I'm traveling for 3-4months in australia and interested to find out where are the best places to visit during my stay?
During my stay i'll be staying in hostels, any company names and associated websites will be great!
Reply to this Hello Chelsea and welcome to Travelblog!
I personally think that the best part of Australia is away from the cities. One must see Sydney, as then you can visit the wonderful harbour with the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
Away from the cities, I would recommend the Great Barrier Reef, and many of the sights in the Northern Territory such as Kakadu, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge, King's Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
Other great sites include the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Carnarvon Gorge, Atherton Tablelands and Daintree Area of Queensland, and the Kimberley Ranges and Bungle Bungles in Western Australia.
I have driven around Australia - it is an enormous country so some of these sites are difficult to reach due to distance. People from the US and Canada don't find the distances too intimidating as both are even larger countries, but people from Europe and UK generally do.
Reply to this I love Shane's suggestions! I agree one hundred percent with getting away from the big cities. There is so much to see it just depends what your interests are.
I would like to add The Barossa Valley - if you like wine and great scenery you must visit the Barossa. I always enjoy a weekend away in these peaceful towns and there are a multitude of things to see and do.
Reply to this Thanks to both of you for your help! I will defiantly look into the places in the Northern territory. Both of us do not not drive so what is the public transport like?
Do either of you recommend any certain area for hostels?
Reply to this In the Northern Territory, public transport is infrequent (i.e. one departure daily) and very expensive - I just went searching and the 21 hour bus journey from Darwin to Alice Springs is almost AUD400 per person! I'm sure there are cheaper price though, but they wouldn't be too much cheaper. Flights are the same price, but much quicker. As much as I hate tours, it might be more cost effective to do one then, as the best way to see the Northern Territory is the drive.
I don't have any experience with hostels in Australia, so cannot assist in that regard.
Reply to this Hi Chelsea,
I am currently backpacking around Australia and New Zealand, so maybe I can help you. There are a couple major hostel chains in Australia, Base and Nomads and YHA have hostels in most major destinations, but I recommend trying a bigger hostel database such as hostelworld. The major chains are almost never the cheapest places to stay. But if you can I recommend getting a YHA members card as you can get A LOT of discounts with this around the country. Even if a place doesn't advertise it, I have saved money just by asking if they have a backpackers discount.
As for transport, no matter what, things are expensive in Australia. I spent alot of time researching this because I am on a tight budget. I eventually decided on an Ausrail pass. It is offered by Great Southern Rail, Queensland Rail, and Country Link and it will let you travel unlimited on the trains in Australia. It cost $722 for three months, though it is cheaper if you purchase it outside the country.
There is a limited range in Western Australia, but in hits all the major spots of interest in the rest of the country.
Also Greyhound Australia offers a kilometer pass that is very popular with backpackers.
Reply to this Hi jen! We are just this minute looking into the YHA members card it looks a good buy!
As for the transport as we don't drive that ausrail pass looks a good buy to were looking at the 6month rail pass as thats how long were planning our stay.
Do you have an idea how much a night you would pay for a hostel?
Thanks for your help!😊
Reply to this Hi Chelsea!
The hostel situation varies from place to place. The cheapest place I found was a working hostel for $14 a night, but any where that is an actual tourist destination will run from $20-$35. I would say that I usually pay about $25 a night. I do have some tips for you there. In Australia it pays to book ahead. The prices of hostel rooms increase as you get closer to the day. I have looked up the price of a hostel and then the next week looked up the same hostel for the same days and it would be more expensive. And occasionally booking online has gotten me things like free internet or free breakfast. So, I would say if you don't mind sacrificing some spontaneity by booking ahead, then you can save money that way.
Good luck with your plans!
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In response to: Msg #152943 Hi Chelsea, I can recommend the Broadbeach Spiritual Retreat as a hostel for your stay if you go through the Gold Coast. Its 2 mins walk to the beach, shops and bus. Very clean. I loved it as its like living as a local. They book up fast as there it only sleeps 8 I think. I found the place at this url:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/broadbeach/short-term/over-30-s-travellers-hostel-style-accom-broadbeach-gold-coast/1001159318
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