Australia is the place on a RTW trip where you know you’re going to blow your budget. It’s not just the excursions to paradise islands, or the ample choice of activities... everything is just very expensive. Food, drink, accommodation - the basics will make you wonder if you need to head home sooner. But, there are ways to do it even if you can’t get or don’t want a working visa to fund this part of your trip.

 

Visas

Getting a Tourist Visa for Australia is simple, because you can apply for it online by filling out a couple of forms. It is referred to as an “E Visitor (subclass 651) Visa", and you can find out if you’re eligible for one, depending on your nationality. Ready to apply? Apply here for an E Visitor Visa for Australia by creating an account and then filling out the form. You should get a reply shortly after sending, which means you quickly get to tick that box on your list of things to do.

It’s all too satisfying.

 

Car vs. Campervan

Please refer to the New Zealand in a Nutshell page for information on cars vs. campervans, as the same goes for Australia.

There are differences that I think are worth mentioning though - for example, petrol is actually cheaper in Australia than diesel. And although it may seem too obvious to mention, the distances are a lot longer here. And I mean considerably longer. Don’t underestimate the time you need to get from A to B, especially because:

 

a) Motorways (Highways) often consist of one or two lanes at the most. So be prepared to stare at the number plate of the truck in front of you, thinking of amusing things the letters could stand for, because it might be a while before you can overtake safely.

 

b) The kangaroos come out at night, and although they are oh so cute, it makes it hard to drive if you don’t want to run them over. The insurance offered by most vehicle hire companies is actually void after dusk (around 6.30pm in April) because of nocturnal accidents, so you really do need to be careful and will find that driving in the dark is not at all enjoyable.

 

c) It’s nice to enjoy each place at a slower pace and relax. You’re supposed to be on holiday! My advice after doing Cairns to Sydney at the speed of light is to see less, but spend more time on what you see. Otherwise you’ll find the only pictures you have to instagram are of your dashboard and petrol stations.

 

As always, the cost of hiring a campervan depends on many factors such as whether or not you’re going one way - it’s obviously cheaper if the pick up point and drop off point is the same. That said, there are sometimes offers on to drive a vehicle from one place to another that can save you a lot of money if you’re lucky enough to find one that works for you. We went with Wicked campers again, although our second experience with them was terrible.

Avoid the Cairns branch if possible, and you should be fine!

 

Over the course of 9 days, we spent:

 

€735 on an the campervan itself (Wicked’s Iconic 2 seater with A/C and power steering). The price we were given by telephone was a lot cheaper than the online quote, so always try doing both before making a decision. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount and see if they can throw in free satellite navigation - they usually will.

 

€330 on petrol (and drove almost 3000km)

€61 on supermarket shopping (and even had pasta left over!).

The supermarkets have far more promotions on than those in NZ and are a lot more competitive, so I felt we definitely got more for our money here. Fruit and veg is expensive though, so find farmer’s markets for better quality and cheaper goods!

 

€67 on campsites, although we did get a parking ticket for parking in a car park overnight.

Australians are anal when it comes to these things, unlike New Zealanders who will give you a slap on the wrist at worst. We obviously didn’t stay at a campsite every night - look out for rest areas where you are sometimes allowed to stay for one night legally and can save your budget for surf lessons and beer. Some of these places even have free barbecue facilities for that much needed English breakfast the next morning! We found that the staff in petrol stations were always able to tell us the nearest place to stay for free. We were even told we could stay in the petrol station car park on our last night, so it's definitely worth asking.

 

If you really don’t think a public shower near the beach is your style, by all means budget for additional “accommodation” and go for campsites or hostel carparks that allow you to use their facilities. They tend to cost around 15 AUD (€11) per person, with the odd campsite only charging you per vehicle which works out even cheaper.

 

Accommodation

As we were in Cairns for 5 nights, we had to find accommodation that wasn’t on wheels. We used Air BnB to save on costs and found rather last minute accommodation for €37.5/night for a nice place 20 minutes walking distance from the centre. This was a lot cheaper than a hotel, so it’s probably the best way to go if you’re on a budget, but aren’t travelling solo or just don’t want to be in a dorm full of teenage backpackers!

We were extremely lucky to have friends in Sydney that didn't mind putting us up for the best part of a week, but I think a bed in mixed dorm with fellow backpackers can cost around €12/night which isn't bad at all!

 

Food and Drink

Although we were camping for most of our trip, we did eat out a few times and found that the portion sizes were not as big as in New Zealand. So although prices were roughly the same, one dish to share would leave you feeling a little hungry. Think €13 per person for a normal main or similar and €22 each for a restaurant meal for something a bit more exotic (prices not including alcohol). If you’re looking for something cheaper, my advice is to spend €6 on a good pie or get some fresh fish and chips from just about anywhere in the country! As for drink, get ready to pay around 9 AUD or nearly €6 for a schooner of beer, which is about 3/4 of a pint, or share a bottle of wine for a slightly more affordable night. There’s always GOON if you’re really short for cash - Australia’s boxed white “wine” which comes complete with foil bag. It’s a backpacker’s favourite (and often the only choice) although the hangovers are said to be horrendous. But that’s a problem for "future you", right?

 

Money makes the world go round...

At the time of calculating these prices, 1 Eur = 1.46 AUD. Of course, you'll get more for your money if you earn in British Pounds, and won't be as shocked if you're used to central London prices, although Sydney is still around 1.5 times more expensive.

 

So how much?!

Visas: €0

Food and drink: €25 -30 a day to eat out per person depending on where in the country you are and how modest a meal you have; €12 -€14 if you're making your own meals.

Accommodation and transport: see options above

Surf lessons: €15 for a two hour lesson in Agnes Water. A real bargain! Other companies may charge more.

Sim Cards: We bought a pay as you go monthly nano sim in Vodafone for 10 AUD or nearly €7. This came with calls to the UK with a 1.25 AUD cap.