I'll be there for about a year with my brother. We're trying to decide whether it's worth it to buy a cheap car to travel and sell it when we leave, or take buses/planes/trains, etc instead. We'll more than likely be staying at hostels and not staying in one place longer than a month. We want to see as much of Australia as we can for as cheap as we can. Anyone who has been backpacking and has advice, please help!
2006-11-26 17:30:41 · 5 answers · asked by kaizee21 2 in Travel ➔ Australia ➔ Other - Australia
If you are starting in Sydney, you go to Kings Cross, there is a backpackers car market there, backpackers sell to other backpackers, its agreat informal system, done in the parking station behind mainstreet. for $3000aussie you can pick up a converted van that has all your cooking facilities, a bed, other essentials, a sink usually, and best of all, when your done,take it back there and sell it on. Its awesome, and a graet way to travel up the coast, its what i recommend to anyone wanting to travel the east coast of australia, and its a bloody wicked trip. go up the pacific highway, at your own pace, park and sleep either at campsites/camping grounds, or beach carparks and take your time to travel up beach by beach all the way to brissy and beyond!
best way to go...
2006-11-26 20:45:09 · answer #1 · answered by aussie_traveller_josie 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can get a second hand car in Australia for about AUD $3000 (can get for less, but $3000 will get you a decent one). Over the course of a year, and it's not too much and you can always sell it when you leave. Petrol is $1.2 per litre (but that fluctuates everyday)
If you're going to hop from cities to cities (sydney, melbourne, adelaide, perth, darwin, brisbane, etc.), you're better off traveling by plane. Distances are huge and airfare is reasonable, so plane is a good choice.
If you like road trips but don't like tours (you prefer to manage your destinations and time spent in each destination), get a car. It's much more flexible.
Last thing, don't take the train, it's more expensive and slower than the bus.
2006-11-26 18:09:21 · answer #2 · answered by Cedric 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As you intend to travel a lot I recommend that you do buy a car as long as you are willing to buy a reliable car (you do not want to risk being stranded in the outback). Overall your own transport is a cheaper option but be sure to plan your trip so that you include many of the things a tour operator would take you too (use the internet). Go to our site for a free assessment for the WHV and the package will soon include a free blue mountains tour which will be a good start for you. https://www.visabureau.com/australia/assessment/workingholiday/default.aspx
2006-11-28 23:00:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Australia doesn't have cheap cars. Because of import duties, imported cars are expensive. Because imported cars are expensive, Australian-made cars are expensive too. So even old junky cars tend to be worth a fair bit of money. I've travelled by bus in Australia and it was OK.
One thing I can suggest is an open-jaw ticket. From say...LAX, fly to Jakarta or KL and then to Sydney. Travel across Australia and then return from say...Perth. That way you never have to double-back and Garuda or Malaysian airlines are cheap.
2006-11-26 18:01:15 · answer #4 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are backpacking, take buses and get the bus pases or whatever. Don't bother with a car cos fuel is expensive and its not worth it when backpacking. If you were staying in one place, working a normal job or whatever, i would reccomend buying one but there is no point for you.
2006-11-26 17:40:00 · answer #5 · answered by anna_sslc 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋