

If you budget yourself to be in a hostel every night for 5 weeks and budget $25 a night for a hostel thats about $875 for accommodation. If you shop at supermarkets and cook food in the hostel and try to be as frugal as possible you could get away with living on $25 comfortably. Thats another $875 to account for.

Factor in sightseeing, activities etc on top of that, socialising etc over the 5 weeks could be another $2000. It depends on what you plan on doing, how much you want to spend and other costs you don't factor in or plan for.

So you could reach Sydney with about $2500-3000 in your pocket which should be enough to get you by if you aren't paying for a place to stay. Factor in giving your friends money for household stuff and bills while you're staying with them too.

A lot will depend on how quickly you find work in Sydney too. If you score a job in the first week then you've no worries. If you are looking for a few weeks it will get stressful.