Plan Your Journey to Australia

In this article, I've summarized everything you need to know to plan your trip to Australia. This way, your road trip will be unforgettable. I love Australia and its diverse landscapes.

Whether it's wild coastlines, endless outback, dense rainforests, or fascinating wildlife - few other countries offer such variety in a single trip. To truly enjoy all of this, good preparation is crucial.

So why take over 20 hours of travel? In this article, I share my best tips and a lot of useful information so you can perfectly plan your trip to Australia and have unforgettable experiences.

Here you will find important questions and answers regarding a trip to Australia, covering topics such as entry requirements, money, safety, transportation, and suggested itineraries. Because the country is huge!

Since I receive many emails with questions about a trip to Australia, I hope to answer everything here. If you have any questions left, just leave a comment at the end of the article.

Use the navigation to jump directly to the section that interests you in planning your trip to Australia.

Australia is a massive country - almost as large as Europe. Therefore, there is no one perfect travel time for all of Australia. Depending on which region you want to visit, the best travel months vary significantly.

Given Australia's size, there is no best travel time for the country. You need to know which regions you want to visit, and then you can roughly say:

In the tropical north, there are only two seasons: dry season (May to October) and wet season (November to April).

I highly recommend visiting this region during the dry season. The temperatures are pleasantly warm, humidity is low, and many roads are passable.

In the wet season, flooding and road closures are a threat - and jellyfish (stingers) make swimming in the ocean dangerous.

My experience: I was in Darwin once in March - and was surprised daily by heavy thunderstorms and extremely high humidity. In April, I was in Queensland and Cairns. It was only at the end of the month that the wet season ended. The rain suddenly stopped, the temperatures became much more pleasant, and the humidity decreased.

The south has a temperate climate, similar to ours. The summer months from December to February are warm to hot - perfect for a beach holiday on the east coast or city trips.

Winter (June to August) can get cool, but rarely truly cold. Ideal for city trips without large tourist crowds. I was in Adelaide in March and at the end of my trip in early June. The temperatures in March were warm but not hot. In June, it was significantly cooler, but due to its proximity to the sea, still very pleasant.

My tip: If you want to explore Sydney or Melbourne, travel best between October and April - temperatures are pleasant and the weather is usually stable.

The so-called 'Red Centre' is desert territory: hot days, cold nights. The best travel time here is the Australian winter from May to September. In high summer (December to February), it often gets extremely hot - temperatures over 40 °C are not uncommon. In contrast, temperatures can drop below 0 °C at night starting in late May.

My recommendation: If you want to visit Uluru, make sure to plan your trip during the cooler season. Hikes around the rock are significantly more pleasant then. We found mid to late May ideal.

Western Australia is still a hidden gem! In the south (Perth), the climate is Mediterranean - warm and dry, from October to April. In the north (Broome), the climate is again tropical, with a clear dry and wet season.

My tip: For road trips along the west coast, the time from May to October is perfect - that's when the famous wildflowers bloom in the outback!

In summary: If you are flexible, I recommend traveling to Australia between May and October - then you can comfortably discover both the north and the outback. The summer months are also wonderfully suitable for purely beach holidays in the south.

Most Germans travel to Australia in the European winter: Between October and March is high season. You also need to keep in mind that from mid-December to the end of January, around Easter, and early July to the end of September to early October are Australian school holidays. During this time, campers are often booked well in advance, and the most beautiful campsites are also fully booked.

Since this topic is very complex, I've written in detail about the best travel times for Australia here.

Australia is huge - and you can't see everything at once. Plan realistically and focus on one or two regions, depending on your available time.

My recommended duration for Australia is at least 3 to 4 weeks to experience the diversity of this continent. For the highlights in the outback, the Great Barrier Reef, Great Ocean Road, and Gold Coast with Melbourne and Sydney, three weeks is the minimum duration.

According to statistics, most travelers spend an average of 22 days in Australia. For Western Australia, travelers plan an average of 36 days. That's quite a big difference. I assert that the average stay is 3-4 weeks. Every additional day is a bonus! By the way, backpackers typically stay at least 50 days in the country.

As a rough guide:

Less is often more: It's better to experience fewer places intensely rather than racing from highlight to highlight - I learned this quickly on my first trip to Australia.

Detailed route suggestions with personal recommendations for 2, 3, or 4 weeks will soon be available in a separate contribution here on viel-unterwegs.de!

There has been an increase in requests for route suggestions. To be honest, I'm finding it difficult, because if someone flies to Perth for three weeks, I wouldn't know if I would recommend driving south or north. I found both areas excellent.

The southern route could be: Perth - Rottnest Island - Fremantle - Margaret River - Augusta - Exmouth with Cape Le Grand National Park - Bremer Bay - back to Perth

In general, you need to decide whether you want to travel by bus, rental car, or camper.

With a rental car and camper, you must keep in mind that one-way fees can sometimes be more expensive than the car itself. Sometimes, the one-way rental fee is waived. If you're traveling by bus, you often can't stop at the most beautiful spots.

With a camper, you're simply the most flexible, can stay at beautiful campsites by the sea or in national parks, and can also cook for yourself. Options for dining out are rare on the road. Who wants to eat fish & chips for weeks?

At most places between Adelaide and Perth, specifically to Broome, there were many hostels and motels (except for Margaret River, Perth, and Adelaide), which, in my opinion, were way too expensive. But you'll find more information in the next section: Costs in Australia!

I had a rental car for half of the time (from Adelaide to Perth, Perth to Broome), and the other half of the time, we had two different campers. On another trip, I traveled in Queensland with a motorhome. Isa traveled for 4 weeks with the Greyhound bus during her professional sabbatical.

Check out my tips for driving in Australia here.

I can't sugarcoat it: Australia is expensive. Except for gasoline and clothes from surfer brands (Billabong, Rip Curl, ...). Australia has been by far the most expensive travel country I have visited! How expensive Australia ultimately becomes for you depends on how you travel and what you want to visit.

However, the Australian dollar is not doing well against the euro. For us, Australia has thus become cheaper. I've written down my costs in Australia in the following post:

Six states (Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales)

Three territories (Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory, and Northern Territory)

Seven outside territories (Norfolk Island, Heard and McDonald Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory)

Currently, over 24 million people live in Australia (as of March 2016) on 7,692,024 km².

Most residents live in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, or Perth. This is also the reason why you still have plenty of opportunities to discover remote beaches.

The capital of Australia is not, as many think, Sydney, but Canberra.

The official language in Australia is English.

In a global comparison of quality of life (OECD Better Life Index 2016), Australia currently ranks second, ahead of Germany by ten places. Australia performs particularly well in the areas of environment, health, jobs, and community.

When you travel through Australia, you will also encounter some Indigenous people. They are known as the Aboriginal Australians. The Torres Strait Islanders also belong to the indigenous population of Australia. Together, both groups account for about 2.5% of the total population.

The recent history of the Aboriginal people is particularly tragic. When the British Crown declared Australia as uninhabited upon its discovery, all Indigenous people lost their claim to land ownership (by Western understanding).

From the beginning of the 20th century until 1972, many Aboriginal mothers had their children taken away to be raised according to the state's ideals. This is referred to as the 'Stolen Generations'. There is now a National Sorry Day (More information in the Wikipedia article about the 'Stolen Generation').

A book that, while not a factual account, gives insight into the world of the Aboriginal people is Dreamcatcher: The Journey of a Woman into the World of Aborigines by Marlo Morgan. It is somewhat controversial because the author initially claimed that the book is based on a true story. Nonetheless, as a novel and to get acquainted with the unknown world, it is very worth reading.

Australia is an island nation 'down under' and is located behind Southeast Asia in the Southern Hemisphere from Germany's perspective. In addition to the mainland of Australia, the island of Tasmania (a state) and several other island areas like the Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, or the Ashmore and Cartier Islands (external territories) are part of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Planning a trip to Australia often takes a long time in advance. Uncharacteristically for me, I started with rough planning early on. When do I want to be where, when is the best travel time for which region, and how do I find cheap flights? The last point is important, as it constitutes the biggest cost factor aside from camper or rental car expenses.

There are unfortunately no direct flights from Germany, Austria, or Switzerland to Australia. In general, you need to know beforehand where you want to start and end your journey. The largest airports in Australia are in Perth (West Coast), Darwin (Northern Territory), Melbourne (Victoria), Adelaide (South Australia), and of course Sydney and Brisbane on the East Coast.

My flight from Frankfurt to/from Adelaide was cheapest and fastest with Qatar Airways. I think there isn't a better airline at the moment.

It might be cheaper to fly to Perth with Turkish Airlines or Singapore Airlines.

BOOK FLIGHTS ✈️ We always search for cheap flights at Kayak. Here you can find my tips for booking cheap flights. Make sure to indicate checked baggage, as basic flights only include carry-on luggage. This can distort the price initially appearing cheaper.

A flight to Australia usually takes between 20-30 hours. Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Qantas are airlines that fly to Sydney or Melbourne with one or two layovers.

Tips for booking flights can be found here

Australia is in three different time zones. The western part observes Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), the central part observes Australian Central Standard Time (ACST), and the eastern part observes Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). The time difference ranges from six hours (Perth, Western Australia in summer) to ten hours (Eastern Australia in winter).

However, Australia's states have different regulations for daylight saving time, which can lead to varying time differences. It's best to check the current time difference with a website like Zeitzonen.de when setting up a time for a call home.

For entry into Australia, you need a valid passport (it's recommended to have at least six months validity) and a valid visa - e.g., eVisitor (subclass 651), Visitor visa (subclass 600), or Working Holiday visa (subclass 417).

A classic Visa on Arrival, as is the case for New Zealand, is currently no longer available. This means you must apply for your visa in advance. Typically, the application can be completed online easily and is usually free in its simplest form.

Since the official website seems to be quite complicated (all my friends couldn't figure it out and thought they had to pay according to their 'Visa Finder'), I have written a guide on how to apply for your visa for Australia for free online.

If you are entering from Europe, no vaccinations are required for Australia. For trips to rural areas, standard vaccinations for tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, rabies, and typhoid are recommended. Consult your doctor for more details. You should generally check vaccinations before every trip and update if necessary.

Only if you are entering Australia from an area at risk for yellow fever, you will need a yellow fever vaccination.

View my travel pharmacy checklist here

Many travelers only consider questions about travel insurance shortly before their departure. But by then, it's often too late. If you sustain a serious injury shortly before your trip during sports or work, you could lose a lot of money.

To avoid this, you can read here about which travel insurance is sensible in advance (baggage insurance, trip cancellation insurance, ...).

For Australia, it depends on where you want to travel and how you want to travel. Different equipment suits a road trip better than for backpackers.

Are you traveling in summer, autumn, or winter?

I traveled in autumn (transitioning from winter) in Australia. A softshell jacket, rain or wind jacket, and long pants were a must-have. I did not use hiking shoes. For Australia, I believe light sneakers like Nike Free are sufficient.

Since it can also get hot in autumn from Perth heading north, make sure to pack swimwear and flip-flops. I generally recommend wearing sun protection for your head in Australia. Even when our ozone risk was at 0-1, I always wore a baseball cap. Sunscreen (SPF +50) and mosquito spray I bought locally.

I also recommend taking drugstore products like shampoo, toothpaste, or creams from home, as these are very expensive in Australia.

You can view my camera travel accessories here.

Also, take a look at my general packing list. There you will find many travel items and packing tips that you can also use for your trip to Australia!

In Australia, you'll need a power adapter to charge your electronic devices. The voltage is 230 volts, and the plug type I is used. The required adapter can also be used for New Zealand and Fiji.

If you are looking for a universal travel adapter for all your travels, I can recommend the Skross World Adapter. Since the adapters are quite shaky, I bought an additional adapter locally. But that was very expensive. Therefore, I recommend you definitely purchase a travel plug before departure.

Before my journey to Australia, I bought the following travel guides:

The official currency of Australia is the Australian Dollar (AUD). Besides Australia, the Australian Dollar is also the official currency in Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu.

One Australian dollar consists of 100 cents. Coins are available in denominations of 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 dollar, and 2 dollars. The minting of 1 cent and 2 cent coins was discontinued in 1992.

In principle, you can exchange some cash at the bank of your choice before your travel. However, it's usually completely sufficient to withdraw cash with a credit card after your arrival at the airport in Australia. I have never encountered an Australian airport without an ATM.

However, hardly anyone pays with cash in Australia. During my three-month trip to Australia, I only withdrew cash twice. It's particularly practical that you can pay almost everywhere in Australia very quickly with payWave (contactless payment). My credit cards offer this feature:

Here are my tips for choosing credit cards for travel.

Even though I hardly withdrew money, you'll find ATMs (cash machines) everywhere in cities. In more remote locations, you may have to withdraw money at pay-per-use ATMs in hotels or roadhouses.

Currently, the best fee-free travel credit cards for travel are the DKB Bank Debit Card, GenialCard (Hanseatic Bank), and the Mastercard Gold from TF Bank. With a set-up of at least 2 of these cards, you can almost always withdraw cash at ATMs abroad for free and pay on-site without incurring foreign transaction fees on currency exchanges!

-> Here you can find all tips with my experiences for the best travel credit cards in comparison.

Tipping is not mandatory in Australia, but it is appreciated. If the service was good, feel free to leave a tip. In Australia, the rule of thumb of 10% of the total price as a tip is a good guideline.

For other services like taxis or delivery, you may round up the price if you wish to leave a tip.

You can definitely travel independently in Australia. I find that Australia is the perfect country for a road trip in a camper.

The road network is especially well-developed along the east coast (Queensland), and finding the next accommodation is usually not difficult. Outside of major cities, Australia is very sparsely populated, especially in South Australia, Western Australia, and in the Northern Territory.

On a road trip, you may encounter signs saying 'Next Service 423 km'. If the next gas station is that far away, you should definitely fill up at every roadhouse and preferably have a reserve can in the trunk.

If you are planning a multi-day trekking tour, you should prepare well. Especially if you want to travel far from usual tourist paths. The availability of drinking water can be a major issue. It's also no great secret that there are many dangerous animals in Australia, including venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions, fish, jellyfish, as well as crocodiles and sharks.

Aside from the poisonous jellyfish, I actually didn't see a single dangerous animal during my three-month travels, even in remote areas. No worries, as the Aussie would say.

On my trip through Australia, I heard some horror stories about partly deadly accidents (especially at night with kangaroos). However, if you stick to the most important precautions and avoid recklessly walking through underbrush, swimming in marshy areas, and generally ignoring warning signs, the risk of having a fatal accident is quite low. You should definitely inform yourself beforehand.

Check out my tips for driving in Australia here

Do not touch snakes, spiders, or generally anything, even if they appear dead. Attempting a selfie with a snake is not a good idea. If you're hiking narrow paths to a secret surf spot or otherwise wandering through underbrush, make sure to make noise as you go. Most reptiles will hide due to ground vibrations.

Overall, Australia is especially well-suited for exploration by car. However, due to Australia's size, you should consider in advance which corner you want to explore primarily. Unless you bring enough time and money with you. For instance, if you want to get quickly from Sydney (east coast) to Perth (west coast), you'll have to cover 4,000 km by car. In that case, a flight is a better option.

My tips for driving in Australia

If you're traveling alone in Australia and don't want to fly, you can look for a bus connection with Greyhound. In addition to direct connections, you can also purchase a hop-on hop-off ticket there. This allows you to flexibly get on and off at any stops along your route without having to plan everything meticulously in advance.

Especially if you want to cover larger distances within Australia, an internal flight is highly advisable. These can already be as cheap as €50 (e.g., Melbourne to Hobart).

In principle, anyone with a valid driver's license can rent a car in Australia. It's best to obtain an international driver's license from your local licensing authority before you travel, as insurers often do not accept a German driver's license (I experienced this when renting on Magnetic Island and was fortunate to have an international one). Important! In Australia, you drive on the left side of the road, so factor in some adjustment time.

If you're under 21, it can be especially challenging with larger rental companies. Smaller companies often do not have this issue.

With Wicked Camper, you can rent a vehicle even if you're under 21. However, you will pay an additional fee in such cases. Popular camper van providers include Britz, Apollo, and Maui. Wicked Camper is the budget option, and you should check if bedding and additional camping equipment are included in the price.

I would recommend Apollo again and again. We had three campers from this provider. The campers were fantastic, the staff was friendly, and everything went smoothly.

In Australia, you'll find a unique mix of cultures and landscapes.

Australians are known for their friendliness and hospitality. When engaging with locals, feel free to introduce yourself with a friendly 'G'day mate.'

In your conversations, you'll likely hear a variety of informal terms such as 'Cheers mate' for thank you or 'No worries' for no problem. If you're uncertain about something, just ask politely.

In Australia, English is spoken with a characteristic 'Aussie' accent. If you have basic knowledge of English, you will definitely get along well. Similar to New Zealand, you will likely meet many Germans in Australia who can definitely assist you in case of any need.

If you have trouble understanding Australians, feel free to ask them politely if they can speak slower. Generally, Aussies are very helpful.

Australian cuisine largely stems from English cuisine. Therefore, you can generally find a classic 'English breakfast' or 'fish & chips' almost everywhere. Due to worldwide immigration, Australian cuisine can broadly be described as international.

Among the most famous - albeit acquired-taste - Australian products is definitely Vegemite. This is a salty and slightly bitter malt spread commonly eaten on buttered toast.

Also popular as fast food are Australian meat pies: filled pastry shells with beef, also available in various variations such as with potatoes, steak, Indian curry, and other ingredients. Sausage rolls (sausage in pastry) are widespread in Australia as well. Typical Australian sweets include ANZAC biscuits (cookies), pavlova (cream-fruit cake), Tim Tams (chocolate cookies), or Violet Crumble (chocolate bars).

Unfortunately, the influence of the Aboriginal people on Australian cuisine is not yet very noticeable. However, some traditional dishes are gradually experiencing a renaissance. Generally, the food of the Aboriginals has long been rated negatively by most Australians as 'bush food.'

Generally, Australia, like New Zealand, is considered one of the safest travel countries in the world. No wonder 'Down Under' is one of the most popular destinations for tourists and backpackers. Rarely do you hear about theft or serious illnesses, at least no more so than in Germany.

There are a few specifics you should keep in mind while in Australia. Particularly if you're spending a lot of time outdoors, you should be prepared for encountering poisonous snakes, spiders, scorpions, fish, or non-venomous but still dangerous sharks or crocodiles. However, if you stick to normal tourist paths and adhere to relevant safety precautions, you are quite safe.

Due to the area's very high dryness, you definitely need to plan for bush and forest fires. The opposite extreme is also possible: after particularly heavy rainfalls, there can also be flooding.

If you're driving, definitely plan for plenty of breaks or take turns driving with others. Outside cities, there's little traffic, and some roads can lead 100 km straight with the same scenery. This can be very tiring and is often underestimated. Plan to bring a 20L water canister and some reserve fuel.

I generally felt safe in Australia. The only times I felt uneasy were while surfing (sharks) or on the way to surf spots through underbrush and foliage (snakes). Once, I heard about a break-in in a camper van. However, the risk is likely just as high as in Europe.

But definitely check the website of the Foreign Office before your trip and look for the travel and safety information for Australia.

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