How to Plan a Trip to Australia: What to See and Where to Start
Travelling for the first time to Australia can be an overwhelming experience. Not only because you are going to the other side of the world, but because creating a cost-effective trip plan requires time and effort that can be out of your control. Australia is (in) famous for being an expensive destination, but while this is true, there is often a lot of exaggeration about it.
Travelling around Australia can become the most significant expense if you are not timely budgeting for it and exactly know what has an impact on the overall travel expenses.
But once you know about what things not to do in Australia, then you will soon realise that travelling on a budget in Australia is possible and without having to break the bank!
Here below, I tell you how.
All essential things to know about Australia
The most important thing to make budget travel in Australia possible is proper planning. Some things work differently in the land down under, and without a thought-out trip plan, you are bound to overspend and exceed your budget very quickly.
These are the main reasons why accurate trip planning for Australia is necessary:
1. You can’t afford to make changes to your trip plan in the last-minute
Making changes to your trip plan will increase the cost of your trip by 100% and even more. In Australia, distances are enormous; it takes a long time to move from A to B. Cheap flights, and internal transportation must be booked well in advance, that will save you at least 30-50% on regular rates.
2. Don’t waste time doing extra research when in Australia
You’re there to discover places and experience a new country, not to plan and revise the itinerary all the time. The vast majority of your planning must be completed before leaving for Australia.
3. You need a clear focus on what you want to do in Australia
Like any good blueprint, your trip requires a goal, a purpose. With a clear focus, it’s easier to identify areas and destinations to include in your itinerary, and it makes planning accurate.
4. Narrowing down your itinerary plan is key
Make a list of the places you want to see, along with the time frame you have set, and then go through and whittle it down to a maximum of four to five destinations on a 20-30 day trip.
Learn the basics of any Australia Trip Plan
How much time do I need to see a place in Australia? It’s the challenge no. 1 first-time traveller to Australia face. What looks like a short distance often turns out to be a several-day trip. Australia is a great country for road trips, but you must know what you’re getting into beforehand.
How much time do you need to travel to Australia?
Whether your trip is two weeks or three months, timing is vital. It is the most critical element in crafting your ideal Australia Itinerary. You need to know the minimum time you’re going to allocate to each place. On the one hand, you don’t want to miss out on essential things, but on the other hand, you don’t want to stay too long in one place as you want to make the most of your time.
Most people do underestimate this critical issue and think two weeks will be enough to visit Australia. But in reality, it is not so. Australia is a vast country with largely deserted areas. If you are travelling to Australia for the first time, ideally plan four weeks for the first trip to Australia.
If you only have one week to spend in Australia, you should first consider whether the long journey is worth such a short stay. Anyways, keeping the focus on one specific region of Australia is the way to go.
What, Where and When to plan a trip to Australia
Australia is a vast country with different climate and time zones ranging from tropical to temperate. Depending on which time of the year you are visiting Australia, you can choose the areas accordingly. If you wish to spend most of your time in the Outback and tropical regions from May to October will be the best time. If your trip includes the southern areas of the country: Victoria and Tasmania, then the ideal time is to visit between November and March.
Australia’s tropical wet season in the northern tropical regions of Australia are between November and February and best to avoid travel to north Australia during these months which on their turn are best between May and September.
Top places you shouldn’t miss in Australia
- Sydney is a unique city that offers you places that stand out, like the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Bondi Beach.
- Cairns in Tropical North Queensland is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 Wonders of the World, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on this when visiting Australia. And snorkelling is one of the fun activities you can try here.
- Whitsundays, Gold Coast, and Fraser Island are unique places where you can experience dunes adventures, sailing and snorkelling, as well as hiking in the forests, which are some of the other attractions in Queensland.
- You should also try to see Uluru (Ayers Rock), as it is not only an icon of the Australian Outback, but even this is a unique site, very different from the rest.
- South Australia offers excellent vineyards and beautiful coastline. You can plan a trip to Barossa Valley for the same, if you are a food and wine lover, Adelaide and its surrounds will spoil you.
- A place very different from the rest of the country is Tasmania islands.
- For those who want to see some of the best Australian national parks, the Top End in the Northern Territory is for you.
Where to go in Australia: from choosing places to getting around the country
Choosing your destinations in Australia is the hardest part of any trip itinerary. To make it a little bit easier, think back to the questions you asked yourself at the beginning. What is the reason for your trip to Australia?
Tip: Make a list of 10 or more destinations you’d like to visit. Then pull out a map and think about the time frame and transportation options.
Driving in Australia for tourists isn’t the problem. Choose your self-drive destinations based on your level of driving experience. Keep in mind that four-wheel drive can be challenging, especially if you have no experience. Anyone, can Outback road trip on sealed roads with no problems – even if you’re travelling alone, you can enjoy self-driving in Australia.
Here are my best tips on how to plan a road trip in Australia.
Before creating a road trip plan for Australia, answer these questions:
1. What distances can you drive to on your own?
2. What alternative ways of transportation can you consider?
3. How much time do you need to visit a place or an area?
Once you’ve done that, it should be easier to cross some destinations off your list and make a realistic Australia trip plan. If you have three or four weeks for your trip, reduce the list to four or five places. Once you have the rough itinerary set, you’re halfway there. The next important step is to make a travel plan for Australia that perfectly fits your budget and time frame.
Why Travel Distances matter for any Australian trip plan
Australia it’s twice as big as Europe. Travel distances are vast and often underestimated and challenging first-time travellers. By looking at this map, you’ll realise that you cannot put whole of Australia on an itinerary of a few weeks. That’s why it’s essential first to get a feel for the vastness of the country, then choose a region that most suits your travel style and allows enough time to visit the desired destinations at a slow pace.
A few examples of travel distances in Australia
The distance from Perth to Adelaide is over 2,500km. The best way to get there is to fly. With the GHAN train, it takes two days/two nights. If you plan to drive, you need at least 8-12 days. It means that driving is doable on long-term trips only. From Darwin to Cairns, the fastest way is to fly. The same goes for Sydney to Cairns. If you’re on a long journey, driving can be fun; the best approach is to hire a camper van and plan for three weeks on the road. With nearly 3,000km from Adelaide to Darwin, you need between 12-16 days on a road trip or a four-hour flight.
Tips for creating a trip plan to Australia efficiently
As a first time traveller to Australia, you want to see as much as you can. You can’t afford to make mistakes or miss out on things you would’ve loved to see.
The hardest part about creating a good itinerary in Australia is balancing your time frame with the places you want to see and the distances you have to travel.
Get Help with Your Australia Itinerary Guide Book
That’s the reason I have created a handy Australia guide book to take you through all the above steps in details. It shows how much time you need for each place, what you can and can’t do, how to maximise your time and make cost-effective choices with destinations, transportation and finally set up the right itinerary.
The first part focuses on the how-to, thus saving you hours of wading through the abundance of information on the internet. The second part outlines five detailed routes around Australia that you can extend or shorten with suggested places and activities.
Now you won’t need six months, or even six weeks to create your itinerary. With this book in hand, you’ll need one hour to read it, plus a week to make your choices and put together a detailed trip plan.
On this page, you can learn more about our Australia Guide Book.
And on this page, you learn how all first-time visitors to Australia and especially female solo travellers over 50 can benefit from this Australian Guide Book.
How the book will help with your trip plan to Australia
A well thought out itinerary allows you to see Australia without having to make changes last-minute. It means you’ll maximise your time and potentially save up hundreds if not thousands of Australian dollars on your trip. The guide book stretches from iconic landmarks to less-visited small towns and regions of Australia, and it is the reflection of +15 years of my explorations of the country.
I wrote this book from my solo female travel experience to help women over 40 travel to Australia safely and with a perfect travel plan.
Over the past 5 years, the guide book has helped hundreds of travellers planning their Australian Adventures, and here you can also click to see what readers say of the book.
More Resources for any Australia Travel Plan
Here is a list of popular posts that will further help you plan a trip to Australia.
Trip Planning Services for Australia
Trip Planning Guide for Australia
All Travel Destinations in Australia
The Complete Travel Guide for Australia
Travel Insurance for Australia
A Travel Checklist for Australia
Solo Travel Tips for Australia
Back to Rocky Travel
TRIP PLANNING RESOURCES
GET HELP WITH YOUR AUSTRALIA TRIP
ndemi
June 5, 2017 @ 12:28 pm
Hoping and trusting to visit Australia before this year ends!
rockytravel
June 10, 2017 @ 3:52 pm
I hope you can visit Australia soon! You can get the free chapter of the book for free!
Mary Joyce
June 6, 2017 @ 6:18 pm
Great tips you got here. And I totally agree with you that planning is an essential element if you want to travel successfully on a shoe-string budget.
Gordon
June 9, 2017 @ 10:37 am
Exactly what I was looking for. We are off to Australia later this year for the first time so thanks for the tips.
rockytravel
June 10, 2017 @ 3:53 pm
Glad you liked it, Gordon! Get my book here: https://www.staging.rockytravel.net/australia-guide-book/
Bryan Kelvin
June 15, 2017 @ 10:12 am
This is the most comprehensive and informative travel article I have ever seen. Fabulous job! You haven’t missed a thing.
rockytravel
June 24, 2017 @ 4:46 pm
Thanks Bryan! Glad you liked my guide on how to travel around Australia! 🙂
Glen - Eastcoast Sailing
June 19, 2017 @ 2:04 pm
Awesome tips, Michela. I agree on not doing extra research. If possible, have everything planned and stick to it so you don’t need to waste some time doing research on where to dine, etc. I bet your book would be very helpful for those planning to travel around Australia.
Rocky Travel
June 24, 2017 @ 4:49 pm
Hi Glen, yes my guide is a must-have for an Australian adventure! Here is the link: http://www.staging.rockytravel.net/australia-guide-book/! 😉
Richard
June 24, 2017 @ 3:04 am
What a great article and tips for Visiting Australia. Extra research is always the best way to plan trips. I like to know everything about any country I visit including history. This is helpful especially if you are visiting a country with a different culture, knowing the history can explain that culture, and avoid any cultural faux pas.
Australia is a beautiful country (my home) and we love showing the new visitors what we have to offer. From amazing beaches to the vast inland deserts. As the well know poem says “I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains”
We love your blog and have included you in the Best Female Travel Bloggers.
Stephen Robert
April 11, 2018 @ 1:26 pm
This is a great blog very helpful for me! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
rockytravel
October 10, 2017 @ 3:22 pm
Thanks Richard for stopping by and the shout-out on your top10 travel, much appreciated. I’ve shared it! 🙂
Andy
April 13, 2018 @ 10:58 pm
Great tips Michela! Any thoughts on our initial plan? The-big-trip-aussie-aussie-aussie-part-1
Mukul
April 20, 2018 @ 1:20 pm
Hi Rocky Travel, this is a great article! Helpful for my trip to Australia. Keep updating more about Australia trip plan and destinations where i want to visit.