[delbosco]

hey,

myself and 3 mates are off to oz next may for a yr. we are starting in perth and thats about all that we have sorted!! can any1 help us?? we would like to know what sort of accomodation should we look for? is accomodation expensive? is it hard to get work and finally when we leave perth, which way is best to go?? up north or along the south?? we will be on a budget and all help is welcome!!

hope to hear from some1 soon.cheers

[aaronzig]

Hi there,

Budget accomodation is pretty good in Australia. It is mainly pretty clean & comfortable as well as cheap. Expect to pay around AU$20-$30 per night for a dorm room in larger towns. Smaller towns might cost a little more.

Perth is a great place. It is friendly and has lots of things to do, as well as plenty of cool pubs to go to. The only problem with the west coast of Australia is that once you leave Perth and head north, you quickly come into isolated areas where there are huge distances between towns. The beaches on the north west coast are great though, and if you like beaches you'll be spoiled for isolated camping spots on beaches. If you like diving, surfing or snorkelling, head to Shark Bay (just a name!). Also, there are some pretty good dive sights on the Batavia Coast. (As well as some very interesting history.)

If you keep going north, you will get to the Kimberly National Park, which is very beautiful with heaps of wildlife (inc. crocodiles). But be warned, you will probably need a 4x4 to get in, it is a VERY isolated place, and if you are not experienced in the bush, you should go on a tour.

Personally, I would head along the highway between the west & east coasts. You will cross some of the most isolated deserts in the world as you go along, but there are plenty of places worth seeing, such as the Australian bite coastline, and a few other crators etc. Going this way, you will have a chance to turn north onto the Adelaide-Alice Springs Highway, and head up to Darwin to see Kakadu National Park (almost as good as Kimberly, but easier to get to) and Uluru (worth seeing even if youve seen photos. book accomodation ahead though) If you keep going east though (its a nightmare moving east from Darwin because of the roads, so stay on this highway if you want to go east) you will get to the Hume/Pacific Highway which runs along the east coast.

This will lead you to either Melbourne (south) or Sydney (north) Melbourne is pretty cool, but Id head north, running along through Sydney which you could spend quite a while in, and then keep going north, along the north coast of NSW. This area is full of great beaches & national parks as well as hippy towns like Nimbin & Bellingen where it feels almost like youve stepped back to the 60's. (Try to arrange your timing to go to the Nimbin Pot Festival if you can. you dont have to use it, it is just a great hippy party)

Then keep going north, up to the Gold Coast on the QLD/NSW border which is kind of like Las Vegas crossed with Miami. Its bright, tacky and full of bars, pubs, clubs beaches etc. Definately a party town. Id fly from there to Cairns, where you can take a trip for diving or snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef (WELL worth it!) and if you go a little further north you come to another world heritage area, the Daintree Rainforest which is pretty good as well.

Note: You are still several thousand Km's from the northern tip of the Cape, but you wont be able to get there unless you charter a light plane or are game enough to try and drive a 4x4 the remaining distance, but if you like an adventure, this might be for you. (Certainly not for someone who is inexperienced though.)

[delbosco]

thanks alot for your help! much appreciated.