Budget Camps and Stops Australia

Camping Around Tasmania

Cool Camping Australia: East Coast

Camping Around Northern Territory

1000 Great Places Travel with Kids in Australia

Back Roads Australia (DK Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

Travel Australia

Explore Australia by Caravan and Motorhome

West Coast Australia Footprint Handbook (Footprint Handbooks)

Pet Accommodation on Australia’s East Coast

Explore Australia 2012

To the Top End: Our Trip Across Australia

Complete Caravan Chef

Holiday in South Australia

Holiday in Western Australia: Free and Low-cost Stops

Great Gift Ideas For Anyone Who Loves Camping and Travelling Australia

If you visit Australia you won’t struggle to find place to relax and sit on the beach. Indeed, you can go to the Whitsundays to visit the world’s best beaches, or head to Sydney to sit on the famous Bondi Beach.

But if you want the whole package you should check out Byron Bay, one of the best places in the world for some seaside relaxation. It is worth taking a flight to Australia just to visit this amazing spot!

Byron Bay is a town located a few hours north of Sydney, and a bit below Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast. The weather is great all year round so this is a nice place to visit no matter the season.

There is a wonderful golden beach that stretches for kilometres and you can have an amazing time surfing, swimming, playing on the beach and sitting on patios that overlook the seaside.

Yet it isn’t just the beach that makes Byron Bay appealing – the town is absolutely amazing and it is chock full of lovely cafes, fun bars and interesting stores.

This community has long been popular with thoroughly alternative folks who have covered their hometown with great things to see and do – so you can spend pleasant hours away from the beach browsing galleries and stopping to drink expresso coffee and thoroughly complicated sandwiches.

Byron Bay manages to combine beach side living with a thoroughly charming town – this is quite the accomplishment, especially when you consider places like Surfer’s Paradise. So if you want some perfect, seaside relaxation in Australia look no further than Byron Bay.

The Weather

If you like hot weather you will love Sydney – it is generally quite hot there and there are great beaches at Manly and Bondi Beach. Indeed, there are few big cities so well set up for those who like to laze by the seaside. The same cannot be said for Melbourne and though there is a nice beach at St. Kilda’s the weather is less than ideal. The city sees a fair bit of rain, and you may never get the warmth you can expect further north.

Nightlife

Sydney certainly has some great nightlife with many bars and great clubs, yet Melbourne has a more interesting scene with alley-way bars and fun clubs everywhere. Section 8 is a particularly fun place to visit, as this former car park is one of the trendiest spots in town.

The Food

Both Melbourne and Sydney have access to great eateries. Restaurants like Aria in Sydney provide haute cuisine which leads the charge of Australia’s newly gained reputation for culinary greatness. Melbourne has a slightly different feel as many people like to head to China Town to sample cheap and delicious fare.

Travelling On

Of course there is more to see in Australia than these two cities, and it is important to fly into one which is surrounded by things that interest you. If you head to Sydney you can drive north up to the Gold Coast to enjoy the lovely beaches and the serenity of Byron Bay. If you base yourself in Melbourne you will be able to drive on to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island via The Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park.

If you are looking to fly into Sydney and Melbourne you should be able to choose between these two great metropolises. Then again, the best situation would be to take in both cities as they are both truly exciting, in their own unique ways.

Using a campervan is the best way to enjoy your vacation and explore the beautiful island of Tasmania. Don’t think that a campervan will be too big to drive around in. The accessibility it provides is unmatched making the campervan the perfect option for a driving holiday. You can be as flexible as you want, changing your plans as you desire. It is also an affordable option as you can save by preparing meals in the kitchen of your vehicle.

To begin your journey you may want to start at the capital city of Hobart. Here you will want to take in the amazing scenery and take a hike up Mt. Wellington. It is 1270-metre high; with a 360-degree panorama view so beautiful you’ll be glad you made the trek. Spot the city, Derwent River, and Tasman Peninsula from here.

Now that you have seen the river from a high, reward yourself with a cruise down the Derwent River to the Cadbury chocolate factory. This is a great tourist attraction that the whole family can enjoy for less than $20! Stroll around Sullivans Cove to see fishing boats, luxury yachts, and ships come and go to Antarctica. If you’re into art, find your way to Salamanca Markets in Hobart where there are lots of art galleries and working studios. Buy the perfect hand crafted souvenir for a friend back home at the local market.

Travelling using a campervan will give you a sense of freedom you can have no other way. If you are the more adventurous type, park your vehicle at Flenders Island for a diving experience you will never forget. Tasmania’s warm waters are home to lush kelp forests and reefs in a variety of distinctive oceanic habitats.

Taking a romantic getaway? Then try campervan hire in Tasmania. It will give you the privacy you’re looking for, minus other hotel guests or expensive room service bills. Even if you’re taking a family holiday, a campervan will still be suitable as children will absolutely love all that a motorhome has to offer. It provides a place to stay and transportation all in one. Just being close to nature is a great reason in its self to travel through Tasmania this way!

Using a campervan gives you the same freedom with using a car. But you might want to book your arrangements before coming down to Tasmania. Campervan hire companies in Australia are easy to find on the internet. Have a good journey!

Here are a few of the many great attractions that you can visit and explore while in New South Wales.

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge
Visiting the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are ‘must see’ attractions. They are the centre piece of Sydney and are very ‘Awesome’. Take a cruise to really appreciate their beauty.
www.sydney.com/Sydney_Opera_House

Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains is one of Australia’s natural wonders. Stretching for over one million hectares, it is an inspiring mix of rainforest, canyons, tall forests and heathland.
www.visitbluemountains.com.au

Bondi Beach In Sydney

Scenic World – Katoomba
Scenic World sits on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the Jamison Valley. The scenic rides and experiences include the world’s steepest railway, a spectacular cableway, a glass floored skyway and a boardwalk through an ancient rainforest.
www.scenicworld.com.au

Taronga Zoo – Sydney
Taronga Zoo offers an unforgettable day out. It is just 12 minutes from the city by ferry. You can enjoy breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour and free shows and keeper talks throughout the day. Taronga Zoo is one of the many major tourist attractions in Sydney.
www.taronga.org.au

Royal Flying Doctor Service – Broken Hill
Going to a RFDS Visitors Centre will help you understand how amazing and unique this service is.
www.flyingdoctor.org.au

Western Plains Zoo – Dubbo
This Zoo has over 3 square kilometres of wild and wonderful bushland with 700 animals, which offers a safari adventure right in the heart of NSW.
www.taronga.org.au/taronga-western-plains-zoo

Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk
The Illawarra Fly is a unique 500 metre walk in the treetop canopy, 20 to 30 metres above the ground.
www.illawarrafly.com

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Australian Opal Centre – Lightning Ridge
The Australian Opal Centre is an extraordinary national museum in Lightning Ridge. That was created to preserve, display and research the greatest ever public collection of Australian opals.
www.australianopalcentre.com

Timbertown – Wauchope near Port Macquarie
Timbertown is considered by many to be one of Australia’s finest Heritage Parks. Which has been created to demonstrate the struggles and achievements of our pioneers.
www.timbertown.com.au

Check Out More interesting Sydney and New South Wales Attractions

The Plaque nearby has this information for visitors to read.

‘Kadimakara’ was constructed by a world reknown Japanese sculptor,  Mr Mitsuaki Tanabe to draw attention to the the need to conserv the last remaining areas of wild rice in the world.

It is situated in the Mareeba Tropical Savannah and Wetland  Reserve, one of the  only small number of areas in the world which supports pure wild rice, which predates and is uncontaminated by commercial rice.

The sculpture has been kindly donated by the artist to Ausralia and its people.

The sculpture is made of stainless steel, is approximately19 metres long, 11.36 metres wide and over 2 metres high at the head.  It weighs in eccess of 10 tonne.

Mr Tanabe was supported in this project by the Rotary Club of Shizuoka in Japan in District 2620. The five sections of the sculpture were transported from Japan in two large comtainers and the Rotary Club of Mareeba of District 9550, under the guidance of Mt Tanabe, reassembled the lizard in its new home at the Mareeba Wetlands Reserve. It was officially unveiled on Saturday 17th June 2006 by its creator and by the Hon. Warren Entsch, Federal member for Leichhardt.

The Rotaty Club of Mereeba is proud to be involved in placing this sculpture in our district highlighting the vital importance of biodiversity and the conservation of genetic diversity.

Photos and Infomation supplied by a reader – Thanks

There is no reason why you can’t have a great holiday when working with a limited budget. You may wish to stay in a 5-star hotel but in reality you will probably be staying in a tent, cabin, motel, backpackers, homestead, which my family has done plenty of times and we had many wonderful holidays.

Plan your holiday within your budget so it can be relaxing and you are not stressing about what you are spending. You can still get out and see all the sights, enjoy being with family and friends and meet new people. There are many free activities that you can enjoy. Don’t forget to take plenty of photos or videos so you can create memories to look back on in the years ahead.

Depending on your budget, it may be possible to treat yourselves to something special that you have always wanted to do. This could be hot air ballooning, abseiling, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, playing golf, visiting gardens or art galleries, seeing the whales, going on a flight, seeing Uluru (Ayers Rock), or experiencing one of thousands of other things you can do.

Remember that the little extras can quickly add up. Consider taxi fares, restaurant meals, takeaway food, drinks, fuel for your vehicle or car rental, tips, entry prices for attractions, souvenirs and any medications you may need. Allow for all these things in your budget. Plan ahead, budget and you will have a great holiday.

If you are planning your holiday months or even a year ahead, be smart and start saving now. Put away as much as you can into a separate account or somewhere else so you won’t be tempted to spend it.

Even if you are on a budget you can have a great time and holiday, there are many activities you can do for free.

Look out for them, sometimes they can be the highlight of your holiday. Happy Travelling!

For anyone deciding to travel to Australia, I think it must be compulsory to be given one of those maps that shows Europe fitting inside the country with room to spare.  I think the size of Australia is one of the most shocking aspects to tourists that come here with only a few weeks to explore as they quickly realize that it’s not all fun and games when trying to see as many of those iconic sights scattered about.    It takes planning to make the most of your time down under, which is why size matters immensely in Australia.

The Dilemma:  Flying versus Driving

I met a traveler the other day that had literally 5.5 days to spare, and he for some reason thought he was about to do the driving trip from Sydney to Cairns in that amount of time.  After being smacked back into reality, he then decided to take a cheap flight to Brisbane and start from there.  It was a much more reasonable plan that would allow him to actually see some sights along the way.

In some cases, such as this, catching a flight within Australia is necessary, but the problem is that – in my mind – the journey is one of the best parts.  There’s nothing like driving to the Outback and seeing the towns get smaller and  more spread out, and what about the curvy and jungle-encased roads of tropical north Queensland?  It’s the scenery that you really get to see when driving in Australia.

 It’s not only the scenery you miss when flying over driving; it’s the little fun bits in between.  Take, for instance, Granite Gorge.  Granite Gorge is a nature park near Mareeba (about an hour’s drive from Cairns) that tempts tourists to visit with the promise of seeing and feeding rock wallabies.  Adorable? Yes, and definitely worth it in my opinion.  However, chances are you will not make it to fun little places like this from the main cities unless you are self-driving.

It’s About Being Realistic

As in the driving example above, it’s about being realistic about your options.  If you are dead-set on driving through Australia and are on limited time, you will definitely be better off trying to narrow your focus by choosing one region or one state.  By doing so, you’ll get to really know that area as opposed to grazing over the surface.

On the other hand, flying from major city to major city and hitting all the big named places can be just as amazing.  I guess it all comes down to your personal travel preferences.  Here are some ideas to keep in mind:

• Your trip length.
• Your willingness to drive in a foreign country.
• The likelihood you’ll return to Australia.
• Your budget.
• Your love, or hate, of flying.

 All of these points should be considered when planning a trip down under, but I often feel that distance from one location to the next isn’t stressed enough.  Let’s face it, Australia is pretty gigantic.  And, I think it’s safe to say that this is one place where size really does matter.

About:  Brooke Schoenman is the expert author for WhyGo Australia, an online travel guide with life. 

She currently resides in Sydney, Australia and tweets about her Aussie life daily.

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Plan your own exciting holiday

www.travel-australia-planning-guide.com/travel-in-australia.html

For those readers who are self disciplined, rewards credit cards can be used to their advantage. When such individuals are shopping for a new credit card, they should get one that rewards them for utilizing it. Then, they would be wise to use it for absolutely everything that they possibly can, while paying off the balance every month. Ten helpful tips for using rewards credit cards follow below.

1. Reward Cards Only Reward People for Not Carrying a Balance

Because rewards credit cards typically come with higher interest rates than credit cards without rewards, the only way to efficiently and effectively utilize them to your advantage is to pay them off in full every month. If you carry the balance month in and month out, you’ll end up more in interest charges than you make in rewards cash and prizes. By paying off the bill every month, you make the reward card work for you, instead of the other way around.

2. Higher Levels of Spending Give Greater Rewards

Most credit cards feature the clause “rewards up to” some percent, which in reality translates to them usually paying lower rewards than the stated up to percentage rate. Only once you hit a higher volume of spending per month will the full percentage actually kick in.

3. Be Aware of What the Rewards Cost

There is always a cost in points to get a reward and sometimes these turn out to be not so rewarding. For example, if a you are required to spend more than $10,000 in a single year in order to attain a $50 gift card, then the reward is hardly worth the effort required in terms of managing your account. And there’s always the likelihood that in that $10,000 spend are various useless items, which are nothing more than a waste of money.

4. Frequent Flyer Rewards Require Many Significant Dollar Purchases

Frequent flyer schemes are terrific reward programs, but mostly only for those who actually charge large dollar amounts frequently on their credit cards. For someone who doesn’t use their credit card frequently, you could be waiting a long time before you reach the qualifying level for a single free flight reward. If you only charge things occasionally you are better served to find a credit card that rewards for lower spending levels with cash back or shopping vouchers.

5. Filling Stations Give Extra Generous Reward Points

Fuel reward credit cards have grown massively in popularity as a result of the higher price of fuel. These cards can prove to be inordinately generous – many of them even offer five percent cash back on every purchase! This typically covers any purchase made inside of their convenience stores, as well.

6. Rewards Cards with Annual Fees are Not Rewarding

There is little point to a rewards credit card that features an annual fee, especially a hefty one! Anyone who is made to pay a $30 membership fee per year will likely need to spend fully $3,000 before being able to achieve a reward. The only case where annual fee reward cards still make sense are when eiher double frequent flyer miles or double points are on offer.

7. Understand That Rewards Have Limits

Most cards feature maximum earnings on their reward programs for a year – this really matters and is something you need to be aware of. For a fuel reward credit card that pays a generous five percent cash back but then cuts it off after $300 in purchases, the rewards potential is significantly limited.

8. Use Reward Credit Cards to Pay Bills

A faster way to build up rewards is to use your card to pay off any outstanding household bills or business expenses. Using a rewards card in this manner can quickly generate substantial amounts of rewards in a relatively short amount of time.

9. Understanding the Difference Between Pleasure Points and Cash Back

Points that credit cards give members to use for the purchase of shopping, travel, or restaurants are not cash back – these could be called pleasure points. The most important thing in choosing a rewards card to earn such ‘pleasure points’ lies in getting one that offers rewards you will actually use. Earning points for a particular chain of shops isn’t much good when they don’t have any stores anywhere near where you live.

10. Never Let Rewards Expire Unused

As silly as this sounds, it happens all of the time. Most rewards credit cards come with some fine print about expiration dates. They keep this quiet in the hope that you will simply not redeem your points before the deadline arrives. Find out what this expiration date is, be it a year or two years, and then mark your calendar!

David is the co-founder and travel writer for FrequentFlyerCreditCards.com.au where you can compare credit cards for frequent flyers from airlines such as Qantas and read more free tips like this blog post.

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Start planning your road trip adventure.

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We stayed with a family that we met at Ayers Rock Resort 10 years ago, so it was  a 10 year anniversary of when we met. Every year since we met we have arranged to meet them and holiday somewhere in Australia. We have been to the Kimberley, Central Australia twice, Fraser Island twice, Noosa several times, Murray River houseboat cruise and more. All wonderful trips and adventures.

As they are Sydney locals we went on several tourist drives that certainly gave a new outlook on Sydney and gave us a better understanding of how massive Sydney is.

 I had been to Sydney twice previously with my parents many years ago and with our local primary school to see the Paralympics in 2000 and had seen the popular highlights Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Which are of course stunning and worth seeing.

There are many  Things to do in Sydney, everyone that visits should visit the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. There ia also plenty more to see and do like the Rocks, go on a harbour cruise, visit Taronga Zoo and Luna Park.

Sydney has some beautiful very popular beaches to visit like Bondi as it very close to the city we also visited Cronulla beach and several other beaches which had a few brave surfers catching the waves! It was way to cold for swimming!

If you are planning to visit  Sydney and looking for more adventure how about an amazing full throttle  jet boat ride in the harbour, see the unique harbour views while going flat out sliding and aplashing in all directions.

If you want the best view of Sydney try the Skywalk on top of Sydney Tower only 260 metres above ground level. Of course you will be wearing Skysuits and harnesses for your own safety.  What A View!!

Many cruises on the harbour can be enjoyed as well as sea plane flights, aerobatic flights, sky diving, rock climbing in the Blue Mountains, drive a racing car around Eastern Creek race track, Harley rides, hot air ballooning and so much more.

Fathers Day is not far away so start thinking about a present sooner rather than later. The above  activities would make excellent Fathers Day Gifts as well as the more sedate adventure activities suitable for all Dads.

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Start planning your road trip adventure.

www.travel-australia-planning-guide.com/road-trip-planner.html