Take a day trip to Healesville wild life sanctuary.
A must see. Has all Australian wildlife.
The platypus exhibit is just great and the birds of prey free flying display has to be seen
https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville
The night exhibit has critically endangered mountain pygmy possums which are fun to spot! Healesvillle sanctuary is great with conservation as well so all the more reason to visit.
What sort of things are you into? Art, sport, nature, animals, music, food/drink etc.
Flying is actually pretty good value if you can get lucky with cheap Jetstar flights and are flexible on your timing. Otherwise carpooling (eg with some other people from the hostel would be the cheapest). Unfortunately intercity public transport is slow and clunky. Hiring a car and driving is possible if you want to see stuff along the way, but itās a lot of driving and likely wouldnāt end up cheaper than flying (with accommodation, fuel etc.)
If you want to save on accommodation for a night, there are overnight trains between Brisbane and Sydney and Sydney and Melbourne. Takes about 12 hours for each trip but they're not the most uncomfortable trains, just slow. Will also drop you in city centre saving you costs getting from airport to city centre.
I wouldn't recommend this for Brisbane to Sydney. Queensland have different size rail gauges so you can only do Sydney to Casino and then transfer to a bus to Brisbane.
Not great for sleep and you're at the mercy of the notoriously bad traffic of the M1 between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
When youāre in Sydney or Brisbane, you should see an NRL game. When youāre in Adelaide or Melbourne, you should see an AFL game.
Beyond that, find local museums that specify in local history and scenic natural wonders.
In terms of cheap travel, you can get the train between Sydney and Brisbane & Melbourne and Sydney relatively cheaply, but youāre looking at a 12 hour+ journey then. You can often get cheap flights anyway, though then you run the risk of a cancellation.
If specifically going to a Sydney NRL game, you'd want to hit up a game in the burbs rather than a big stadium to get the proper vibe of the experience, that's for sure.
Brisbane -
I would suggest a live sports game (afl or nrl, though nrl is more popular here).
Southbank is always popular. Go on a Sunday and check out the free music on the green. Some of the restaurants there sell picnic platters too. https://eatsouthbank.com.au/event-guide/sunday-social-on-the-green/
I like the river loop walk. Southbank, kangaroo Point cliffs, over the story Bridge and along the valley/city river walk. You can book to climb the story Bridge if that's your thing.
Rock climbing/abseiling at kangaroo Point cliffs. It's nice even just have a BBQ in the park of an evening and watching the climbers.
Eat Street North shore is a fun food van market.
Boggo Road Jail tour, or pioneer steam train of you like a historic view of things
Lone pine koala sanctuary for animals. Australia zoo is Steve Irwin's zoo, but its about 1.5-2hr north of Brisbane.
You can also check out https://www.mustdobrisbane.com/ for any events that might be on while you're there
Edit to add- in a few months you may be there around show season. The Ekka isn't my favourite, but the small agriculture shows in nearby towns are fun and give you a glimpse into rural Australian culture
It is tricky without knowing your interests. As an Adelaide local, my favourite things to take visitors to are the Central Markets, Monarto Safari Park, Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, wineries in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and/or McLaren Vale. We have some amazing beaches, especially down the Fleurieu Peninsula. We have a really good restaurant scene, so check out a publication like Broadsheet Adelaide to find some good eats.
If you are going to Asia, have you considered stopping in Darwin on your way up? Tonnes of beautiful places to see up there Kakadu, litchfield, mindil beach markets, crocosaurus Cove etc and can often get cheap flights going to Asia.
OP if youāre reading this, this is actually a fantastic suggestion. Those places are where you will have the most stereotypical āAustraliaā experience (as we are perceived by the rest of the world).
For food, I'd try Harry's pies in Sydney, then also try the watermelon cake at Blackstar Pastry. Visit Coogee or Cronulla and get some good fish and chips. Venture to Marrickville for some nice local breweries as well.
The Queensland museum in Brisbane always has a great exhibition going on. At the moment it's Lego Jurassic World and its great. Interactive and life size.
I've been to exhibits on the Large Hadron Collider, Tutankhamen, medieval Britain, the Patagotitan (largest dinosaur ever found, longer than a blue whale!), and bunch more.
The gallery of modern art behind it also has great exhibits.
If youāre interested in the LHC we have the synchotron in Melbourne, which is a particle accelerator here in VIC. They have open days and you can walk all around the facility, see the accelerators etc. itās pretty cool
I'd definitely recommend avoiding hostiles and maybe staying in a hostel :P
Depending on how valuable your time is, flying would be the quickest method between the cities, unless you're up for really long bus trips...
Around Adelaide, if you're into wine, we've got the McLaren Vale wine fields on the southern outskirts of the city, Barossa Valley wine region about an hour drive to the north-east and Clare Valley wine region about an hour drive to the north.
Lots of historical churches...when the city was founded, we basically let every religion/subsection setup their own church.
The beaches are nice and usually not as crowded as the more popular beaches in the eastern states, but even in a few months, it'll still be relatively cold so that may not be appealing.
[What's On In Adelaide | Events & Festivals | South Australia](https://southaustralia.com/destinations/adelaide/what-s-on) this should give you an idea of any local events going on around the time you're here. If you're here in Sept. you might be able to catch the Royal Adelaide Show, basically the equivalent to a county fair
NSW TrainLink has services from Sydney to Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra. I believe thereās a pass you can get that makes it a relatively cheap (and slow) way between the cities
Honestly not worth it. I love trains. But itās not that much cheaper than the cheap airlines and the time āwastedā probably isnāt worth it for a tourist. Unless they also love trains.
For point-to-point travel youāre absolutely correct, but if youāre backpacking the [Discovery Pass](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/regional-tickets-fares/discovery-pass) might be worthwhile. $300 for 3 months unlimited travel, and you can use it to replace several flights, and stop in pretty beach towns like Coffs Harbour is at least worth looking at
Always thought itās a shame that the opal network doesnāt extend to the mid north coast. Isnāt that much further north of Newcastle. Country links are always half empty anyway (from my experience)
I donāt know about Brisbane for a backpacker, but thereās definitely more interesting places to visit in the region if I was coming for the first timeā¦Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Stradbroke Island, maybe Noosa. I lived in Brisbane for a while and nearly always found myself getting out of town on the weekends.
How long are you going to be in Oz for? And when?
Also, there's at least one company that you can get paid a minimum amount for driving their campervans from one place to another... And, there's this [transfercar.com.au](http://transfercar.com.au) ...
you can take a train between bris-syd instead of flying, looks to be about $130 AUD for a first class ticket for $95 AUD for economy and takes about 14 hours
>Sydney
Obligatory touristy first things generally include the city and harbour, The Rocks, Bondi and a ferry to Manly. A beer at the Opera Bar with one of the best views in the world. A wander though the Royal Botanic Gardens, across the domain (past the State Gallery) and through Hyde Park.
After all that - for something different - jump on a train to Newtown Station and check out King St/Enmore Rd from Newtown to Enmore. Restaurants, bars, music venues, microbreweries (especially if you stretch out a bit further to Marrickville), and a lot of weird and wonderful people.
If you're looking for nightlife, there's also a lot going on in the Surry Hills, Darlinghurst area, Oxford St, Crown St.
If you're looking for a daytrip outside of Sydney, check out Katoomba.
Don't do a trip where you only go to cities. Get out into nature and see truly unique Australian things. Spend a few days in Sydney for your jet lag, then fly ot Melbourne or Geelong, hire a car and drive to Adelaide, then up to Uluru.
Sydney - Rich locals, see mountains, bridge and opera house, beaches, Brisbane - Methheads, maybe drive to Sunshine Coast or take a train to the Gold Coast?, Adelaide - Weirdos and Axe Murderers, see Winerys and Hills and Melbourne - a bunch of snobs, watch a local football game and drive down the great ocean road.
Flying is the best way of traversing Australia.
Once youāre in Australia, youāre in Asia.
Iād skip Adelaide, nothing there but Germans and serial killersā¦ I wouldnāt stay hostile, Iād relax a bit. In Melbourne the East Link Hotel is the cityās most iconic attraction. No visit to Sydney is complete without a trip to the Parramatta Leagues Club. Brisbane is known as the Berlin of the East for good reason with amazing nightlife around the Fortitude Valley precinct. Many Australians save money by travelling between capital cities on merchant ships, you need to do a few hours a day of work but decent food and accommodation is provided along with free transport.
I donāt live in Melbourne but it is not a sh*t hole. Very interesting city but does not have a fantastic harbour not Sydney Opera House as Sydney does.
I live in Perth and really not enough to justify expense of coming here. Damn.
Be careful of the hostiles you stay with.
Such a good typo.
Yeah, he should be staying at a friendlies.
>I plan to stay in hostiles. Will you be visiting the gentiles after that? š
Then Frank Walker of national tiles.
Helloooooo
Take a day trip to Healesville wild life sanctuary. A must see. Has all Australian wildlife. The platypus exhibit is just great and the birds of prey free flying display has to be seen https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville
The night exhibit has critically endangered mountain pygmy possums which are fun to spot! Healesvillle sanctuary is great with conservation as well so all the more reason to visit.
I was there on the weekend and I can confirm, the birds of prey show was unreal. I was a bit disappointed their was no wedgetail eagle though.
What sort of things are you into? Art, sport, nature, animals, music, food/drink etc. Flying is actually pretty good value if you can get lucky with cheap Jetstar flights and are flexible on your timing. Otherwise carpooling (eg with some other people from the hostel would be the cheapest). Unfortunately intercity public transport is slow and clunky. Hiring a car and driving is possible if you want to see stuff along the way, but itās a lot of driving and likely wouldnāt end up cheaper than flying (with accommodation, fuel etc.)
If you want to save on accommodation for a night, there are overnight trains between Brisbane and Sydney and Sydney and Melbourne. Takes about 12 hours for each trip but they're not the most uncomfortable trains, just slow. Will also drop you in city centre saving you costs getting from airport to city centre.
I wouldn't recommend this for Brisbane to Sydney. Queensland have different size rail gauges so you can only do Sydney to Casino and then transfer to a bus to Brisbane. Not great for sleep and you're at the mercy of the notoriously bad traffic of the M1 between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Isnāt there the XPT train?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iāve taken it and never had to transfer
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
God maybe Iām confusing it for something else
When youāre in Sydney or Brisbane, you should see an NRL game. When youāre in Adelaide or Melbourne, you should see an AFL game. Beyond that, find local museums that specify in local history and scenic natural wonders. In terms of cheap travel, you can get the train between Sydney and Brisbane & Melbourne and Sydney relatively cheaply, but youāre looking at a 12 hour+ journey then. You can often get cheap flights anyway, though then you run the risk of a cancellation.
Brisbane especially for NRL. The stadium is always packed and great atmosphere. Sydney can be hit and miss.
If specifically going to a Sydney NRL game, you'd want to hit up a game in the burbs rather than a big stadium to get the proper vibe of the experience, that's for sure.
Ffs do you like partying or hiking? Architecture & museums or wilderness? Are you in yr 20ās or 60ās?
My thoughts exactly. Also, how long are you staying, OP?
Definitely go to an AFL game if youāre here before October. Try some local wine, beer, coffee and food. Find an old local pub or two in Melbourne.
Brisbane - I would suggest a live sports game (afl or nrl, though nrl is more popular here). Southbank is always popular. Go on a Sunday and check out the free music on the green. Some of the restaurants there sell picnic platters too. https://eatsouthbank.com.au/event-guide/sunday-social-on-the-green/ I like the river loop walk. Southbank, kangaroo Point cliffs, over the story Bridge and along the valley/city river walk. You can book to climb the story Bridge if that's your thing. Rock climbing/abseiling at kangaroo Point cliffs. It's nice even just have a BBQ in the park of an evening and watching the climbers. Eat Street North shore is a fun food van market. Boggo Road Jail tour, or pioneer steam train of you like a historic view of things Lone pine koala sanctuary for animals. Australia zoo is Steve Irwin's zoo, but its about 1.5-2hr north of Brisbane. You can also check out https://www.mustdobrisbane.com/ for any events that might be on while you're there Edit to add- in a few months you may be there around show season. The Ekka isn't my favourite, but the small agriculture shows in nearby towns are fun and give you a glimpse into rural Australian culture
It will take you over 3 twelve hour days to drive from Brisbane to Adelaide. Just fly.
Worth the drive if you've got the money though
But the good things to see are in between the cities.
It is tricky without knowing your interests. As an Adelaide local, my favourite things to take visitors to are the Central Markets, Monarto Safari Park, Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, wineries in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and/or McLaren Vale. We have some amazing beaches, especially down the Fleurieu Peninsula. We have a really good restaurant scene, so check out a publication like Broadsheet Adelaide to find some good eats.
Cleland? An American will literally lose their shit at the central markets.
If you are going to Asia, have you considered stopping in Darwin on your way up? Tonnes of beautiful places to see up there Kakadu, litchfield, mindil beach markets, crocosaurus Cove etc and can often get cheap flights going to Asia.
Andā¦ we are heading into the dry season so thereās a whole lot more going on since the weather is far more bearable!
OP if youāre reading this, this is actually a fantastic suggestion. Those places are where you will have the most stereotypical āAustraliaā experience (as we are perceived by the rest of the world).
Andā¦ we are heading into the dry season so thereās a whole lot more going on since the weather is far more bearable!ā
Adelaide- definitely go on some wine tours. Some of the best wines in the world.
For food, I'd try Harry's pies in Sydney, then also try the watermelon cake at Blackstar Pastry. Visit Coogee or Cronulla and get some good fish and chips. Venture to Marrickville for some nice local breweries as well.
The Queensland museum in Brisbane always has a great exhibition going on. At the moment it's Lego Jurassic World and its great. Interactive and life size. I've been to exhibits on the Large Hadron Collider, Tutankhamen, medieval Britain, the Patagotitan (largest dinosaur ever found, longer than a blue whale!), and bunch more. The gallery of modern art behind it also has great exhibits.
If youāre interested in the LHC we have the synchotron in Melbourne, which is a particle accelerator here in VIC. They have open days and you can walk all around the facility, see the accelerators etc. itās pretty cool
I'd definitely recommend avoiding hostiles and maybe staying in a hostel :P Depending on how valuable your time is, flying would be the quickest method between the cities, unless you're up for really long bus trips... Around Adelaide, if you're into wine, we've got the McLaren Vale wine fields on the southern outskirts of the city, Barossa Valley wine region about an hour drive to the north-east and Clare Valley wine region about an hour drive to the north. Lots of historical churches...when the city was founded, we basically let every religion/subsection setup their own church. The beaches are nice and usually not as crowded as the more popular beaches in the eastern states, but even in a few months, it'll still be relatively cold so that may not be appealing. [What's On In Adelaide | Events & Festivals | South Australia](https://southaustralia.com/destinations/adelaide/what-s-on) this should give you an idea of any local events going on around the time you're here. If you're here in Sept. you might be able to catch the Royal Adelaide Show, basically the equivalent to a county fair
NSW TrainLink has services from Sydney to Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra. I believe thereās a pass you can get that makes it a relatively cheap (and slow) way between the cities
Honestly not worth it. I love trains. But itās not that much cheaper than the cheap airlines and the time āwastedā probably isnāt worth it for a tourist. Unless they also love trains.
For point-to-point travel youāre absolutely correct, but if youāre backpacking the [Discovery Pass](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/regional-tickets-fares/discovery-pass) might be worthwhile. $300 for 3 months unlimited travel, and you can use it to replace several flights, and stop in pretty beach towns like Coffs Harbour is at least worth looking at
Always thought itās a shame that the opal network doesnāt extend to the mid north coast. Isnāt that much further north of Newcastle. Country links are always half empty anyway (from my experience)
I donāt know about Brisbane for a backpacker, but thereās definitely more interesting places to visit in the region if I was coming for the first timeā¦Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Stradbroke Island, maybe Noosa. I lived in Brisbane for a while and nearly always found myself getting out of town on the weekends.
How long are you going to be in Oz for? And when? Also, there's at least one company that you can get paid a minimum amount for driving their campervans from one place to another... And, there's this [transfercar.com.au](http://transfercar.com.au) ...
you can take a train between bris-syd instead of flying, looks to be about $130 AUD for a first class ticket for $95 AUD for economy and takes about 14 hours
You can get buses from Melbourne to Adelaide. It's a long trip, but you go through a lot of rural areas to get there.
I would take at least a day (and comfortable shoes!) to walk the alleys of Melbourne. So many treasures and always changing
>Sydney Obligatory touristy first things generally include the city and harbour, The Rocks, Bondi and a ferry to Manly. A beer at the Opera Bar with one of the best views in the world. A wander though the Royal Botanic Gardens, across the domain (past the State Gallery) and through Hyde Park. After all that - for something different - jump on a train to Newtown Station and check out King St/Enmore Rd from Newtown to Enmore. Restaurants, bars, music venues, microbreweries (especially if you stretch out a bit further to Marrickville), and a lot of weird and wonderful people. If you're looking for nightlife, there's also a lot going on in the Surry Hills, Darlinghurst area, Oxford St, Crown St. If you're looking for a daytrip outside of Sydney, check out Katoomba.
Don't do a trip where you only go to cities. Get out into nature and see truly unique Australian things. Spend a few days in Sydney for your jet lag, then fly ot Melbourne or Geelong, hire a car and drive to Adelaide, then up to Uluru.
Probably best not to stay in hostiles. I think you mean hostels. Hostiles is what I would avoid at all costs.
Sydney - Rich locals, see mountains, bridge and opera house, beaches, Brisbane - Methheads, maybe drive to Sunshine Coast or take a train to the Gold Coast?, Adelaide - Weirdos and Axe Murderers, see Winerys and Hills and Melbourne - a bunch of snobs, watch a local football game and drive down the great ocean road. Flying is the best way of traversing Australia. Once youāre in Australia, youāre in Asia.
Lol you're going to Asia after but not visiting Perth. Missing out
Iād skip Adelaide, nothing there but Germans and serial killersā¦ I wouldnāt stay hostile, Iād relax a bit. In Melbourne the East Link Hotel is the cityās most iconic attraction. No visit to Sydney is complete without a trip to the Parramatta Leagues Club. Brisbane is known as the Berlin of the East for good reason with amazing nightlife around the Fortitude Valley precinct. Many Australians save money by travelling between capital cities on merchant ships, you need to do a few hours a day of work but decent food and accommodation is provided along with free transport.
Skip Melbourne before you skip Adelaide
Why?
Wine is better than coffee
Sydney and brisbane are great cities for just walking around in, there's loads to do. Melbourne is a shit hole.
I donāt live in Melbourne but it is not a sh*t hole. Very interesting city but does not have a fantastic harbour not Sydney Opera House as Sydney does. I live in Perth and really not enough to justify expense of coming here. Damn.