Practically, the entire East Coast, in four weeks, from Cape Tribulation to Melbourne, with various means of transport, but mostly by bus. We spent most of the time, precisely road tripping, up to Brisbane, then flight to the Victoria and finally Sydney, where our adventure ends.
For lack of time and money, we reluctantly exclude the Red Centre, hoping to come again at an early opportunity.
I thank Eloisa, who helped me to rationalize my route and gave precious advise about places to visit, and Federico, who sent me a lot of web sites links, including the resounding www.bugaustralia.com, a complete guide.
GENERAL
If you want, you can travel on cheap.
Aud 1 = Eu 0.57
Australia has a much lower cost of food and lodging, compared to Italy.
We mainly stayed in hostels; the cost of a double room in this kind of accommodation is 50 Aud max, in a dormitory from 12 to 20 Aud.
The bathrooms and kitchen are common, often in double rooms fridge and microwave are available, offering complete autonomy from the public kitchen that in certain cases it is quite clean and tidy, and equipped with all amenities, and sometimes (but few) not so much.
A room in a motel costs from 60 Aud, often large with several beds, allowing an entire family to stay overnight then at very low prices.
Regarding meals, we consumed the most of them at the take-away tables, in the bistrots and in the shopping malls food courts. The latter, besides the usual McDonald’s, KFC, pizza / kebab, and Chinese, often include kiosks that offer a choice of 2 or 3 fabulous roast served with baked potatoes and other boiled vegetables, and soup of the day .
Maximum spent, for each, 15 Aud, but often we managed with 7-8 Aud at ”all you can eat ” Chinese restaurant, and buying drinking water at the supermarkets.
Transport is generally quite expensive. The main bus route that runs through the country is the Greyhound / Mac Cafferty’s, which can be booked by telephone, Internet, travel agency, tourism office. You can buy it one way single tickets, or, more economically, a total distance voucher, where every 50 Aud spent you can get a stop to max 6 days. In Queensland, there are other companies like Premier, which is 6-7 Aud cheaper on longer distances.
If you are 3 or 4 people, and like driving, I think it is very convenient to rent an camper. I think it starts from 100 Aud per day. I have seen many campgrounds around. I have no doubt about the perfect organization and cleanliness of the Australian campings.
I was shocked to notice how neat, immaculate and free from pestilential odors are public toilets in this country, even in areas of heavy traffic, such as bus stations, or in the more dispersed zones. Some have also liquid disinfectant dispensers for the toilet seat!
Regarding flights, Qantas is the very expensive domestic airline. So, I used the Virgin Blue, a no-frills.
ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY – CUSTOMS
It is forbidden to introduce any kind of fresh foodstuff, plants, animals, medicines, etc.
It is better to declare everything you have. Dogs sniff and find everything.
CLIMATE
August is winter time. According to most people, it is the best period for Queensland, as colder and drier.
I have to say that the North Queensland, up to Townsville, even in this favorable season the weather is quite cloudy and rainy.
South of Townsville, instead, we found great weather, average of 23-24 C° at daytime. Instead, the temperature drop at night time. In Brisbane we already found rooms with heating, but around Rockhampton we had to ask woolen blankets.
PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Port Campbell is magnificent. Not to be missed. In some ways it reminds me of the South African Garden Route. Personally, even if Hermanus is beautiful, I prefer the Great Ocean Road.
The coast from Townsville to the north is a real disappointment, the sea is brown. I think pictures on the brochures of places like Trinity Beach or Port Douglas have been photoshopped. Colours are completely different. Very popular beaches such as the Four Miles Beach, no big deal. Mission Beach same. It’s not that they are horrendous, but if one has to flight 24 hours and cross the planet to end up in places like those mentioned, well, Australia has better to offer!
Absolutely fantastic Whitsunday Island, the view that you see from the lookout I think can be cataloged among the wonders of the world. Superb also Whiteheaven Beach. Another very pretty island, in front of Hayman, is Langford Island, which has a sea with beautiful colors.
Lucky intuition to stop three days to relax in Great Keppel Island, on the Capricorn Coast, chosen almost at random among many others. Beautiful, wild, undeveloped (though it seems that things change during the peak season), a couple of paved roads, some street lamp here and there on the main street, many steep paths to go from one beach to another, immense and deserts shores, crystal clear water, adjacent islets approachable by canoe.
I have to say that Green and Fitzroy Islands, around Cairns, are not that great either. Less exploited are the Frankland Islands. Some keys, like Michealmays, are nice but too crowded with people. These of course are the affordable options, if one can afford Lizard I think the scenery changes… An alternative could be Lady Elliot Island (www.ladyelliot.com.au), in Southern Queensland, in front of Bundaberg. It ‘a small coral atoll, like the luxurious Heron, Lizard and Hayman, but unlike these ones, it can be reached with day trips, it seems to me that the cost is around 80/100 Aud, without being obliged to sleep at their very expensive resort, Aud 145 per day per person to stay in a tented cabin, are we dumb ???????
I also heard of a certain Lord Howe Island, off the coast of Sydney, which seems to be the only island in Australia to have a Polynesian look. Unfortunately it is very expensive to get there. (www.lordhoweisland.info)