If you’re visiting Australia for the first time, there are many things worth knowing. An understanding of the basics will make you enjoy your trip so much more.
This first-timer’s guide to Australia tells you the things you need to know, to make the most of your visit:
1. Visit Melbourne for coffee
If you love coffee, then you’ll want to visit the city of Melbourne. It’s widely recognised that Melbourne is the best Australian city for serious coffee drinkers.
This city has actually been voted as having the best coffee in the world.
2. Australia can seem very empty
If you’re planning an Australian road trip, be prepared for entire days seeing nothing but natural surroundings. Most of the main towns and cities are in coastal locations, with large expanses of central land that have no buildings in sight.
If you’re driving around Australia, make sure that you’ve planned overnight stops and don’t rely on just driving to find one.
3. Australia’s bigger than people expect
If you’ve planned a road trip, know that Australia is bigger than it seems. It takes almost 6 hours to fly from the East Coast to the West Coast, so going by road is no easy trip. Driving between Melbourne and Sydney takes close to 10 hours, so you can’t quickly zip from one big city to another.
4. Look for cheap accommodation
Australia has a lot of B&B accommodation, where locals will welcome travellers to their homes for a relatively low per-night price.
Australia’s hotels are much more expensive than B&B alternatives. You can travel on a budget by choosing an independent B&B, rather than a bigger hotel.
5. You can cook outdoors very easily
If you’re choosing accommodation without the use of a kitchen, you don’t need to go to restaurants for every meal. Australia’s towns and cities have many public BBQs. Grab some food, turn up and cook in a park or by the beach. This is a great way to meet the locals, and save money on your food bill.
6. You don’t need to tip
In some countries, tipping is expected. Australia isn’t one of those countries. You don’t need to tip for meals, or any other service that’s provided.
7. The sun is a real risk
If you’re visiting Australia for the first time, then you might have looked at Australian weather reports and decided that it will be hot. Most likely, you’re underestimating the actual temperature.
The sun is strong in Australia, and it’s so important to wear appropriate protection. Have your shoulders covered, use a lot of high SPF sun cream and stay indoors when the sun is at its highest. Severe sunburn can happen in as little as 30 minutes, which means that keeping an eye on your skin colour is incredibly important.
When you travel in Australia, you’ll find that many things are more different than you might imagine. This hot and sunny country provides a truly unique travel experience.
