Travelling to Australia

[Netsky1991]

Well next year i'm planning on travelling to Australia with a mate for about 6 months from April-September. Anyone done this or thinking about doing it? If so how much money did you take to comfortably cover your expenses?

[Bickerton]

pm jpsaxo

He has been living there the past few years

[Netsky1991]

pm jpsaxo

He has been living there the past few years

Ok cheers mate

[brianS]

i am also in australia.
done the travelling thing twice now.

guessing you both will be going for your working holiday visa? otherwise budget in for a flight out of the country and back in after 3 months.
as for money to take it really all depends on lots of things
how you are planning to get around this place?
where you are planning to go?
what accomodation you plan on using?

there are lots of factors really, also april - september will be getting into winter time over here and while its not like winter cold at home some places will have rain day after day and wont be hot. well apart from the top end (darwin) region

[JOHNJELLY]

My friend spent 10 grand in a year

[Giraffe]

I'd say about 7 grand. To travel without working I read somewhere that 5k should see you alright for 3 months, I wouldn't necessarily double it though for 6, maybe just take it easy...

[piggy123]

pm jpsaxo

He has been living there the past few years

lol beat me to it!
dam i miss him like a fat kid on a diet misses his cake lol

he has managed to do it all near enough.... only a few little bits to do which he will be cracking on with during the next 2 months then home wooo :D

[Bickerton]

lol beat me to it!
dam i miss him like a fat kid on a diet misses his cake lol

he has managed to do it all near enough.... only a few little bits to do which he will be cracking on with during the next 2 months then home wooo :D

He back for good then?

[AXracing]

Costs are similar ish to the UK. Some things cost more and some less but all in all its similar. If your planning to travel a lot of people stay at the YHA hostels. The bus is a cheap way round though you can pick up old cars cheap enough there. As said you will require a visa or you will be booted out of AU.

[Netsky1991]

i am also in australia.
done the travelling thing twice now.

guessing you both will be going for your working holiday visa? otherwise budget in for a flight out of the country and back in after 3 months.
as for money to take it really all depends on lots of things
how you are planning to get around this place?
where you are planning to go?
what accomodation you plan on using?

there are lots of factors really, also april - september will be getting into winter time over here and while its not like winter cold at home some places will have rain day after day and wont be hot. well apart from the top end (darwin) region

No we will be getting a tourist visa for 12 months but probably stay for about 6. We were thinking is there any options to hire out cars? If not probably public transport. I have some family in Melbourne so we will be staying with them for a bit, for all the other places either hotels, b & b's, hostels etc. We want to visit each state.

[brianS]

you can hire cars, anything from a huge 4x4 to a getz, cost is the only factor though, depending how long you want to hire one for it might be better looking to buy one, a few places do sell them with a buy back scheme at the end of it. http://www.travellers-autobarn.com.au/ being one place, you can get a cheap wagon for about $3k dollars and as long as it has the rego thats all you will need to get (you get TP insurance included with the rego over here).
depending where you want to go is also a factor really. if you just go from melbourne up the east coast to cairns for example a 2wd will be fine (infact you can do a whol;e loop of the country ina 2wd car) yet getting out into the bush and to more remote places for some things requires a 4x4.

i spent some of my time going from adelaide all the way up to tennant creek (which is past alice springs) via ularu back down and across the nulaboor to perth and then up to broome, all in a car with a crazy dutch guy a german and another english bloke, thats the other option, there are always people looking to share rides to and from places to split fuel costs.
ive also rented a campervan and gone from adelaide to melbourne and then onto sydney and then flew back

flights to and from the major cities are pretty cheap aswell, which is good to get from one place to another quickly yet they miss out on everything that you pass along the way.
as someone said costs are about the same as over in the uk really although fresh fruit and veg and seafood being cheaper, accomodation is reasonable ranging from about $12 a night for a tent spot to $25-30 for a dorm bed in a hostel and then upwards for an actual hotel room. petrol is the same in dollars as it is in pounds (its 1.16 dollars here today per litre).

time is the factor though, as everything is so spread out and distances are huge, good planning is in order if you want to make the most of your time on the road.. as saying we will get from a to b today is fine but not when it means just driving for 8 hours straight without taking in the sights and stopping off, its the small places over here that really make this country special. if you have an idea of where you are looking at heading i could as well as a few others i expect give you a few places that are almost a must visit

[dannyboy2005]

Brian - As you live there. you may be able to help me too.

Me and my g/f would like to come and vist AU (And i'd like to live there, but perhaps i could persuade her as shes not into it) How long would you seriously recommend out there for a really good time? 2 years? and while out there, you work to pay for your way round the island?

We'd probably stay in hostels and buy a car to get round.

[brianS]

Brian - As you live there. you may be able to help me too.

Me and my g/f would like to come and vist AU (And i'd like to live there, but perhaps i could persuade her as shes not into it) How long would you seriously recommend out there for a really good time? 2 years? and while out there, you work to pay for your way round the island?

We'd probably stay in hostels and buy a car to get round.

live here? do you have a trade or qualifications that are on the list? if not its damn difficult to get a visa to live here ( unless you are a refugee on a boat lol).

as for time spans to visit, it all depends, 3 months is enough to see most of the east or west coast, 6 months you could do a whole loop around the country and in 12 months you could see a hell of a lot that isnt on the normal tourist trail (and there are masses of things that dont get mentioned that are well worth seeing), if you want to come out and you are both under 30 you can get a working holiday visa (thats how i came out here) which is valid for 12 months and you can work while on that.
finding work is easy enough really with regards to fruit picking or working on farms / vineyards and although hard work its pretty good fun esp with a good group of people. buying a car is easy and to be honest makes seeing the the place ahell of a lot easier.

i did pretty well i think by seeing a hell of a lot while ive been here but even i think i havent touched the tip of the iceberg of places to see and things to do, i know of a few mates that came out and spent the whole time in one place as its easy to get stuck somewhere when its so much fun.

my visa runs out at the end of this year but i am in the process of getting my semi permenant visa granted which is down to the fact that i met someone here and there goes another story

honestly though anything you would like to know if i know it i will be willing to help

[Caino]

I want to do this soo much !

[dannyboy2005]

Can you only apply for a 2 year working visa?

I am a qualified Joiner, with all the qualifications and Health and Safety certificates. I have adequate GCSE's too.

I hear it takes a while to actually get a visa? And why can you only apply if your under 30?

[brianS]

12 months on a working holiday visa. with the option if you complete specific criteria while over here to extend to 2 years.
you can apply for a tourist visa but that only gets you 3 months with no option to work.
30 is the cut off age for the working holiday visa. www.immi.gov.au is a good site, its the governments site for immigration over here and is pretty well laid out with information.
as for time, a holiday or working holiday visa doesnt take long at all really. i got mine through within the week and the time before my normal holiday one was instant. thats if you have been a good boy and not been arrested etc