Australia

Norfork Nights

hey there, im heading to australia in august and was looking for some advise.

Where is the best place to start?
Cairns ?
Brisbane ?

Silvera

I spent six months in Oz last year.

Started off in Sydney (one week), then Melbourne (two months) then 'up the centre' trip to Alice Springs, Cairns (few days), then down the east coast (one month).

I'd say start off in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. All three are nice cities.
Sydney has the best 'vibe', Melbourne is more 'european' and Brisbane is somewhere in between - and smaller.

Silvera

I found Cairns ok, but not worth spending more than a few days there (weather very humid as well, being in tropical north).

Perth is supposed to be very nice. More laid-back than other Oz cities - though it's a long way from other Oz cities as well!

Visit Hamilton Island if you have the chance - it's a really nice place.

bucks

If you are going for the year on a working holiday then i would not suggest starting in Sydney, reason being that once you start working there you will find it hard to pack up shop and move on.

Start in Carins by spending a week there, then down the coast to Brisbane, Melbourne and finish in Sydney.

Norfork Nights

yeah going for a year working!

flying into sydney, but weather there is not the best at this time of the year!

So I cant decide where to start!

cee_jay

This time of year weather in Sydney is very cold and wet! And houses there have no central heating!
And I wouldn't advise you to start there - you will get stuck there!
Start in Cairns, and then travel down the east coast - get some travelling done while you still have money!

littlejukka

i travelled from sydney up the coast to cairns around this time last year. spent a week in sydney boozing. pretty dull weatherwise, but it's very touristy and you should do all the beaches and ferry trips and tours you can. great town...be sure and get a pie from harry de wheels with peas and gravy on top. yum

coffs harbour just up the east coast was a bit of an anti-climax after sydney. keep moving.

byron has some great surf, nice bars, great buzz about. real hippy town. go down the beach and grab some smoke.

brisbane is very dull. if you're stopping off, try and get out asap.

flew on to cairns which is like something out of a wild west movie. great selection of ice-cream, but shag all else going for it.

my advice would be to research using lonely planets and rough guides on the best cities and the best small towns. after a while travelling (i hit 9 countries in 12 weeks last summer) you just get sick of big city after big city after dull big city. try and work out what it is about australia that you want to explore, and do that.

Norfork Nights

yeap think its gonna be cairns, though I cant really see myself as a backpacker, drinking till I puke and sharing a dorm with 20 others. Think melbourne would be more for me but thats freezing too at the mo!

Darren

@Norfork Nights

I've stayed in some of the best hotels on the world. I also spent some time in hostels in Australia in January and they were a 100 times better than I thought they would be. I had a great time.

Silvera

I agree, don't write off hostels in Oz.

I stayed in lots there are most are top class, especially in Sydney and Melbourne. If you are of an 'older age group' (like me!:D) get a YHA card and stay in their hostels, as this is where older folks like to congregate - and some younger ones too !

Norfork Nights

well I'm not exactly old (mid 20's). whats this YHA Card and where do I get me one!

PS: anyone know the price of the train from cairns to sydney?

littlejukka

YHA is youth hostel association. when you arrive in cairns you might stay in one (a hostel that is a member of the YHA). they will give you a YHA card and a fold out guide listing all the YHA affiliated hostels in oz. you get small discouns and there is some sort of loyalty scheme iirc.

i spent (as best i recall) 180 dollars getting from sydney to brisbane by train. in reality a lot fo the lines are closed and bus services substitute. a 70 dollar plane ticket took me the rest of the way to cairns.

empirix

Dude - i am currently here - i landed in Brisbae and stayed in Surfers Paradise for a week(was ok - beach en all, nice chicks) - then i stayed in Brisbane city for a week - would not recommend Brisbane - kinda boring some alright pubs down "The Valley" (beware the junkies), the i went to Sydney and have become stuck, due to finish contract(declined sponsorship) at the end of July then i am travelling Oz for the month.
Anyway, if i knew what i knew now i would land in Brisbane or Cairns and chech out some of the islands Fraser island(4wd 3 day tour supposed to be good, although i hear it can be full of young uns, advantage here is you'll get to do most of the driving and there is always drink! to block em out) hamilton island is an option, get to Cairns do the Cape Tribulation and Barrier reef, then onto Darwin for Kakadu(a must haven't heard a bad thing about it from loadsa a people many a folk highlight of OZ), then either to Broome(Kimberley ranges, stairway to heaven, then down to Alice and Uluru for a few days. From there head to Adelaide(great ocean rd) up to melboure(try and get work) and then Sydney(try and get work), i would give the touring around about 2 months maybe 6 weeks(before landing in melbourne)but do bear in mind, you'll need a nice wada cash to do this, youd probably scrape it with 2500 - 3000 euro(depending on how much you drink and how many tours you do). Also depending on what you do getting a job will be a struggle, and if any bit decent Sydney and Melbourne Perth are the only real" options and you'll be waiting a month or so(took me two months in Sydney), although if preparedto work in a bar or do labouring for crap money $12 - $18 an hour, then you'll probably get something. Also if your doing the tour first , that means your gonna hit Sydney and Melbourne coming into the Summer - yeahhh you say, naaay i say if you waant a decent job, competition will be feirce from about 40,000 other Bpackers - don't worry though.

Although, if you can get to the west of Oz - Perth etc, things will be different and from what i hear it is the place to be - (hopefully i can get there) - i have talked to people who stayed most of the year on the west coast and said from whatthey seen of the east coast - the east coast compares somewhat to the Ibiza vibe(not as tacky)

Hope this helps - a bit vague i know and dodgey typing but hey i don't give a ****.

As i have said before and will say again, head to SE Asia instead - 1000 euro a month and you'll live like a king and will never feel so free in your life

Anyway, have a good un and safe and responsible(be wide) travelling to ya.

muppetkiller

this time of year why don't you fly into Sydney and get a return flight to New Zealand and spend a month Snowboarding :O)
that's what 'd do...Anyway Sydneys a Dump without the harbour ..
County Bondi sucks but Coogee is a good laugh.
I spent the last 3 years in Austraila so any questions just pm

Silvera

Norfork Nights wrote:

well I'm not exactly old (mid 20's). whats this YHA Card and where do I get me one!

PS: anyone know the price of the train from cairns to sydney?

Believe me......mid-20's can seem old in some hostels !

You could prob get a YHA card here before you leave.
I actually got mine in Cairns (streetside YHA kiosk) to get the discount on the bus from Cairns to Sydney (c.AUS $299 one way, hop-on hop, off valid for 1 (or 2?) month)......... and I only used it once in OZ (Noosa YHA - one of the nicest hostels I've stayed in. Historic building).

However, I used my card to great effect at the YHA's in NZ !

Selik

I'm in Sydney at the moment and have been here for just over a month. I origianally planned on only staying here for 5 days then flying down to Melbounrne but chnaged my mind on the first day! Great place, loads to do and even though it's the middle of winter it's not actually that cold (by Irish standards ). Some days would be comparable to a nice Irish summers day! My plan is to stay here til the end of August and then head up the East Coast to Cairns in a van or stationwagon...