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Australia 🇦🇺

backpacking Oceania Australia 🇦🇺Red desert, outback distances and a reef on the northeast coast.

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Backpacking Australia in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
Traveling in Australia: what to expect

Backpacking Australia
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 18, 2026

Most people picture Australia as one long beach with a reef attached, and most of it is actually desert. Roughly 70 percent of the mainland is arid or semi-arid, which is why around 85 percent of Australians live within 50 kilometers of the coast and the middle of the map stays almost empty.

That emptiness is half the appeal. You can snorkel the Great Barrier Reef off Cairns in the morning heat, then spend a week on Melbourne coffee so good it will ruin your local café back home. Kangaroos graze golf courses at dawn, and Uluru sits alone in a flat red plain. At Uluru I tried to eat a sandwich at sunset while waving off a cloud of flies, and one still landed on my tongue, a small salty crunch that taught me why every gift shop sells head nets. The challenges are distance and cost. Sydney to Perth is about 3,900 kilometers by road, and local wages push dorm beds and beers into Western European price territory. On long hops, a budget flight saves you days and often costs less than the fuel. On scenic stretches, a shared campervan gives a backpacker the most, because the road is the attraction and your bed comes with you.

Compared with New Zealand, Australia swaps compact alpine drama for sheer scale and warmer water. Compared with Indonesia, it costs several times more per day, but the buses run on time, hostels are clean and the tap water is drinkable. It suits travelers with a month or more, especially anyone on a working holiday who can top up funds pulling pints or picking mangoes. It suits the two-week visitor trying to see the whole map much less well, because that plan mostly shows you airport gates.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Australia

East Coast (Sydney, Byron Bay, Whitsundays, Cairns)

Most first trips to Australia run up this coast, and the hostels have noticed. Byron Bay is full of people learning to surf and wiping out politely in front of strangers, Airlie Beach exists largely as a launch pad for Whitsundays sailing trips, and Cairns is where everyone lines up for Great Barrier Reef boats. Sydney to Cairns is close to 2,700 kilometers by road. A hop-on hop-off Greyhound pass costs less than flying every leg and lets you stop on a whim, but you pay in 8 to 12 hour bus rides. A one-way campervan relocation, when you can grab one, beats both on money and comfort. It suits social first-timers who want a ready-made crowd at every stop.

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road (Melbourne, Torquay, Twelve Apostles)

Melbourne is where people argue about coffee and Australian Rules football with the same intensity, and the free tram zone in the city center plus its laneway bars make it easy to live well on foot. Torquay, the start of the Great Ocean Road, is about 1.5 hours from the city, and the Twelve Apostles take 4 to 5 hours along the winding coast route. Day tours squeeze roughly 12 hours of driving into one coach seat. Splitting a rental car with two hostel-mates and sleeping over in Apollo Bay costs about the same per person and feels much less like a hostage situation. It suits city lovers who want one proper road trip without committing to the whole country.

Red Centre (Alice Springs, Uluru, Kings Canyon)

The flies in the Red Centre take a personal interest in your face, so a head net is the best small purchase you will make. Alice Springs is a working outback town with Aboriginal-run art centers and modest nightlife, and Uluru sits about 450 kilometers to the southwest, a 5-hour drive. Flying straight into Ayers Rock Airport saves days but costs the most and leaves you inside the single resort complex at Yulara. A three-day camping tour from Alice, sleeping in swags and walking the Kings Canyon rim on the way, gives a backpacker the most for the money. It suits people who are fine with dust, 5 a.m. starts and summer days above 40°C.

Top End (Darwin, Kakadu, Litchfield)

Darwin is closer to Bali than to Sydney, and it behaves like it: humid, informal, with dry-season crowds eating laksa at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. Litchfield’s waterfalls and swimming holes are about 1.5 hours away, while Kakadu’s rock art at Ubirr takes roughly 3 hours to reach. A small rental car handles Litchfield and Kakadu’s sealed roads, costs less than two separate tours and lets you swim before the coaches arrive. The crocodile signs are not decorative, and many roads close in the wet season from November to April. It suits travelers who like heat, wildlife and long, empty drives.

Tasmania (Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Mountain)

Tasmania runs at a slower pace and a lower temperature than the mainland. Hobart has MONA, a museum whose owner set out to provoke, plus the Saturday Salamanca Market, and Cradle Mountain is the start of the six-day Overland Track. The flight from Melbourne takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, while the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to Devonport takes 10 to 11 hours overnight and only makes sense if you bring a vehicle. Buses between towns are sparse, so renting a car on arrival is the practical answer. It suits hikers, food lovers and anyone who packed a fleece and wants to use it.
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Why go?What draws travelers here

Wildlife

Around 87 percent of Australia’s mammals live nowhere else on Earth, which means even a suburban evening … read more 👉
Around 87 percent of Australia’s mammals live nowhere else on Earth, which means even a suburban evening walk can turn into a nature documentary. Kangaroos lounge on golf courses, possums raid hostel bins, and in the Daintree a cassowary the height of a grown adult might stroll across the road with the attitude of a landlord. Visitors arrive braced for the famous list of deadly snakes and spiders, then spend their trip being harassed mostly by magpies, which swoop on walkers and cyclists every spring. Up north, saltwater crocodiles are the real deal and deserve every warning sign. Along the east coast, humpback whales migrate roughly from June to November, and you can often spot them from headlands without paying for a boat. Platypus are shy but regular at Eungella National Park near Mackay, where they surface in the creek at dawn and dusk. I’d skip the koala photo ops and take the ferry to Maria Island off Tasmania’s east coast, where wombats graze the campground lawn as if they pay rent.

Beach life

Australia has more than 10,000 beaches, and locals rate them with the seriousness of sommeliers. Bondi … read more 👉
Australia has more than 10,000 beaches, and locals rate them with the seriousness of sommeliers. Bondi is the famous one, a crescent of surfers, joggers and backpackers comparing tan lines. Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays is made of nearly pure silica sand so fine it squeaks underfoot and stays cool even at midday. In Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef sits so close to shore at Turquoise Bay that you can wade in, drift with the current over coral and walk back along the sand. Whale shark season there runs roughly from March to July. For sunsets, Perth wins, since the sun drops into the Indian Ocean behind Cottesloe. Byron Bay mixes surf lessons with a lively bar scene, and Surfers Paradise does nightlife with less subtlety. Always swim between the red and yellow flags, which mark the stretch patrolled by surf lifesavers, many of them volunteers. Rip currents are the biggest beach danger here, and they look deceptively calm, a flat dark channel between breaking waves, so if you feel one dragging you out, float and raise an arm.

Scenery

Australia’s landscapes come in two speeds: six hours of identical scrub, followed by something so strange … read more 👉
Australia’s landscapes come in two speeds: six hours of identical scrub, followed by something so strange you pull over and stare. In the Kimberley, Purnululu National Park hides the Bungle Bungles, beehive-shaped sandstone domes striped in orange and black bands like giant tiger-print cakes. In far north Queensland, the Daintree Rainforest runs right down to the coral of the reef, where two World Heritage sites meet. Near Cervantes, north of Perth, the Pinnacles Desert sprouts thousands of limestone spires from yellow sand, and they cast long, eerie shadows late in the day. Then there is the Nullarbor Plain, where the Eyre Highway runs dead straight for 146.6 kilometers, a stretch so famous for doing nothing that it has its own road sign. The light is what makes it all work. The first and last hour of the day turn red rock crimson and paint gum trees silver, while midday flattens everything and tries to cook you. Plan your walks for dawn, rest through the afternoon, and carry more water than seems sensible, because the distances between taps here are measured in hours.

Backpackers

Backpacking in Australia is a well-oiled machine. Hostels range from party barns with nightly drinking … read more 👉
Backpacking in Australia is a well-oiled machine. Hostels range from party barns with nightly drinking games to calm places with rooftop kitchens, and almost every town on the east coast has at least one. Hostel noticeboards double as marketplaces, covered in ads for vans, surfboards, rideshares and jobs. Cask wine, known as “goon,” remains a cheap and slightly regrettable rite of passage. Melbourne and Sydney are where many travelers settle for months to work, and the hostel crowd there shifts from short-stay partiers to long-term residents with jobs in cafés and on building sites. Plenty of hostels offer free beds in exchange for a few hours of cleaning or reception a day, and it is the easiest way to stretch your money in pricey cities. Ask at reception when you check in, because these spots fill through word of mouth.

Mountains

Australia is the flattest inhabited continent, and its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, stands 2,228 … read more 👉
Australia is the flattest inhabited continent, and its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, stands 2,228 meters, so modest that you can reach the summit on a well-made path. From Thredbo, the chairlift drops you near the top and the walk is about 13 kilometers return, which makes it one of the easiest ways anywhere to tick off a continental high point. The real hiking interest lies in the long trails. Tasmania’s Overland Track runs 65 kilometers over about six days from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, past glacial lakes, button grass plains and Mount Ossa, the state’s highest at 1,617 meters. In Central Australia, the Larapinta Trail follows the West MacDonnell Ranges for 223 kilometers of red ridgelines and cold gorge waterholes. Closer to Sydney, the Blue Mountains get their name from the blue haze given off by eucalyptus oil, and the Grand Canyon Track drops into ferny gullies under sandstone cliffs. In Tasmania, pack thermals and a waterproof layer even in January. Snow on the Overland Track in summer is common enough that rangers expect it.

Architecture

Australia has no castles, and its oldest colonial buildings are younger than plenty of European pubs, … read more 👉
Australia has no castles, and its oldest colonial buildings are younger than plenty of European pubs, yet the built heritage here is far more interesting than that suggests. The oldest is Aboriginal: the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in western Victoria, a UNESCO site, holds stone eel traps and channels built by the Gunditjmara people more than 6,000 years ago. The convict era left sandstone prisons and barracks, eleven of them grouped as a World Heritage site, including Port Arthur in Tasmania and Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney. Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building, completed in 1880, is one of the last great nineteenth-century exhibition halls still standing. Then there is the Sydney Opera House, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and opened in 1973, its white sail shells covered in more than a million tiles. In Queensland, look for timber “Queenslander” houses raised on stilts to catch breezes, and in Canberra, a whole capital laid out by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Skip paying for a view of the Opera House and buy the cheapest ticket for any show instead, which gets you inside the halls.

⭐ HighlightsUnmissable destinations

  • Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: The rock is bigger and stranger up close than any photo suggests, its surface pocked with caves, streaked by water stains and soft enough in places to look like skin. The Anangu traditional owners closed the climb in October 2019, and the 10.6-kilometer base walk is the better experience anyway, passing sacred sites you are asked not to photograph. Thirty minutes away, the 36 domes of Kata Tjuta hide the Valley of the Winds trail, where gusts funnel between walls of red conglomerate. By the end of the day, fine red sand has worked its way into every sock seam and shoelace eyelet, and it will still be there a week later.
  • The Great Barrier Reef: The reef stretches more than 2,300 kilometers, and the outer reef sites reached from Cairns or Port Douglas, such as Agincourt Reef, have clearer water than the islands closer to shore. Float face down and the soundtrack is surprisingly loud: the crackle of snapping shrimp and the scratchy crunch of parrotfish biting
… read more 👉
  • Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: The rock is bigger and stranger up close than any photo suggests, its surface pocked with caves, streaked by water stains and soft enough in places to look like skin. The Anangu traditional owners closed the climb in October 2019, and the 10.6-kilometer base walk is the better experience anyway, passing sacred sites you are asked not to photograph. Thirty minutes away, the 36 domes of Kata Tjuta hide the Valley of the Winds trail, where gusts funnel between walls of red conglomerate. By the end of the day, fine red sand has worked its way into every sock seam and shoelace eyelet, and it will still be there a week later.
  • The Great Barrier Reef: The reef stretches more than 2,300 kilometers, and the outer reef sites reached from Cairns or Port Douglas, such as Agincourt Reef, have clearer water than the islands closer to shore. Float face down and the soundtrack is surprisingly loud: the crackle of snapping shrimp and the scratchy crunch of parrotfish biting coral. Between roughly November and May you will zip into a stinger suit against box jellyfish, and the rubbery, sun-baked smell of that suit is the scent of reef day in north Queensland.
  • Sydney Harbour and the Bondi to Coogee walk: Sydney is at its best from the water and from its cliffs. The ferry from Circular Quay to Manly takes about 30 minutes and slides past the harbour’s sandstone headlands, with spray hitting the outside deck when the swell rolls in through the Heads. The six-kilometer coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee strings together sandstone cliffs, ocean pools and cemetery views at Waverley. Waves smash straight over the wall of the Bondi Icebergs pool, and swimmers just keep doing laps.
  • The Great Ocean Road: Built by returned World War I soldiers between 1919 and 1932, the 243-kilometer road is also a war memorial, and it hugs cliffs above the Southern Ocean for long stretches. The limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are the famous stop, though fewer than a dozen remain standing. Stop at Kennett River and look up into the manna gums, where koalas sleep in tree forks right above the car park. The wind off the water is cold even in summer and smells of salt and kelp.
  • Kakadu National Park: Covering nearly 20,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of Slovenia, Kakadu holds wetlands, escarpments and some of the most important rock art on the planet. At Ubirr, paintings of fish, turtles and spirit figures cover overhangs that Aboriginal people have used for thousands of years, and the sunset view over the green floodplain from the top is one of the best in the north. A boat cruise on Yellow Water billabong brings you within meters of saltwater crocodiles, while magpie geese honk overhead and the humid air sticks your shirt to your back by 8 a.m.
For something emptier, Karijini’s red gorges in the Pilbara, Lord Howe Island’s capped visitor numbers and the Flinders Ranges’ Wilpena Pound all deliver, and I would pick Karijini first.
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🧭 RoutesSuggested travel routes through Australia

The 14-Day Tropical Queensland Route


Warm water, rainforest and island sailing along the coast of tropical Queensland, all by coach and boat. It’s a slow, salty two weeks built for snorkeling days and hammock evenings.
  • Snorkeling the outer Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
  • Rainforest meeting the sea at Cape Tribulation in the Daintree
  • Sleeping on deck in the Whitsunday Islands
  • The white silica sand of Whitehaven Beach

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Southeast and Tasmania Route


Harbor ferries, mountain walks and cool-climate coastline across southeastern Australia, ending on Tasmania’s wild east coast. Expect city nights, cliff-top drives and plenty of hiking boots.
  • Sydney Harbour by ferry, from the Opera House to Manly
  • Cliff walks in the Blue Mountains
  • The Great Ocean Road and the Grampians
  • Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park

👉 explore this 21-day route

The 30-Day Outback to Reef Route


A month that runs from Melbourne’s galleries into the red desert, then up the entire east coast to the … read more 👉

The 14-Day Tropical Queensland Route


Warm water, rainforest and island sailing along the coast of tropical Queensland, all by coach and boat. It’s a slow, salty two weeks built for snorkeling days and hammock evenings.
  • Snorkeling the outer Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
  • Rainforest meeting the sea at Cape Tribulation in the Daintree
  • Sleeping on deck in the Whitsunday Islands
  • The white silica sand of Whitehaven Beach

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Southeast and Tasmania Route


Harbor ferries, mountain walks and cool-climate coastline across southeastern Australia, ending on Tasmania’s wild east coast. Expect city nights, cliff-top drives and plenty of hiking boots.
  • Sydney Harbour by ferry, from the Opera House to Manly
  • Cliff walks in the Blue Mountains
  • The Great Ocean Road and the Grampians
  • Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park

👉 explore this 21-day route

The 30-Day Outback to Reef Route


A month that runs from Melbourne’s galleries into the red desert, then up the entire east coast to the reef. It mixes the big icons with small surf towns, sand islands and a counterculture detour.
  • Sunrise at Uluru and the Kings Canyon rim
  • The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk in Sydney
  • Byron Bay and the beaches of northern New South Wales
  • A 4WD tour of K’gari (Fraser Island)

👉 explore this 30-day route

🌤️ When to go?When to go for the best experience

The best months for backpacking Australia are April to May and September to October, when most of the country sits in a comfortable 20 to 30°C range, the summer crowds have gone home and hostel prices fall back from their December and January highs.
Region matters a lot here. The tropical north (Darwin, Kakadu, Cairns, Broome) runs on a wet and dry cycle, while the south (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania) has four proper seasons, so the shoulder months are the only time a full loop works everywhere at once.
  • Summer and the northern wet (December to February): Peak season in the south. Tasmania and the southern beaches are at their best, but school holidays fill coastal hostels and campgrounds, and Sydney dorms run A$45 to 80 (US$30 to 52), far more around New Year’s Eve. Up north it is 30 to 34°C with heavy monsoon rain, cyclone risk and box jellyfish in the water. Parts of Kakadu close and the Gibb River Road shuts. The Red Centre regularly passes 40°C.
  • Autumn shoulder (March to May): The south settles into mild, dry days of 18 to 25°C and prices ease. The northern wet tails off through April, and outback roads reopen gradually into May. Easter brings a short, sharp price spike.
  • Winter and the northern dry (June to August): Peak season in the tropics, with blue skies and 25 to 31°C days in Darwin and Cairns, every Kakadu road open and the highest prices of the year up north. The south turns cold, wet and cheaper, and the ski fields of New South Wales and Victoria open.
  • Spring shoulder (September to November): Wildflowers, whales and warming southern cities. The north stays dry until humidity builds through late October and November, and the outback is still walkable in September before the heat returns.
The contrast is sharp: the same Whitsundays sailing trip that sells out at full price in July often has last-minute discounts in May, and a Tasmanian hut walk that needs months of planning in January can be booked a week out in October.
I’d book Easter, the late June to mid-July school break and Christmas through late January at least four weeks ahead. Outside those windows, I’d stay flexible and book hostels a day or two out to grab the deals.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: fair for travelingFEBFebruary: fair for travelingMARMarch: fair for travelingAPRApril: highly recommended for travelingMAYMay: excellent for travelingJUNJune: good for travelingJULJuly: fair for travelingAUGAugust: fair for travelingSEPSeptember: excellent for travelingOCTOctober: highly recommended for travelingNOVNovember: fair for travelingDECDecember: fair for traveling
!australia - pixabay - coast-7840926

💰 Costs (as of 2026)Prices, expenses, and money tips

Backpacking Australia on a budget costs about US$60 to 90 a day if you sleep in dorms, cook most of your meals and keep paid tours to a minimum.
You pay in Australian dollars, and the country is among the most expensive places to backpack in the region. It costs about the same as New Zealand and roughly three to four times as much per day as Bali or Thailand, where US$25 to 35 covers a comfortable day. Food and short-hop transport are reasonable. Beds, alcohol and the big-ticket tours are what drain your budget.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$20 to 50 per nightA dorm bed in central Sydney or Byron Bay runs US$30 to 50, and more in December and January. Melbourne is closer to US$25 to 40, and Cairns or Darwin US$18 to 28. A bed in a Bali hostel costs US$8 to 12, so expect a shock if you arrive from Indonesia. Weekly rates, a YHA membership discount and work-for-accommodation deals (a few hours of cleaning a day) bring the cost down.
MealsUS$12 to 30 per dayCooking from Coles, Woolworths or Aldi keeps food to US$10 to 15 a day. Australia has no real street-food culture like Southeast Asia does, so cheap eats mean a bakery meat pie (US$4 to 6), a banh mi (US$6 to 8)
… read more 👉
Backpacking Australia on a budget costs about US$60 to 90 a day if you sleep in dorms, cook most of your meals and keep paid tours to a minimum.
You pay in Australian dollars, and the country is among the most expensive places to backpack in the region. It costs about the same as New Zealand and roughly three to four times as much per day as Bali or Thailand, where US$25 to 35 covers a comfortable day. Food and short-hop transport are reasonable. Beds, alcohol and the big-ticket tours are what drain your budget.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$20 to 50 per nightA dorm bed in central Sydney or Byron Bay runs US$30 to 50, and more in December and January. Melbourne is closer to US$25 to 40, and Cairns or Darwin US$18 to 28. A bed in a Bali hostel costs US$8 to 12, so expect a shock if you arrive from Indonesia. Weekly rates, a YHA membership discount and work-for-accommodation deals (a few hours of cleaning a day) bring the cost down.
MealsUS$12 to 30 per dayCooking from Coles, Woolworths or Aldi keeps food to US$10 to 15 a day. Australia has no real street-food culture like Southeast Asia does, so cheap eats mean a bakery meat pie (US$4 to 6), a banh mi (US$6 to 8) or a food-court laksa or pad thai (US$11 to 14). A pub schnitzel costs US$16 to 20, and a flat white is about US$3.50.
Local transportUS$3 to 15 per day in cities; US$60 to 120 per long-distance legA Sydney train or bus ride on an Opal card costs US$2.50 to 4.50, and a Melbourne tram fare is about US$3.50 (rides inside the city-center Free Tram Zone cost nothing). A Greyhound from Sydney to Melbourne or from Sydney to Brisbane runs about US$65 to 120. Campervan relocation deals can cost as little as US$1 a day plus fuel.
ActivitiesUS$0 to 200 per dayBeaches and coastal walks such as Bondi to Coogee cost nothing. The expensive ones are Great Barrier Reef day trips from Cairns (US$130 to 200), skydiving (US$200 to 280) and multi-day K’gari or Outback tours (US$250 to 600). The Uluru-Kata Tjuta park pass is about US$25. I would save hard everywhere else and put that money into one good reef trip, because a cheap boat that only reaches the inner reef is wasted money.
MiscellaneousUS$5 to 15 per dayA prepaid SIM with a month of data costs US$20 to 30, a hostel laundry load US$3 to 5, and a schooner of beer at a pub US$6 to 9 (two to three times the price in Bali). Sunscreen at US$10 or more a bottle adds up fast under the Australian sun.
Total Daily BudgetUS$60 to 90Staying near US$60 means a cheaper-city dorm, supermarket cooking and free sights. Expect to go above US$90 on days with a tour, an overnight bus or a night out in Sydney. Across a month in Australia, budget extra for one or two splurge activities.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutAustralia Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
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The digital guide (414 pages) contains:
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🛏️ Where to stay?Accommodation types and options

Australia has hostels in every major city and backpacker hub, with dorm beds typically A$35 to 60 (US$23 to 39) a night and private doubles from about A$100 (US$65). In Sydney, Kings Cross and Potts Point put you a short train ride from the CBD and in the middle of late-night bars, though the main strip gets rowdy after dark, while Bondi and Coogee trade a 30 to 45 minute bus ride for sand at your doorstep and a beach-party crowd. In Melbourne, the CBD is the most central base for trams and laneway food, St Kilda mixes a seafront with a lively and occasionally rough-edged nightlife, and Brisbane … read more 👉
Australia has hostels in every major city and backpacker hub, with dorm beds typically A$35 to 60 (US$23 to 39) a night and private doubles from about A$100 (US$65). In Sydney, Kings Cross and Potts Point put you a short train ride from the CBD and in the middle of late-night bars, though the main strip gets rowdy after dark, while Bondi and Coogee trade a 30 to 45 minute bus ride for sand at your doorstep and a beach-party crowd. In Melbourne, the CBD is the most central base for trams and laneway food, St Kilda mixes a seafront with a lively and occasionally rough-edged nightlife, and Brisbane splits between Fortitude Valley (club central, loud on weekends) and quieter South Brisbane, within walking distance of South Bank and the museums.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Australia


Best quality hotels in Australia

🚌 Getting aroundGetting around Australia

Australia is roughly the size of the continental United States, and Sydney to Perth is about 3,900 kilometers of road with long stretches of very little in between. The big decision is whether to spend money on flights or days on the ground, because the long empty legs are where a schedule quietly falls apart. Mix the two and you get the best of both.
  • Domestic flights are usually the best value for crossing the country, and that is a strange thing to say about flying. Sydney to Melbourne takes about
… read more 👉
Australia is roughly the size of the continental United States, and Sydney to Perth is about 3,900 kilometers of road with long stretches of very little in between. The big decision is whether to spend money on flights or days on the ground, because the long empty legs are where a schedule quietly falls apart. Mix the two and you get the best of both.
  • Domestic flights are usually the best value for crossing the country, and that is a strange thing to say about flying. Sydney to Melbourne takes about 1.5 hours and often costs A$60 to 150 (US$40 to 100) one way on budget carriers. Sydney to Perth is around 5 hours and A$200 to 400 (US$130 to 260). Book online four to eight weeks ahead. Basic fares cover carry-on only, and checked bags can add A$20 to 50, so read the fare rules before you pack for six months.
  • Long-distance buses run the East Coast between Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns. Sydney to Brisbane takes 15 to 17 hours and costs about A$90 to 180 (US$60 to 120). The seats recline enough to suggest sleep without quite allowing it. You can buy point-to-point tickets or flexible passes online that let you hop on and off for a set number of travel days. On the coast that flexibility is worth the stiff neck. For anything longer than a day on board, a flight usually wins.
  • Campervans and rental cars give you the most freedom and the highest bills. Off-season van rental runs about A$60 to 150 (US$40 to 100) a day, and fuel costs roughly A$1.80 to 2.20 a liter. Relocation deals can drop the rate to A$1 to 5 a day, sometimes with a fuel allowance, if you can return a vehicle to a set city by a deadline. Avoid driving at dawn and dusk outside the cities, when kangaroos treat the highway as a social space.
  • Regional trains are a decent middle option on the east side. Sydney to Melbourne takes about 11 hours and costs A$60 to 150 (US$40 to 100) when booked ahead, with more legroom than any bus. The famous transcontinental sleeper trains are a multi-day splurge costing well over A$2,000, closer to a cruise than a commute.
  • City public transport is easy. You can tap on with a contactless card or phone in Sydney and Brisbane, and in most other cities a local smartcard does the same job. Most rides cost A$3 to 6 (US$2 to 4), and daily and weekly fare caps keep sightseeing days cheap.
I would fly the empty long-haul legs, such as east to west or into the Red Centre, and keep the van or bus budget for the coast, where every few hours of driving brings you to a new town or beach.
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), about 8 km (5 miles) from the CBD
  • Airport Link train (T8 line) (13 to 15 minutes to Central, about A$20 to 22 / US$13 to 14 including the station access fee): Trains leave from the stations beneath both the domestic and international terminals, you tap on with an Opal card or contactless bank card, and services run roughly 5am to midnight.
  • Taxi (20 to 35 minutes, A$45 to 65 / US$29 to 42): The official ranks sit outside arrivals at each terminal, and the fare includes an airport pickup charge plus any tolls.
  • Ride-hailing (20 to 35 minutes, A$35 to 60 / US$23 to 39): Uber and DiDi pickups use signed rideshare zones in the terminal car park areas, and prices surge at peak arrival times.
Melbourne Airport (MEL), about 23 km (14 miles) from the CBD
  • SkyBus City Express (25 to 40 minutes to Southern Cross Station, about A$23 to 25 / US$15 to 16): Buses leave from outside Terminals 1 and 4, you buy online, in the app or with a card at the kiosk, and it runs 24 hours a day in Australia’s second city.
  • Bus 901 plus train (60 to 80 minutes, about A$5 to 6 / US$3 to 4): The cheapest option takes the 901 bus to Broadmeadows station and a Metro train into the city on one myki fare, with buses running from early morning to late evening.
  • Taxi (25 to 45 minutes, A$60 to 85 / US$39 to 55): Ranks are on the ground floor outside arrivals, and CityLink tolls plus an airport fee are added.
  • Ride-hailing (25 to 45 minutes, A$50 to 75 / US$32 to 49): Pickups are from the dedicated rideshare area in the Terminal 1 to 4 ground transport hub.
Brisbane Airport (BNE), about 13 km (8 miles) from the CBD
  • Airtrain (20 to 25 minutes to Central or Roma Street, about A$21 to 23 / US$14 to 15): Stations connect directly to the domestic and international terminals, you pay with a go card, contactless card or ticket from the machine, and trains run about every 15 to 30 minutes from roughly 5am to 10pm.
  • Taxi (20 to 30 minutes, A$45 to 60 / US$29 to 39): Ranks are outside arrivals at both terminals, and tunnel or Gateway tolls can add a few dollars.
  • Ride-hailing (20 to 30 minutes, A$35 to 55 / US$23 to 36): Follow signs to the rideshare pickup zones near each terminal’s car park.
Perth Airport (PER), about 12 km (7.5 miles) from the CBD
  • Transperth train (Airport Line) (about 20 minutes to Perth station, about A$3 to 5 / US$2 to 3): Trains leave from Airport Central station beside Terminal 1 and from Redcliffe, you pay with a SmartRider or a ticket from the station machine, and services run from about 5:30am to midnight.
  • Taxi (20 to 30 minutes, A$40 to 55 / US$26 to 36): Ranks sit outside arrivals at every terminal, with an airport access fee included.
  • Ride-hailing (20 to 30 minutes, A$30 to 50 / US$19 to 32): Pickups use marked rideshare bays at each terminal, and Terminals 3 and 4 are a separate precinct from Terminal 1, so check yours before booking.
Adelaide Airport (ADL), about 7 km (4 miles) from the CBD
  • Adelaide Metro JetBus (J1 and J1X) (25 to 35 minutes, about A$4 to 6.50 / US$3 to 4): Buses stop right outside the terminal, you pay with a Metrocard or a single-trip ticket, and the J1X express runs a faster route into the city during the day while the J1 continues later into the evening.
  • Taxi (15 to 20 minutes, A$25 to 35 / US$16 to 23): The rank is directly outside arrivals, and this is one of the cheapest airport-to-city cab rides in the country.
  • Ride-hailing (15 to 20 minutes, A$20 to 30 / US$13 to 19): Pickups are from the signed rideshare zone on the ground floor near the multi-level car park.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
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🔒 Safety (risk Level: low)What first-time visitors should know

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Australia is one of the safest countries for solo travelers, with low violent crime and a huge, well-organized backpacker scene that makes it easy to meet people. Women traveling alone generally have few problems, but the usual nightlife precautions apply: watch your drink in busy party areas, use rideshares late at night, and be cautious with offers of lifts or farm work in remote areas. LGBTQ+ travelers will find a welcoming atmosphere, as same-sex marriage has been legal since 2017 and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have large queer scenes, although small country towns can be more conservative. The bigger risks come from nature: swim between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches, respect crocodile warning signs in the north, and carry plenty of water and tell someone your route before driving into the outback.

✈️ VisaEntry requirements and paperwork

Almost every visitor needs a visa or electronic travel authority to enter Australia, and you must arrange it before you fly. Citizens of the US, Canada, Japan, Singapore and several other countries apply for an ETA (subclass 601) through the official Australian ETA app for a A$20 service fee, while citizens of the UK and EU countries can get a free eVisitor (subclass 651) online through ImmiAccount, and both allow stays of up to three months per visit. Everyone else applies online for a Visitor visa (subclass 600), and travelers aged 18 to 30 (35 for some nationalities) can apply for a Working Holiday or Work and Holiday visa.
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?What you'll need while traveling

Packing for Australia starts with the sun, because UV levels are among the highest in the world and you can burn in about 15 minutes, even on overcast days. Don’t let the beach image fool you, though: Melbourne, Tasmania and the southern mountains get cold, wet winters, and outback nights can drop close to freezing while the days are scorching. If you plan to hike or head into the Red Centre, bring sturdy footwear, and be ready for persistent flies. Biosecurity is strict, so arrive with clean boots and camping gear and declare any food, wood or plant products. Dress is casual almost everywhere, but swimwear belongs on the beach, and you should cover up before walking into a shop or café.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

View the full list 👉

🙋 FAQQuick answers to practical concerns

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Australia can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Australia itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

No vaccinations are required to enter Australia unless you have spent time in a country with a yellow fever risk in the six days before arrival, in which case you need a yellow fever certificate. Make sure your routine vaccines are up to date (measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria, flu and COVID-19). Hepatitis A and B are worth considering for long trips or work stays. Japanese encephalitis vaccination is sometimes advised for long stays or outdoor work in rural northern areas, and because mosquito-borne viruses such as Ross River fever occur, insect repellent is your main protection.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Australia, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

Australian culture is relaxed and egalitarian, and showing off or acting superior wins you very few friends. Do join the “shout” system in pubs, where everyone takes turns buying a round, and do bring something to share if you are invited to a barbecue, since “BYO” (bring your own drinks) is standard there and at many cheap restaurants. Queue patiently, say thanks to bus drivers, and expect self-deprecating humor and teasing, which is usually a sign of friendliness. Don’t climb or photograph Aboriginal sacred sites where signs ask you not to. Climbing Uluru has been banned since 2019, and many tours open with an Acknowledgement of Country that deserves your respect. Don’t litter, feed wildlife or ignore fire bans, which are taken very seriously. Topless sunbathing is tolerated on some city beaches and nudity only on designated beaches. Same-sex couples can be affectionate openly in cities, while in rural pubs and small towns a bit more discretion keeps things comfortable.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Australia.
  1. Meat pie: A hand-sized pastry filled with minced beef and gravy, usually topped with tomato sauce. It is the standard snack at football games and bakeries nationwide, and Adelaide’s “pie floater” serves it in a bowl of pea soup.
  2. Vegemite on toast: A salty, dark yeast-extract spread scraped thinly over buttered toast. Australians grow up on it, and spreading it thick like chocolate is the classic visitor mistake.
  3. Sausage sizzle: A grilled sausage in a slice of white bread with fried onions and sauce. It is sold outside hardware stores and polling booths on election day to raise money for local clubs, usually for A$3 to 5.
  4. Barramundi: A firm, mild white fish native to northern waters, served grilled or as fish and chips. It is the signature catch of the Top End and Queensland.
  5. Chicken parmigiana: A crumbed chicken schnitzel topped with tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese, served with chips and salad. It is a pub classic, and many pubs run a cheap “parma night” or “parmi night” each week.
  6. Pavlova: A meringue base with a crisp shell and soft center, topped with cream and fresh fruit. It is the go-to Christmas and summer barbecue dessert, and Australia and New Zealand still argue over who invented it.
  7. Lamingtons: Squares of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in desiccated coconut. They are sold in bakeries and at school fundraisers across the country.
  8. ANZAC biscuits: Chewy oat, golden syrup and coconut cookies linked to the soldiers of World War I. They are baked in large numbers around Anzac Day in April.
Tap water is safe to drink throughout Australia, and locals drink it straight from the tap in every city and town. Bottled water is unnecessary, so refill a reusable bottle at taps and public fountains instead. The one exception is some remote outback sites and campgrounds that use bore or tank water, where signs will tell you if it is not drinkable.
English is the national language of Australia, so you will have no trouble in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne or any tourist hub. Hostels are full of English-speaking staff and travelers, and younger Australians are easy to talk to. In rural areas and small outback towns English is universal too, but the accent thickens and the slang multiplies, so “arvo” (afternoon), “servo” (gas station) and “bottle-o” (liquor store) are worth learning before you arrive. No second language is needed, although Mandarin, Vietnamese and Arabic are common in parts of Sydney and Melbourne, and in remote Aboriginal communities many people speak their own languages first.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Australia is AUD ($).
ATMs are easy to find in Australia, in every city, shopping center and most small towns, though they can be sparse in remote outback areas. Most charge foreign cards a fee of about A$2.50 to 5 (US$2 to 3) per withdrawal on top of whatever your home bank charges, so take out larger amounts less often. Cards and contactless phone payments are accepted almost everywhere, including for small coffees and on public transport, and some cafés no longer take cash at all, but expect a 1 to 2 percent surcharge on card payments at some businesses. Carry some cash for farmers markets, small country shops and roadside fruit stalls. There is no reason to bring US dollars or euros, as nobody accepts them, and exchange counters at airports offer poor rates, so use a low-fee travel card or an ATM and always choose to be charged in Australian dollars when a machine offers a currency conversion.
Tipping in Australia is optional and not expected, because the national minimum wage is high and service staff do not depend on tips. In sit-down restaurants, people often leave around 10 percent or round up the bill for good service, and some card machines offer a tip prompt you can skip without awkwardness. Tipping is unusual in cafés, pubs, taxis and hotels, though leaving the change in a tip jar is a friendly gesture.

🧩 Nearby countriesSimilar backpacking destinations

📸 PhotosMoments captured along the way

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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman

We 💚 feedbackKey takeaways from the trip

Australia is easy to love and hard on your bank balance, and both of those facts will follow you around the country. The small joy that makes up for it is the free electric barbecues in public parks, where you can grill a cheap dinner beside the beach with a view a restaurant would charge you a fortune for. The downside is the sun. The UV index here regularly hits extreme levels, and the stories of travelers fried pink on day one are not exaggerations, so wear a hat and reapply sunscreen more often than feels reasonable.

The strategic tip that improves everything: get a Telstra SIM card as soon as you land. Other networks work fine in the cities, but Telstra has by far the widest coverage in the outback, along remote highways and in national parks, and having signal for maps, weather warnings and job messages makes the whole trip calmer.

✈️ When did I visit Australia?
On my trip to New Zealand in 1993, I had a short stop in Australia as well. Originally written after my visit, this guide has been kept up to date with input from locals and recent travelers (last update: 18 October 2026)

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Australia, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

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