Australia travel blog — The fullest Australia travel guide for a great budget trip for first-timers

Australia is always on the list of the most attractive destinations in the world. Besides buying tours to visit Australia, you can also choose to travel solo to have more interesting experiences. If you are visiting this land of Kangaroo for the first time, don’t forget to check out the super detailed self-sufficient Australia travel guide below! So, what to do and how to plan a budget perfect trip to Australia for the first-time? Let’s check out our Australia travel blog (Australia blog) with the fullest Australia travel guide (Australia guide, Australia tourist guide, Australia visitor guide) from how to get, best time to come, where to stay, best places to visit and top things to do to find out the answer!

Australia is a developed country, with a high standard of living, but Australia’s unspoiled natural beauty is what attracts visitors to traveling here. Traveling to Australia, in addition to experiencing the attraction from nature, you also admire many architectural masterpieces and an unique and diverse culture.

Australia travel blog: Overview of Australia

Australia is one of the most ethnically diverse and culturally rich countries in the world with an area of ​​nearly 7.7 million square kilometers, including 6 states (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania , Western Australia) and 2 territories (Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory).

With a large territory and rich natural resources, the population in Australia is quite small. That is why this is one of the countries with the lowest population density in the world.

Although most of Australia’s territory is drought, but this is still a place recognized as having superior biodiversity with such environments as deserts, alpine mountains, rainforests, islands, bays … That vastness that make Australia has many different climates varies by different regions.

Australia blog: When should I travel to Australia?

With an area of ​​7.69 million square kilometers, Australia is the 6th largest country in the world by area. Although the area is spread over a large area, the Australia climate does not have many clear differences between regions. One third of Australia has a tropical climate, the other two thirds are temperate, and 80% of the population living in coastal areas with mild, cool weather.

Located in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons in Australia are opposite with other countries in the Northern Hemisphere (Such as Vietnam). When you are preparing to go swimming in Danang, the people in Australia receive very cold snow (June).

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, with such a large territory, the climate in Australia depends on each region that is different from each other. However, in general, Australia is similar to the countries in the Southern Hemisphere with 4 distinct seasons and opposite with countries in the Northern Hemisphere.

Summer (December – February)

Bright golden sunshine along with crowded and bustling beaches are the ideal destinations for you to participate in outdoor activities; maybe swimmng in the cool blue waters of the beaches, try windsurfing or a picnic at the Overland Track (Tasamania). Please note that the rainy season in Australia will start from December to March.

Fall (March – May)

Romantic Australia with vibrant red coniferous forests Melbourne, Canberra. The weather is also quite cool and pleasant at this time. If you travel to Australia in late fall, you have the opportunity to see the magical first snowfalls of the season.

Winter (June – August)

The season to conquer the snow-covered Alps or watch the flock of whales migrate across the Atlantic Ocean, or conquer the vast Simpson Desert with mountain bikes, …

Spring (September – November)

Australia’s Spring Valse can melt any visitor’s heart. This is th best time for you to visit the colorful Floriade flower festival in Melbourne, participate in the outdoor weekend markets in Darwin…

Spring and autumn are the good times chosen by many tourists due to the cool and pleasant weather.

Depending on the destinations or regions that you intend to travel to, there will be a suitable time for that area, for example:

The best time to go to Sydney and Melbourne is from September to November and from March to May. At this time the temperature is not too high and the number of tourists is less crowded, so roomrates and flight tickets are also cheap compare with the peak season.

From December to February is the time when students in Australia are off, so the beaches are often full, domestic fares as well as hotel room price will be higher than normal. So this is the time when tourists are advised not to come to Australia if they do not like the crowded.

Don’t go to southern Australia in winter and northern Australia in summer if you don’t like its cold or hot.

Prepare clothing

Depending on when you are planning to travel to Australia and the regions you will be visit, dressing preparation may vary. However, Australia also has 4 seasons like Vietnam, only different in the time of season, so before you go you need to prepare seasonal clothes in Australia, not season in Vietnam. In general the outfit should be comfortable and convenient for your move.

Australia travel guide: How to get?

To getting to Australia, airline is the best choice for you. From Vietnam you can find flights to Australia offers by Vietnam Airlines or Pacific departing from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to the two domestic airlines mentioned above, you can also buy air tickets to fly to Australia from international airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Ariways, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar … with prices from about USD 400-2.000/round-trip. Try searching cheap tickets on reputable websites like skyscanner.com, momondo.com or edreams.com or Google Flights. Note: It takes about 15 hours on average to fly from Vietnam to Australia.

Australia currently has about 607 airports operating in the passenger transport sector. In which, there are 5 largest airports that are Kingsford Smith International Airport – Sydney; Melbourne Airport; Brisbane Airport; Adelaide Airport; Perth Airport. All airports in Australia offers taxi, bus, limousine or airport shuttle services that always available for passengers. Australia is extremely large because moving between cities is quite time consuming. For example, if you land at Sydney Airport and want to go to Melbourne, it will take you about 10 hours riding by car. Another option to save time is take domestic flights or trains.

Note: To have cheap tickets, you should book at least 1 to 2 months before departure date. It should also be noted that after obtaining an Australian tourist visa, you can book tickets to avoid losing money if you do not get a Visa unfortunately.

Australia travel blog: Transportation in Australia

To getting from the airport to your hotel in Australia you can use the airport bus service with a payment method via an Opal Card. To buy an Opal card you can visit https://transportnsw.info/opal-retailers/ to find the nearest buying point. Note that this card is also available at Australian airports.

In Australia, there are 4 popular types of public transport: Bus, Tram, Metro and Taxi. For buses, trains and subways, you need an Opal card when getting on and off and this is also the most economical way to traveling in Australia.

With Taxi, when traveling by this type, you need to note that taxi fees in Australia are quite expensive, so you should go with a group to share the cost instead of going alone. In addition, evening taxis in Australia will have higher rates than daytime. If you go out late with friends, this way will be more convenient because you will be transferred to your hotel.

Australia travel blog: Where to go and what to do?

Depending on the territory, regions and states or cities of Australia you are going to, we will recommend some attractive tourist destinations that many tourists visit as follows:

New South Wales and Sydney – The Port City and surrounding areas

The state of New South Wales is Australia’s most popular tourist state, with the famous capital city of Sydney and is best-known for its iconic images of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Departing from the city, you can go to the surrounding suburbs to explore the small fields in the Hunter valley and the misty eucalyptus forests in Blue Mountains. Alternatively, you can take short courses on how to surf in the Byron Bay, even to get rid of the noise of city life, you should visit the Lord Howe Island, this is a peaceful land just 373 miles to the east of the New South Wales coast.

South Queensland and Brisbane – The sunny state

This place is exactly a resting paradise for tourists with long sandy beaches and tropical forests, the south of Queensland is a region full of sunshine. Visitors will always feel excited about a comfortable, vibrant life with delicious food and nightlife venues. To explore the entire region, you should take the vibrant city of Brisbane as the central point, from there you can travel to other surrounding areas. On the way to the north, you should drop by the National Zoo & Aquarium before reaching Hervey Bay, the gateway area to Fraser Island – the largest sand island in the world.

The state of Victoria and Melbourne – Australia’s longest roadway

While traveling in the region, take a few days to explore the amusements of Melbourne, including a trip to the coastal suburb of St Kilda and visiting penguins on Phillip Island. Leaving Melbourne, riding along the Great Ocean Road, which stretches 150 miles from Torquay in the east to Warrnambool in western Australia, you can also visit the many scenic spots along the area including Great Otway National Park and Gulf of the Twelve Apostles.

Tasmania – Wild land

This is a beautiful island of hills, snow-capped mountains and blue lakes, stunning hiking trails. Tasmania is also famous for its ancient villages, historic sites and rich wildlife world. On your journey, start walking around the world-class museum Mona – Museum of Old and New Art in the state capital Hobart, stopping by on Cradle Mountain in the Lake St Clair National Park area and discover the history of the Port Arthur.

Northern Territory and Uluru

Uluru is famous for its vast desert landscape, red sands, and giant sandstone blocks. Set foot in this land, visitors should participate in outdoor activities including canoeing through Katherine Gorge and and hike to discover Aboriginal life in Kakadu National Park. In addition, when coming to Alice Springs, you can also take adventure trips to visit many areas including Uluru, Kings Canyon and the arched rocks of Kata Tjuta, then take the Ghan train to Darwin, from where you can easy access to Kakadu and Katherine Gorge.

South Australia and Adelaide – Welcome to the wine region

South Australia’s warm and sunny climate has made the beautiful vineyards of the Clare and Barossa valleys famous, so don’t forget to enjoy the finest wines here. From Adelaide you can take a tram to the coastal suburb of Glenelg, where the dolphin Bottlenose is raised. In addition, to learn more about wildlife life, pay attention to the Koala and the wallabies, the lovely animals featured on Kangaroo Island.

Rottnest Island – Western Australia and Perth

The area attracts less tourists than the other regions of the country, however, Western Australia is home to the coastal cities of Perth and Fremantle, and the ruby coler of Margaret River wines ​​and dolphins Monkey Mia. Cable beach is also considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Tropical North Queensland and The Whitsundays

This region is a famous land for those who want to vacation and participate in exciting entertainment activities such as: Sightseeing, exploring the ancient Daintree rainforest; scuba diving to explore the world famous Great Barrier Reef; Down further to the south of this land, you can head to Whitsundays Island and stop to explore the rainforests and waterfalls of Atherton Tablelands.

Australian Capital Territory

Located between Sydney and Melbourne, this territory is where the capital of Canberra is located. Wouldn’t it be flawed if you went to Australia but you didn’t go to their capital, right?

• Explore the capital, Canberra (dubbed “bush capital”).
• Learn about Australian history through museums such as: National Museum of Australia, Canberra Museum and Gallery, National Gallery of Australia..
• Visit Namadgi National Park, one of the top favorite attractions of visitors here. You can drive or walk on the trails here and explore nature with a wide variety of wildlife. Note: You not allow to bring dogs into the park or throw garbage.

Australia travel blog: Suggest some interesting experiences you should try

For each traveler, they will have very interesting personal experiences. Here I will suggest some interesting experiences when coming to Australia.

• Learn to surf at the beaches.
• Enjoy Australian wine and cuisine.
• Observe and feeding wild animals in the wild.
• Sightseeing and snorkeling at the Great Barrier reef.
• Take part in a cultural festival in Australia.
• Buy some authentic Australian souvenirs to bring back.

Australia travel guide: Staying

Hotels in Australia are also quite diverse and throughout the country, especially in tourist destinations, you can easily book through the websites of Agoda.com, Booking.com and to really saving, you can choose to stay in a homestay which is much cheaper and get to interact with friendly locals here.

Australia travel blog: What should I try to eat in Australia?

For a country made up of many cultures and races around the world, the richness of Australian Cuisine will not make you disappoint. There are specialties in Australia that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. In addition, Australians love the warm sun and sea so BBQs are very popular here, you can easily see it when going to beaches and parks across Australia. All are free-offer with barbecue grill.

Australian wine

As a country with large vine farms, the wines in Australia are handcrafted with age-old secrets. Passing through each of the Australian territories, you can see the vinyards and wineries, so the taste of wine in Australia is very diverse in each region.

Bush Tucker

Bush Tucker bush food is an ancient dish of indigenous tribes in Australia. This dish includes flowers, wild fruits and insects for you to enjoy the taste of nature most directly (if you can, of course).

Kangaroo meat

It sounds ridiculous but very convincing in Australia. Kangaroo meat is not commonly used in Australian menus, but dishes made from Kangaroo meat can be enjoyed at some restaurants, especially grilled meat Kangaroo.

Seafood

With most major cities located on the coast, using seafood is a specialty of Australians. You can try seafood dishes from raw to cooked throughout Australia’s coastal cities and especially on Tasmania Island.

Pavlova Cake

This is a dessert topped with fruit and whipped cream on the outside. This cake is extremely attractive from appearance to taste, its name is named after a Russian balle actor.

BBQ

If you learn about Australian culture, you will not be surprised to see that the people here are often organizing outdoor BBQ parties. The popular BBQ meats here include Australian beef, crocodile meat and Kangaroo meat as well.

Australia travel blog: What to buy in Australia?

For a good trip, a souvenir with bold Australian identity is indispensable thing when you return. You can easily find cute koala teddy bears of various sizes for sale in souvenir shops across Australia or you can choose from Aboriginal artworks – unique Australian cultural features like boomerang, handkerchief, wooden statue, … Here are some things you should buy as gifts to bring back home:

• Australian Aboriginal handicrafts such as Boomerang, jewelry.
• Opal gemstone: Need to research carefully before buying.
• Akubra Hat: The wide-brimmed hat is quite stylish.
• Kangaroo leather products such as wallets, bags, belts …
• Macadamia: Australia is the home of the macadamia nuts.
• UGG Shoes: Suede suede shoe, extremely warm for a winter season.

Of course this list is just some of the typical Australian souvenir items, there are many more things you can buy besides them.

Some famous shopping places in Australia

Shopping locations in Sydney

• Queen Victoria Building: With more than 180 high-end stores. Here you can buy clothes, jewelry, accessories or home appliances. (Address: 455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia / Hours: 9AM–5PM/Friday: Closed).
• The Rocks Market: Located near the Sydney Harbor area, The Rock is a bustling open-air market with shops selling clothes, souvenirs, handicrafts. Also, coming here you can enjoy street food too. (Address: George St, The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia / Hours: 10AM–5PM).
• Pitt Street Mall: Located on a pedestrian-only street. This is one of the most famous shopping malls in Australia with famous brands in the world. (Address: 182 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia / Hours: 9AM–8PM).

Shopping locations in Melbourne

• Emporium Melbourne: If you are a fan of brands, this is the place you need to go. Emporium is one of Australia’s most luxurious shopping places with famous brands in fashion, jewelry, cosmetics and other goods. (Address: 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia / Hours: 10AM–7PM).
• Chadstone – The Fashion Capital: This is one of the largest shopping malls in Australia. For tourists this is an ideal shopping destination because there are tax incentives for visitors. (Address: 1341 Dandenong Rd, Chadstone VIC 3148, Australia / Chadstone is open from 9AM – 6PM (or 9AM-10PM depends on weekdays)).

Australia blog: Things to know before you go?

It is very important to know that a checklist of things not allow to bring to Australia is included on the Australian immigration form. Australian customs is very strict on immigration matters so it’s best to honestly declare it because if not, detection dogs will find out and you will be fined up to $66,000, be prosecuted or will be forced to return to Vietnam before entering Australia. Here are a few things that you cannot bring with you when entering Australia:

• Non-canned meat products such as fresh meat, dried meat
• Fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, seeds
• Herbal and Traditional Medicinal Materials.
• Items on body such as clothes or hats with feathers on you should absolutely avoid
• Egg and milk products.

Australia travel blog: Frequently asked questions when traveling to Australia

Should I travel to Australia?

Yes, if financial conditions and time allow. Australia is stable and safe country, the nature is beautiful, the weather is quite nice, you can visit all year round, there are many vibrant festivals and rich cuisine.

Where to go?

For those who are traveling to Australia for the first time, you should visit Sydney and Melbourne first. Because there are many famous tourist destinations for you to explore.

How much money can I bring to Australia?

You can bring up to USD 5.000 USD or AUD 6.600 in cash to Australia. If you need to spend more, prepare your international payment cards to use when you come to Australia.

How much does it cost to travel to Australia?

Tour

Excluding the cost of shopping and spending outside the tour, each Australian tour costs about USD 1.800 – 2.900 for 1 adult depending on the travel time, air tickets, hotel, itinerary.

Self-sufficient

The cost of eating, drinking, and buying souvenirs ranges from USD 400 – 500.

Most places to visit in 2 major cities Melbourne and Sydney are free admission. So you only spend for pocket money, food and drink. Depending on the needs of each person, the amount will be different. But the cost of food in Australia is quite high and expensive. A budget meal costs 10 AUD – 15 AUD, in a day you can spend about $30 – $50 for eating.

A smart way to save on food costs is to take advantage of meals at hotels, guesthouses or buy a convenience store breakfast for a few AUD. If you travel to Australia alone, you can buy ready-meals at convenience stores, bring to your dorm room to eat for 1-2 meals because 1 serving is quite large.

In short, how much money for a self-sufficient trip to Australia? Total minimum cost for a 10-day trip in Australia is about $1.500 – $1.600. This amount is for backpackers, hunt for cheap flights, use public transport and spend the night at dorm. You can base on the information shared above to add costs if you choose to stay at the hotel and eat according to your needs.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Sydney you can refer to

• Shared Sydney Airport Transfers (SYD) for Sydney
• Private Sydney Airport (SYD) Transfers for Sydney CBD
• {Unp by AM}Shared Sydney Airport Transfers (SYD) for Sydney
• Sydney in a Day
• Canberra Capital City Day Tour
• Spectacular Sydney Tour
• Blue Mountains Day Tour with Parramatta River Cruise from Sydney
• Blue Mountains and Wildlife Day Tour from Sydney
• Blue Mountains All-Inclusive Day Tour from Sydney
• Bondi Beach & Sydney Sights Half Day Tour
• Manly and Beyond Half Day Tour
• The Sydney Explorer Pass
• iVenture Sydney Flexi Attractions Pass
• Sydney Attractions Combo Ticket (Bar Code Direct Entry)
• iVenture Sydney Unlimited Attractions Pass
• Sydney Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tours (Open-Top)
• Sydney Hop-On Hop-Off Harbor Cruise and Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus Combo
• Sydney Hop On Hop Off Cruise 2 Day Pass by Captain Cook
• Sydney Harbour Highlights Cruise

Are you looking for more Australia travel guide. Read more: The fullest Sydney city guide blog for a great trip to Sydney for the first-timers. Or Melbourne guide, Perth guide, Brisbane guide, Adelaide guide, Tasmania guide, Gold Coast guide, Canberra guide.