Australia

I first came to Australia in 2019. This was the furthest I had ever travelled from home, let alone solo. My plan was to land in Brisbane. Here I would meet up with a G Adventures tour and travel up the East Coast to Cairns. After reaching Cairns I would then fly down to Melbourne to travel on my own, before arriving in Sydney for a few days and flying home.

Australia is incredibly diverse, and one of the most beautiful locations I have ever visited. With award-winning beaches like Whitehaven, and cities like Sydney packed full of activities. Australia has something for every traveller. That hardly comes as a surprise, Australia is massive, so it’s natural that it leads to some diverse locations. From the bustling cities down south to exotic hidden waterfalls up north. Everywhere I went I was constantly learning and discovering. And even on the rare occasions some locations didn’t live up to my expectations, I still felt sad to be moving on.

It’s difficult to tell you what to expect when you visit Australia, as everywhere is just completely different. Going to Melbourne and Sydney are like city breaks, but you have the option of beaches or driving to small towns. But if you want to go remote then you can find some incredible rainforest paths to immerse yourself in. And if neither of those satisfy you then you have your choice of the best beaches you could possibly imagine.

Of course, when you spend a month in a country, certain spots will make the highlights. Don’t just stick to the cities. I thought Sydney was great, but to me, the sunrise on K’Gari and sailing the Whitsundays were infinitely better. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my fair share of city adventures. There were a couple of experiences I had booked in advance, but from feedback made changes based on other travellers’ recommendations. Like the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, I originally intended to do a half climb, however, changed to an evening full climb and have zero regrets. 

Australia has some of the friendliest people I have encountered when travelling. It’s worth noting a few customs though. For example, the further north I travelled, the more common swear words became. A certain C word is a particular favourite and even in some cases a term of endearment. This didn’t bother me as it’s clear from their tone. But it can be a shock for those who aren’t expecting it. For more tips check out my guide Know before you go: Australia.

Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to visit there yourself and maybe follow in my footsteps a little. I try to find things that not every backpacker will be aware of, as well as tell you what the bigger experiences are like too.

Throughout my guides you will find links to book activities with Get Your Guide. By booking through the link you wont be charged any extra but I may receive a commission which helps support the blog.