RECOMMENDED ROUTE

We only did the east coast but the most logical route to take is going Melbourne to Cairns or Vice Versa. A lot of people finish the east coast and then fly to Perth to finish.

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MONEy

Approximate Conversion Rate - 1 GBP = 1.95 AUD

Average Costs Per Day:

Accommodation - 20 GBP

Food - 5 GBP if cooking your own hostel meals, 15GBP if eating out

Transport - Greyhound passes - the bus company majority of people use - prices vary

Monthly Budget - 2500 GBP - includes majority of activities on offer e.g. Whitsundays, Fraser Island, etc.

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Visa

If you're from the UK you can get a 3 month electronic tourist visa.

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Useful Apps and Websites

Uber

Ola - look out for discount codes

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So my travel advice for Australia is a little different compared to the rest of the countries we visited, because our dad met us here for Christmas time which meant we got to stay in HOTELS for the most part! So bare that in mind for the recommendations but just remember there are Nomads, Base's and YHA's all over Australia and I still include some backpacker tips. If you're backpacking and flying into a main city you'll be able to book most of your activities and route with the hostel or if you want to do it in advance contact travel agents such as PeterPans. The timing also effected the route we took which is why it's a little all over the place, we had 6 weeks in Australia but that really wasn't enough. We didn't take any buses so managed to save time by having our own car and taking flights. I would probably say you need 6-8 weeks to do the east coast without rushing, just make sure you're prepared for the amount you'll end up spending! Because we travelled Australia differently I'm going write out what we did instead for the most part instead.

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Brisbane   

• Accommodation - The Ridge Apartment Hotel, Oaks Festival Tower 

• To Do - Eat Street (weekend - take Citycat ferry to Northshore), Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Southbank (free city hopper ferry) 

• To eat - Madame Wu

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We flew into Brisbane from Bali and thought we'd treat ourselves to an apartment for the four nights before we met our dad. We booked The Ridge Apartment Hotel which was amazing value for money and was great for a few days to rest and recuperate. We mainly cooked whilst we were there but we treat ourselves by going to Eat Street on the weekend which is a big food market. It's easy to get around Brisbane with ferries and there is even a free zone so make sure you head to Southbank and grab a drink! There's also the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where you get chance to see koalas and even hold them, as well as feed kangaroos, a definite must whilst you're there and you can catch a bus from the centre that drops you straight outside.

 

Fraser Island

We drove to Fraser Island from Brisbane which is about 3 hours then caught the ferry direct to King Fisher Bay Resort which is the only real accomodation on the island. If you're backpacking you can do tours departing from Rainbow beach and other surrounding areas (we were recommended dingos) where you'll camp on the island. You can do a tour around the island to see all of the main spots or hire your own car but bear in mind there aren't any roads so it's a bumpy ride The highlights are Lake Mckenzie and Eli Creek which are two beautiful spots.

 

Noosa Heads

• To do - Noosa National Park, Fairy Pools 

• To eat - Bettys burger, Kaali Indian, Miss Moneypenny's

From Fraser Island we drove down to Noosa which was one of my favourite spots. We stayed on Hastings Street which is the main street in Noosa, its mostly hotels but there's a YHA just off that road. The national park there is so beautiful, half beach, half forest and if you're lucky you might even spot dolphins off the coast! We did the coastal walk and you can go a little off the track to fairy pools which are little pools filled by the ocean.

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Whitsundays

From Noosa we drove back down to Brisbane and then flew into Hamilton Island where we staying in a resort. If you are backpacking, most tours depart from Airlie Beach where most people opt for a 2 day party boat. You still see the same beautiful spots  but you get to stay on a boat and have a massive piss up. If you opt to stay on Hamilton Island like we did then there are lots of different tours that you can pick from that best suit you. Make sure you don't miss the Whitehaven beach and hill inlet because these are the two most picturesque spots.

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Cairns

• To do - Great Barrier Reef, flag staff hill viewpoint

• To eat - The Mexican

We flew into Cairns for Christmas and drove drove to Port Douglas (if you fly make sure you get a window seat so you can see all of the amazing reefs) this meant that we had a really chilled time. We arrived Christmas Eve and went to the supermarket to pick up some stuff for our Christmas Dinner and then went to The Mexican for food which was really good. There were loads of hostels around and it was a cool chilled place. We went to the beach and there's a lovely little viewpoint that you can walk up to.

 

Daintree

• Accommodation - Daintree Ecolodge

• To do - Cape Tribulation, Daintree River Tour, Mossman Gorge

Most people don't stay in The Daintree but this was one of the things I was most excited for and if you can afford it then you should definitely treat yourself. We stayed at Daintree Ecolodge where we had a room right in the oldest rainforest in Australia. They only have 12 rooms so it's a very personal experience and they grow a lot of produce on site. The free breakfast is unreal and the staff are so attentive. The activities you do here can all be done from Port Douglas as well butt your best bet is to hire a car to make life easier. On the way from Port Douglas to The Daintree you can stop at Mossman Gorge which is a lovely little spot and if the current isn't too strong then you can have a dip in the water. You can spend a day driving up to Cape Tribulation which is the other side of the river and has a lot of stops a long the way to make a day of things. Another thing is the Daintree River cruise where you can spot lots of wildlife and even crocodiles.

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Sydney

• Accommodation - Adina Hotel Surrey Hills, Wake up Sydney (Hostel)

• To do - Coogee to Bondi Beach walk (anitas for ice cream and icebergs pool), Darling Harbour,  Climb Harbour Bridge at sunset, ferry to manly (blue water to eat), blue mountains, opera bar, Olympic pool

• To eat - Masala Theory, Flour Eggs Water, Chin chin, Naked for Satan, Milk the cow, Super normal, Parisian (brunch), the wizards cauldron (cocktails)

We flew into Sydney for New Year, a big one ticked off the bucket list. We got tickets for the lawn with a view in the Royal Botanical Gardens and we got such a good spot to see the fireworks (make sure you take a picnic blanket and a warm jumper because you'll be out there all night). If you're there for new year's and you want a budget friendly alternative then the cheapest option with the best views is Luna Park on the other side of the bridge OR you can camp out the night before to get the free spots that they offer. There's loads you can see and do in Sydney and plenty of beautiful beaches to work your way around. My personal favourite was Manly which you can get a ferry over to and if you make your way back to the city at sunset you get some spectacular views of the sunset. If you stay at Wake Up they do some great social events and have a club right downstairs, they also have a really helpful tour desk and we met some great people there.

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Melbourne

• Accommodation - Airbnb, Space Hotel

• To do - Hosier Lane and AC/DC Street Art, Eureka Skydeck, Botanic Gardens and shrine of remembrance, The Emerson bottomless brunch, the twelve apostles, moonlight cinema, St Kilda beach, Brighton Beach, Queen Victoria market, boozy bingo at base hostel St Kilda on Monday (get there early) 

• To Eat - La Roche, abory afloat, hardware societe (pork belly and fried eggs) 

Melbourne, my favourite city. I could honestly pack up and move there tomorrow. I honestly loved it. We had a friend staying there so the three of us managed to get an Airbnb for the same price as a hostel. This place was amazing as well, stunning views, kitchen, washing machine, pool facilities and within the free tram zone! There's so much to do in the city, we had a week here and there was still things we hadn't managed to do. We mostly cooked with us having our own kitchen but the one meal we did have at Hardware Societe was the best and the food scene in the city is very good.

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One obvious thing we skipped throughout our east coast travels was the gold coast (between Sydney and Brisbane) so unfortunately there are no tips for Byron Bay and surfers paradise. But that being said, Australia really wowed me. I went there with the impression of, I don't get why everyone moves there but after these few weeks I can honestly understand why.