Visiting Australia for the first time.

[clive milne]

Best bangs for your buck:

Dunk Island would have to be close to the top of the list.
The story of Dunk island as best as I can recall it is that Qantas negotiated the rights to build a high end resort (and runway to take their jets) on a tropical paradise which is (or was) listed as a national park. A clause in the agreement stipulated that camping facilities were to be provided for anyone who wished to stay there, and the resort facilities (with the exception of the golf course) would be accessible to all. Basically you could catch a water Taxi over from Mission Beach ($30 return) pitch a tent for something like $5 a night, then live like a boss in the resort as long as you covered your martini bill at the bar (and slept in your tent). There was a powerful cyclone (hurricane) a few years ago that damaged the place to the extent that it closed its doors to rebuild. I think it is back up and running again. Even so, Dunk island is still open for camping and should be on your itinerary.

I would suggest flying up to Cairns, book yourself on to a trip out to the reef (either snorkeling or diving) bus it down to Mission beach (less than 2 hours), book yourself in for a day of white water rafting on the Tulley river, sleep that night in Mission Beach then next morning, catch the water taxi over to Dunk island... and relax ....All up including flights, excursions to the reef and rafting, taxi and bus fares + accommodation, this will all cost you less than what it would to get from Brisbane to Cairns by hire car.

No brainer.

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by jwheel69

I was aware about the tipping. From the research that I have done it sounds like my visa debit should work OK. I also have amex but it sounds like it may not be a very good option. I assume most of the petrol stations allow you to "pay at the pump" with credit or debit, or just pay cash.

Yes, credit, debit or cash is fine at any petrol station station you are likely to encounter.... Unlike the U.S. though, you will not be expected to pre-pay.

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Although pay at the pump is relatively new here (at least, speaking from my experiences in Sydney and Brisbane), but you just pay at the kiosk. It's an English-speaking country after all

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Best bangs for your buck:

Dunk Island would have to be close to the top of the list.
The story of Dunk island as best as I can recall it is that Qantas negotiated the rights to build a high end resort (and runway to take their jets) on a tropical paradise which is (or was) listed as a national park. A clause in the agreement stipulated that camping facilities were to be provided for anyone who wished to stay there, and the resort facilities (with the exception of the golf course) would be accessible to all. Basically you could catch a water Taxi over from Mission Beach ($30 return) pitch a tent for something like $5 a night, then live like a boss in the resort as long as you covered your martini bill at the bar (and slept in your tent). There was a powerful cyclone (hurricane) a few years ago that damaged the place to the extent that it closed its doors to rebuild. I think it is back up and running again. Even so, Dunk island is still open for camping and should be on your itinerary.

I would suggest flying up to Cairns, book yourself on to a trip out to the reef (either snorkeling or diving) bus it down to Mission beach (less than 2 hours), book yourself in for a day of white water rafting on the Tulley river, sleep that night in Mission Beach then next morning, catch the water taxi over to Dunk island... and relax ....All up including flights, excursions to the reef and rafting, taxi and bus fares + accommodation, this will all cost you less than what it would to get from Brisbane to Cairns by hire car.

No brainer.

I will look into it it. Thanks!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Yes, credit, debit or cash is fine at any petrol station station you are likely to encounter.... Unlike the U.S. though, you will not be expected to pre-pay.

Having to "pre-pay" (pay before you pay?) is the main reason I always pay at the pump. In some ways this will be a relief!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Travel costs:
As has been mentioned previously, this is not a small country.
If you were to drive from Brisbane to Cairns 1700km, Cairns to Darwin 2850km, Darwin to Uluru 2000km, Uluru to Sydney via the Flinder's 3400km (which is on the route) Without including any time or mileage for sightseeing, you have just spent 11 days of your holiday driving from sun up to sunset through 6000 miles of mostly featureless and flat desert. That is a an experience you wont forget, but you need to ask yourself if that is the experience you really want? To visualize that sort of distance, it's about the same as driving in a straight line between Texas and Tokyo, or Texas and Moscow.
You should also keep in mind that the cost of fuel in Australia is a bit higher than in the US. The price varies considerably as a function of location and when you buy it. In the metro area you can get it as cheap as $3.40 US/Gallon if you buy it on a Wednesday. On Thursday from the same gas station the price might be up around $3.90. Once you leave the cities behind, (and by that I mean anywhere other than Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide & Brisbane) You will be lucky to see anything under $4/G. Once you leave the smaller towns behind (which will be the majority of your trip) budget $4.6/G at a minimum.

I'll let you do the sums....

The option is to fly.

A good internet based booking agency can be found here:
http://www.webjet.com.au
A flight from Brisbane to Cairns for example can be had for as little as US$85 without too much trouble. If you were to drive instead, it would cost you around US$190 in fuel, another US$150-$250 for two days of car hire, and probably another $50 in roadside food that you would sooner forget. And that is the shortest leg of your journey with the most reasonable petrol prices.

If I go to Uluru, I will probably have to fly (or maybe take the gahn?) I was half expecting this. I knew that gas would be more expensive. Around here we pay from $2.55-$2.75(USA)/g. I was figuring to at least double that figure. As far as food goes, I would like to try some of the local cuisine (not sure about vegemite) going out to eat every day would be costly. I planned on just picking up some food at a grocery store to take with me and I will just drink water. I am fine with just maybe a can of beans or a sandwich but I do like my morning cup of coffee!

Joe

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Joe,
Previously in the thread it was suggested that you acquire an Aldi sim card for your phone because that particular phone company uses the Telstra network... Be aware though that Aldi does not use the full Telstra network, but 97.5% of it, and by that they mean 97.5% of the population, not 97.5% of the coverage area. (a vastly significant difference)

If you plan on spending any time on the road (particularly in regional and remote areas) the choice reduces to two companies; Telstra and Boost. Telstra might interest you if you simply have to be on a 4G network. However, their customer service department is run by none other than Satan himself.

Boost will allow you access to the full Telstra 3G network (what you get in regional and remote areas) and has a customer service policy which differs from Telstra in as much as it caters for actual real live human beings. It is also considerably cheaper.
For $40 (US$30) you get unlimited calls, unlimited texts, 3Gig of data (though this seems to vary depending on the promotions they have going at any particular time) with a bonus 1Gig of data on Sundays. (so up to 7 Gig a month) This may (or may not) seem expensive relative to the rates in the US, but in this country at least, that is as good as it gets. With the appropriate handset, you will be able to tether a laptop or tablet to the phone and enjoy internet access. (Highly recommended) If you call the Boost customer call centre, they will instruct you on how to do this. If you opt for Telstra, put aside a day to achieve the same outcome.

fwiw) The download speed I get with boost through my mobile in the metro area is typically 2 to 3 times faster than what I get over naked DSL.
With boost, you will be able to make calls using the sim card once you leave the country (it might be useful in transit) and call international numbers from within Australia. I am of the understanding that with Aldi, you can do neither.

The sim cards themselves are easy enough to obtain. They are available from many different locations, most likely any supermarket you walk in to. It is also likely that the sim card you get will need to be trimmed down to fit your phone. If the person who sells you the sim card cannot do it nor direct you to someone who can, ask directions to the nearest 'Dick Smith' store and they will be able to help you out.
In Australia you will need to present a certain amount of ID before you can be sold a sim card. It might be worth checking what form of ID is required before heading out to buy one.

If it was me taking the trip, I would seriously consider investing in a handset with a good aerial. for example; the reception you get with a Samsung (lovely phone in most other respects) doesn't hold a candle to what you will experience with a Nokia. I would also suggest getting a 'hands free' mount for the car so you can use it as a GPS navigator. (also highly recommended)

And that raises another point that you need to be aware of... If you are observed using a telephone in a vehicle in this country in any manner what so ever by a member of our police farce (and that includes simply touching it, even if you are stationary) you will be up for a stiff fine.
Anyway... some points worth a little research.

best
c

I have been looking into phones. Here are some that I found early in my research:

http://www.cellhire.com/rentals/prod...hone/australia

http://www.cellularabroad.com/packages-australia.html

When I am on the road here I rarely "talk and drive." It really annoys me to see people yacking on their phone and not paying attention to the road. Don't get me started about texting and driving. If I do have to use the phone I will pull over somewhere.

Joe

I am not a big user of GPS, I mostly use road maps! Call me old school.

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

hi Joe, it's against the law to text and/or talk holding the phone while driving here ... the cops love an easy ticket

Matt

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by noeyedeer

hi Joe, it's against the law to text and/or talk holding the phone while driving here ... the cops love an easy ticket

Matt

I know. It is is some places here, but wish it was nationwide!

[bugeater (Marty)]

Having driven long distances in Australia and the US (West coast), I'd suggest flying the long stretches in Australia. The population density is so much lower here and there is a lot of distance between sights in a lot of places. A possible exception is down the east coast but I only did that as a kid. When I drove around California, Nevada and Arizona, I was surprised by how close everything was and what there was to see.

Also, remember Australia is an expensive country, though much less so for Americans now with the Australian dollar having depreciated so much. But the big difference I found is accommodation is quite cheap in the US if you shop around, whereas it here it certainly is not.

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by bugeater

Having driven long distances in Australia and the US (West coast), I'd suggest flying the long stretches in Australia. The population density is so much lower here and there is a lot of distance between sights in a lot of places. A possible exception is down the east coast but I only did that as a kid. When I drove around California, Nevada and Arizona, I was surprised by how close everything was and what there was to see.

Also, remember Australia is an expensive country, though much less so for Americans now with the Australian dollar having depreciated so much. But the big difference I found is accommodation is quite cheap in the US if you shop around, whereas it here it certainly is not.

Flying is looking like my best option at this point for some things that I want to do. Thanks!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Thanks everyone for all of your help. I have pretty much everything planned with what I am going to do during my visit.

Joe Wheelock

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Have a great time! Let us know how it goes. And do try to stay safer than this poor bloke.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-1...safety/6540480

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

Have a great time! Let us know how it goes. And do try to stay safer than this poor bloke.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-1...safety/6540480

Yikes! I will be careful.

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

7 days and counting!