Australia travel advice

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Always nice to be independent of public transport. I like to buy an old van one can also sleep in that on a foam mattress.- naturally one can sell this on leaving Oz. I like the southern corner of WA. Busselton and down to Albany. (Lockie Leonard was shot in Busselton another excellent Oz children's series)
Getting there. Best airlines Etihad, Emirates, Sinkers and Malaysian - Naturally you will be looking for wifi check with the airline before booking.
Keeping in touch: Take a mobile that is unlocked and get a sim card in OZ - look fpor free wifi spots to ring home - free.
Don't forget its a long way from Wa to the Eastern states - across the Nullarbor Plain. If driving at dusk/night watch out for them Big Reds all wipe out the front of a car! roos get more hoppy at dusk! Getting a job is a good idea if staying longer- get to know the natives not just people like yourself transient backpackers et al.
 
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Good point, I shoulda just said check the blog :p

Although there are no pics there, will do it eventually

I did think is was a bit odd for there to be no pics, would be good to see them :)

Can think of any question right now as i'm still trying to decide where to go and what to see, but i will get back to you, thanks.
 
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[TW]Fox;23612698 said:
Apply for a Halifax Clarity credit card. Use it for all purchases and ATM withdrawls. It will be a better deal than using prepaid passport cards, or changing money at a bureau de change. It's also more secure and more convenient.



Perth is the only city of any reasonable size on the West Coast. It is the most isolated city on the planet and closer to Singapore than it is to the capital of Australia.

So, if you want to see the other big cities, fly.

Thanks Fox,

I've been looking at loads of info of credit cards, pre-paid cards, travelers cheques and it's confusing, lol.

But I've read that the Halifax Clarity credit card is good and have applied for one today, thanks. Can you explain how this would work with regards to withdrawing cash from an ATM, is it basically like a purchase which i then pay off? and do you if most ATM's charge a fee? Thanks

And thanks for the tip, will take a look at internal flights. is it worth booking anything now or wait until i'm there?

Thanks

J
 
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Only commenting on this thread cos I'm jealous. Amazing place and amazing things to see and do. My top 5 would be.

Cairns
Port Douglas
Atherton Tablelands
Sailing on a tall ship in the Whitsundays
Art galleries in Brisbane.

Also read some history. It's so recent you can touch it.

Enjoy it!

Will do :)

Just for laughs you've got to have a beer in "The Lucky Shag" bar off Riverside Drive (it's actually a good night out too on a weekend). If there's cricket on go spend the day there it's a good day out with a few mates. Rot Ness is a good trip, make sure you book as turning up on the day is quite risky. Margaret River wine trips are a good day out. A picnic in Kings Park can be nice. Cottesloe Beach is a cool place, I would expect you'll spend a few days at the bech, so make sure you try them all out for all the gorgeous "scenery" ;)

A flight to Sydney shouldn't cost the earth and worth it to at least see the tourist bit there.

Thanks will look at internal flights, any suggestions on who?

Talking of beer, you have to go to little creatures in Fremantle (south Perth)

https://littlecreatures.com.au/

If you get up to broome, Masto's is a must and ask for a Chango.

Thanks, will check it out.
 
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Go scuba diving and take condoms.

Is that a youthamism and will i need the condoms while Scuba diving, lol

Always nice to be independent of public transport. I like to buy an old van one can also sleep in that on a foam mattress.- naturally one can sell this on leaving Oz. I like the southern corner of WA. Busselton and down to Albany. (Lockie Leonard was shot in Busselton another excellent Oz children's series)
Getting there. Best airlines Etihad, Emirates, Sinkers and Malaysian - Naturally you will be looking for wifi check with the airline before booking. Dick Virgin should get his finger out in that direction!
Keeping in touch: Take a mobile that is unlocked and get a sim card in OZ - look fpor free wifi spots to ring home - free.
Don't forget its a long way from Wa to the Eastern states - across the Nullarbor Plain. If driving at dusk/night watch out for them Big Reds all wipe out the front of a car! roos get more hoppy at dusk! Getting a job is a good idea if staying longer- get to know the natives not just people like yourself transient backpackers et al.

I've already booked flights with Qatar Airways, at the moment it's just a 3 month visit, but i'm open to staying longer if i like it over there.

J
 
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Qatar is good - should be on the list.- one can't beat competition. Don't worry in respect of Oz women -not withstanding womanist ( lets not sully the term Feminist) OZ Prime minister Julia Gillard ( and most people hate her quite apart from being a politician) OZ Girls are amongst the most feminine and best looking in the World - don't get overwhelmed, take it slow they aint a goin away.
Oh if interested in wind surfin/learning then Perth's Pelican Point is good - only up to the knee for a considerable way from shore!
 
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I am a bit biased because I used to work there,but a visit to Fremantle Prison is definitely worth it,the night tour being the best.

Fremantle is also a nice place in itself,a bit more "old oz" than Perth. Some nice outdoor cafe's etc.

But you cannot go to Perth and not visit Kings Park. The views of the city and the Swan River are stunning and it's free.
 
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Some things to do around Perth:
* Cycle, Perth has some fantastic cycle paths all through the city, it's the best way to see the place imo
* Rottnest hire a bike & snorkle, just don't miss the ferry back ;)
* If you already have your dive qualifications or want to get them - diving with dolphindive fremantle is recommended.
*Caversham Wildlife Park - if you want to get up close with some of the native wildlife (nothing dangerous)
* Outdoor cinema at Kings Park - Experience Kings Park during the day too, best views of the city
* Little Creatures in Fremantle for food & drink with mates

North: I haven't travelled up North much but
* Lancelin - lots of 4x4 tours across the sand dunes, sand boarding etc
* Exmouth - Diving, fishing or from April onwards snorkling with whale sharks
* Broome - I don't know much about Broome, but I hear it's a good party town
* The Kimberly - Epic scenery, crocodile county & generally amazing wildlife

South/West Coast:
* The valley of the giants near Denmark (Tree top walks)
* Wineries - Around Pemberton, this is the true wine country in WA
* Esperance - The best beaches i've experienced in Australia, crystal white sand, emerald blue water
* Margaret river - Tourist spot for wineries/breweries etc. There is a bushtucker canoe tour that you can do up the river which is good fun. And you get to have you own "I'm a celeb" moment if you each a Witchetty grub

Things not really worth doing:
* The pinnacles - a fair journey so see some spiky rocks in the sand, only famous because Billy Connolly danced naked around it.
* Wave rock - Again an epic journey to see a rock in the shape of a wave - would be worth while if there was something else in the area, but there isn't.

You'll probably spend the first week being constantly shocked at the prices of, well, everything. I've been here for nearly 5 years now and I still get shocked at the price of things.
 
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But I've read that the Halifax Clarity credit card is good and have applied for one today, thanks. Can you explain how this would work with regards to withdrawing cash from an ATM, is it basically like a purchase which i then pay off? and do you if most ATM's charge a fee? Thanks

The Halifax Clarity is a fee free credit card. Halifax will not charge you for:

a) Cash Advances (ie, withdrawing cash
b) Foreign transactions

Nor will they apply foreign exchange rate loading (Everyone who offers you 'commission free' exchange does this - they dont charge commission, they just give you a crappy rate!)

Essentially this means that whenever you buy something, or withdraw cash, you get the Mastercard base rate - pretty much the best rate a tourist can ever hope to get.

The *only* 'catch' is that if you withdraw cash, you are charged interest at your stated APR from the day of the withdrawl (Whereas on purchases you only pay interest after the due date). On a car with a 12.9% APR this is basically about 1% per 30 days outstanding. In other words, a trivial amount.

Set up a DD to pay the card, automatically, in full each month and its as close to totally zero cost, totally flexible and perfectly secure foreign travel cash as you are ever likely to get.

When I was there, 2009, ATM's didn't charge me.

And thanks for the tip, will take a look at internal flights. is it worth booking anything now or wait until i'm there?

Do a bit of research. Get a quote for a flight from, say, Perth to Sydney for 4 months time. Then get a quote for one next week. This will tell you if there is any benefit to booking in advance.

The low fee airlines are Jetstar (This is Qantas low fare airline) and VirginBlue. I flew with VirginBlue from Cairns to Melbourne and it was fine.

Do bear in mind that Oz is now very, very expensive for British tourists. The exchange rate has absolutely collapsed - previous when it was between $2 and $3 per £1 it made an expensive country just about acceptable. But now its $1.5 to the £1 it makes an expensive country even more expensive.
 
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Some things to do around Perth:
* Cycle, Perth has some fantastic cycle paths all through the city, it's the best way to see the place imo
* Rottnest hire a bike & snorkle, just don't miss the ferry back ;)
* If you already have your dive qualifications or want to get them - diving with dolphindive fremantle is recommended.
*Caversham Wildlife Park - if you want to get up close with some of the native wildlife (nothing dangerous)
* Outdoor cinema at Kings Park - Experience Kings Park during the day too, best views of the city
* Little Creatures in Fremantle for food & drink with mates

North: I haven't travelled up North much but
* Lancelin - lots of 4x4 tours across the sand dunes, sand boarding etc
* Exmouth - Diving, fishing or from April onwards snorkling with whale sharks
* Broome - I don't know much about Broome, but I hear it's a good party town
* The Kimberly - Epic scenery, crocodile county & generally amazing wildlife

South/West Coast:
* The valley of the giants near Denmark (Tree top walks)
* Wineries - Around Pemberton, this is the true wine country in WA
* Esperance - The best beaches i've experienced in Australia, crystal white sand, emerald blue water
* Margaret river - Tourist spot for wineries/breweries etc. There is a bushtucker canoe tour that you can do up the river which is good fun. And you get to have you own "I'm a celeb" moment if you each a Witchetty grub

Things not really worth doing:
* The pinnacles - a fair journey so see some spiky rocks in the sand, only famous because Billy Connolly danced naked around it.
* Wave rock - Again an epic journey to see a rock in the shape of a wave - would be worth while if there was something else in the area, but there isn't.

You'll probably spend the first week being constantly shocked at the prices of, well, everything. I've been here for nearly 5 years now and I still get shocked at the price of things.

Thanks Mr T,

As you been there for 5 years can you suggest a £ figure i should be looking at for my 3 month visit? I'm staying with friends and have asked them to tell me how much i could give them for letting me stay but they haven't got back to me yet, lol. I like to have things like money planned out so that i can be prepared.

And thanks for the list will look into them, thanks

James
 
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As you been there for 5 years can you suggest a £ figure i should be looking at for my 3 month visit? I'm staying with friends

The problem with staying with friends is that Australia is massive and the distances between even 'local' places are huge. Therefore free accomodation in only one place isn't much of a benefit unless you don't want to see anything.

As a guide, in 2009, I spent £3000 on my 7 week trip. Although this included things like half decent hire cars and hotel rooms, it's also taking into account the fact things like hotel rooms and cars I was able to split with my girlfriend. This also included the flight, which at just £500 was a lot cheaper than it is now. It was also at a more favourable exchange rate of $2:£1.

Going now, for almost twice as long, I'd say £8k or so to enjoy the trip. If you are a single traveller, then:

a) You can shave some of this off by using dorms in hostel
b) But you'll need to be paying the entire room cost yourself for hotels.

Staying in the same accomodation for 3 months because it's cheap or free might seem like a good idea on paper but you'll miss so much I'd question if it's even worth doing.

3 months is enough time to enjoy almost everything the country has to offer. I did the entire East and South coast as far west as Perth and as far north as Cairns in 7 weeks so with twice the time you could easily do the Outback up to Darwin and the West Coast, too.

And you'd absolutely love it and not want to come home.
 
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[TW]Fox;23612698 said:
Apply for a Halifax Clarity credit card. Use it for all purchases and ATM withdrawls. It will be a better deal than using prepaid passport cards, or changing money at a bureau de change. It's also more secure and more convenient.



Perth is the only city of any reasonable size on the West Coast. It is the most isolated city on the planet and closer to Singapore than it is to the capital of Australia.

So, if you want to see the other big cities, fly.

Or get a train if you have time and want a different experience.
 
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Or get a train if you have time and want a different experience.

But do a load of research because trains in Oz are.. somewhat infrequent. Dropped a friend off at Rockhampton station so she could get a train to Mackay (It's the next city up the coast and only about 240ish miles) and there was one train a day, at 23:50 :D
 
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[TW]Fox;23616202 said:
But do a load of research because trains in Oz are.. somewhat infrequent. Dropped a friend off at Rockhampton station so she could get a train to Mackay (It's the next city up the coast and only about 240ish miles) and there was one train a day, at 23:50 :D

Well I was thinking more like Perth to Melbourne, I'd hope you wouldn't rock up to one of those!:p

As for £8k I would say it depends on how you do it. My sister has been there a year and not spent that much. For 3 months buy a cheap car and camp (west coast seems far more a camping place than hotels anyway, you miss the wilderness/nothingness).
 
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It's probably easier if you say what your budget is, then I can give you a reasonable idea of what you could do on it. Also indicate if you are dead set on certain experiences, such as swimming with Whale Sharks? The fact you can stay with friends whilst in Perth will help a lot!

As a rough guide take the price of things in the UK then double or triple it to get an idea of what you'll spend. The one obvious exception to this is Petrol which with the current exchange rate is probably similar to the UK.

Beer will probably be the biggest killer to your budget, especially at bars.
 
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It's probably easier if you say what your budget is, then I can give you a reasonable idea of what you could do on it. Also indicate if you are dead set on certain experiences, such as swimming with Whale Sharks? The fact you can stay with friends whilst in Perth will help a lot!

As a rough guide take the price of things in the UK then double or triple it to get an idea of what you'll spend. The one obvious exception to this is Petrol which with the current exchange rate is probably similar to the UK.

Beer will probably be the biggest killer to your budget, especially at bars.

Well i'll be honest and say am treating this as more as a chance to relax, hang out with friends and enjoy the time away, then a must see everything of Australia trip.

So far i've centered my trip around Perth and want to visit things like the art gallery of Western Australia, the Aquarium of Western Australia, kings park and Perth zoo.

But i do want to visit at least one other city, maybe Sydney to see the bridge and Opera house. And i like the idea of going somewhere and camping.

I'm not the sort of person who is interested is seeing a big rock in the middle of nowhere or going out every night and drinking.

Now in terms of budget, i'd say around £2000-£3000.

Thanks

James
 
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Take 6months off and relax in England and get an Ipswich Season ticket and go home and away.

Are you suggesting that my budget is to low or that my reason for going to Australia is not a good one?

And i'd rather stick pins in my eyes than watch Ipswich play football if you can call what they do that, lol.
 
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