Travel to Australia. Mobile communications and Internet. Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

Perhaps, you can start exploring your Australian community with a completely prosaic question - how much does a trip to Australia cost?

Since travelers interested in Australia often contacted me with questions about the cost of the trip, I decided to make an estimate and published such an article on our website.

The article is very popular among readers - and I decided to copy this material into this community. I tried to take into account all the most important expenses, but, naturally, the travel budget can vary both up and down. For example, if you wait for a special offer from a budget airline and grab the cheapest ticket, and in Australia itself live in a motel and eat fast food, then the amount will be different. But I still tried to take some real values, so that a traveler with an average income and above could calculate the budget for the trip.

So, How much does a trip to Australia cost?

There are people who go on holiday to the same favorite hotel in Turkey or Thailand from year to year, and there are those who are greedy for new experiences and distant unknown places. The whole world is not enough for such people, and perhaps the only thing holding them back from traveling to Mars is the technical impossibility of doing so. this moment. The hero of this article, Nikita, also belongs to the latter. He has already written for our site. Today we will talk about an even more distant place on our planet - Australia. Word from the author:

Trip planning and flight

It’s priceless when you throw a link to a common chat with friends cheap tickets to Australia for May with a call to fly, and literally within 24 hours 8(!) people take tickets to the other end globe. For this alone it was worth graduating from the Geography Department of Moscow State University (6 out of 8 people are from there). By the way, about the price - 30 thousand rubles for tickets to Sydney, and even for May holidays! There is one “but” - departure from Stockholm. But could this stop geographers? Just another bonus city (though wildly expensive). In general, thanks to British Airways for the error in the booking system, and PiratesRU.com for information about it.

When planning your trip, you must take into account that a visa to Australia takes at least a month to obtain! But you don’t need to go to a visa center or embassy, you don’t even need original documents - just an application form via the Internet and scanned copies. And then the visa arrives by email. Comfortable!

It took another month to draw up the route, tears from the cruelty of this world, when it is not possible to cram all the wishes into a budget that would suit everyone and not turn the vacation into something between a military march and a truck driver’s trip (one of the options was to drive 11 thousand km by car). In the end, we decided to limit ourselves to Eastern Australia, Melbourne and the Great Barrier Reef.

When entering and leaving Australia, no visa or even a stamp is placed on your passport! So you won’t be able to brag about how far you’ve climbed.

Be careful, creatures.

This topic was raised by everyone to whom I told anything about this trip. Wildlife in Australia can be divided into 3 types:

The one who wants to kill you.
The one who generally doesn’t want to, but can do it because of her own stupidity.
The ones that are too slow to make it into group #2.

So the good news is that Eastern Australia has minimal number of Group 1 representatives, especially in major cities, so your chances of being fatally bitten are minimal. But there is a possibility... of being eaten by a saltwater crocodile! In the Cairns area there are a lot of warning signs that you cannot swim here, because a person has a limited number of limbs. But in the Northern Territory (this is the pathetic name of the state) there are more than enough evil animals, reptiles and insects. This is working outbacks of the country with landscapes a la Mad Max - the goal of the next trip.

The car rental agreement explicitly states that it is prohibited to drive outside cities after 18-00 in the statesWesternAustralia andNorthernTerritory. Draw your own conclusions.

Crocodiles also want to eat. Sometimes people too.

Group No. 2 includes animals that do not have personal accounts with representatives of Homo Sapiens, but their stupidity and lack of knowledge of traffic rules can greatly shorten your personal path to Valhalla. So driving at night on forest roads is a lot of fun and tests your alertness, forcing you to dodge kangaroos and wombats.
But at the same time, these cute animals can be lured, petted and fed (with some patience and perseverance).

Australian life hack: kangaroos are great at luring bananas.

Selfie with a kangaroo is a must do in Australia

Koalas, as you understand, are group number 3. They are difficult to find in wildlife, and even more so to get closer. But! You can touch them and see them up close at the Sanctuary (a sort of less torturous version of a zoo). We went to the Sanctuary, located in Brisbane. Entrance fee is about $30, plus extra for photos, etc. There you can feed and chat with kangaroos, but compared to wild ones, these look like the Russian football team (stupid and don’t move).

Koala's soft butt smelling like eucalyptus

Sydney

In Sydney, in the very center, they park huge liners the size of a house

The feeling from Sydney (and from other Australian cities) is something between the cities of the USA and Europe: an organic interweaving of American layout and appearance and European thoughtfulness and cleanliness. In general, Australia is about comfort, from the urban environment to the national composition of the population. It’s not for nothing that crowds of British pensioners move here (especially to Perth, where more than 50% of the population is already British).

Sydney is spread out along a picturesque and very winding bay, so a great option to see the city from excellent angles is to ride on ferries, which are quite common public transport there.

There is nothing to do in the city itself for more than a couple of days, since all the conventional attractions are covered in a day. Of course, there are historical districts, even a museum of Judaism, but this is for those who want to get to know the city in detail.

There are nice suburbs with beautiful beaches, where you should go to surf or look at those who surf (more relevant for girls than boys). One of these iconic places – Bondi Beach. There is also a swimming pool there, which they like to post in photos in various stupid public pages - like it’s being flooded by waves (in fact, it’s extremely rare).

Bondi Beach

Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains Park is 1.5 hours' drive from Sydney. There, nature reminded us for the first time that, in fact, in the southern hemisphere, May is an autumn month. Moreover, on the plateau there is a classic golden autumn, and below, in the canyons, there are evergreen, variable-humid forests with waterfalls. In general, this park is worth coming: here and beautiful views And walking routes in tropical forests past rivers and waterfalls.

View of the waterfall and valley

Travel around the country, housing

In total, we traveled about 2.5 thousand kilometers by car, renting an 8-seater minibus, which drove so-so, but could accommodate everyone. Per person, 3 cars (in Sydney, Cairns and Brisbane) cost 250 local dollars per person (twice there was a one-way rental, which is more expensive).

In general, the “development” of a country can very often be easily assessed by its intercity highways/autobahns/interstates (underline as appropriate). And although eastern Australia is quite close to California in terms of climate and surroundings, as soon as you drive outside the city you realize that this is still a village. Still would! In all Australia's population is 2 times less than California's. Therefore, the Brisbane-Sydney road in some places resembles Russian ones federal highways, which pass among villages with restrictions of 50 km/h, sections under construction and other delights.

Of course, traveling with eight people allows you to save a lot on almost everything: from housing to transport, but in general the country is relatively inexpensive (especially after Stockholm). In terms of the general price level, I would compare Australia with Northern Italy.

Of course, traveling with eight of you has huge advantages, such as the opportunity to go wild and rent an incredible house on the ocean, on the first line for 800-odd Australian dollars per night (which is more or less adequate per person).

At just around AU$4.5 million, you can wake up to this view. Residence permit as a gift.

Australia is a country of meat. Here they just don’t put it in ice cream. Any house we rented through Airbnb always had a barbecue (well, maybe except for a high-rise apartment in Melbourne, but that would be weird there). Therefore, several times we bought meat at the store and cooked at home.

By the way! In Australia, not only in restaurants, but also in stores you can buy and try kangaroo meat (it tastes like cold turkey), crocodile (which tastes like tuna with the taste of chicken), and emu ostrich (turkey again).

In Australia you can always find excellent local wine (especially white) and beer, but all this is sold in separate stores, where they will ask for a passport to verify your age even if you look like Novodvorskaya, and for everyone who buys!

Kosciuszko and Snowy Mountains

From Sydney we moved south, towards highest peak Australia - Mount Kosciuszko (geographers' hearts should ache). It is located in national park The Snowy Mountains, as you might guess from the name, is the only place in Australia where snow falls and even ski resort. Our plans were to “climb” Kosciuszko and “conquer” one of the seven peaks, fortunately there is a boardwalk along which even pregnant women and the disabled can reach the top. But... if there is no strong wind and wild cold. Let me remind you that May in the northern hemisphere is November in Australia. Unpreparedness for such cold weather and time constraints did not allow us to climb, although the walk from the lift to the top is only 2.5 hours in each direction.

The region itself is beautiful and quite harsh (especially by Australian standards), somewhat reminiscent of Sheregesh or the Khibiny Mountains.

Snowy Mountains. Album cover of the best indie rock band of 2017.

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

As the locals told us, Melbourne in Australia is a kind of St. Petersburg, the climate is worse, but for some reason many people want to move there, which is especially incomprehensible given the presence of Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the country. We went there after Kosciuszko. The city itself is picturesquely located along the banks of the river and, in general, no dramatic differences from Sydney were noticed.

There are a bunch of vineyards near Melbourne (more only near Adelaide) where you can come for a tasting, buy wine or just have a good time enjoying the views of the green hills. But you need to understand that this is more and more in the “American” style - that is, you simply pay 20-25 dollars for a tasting and actually taste it, but this does not turn into a process with training.

To the southwest of Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road begins, which ultimately leads to Adelaide (and beyond it, all the way to Perth, there’s an awesome coastline, judging by the photographs). This is essentially some analogue of Highway 1 and Big Sur in California - constantly changing views of the rocky ocean coast with long white waves, cliffs and winds. You can look at this for hours, thinking that to the south there is only Antarctica and these waves came from somewhere there. This is one of the best views in Australia, and probably in the world. The most famous photos– these are the 12 Apostles – picturesque rocks scattered along the coast.

Allow 2-3 days for the ocean road. It's worth it. Don’t repeat our mistake of “watch everything in one day.”

Views along the Great Ocean Road

Nimbin

I’m not sure that Roskomnadzor will approve the placement of several paragraphs of text about soft drugs on a travel website... In short, come to this city and you will understand everything yourself. This is a hippie commune lost among the picturesque, forested mountains with all the ensuing consequences. You won't regret it, I guarantee it! It takes about 2.5 hours to get there from Brisbane, and the further from the coast, the more roads reminiscent of Russian ones. The city is not very visited by tourists, so what do they live on? local residents not very clear (or vice versa, too clear). By the way, there is an excellent pizzeria there, and you may need it!

Nimbin. Guess what stores sell the most goods here?

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

When planning the trip, it was almost a prerequisite to dive on the Bolshoi barrier reef(BBR), although the diving experience was 3 dives for 8 people. The main points from which ships sail to the GBR are Cairns and Townsville. We lived in Cairns. It is located at the latitude of Goa, so in May (November) it is comfortable +30. Swimming here near the shore is not so pleasant, since the water is for some reason cloudy and reminiscent of Sochi or Gelendzhik after a storm, and the presence of saltwater crocodiles does not add enthusiasm (however, vacationers in Gelendzhik cause even more fear and hostility). There are many offers for diving on the GBR, I will give some key tips:

There are no individual tours (even for 8 people), since the reef is approximately 80-120 km away. Or it will cost as much as a whole ship.
Study what spot the ship you have chosen goes to. The cost also depends on this. We were a little stupid and chose more cheap option on the nearest reef and was left with the impression that there are more interesting places. But it is not exactly.
It is better to choose a ship that is newer and faster. There will be more time for the swim itself. Don't regret spending 50-70 extra dollars!
The ships are designed for 70-200 people. In general, there is enough space for everyone, but there is a certain feeling of a “crowd” and there is frankly nothing to do all the way to the GBR.

Behind the stern is the Green Continent

There is nothing to do in the city itself. In addition to diving, you can travel to the surrounding waterfalls and animal parks. We took a ride to one, but it wasn't particularly impressive. Oh yes, in the city instead of birds there are flying foxes (they’re like mice, only fat ones).

Brisbane and Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is the quintessence of what Australia “should” look like to someone from the Northern Hemisphere: oceanfront skyscrapers, huge waves, giant beaches and warm ocean. In the morning, surfers come to the beach (yes, just like in the picture). The main advantage of this place compared to, for example, southern California is the warm ocean, where you can surf in November without a wetsuit and the risk of freezing all your most valuable things. We filmed there best house for the trip, which even included surfboards, which we used with the grace of Kobzon. But we took some photos.

In general, name the city (!) Gold Coast ( Gold Coast) this is mega-cool in its own way. We had lunch in a skyscraper in the city itself, overlooking the ocean coast.

This is another place where I wanted to stay longer in a relaxed surfer mode (especially with shopping from Nimbin!).

Victoria State Motto “Stayalert –stayalive.” Says a lot.

Gold Coast. View from a skyscraper.

Conclusion

Australia may not surprise a sophisticated and boring traveler, especially if he has experience visiting California, but a true geographer (or regional historian) tries to find some peculiarities everywhere, and there is enough of this in Australia - from unusual animals to new cities.

Our Dream Team

Well, for complete exoticism, of course, you need to go to the center of the continent, where there is much more surroundings: deserts, dangerous animals, endlessly straight roads, half-abandoned cities, and so on. Well, in the end, the thought of how far you have traveled from your usual place of residence in any case generates tons of curiosity.

A bonus for all those who read this long article to the end - a cool video report about the trip. We look, enjoy the scenery, and mentally begin to plan our trip to Australia:

Hello, friends!

I don’t know why, but this country arouses my genuine and sincere interest. Perhaps because what most of us know about Australia is limited to the fact that it is very far away and amazing kangaroos live there.

And if we are going on a trip to a distant continent, especially with children, then it will not be superfluous to learn more about the climate, nature and the places that we want to visit.

So, today we will take a short excursion into the past and present of the country.

Australia is the opposite country

No mysticism. Everything is explained simply and quite scientifically.

According to one hypothesis, Australia is a large piece of land that broke away from an ancient supercontinent, drifting northward for millions of years.

The oddities and paradoxes of Australia are due to the fact that the mainland is located in the Southern Hemisphere.

This explains a lot:

Why, for example, do our seasons not coincide? By the way, a good option for those who don’t like winter and cold: spend the summer at home, and go to Australia in the winter again in the summer.
Why, the further north you go, the warmer it gets, but when going south you need to stock up on warm clothes.
Why do Australians see the moon upside down?

Australia is also unique in that on a continent with an area of more than 7.5 million square meters. km there is only one state, surrounded on all sides by the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Australia- a state occupying 6th place in the world in terms of area. However, this vast territory is home to just over 22 million (estimated as of June 30, 2010). Despite the fact that the mainland is located in the tropics and subtropics and even in winter in Australia, by Russian standards, it is warm, a significant part of the island is unsuitable for living.

Conditions are especially difficult in central and western Australia, where there is virtually no water. A large area on the mainland is occupied by the famous Australian deserts: Simpson Sandy Desert with characteristic red-brown dunes, Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, sandy-salt marsh Great Victoria Desert. They are adjacent to areas of the steppe zone, scorched by the rays of the scorching sun.

The population of Australia lives mainly on the coast of the mainland, whose length is more than 34 thousand kilometers. The most attractive for Australian residents are the fertile lands of the south- east coast with its mild climate and wonderful natural conditions.

75% of Australians live in cities. Each of them is unique and interesting for curious tourists:

The capital of Australia is Canberra
Sydney– the very first city of Australia
Melbourne– center of cultural and business life
Darwin– a port located in the north of the mainland
Perth– “the pearl of Australia” (west coast)
Adelaide- city on the ocean
Brisbane- large trading and industrial city(only here boomerangs are produced)
Hobart– one of the ancient cities of the continent

The main population of Australia is white Australians (95%), speaking English language. These are the descendants of Irish rebels, convicts, criminals and other exiles who began active exploration of the mainland at the end of the 18th century, and emigrants from England, Ireland, Europe and Asia who later joined them.

The local population of Australia (Aborigines) is no more than 5%. Indigenous people appeared on the island long before its discovery European travelers. But today, black Australians live in remote settlements and reserves where it is not so easy to survive.

The history of the emergence of Australia as a state is also amazing and unique. The first documentary evidence of the existence of Australia appeared in the 17th century after its discovery by European sailors. Later, information appeared about the discovery of the eastern coast of the mainland by James Cook. This was in 1770.

But officially Australia Day is considered to be January 26, 1788 - this is the day of the landing of the English fleet captain Arthur Phillip in Sydney Bay with the first exiled criminals and the date of the founding of the first British colony, Sydney Cove (later Sydney).

And today Australia is a young, rapidly developing state on the old continent. According to 2011 data provided by the World Economic Forum, Australia ranked a respectable 17th among richest countries peace.

The country develops and lives through mining and well-developed agriculture.

The standard of living of Australians is quite high. The Australian government cares about the quality of life of its fellow citizens and does a lot to make their lives better.

Obviously, a sense of security and confidence in the future explains the friendliness and affability of Australians. They will always come to the rescue, and unselfishly. In addition, they are law-abiding citizens who strictly follow instructions and regulations. This may be why there is virtually no corruption in Australia.

The country is thriving travel business. All more tourists dream of visiting Australia and admiring it unique nature and animals.

And next time we'll go to most famous city Australia – Sydney.

Australia is a country that seems to everyone to be the most distant from the bustle of the world, a kind of quiet green fertile haven. And since it is so far from the world's business centers, it is logical to assume that people there do not follow the same rules that the rest of the world obeys.

Of course, you shouldn't expect to find wild animals running around the streets eating people, but there are some social rules that are completely different than in England or the US. Besides, habitat habitat is slightly different, which also influenced the change in the thoughts and behavior of Australian citizens.

So, here are some things you should definitely know before visiting Australia.

Like any other nation, Australians have a few “customs” of their own that you should be aware of so as not to leave the impression of being rude and ignorant.

Let's start with the question of how to create the right and positive first impression. Since Australians are considered extroverts (they are indeed very open people), it is very important that you greet them appropriately: with a firm handshake and an open smile on your face. If you start a small conversation, it will be welcome. However, you should not artificially delay a conversation with a new acquaintance, as this will be counterproductive.

If you're going to a business meeting, keep in mind that you may have to wait five to 10 minutes. Even though your Aussie friend will probably arrive for the meeting a few minutes later than scheduled, you will agree that this is not the end of the world. However, it is up to you to try to be as punctual as possible to earn extra points and favor.

The desire to produce good first impression is just the beginning. There are other everyday situations that you should keep in mind. For example, few outsiders know that, by default, in this country, a passenger in a taxi must ride in the front seat, next to the driver. Otherwise it is considered offensive. Taxi drivers usually have a lot of interesting conversation topics, so such a trip should not be a problem.

Since equality between people of different races is something that the people of this land pride themselves on, it is tantamount to a crime to claim that you are somehow better than someone else.

Promoting your personality, your company, or anything else at the expense of someone else is also considered very rude and ignorant. This does not mean that there is no rivalry between people and competition in the country; it simply means that you will not have to suffer failures due to the intrigues and machinations of competitors.

If you happen to be at a bar and order food or drinks with friends, you shouldn't ask for everyone to split the bill. Instead, you have to wait in line to order your share of food for the whole group. Everyone will have the opportunity to order something for the common table.

Travel throughout Australia

Australia is huge! Since Australia has a lot of desert land, it is a little difficult to get around without a car. If you want to move from Brisbane to Perth, it will take you almost two full days drive, since the distance between the two cities is more than 4000 km (more than 2500 miles).

Of course, it is better to take a plane. While traveling by car may be a little cheaper, the amount of time that traveling by plane saves is well worth spending a few extra dollars on airfare.

And let's face it, traveling by plane is much more convenient than driving a car, or traveling by bus. Indeed, it may not be that expensive, especially if you fly often and accumulate miles to then enjoy the benefits that Virgin Australia offers its frequent fliers: the best preferential seats, priority boarding or free baggage allowance.

Hopefully these tips will prepare you for your visit to Australia. If you don't remember all of this, don't worry. As mentioned, Australians are open people, so relax, take it easy and everything will be just fine. There is generally nothing to be afraid of in Australia unless you encounter angry kangaroos. If you happen to come across one of these individuals in the wild, then take my advice in this case - you need to turn around and run as fast as you can!

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