In Review: 23 Days of Backpacking in Australia

This post is part of a series called Australia 2015

Sidney and Perth, Australia
Australian Rail Pass: The Ghan and The Indian Pacific
Road Trip to Magical Uluru
Rental Car Relocation, And Driving the Great Ocean Road in Australia
In Review: 23 Days of Backpacking in Australia

Why I Went There?

A logical destination after New Zealand, and before South East Asia.

Where Did I Go?

I made traveling by train the main priority for my time in Australia, specifically riding The Ghan. I few into Sydney and after a few days flew into Adelaide. From there I took The Ghan to go to Alice Springs, where I did a road trip to Uluru. After driving the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, I rode The Overland train back to Adelaide. Lastly, I took the Indian Pacific from there to Perth.

My Other Blog Posts on Australia

Sydney and Perth
Australian Rail Pass: The Ghan and The Indian Pacific
Road Trip to Magical Uluru
Rental Car Relocation, And Driving the Great Ocean Road

Expenses

Total Days: 23
Total Expenses: 2,060 USD
Average: 90 USD/day

This includes 20 AUD for the ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) required for US passport holders. Also included is 565 AUD for the rail pass and booking fees. The exchange rate at the time was 1 AUD = 0.75 USD.

How Is It Like to Backpack in Australia?

First of all, it is expensive, especially the food. Being a modern western English-speaking country makes it easy to move around and communicate.

The hostels are of decent quality. Breakfast is usually not included, but the kitchens are big and well stocked. I found the hostels lacking in atmosphere. I keep looking for the hostel experience I had in South America, where most people were friendly and looking to connect. In New Zealand and Australia I found a large number of long-termers who were not very sociable.

Being a country with many immigrants, it’s easy to get a wide variety of food. I also enjoyed the very good coffee shops.

Favorites

Favorite Places: Uluru.
Favorite Moment: Road trip to Uluru and seeing the famous rock for the first time.
Favorite Food: Kangaroo dish prepared by my friend James.
Other Things I Liked: Flat White coffee.

Conclusion

I had a whirlwind tour though this huge country. Spending over 100 hours on trains, I didn’t get to see much of it, but the few things I saw were unique and remarkable. The Great Ocean Road was beautiful, and Uluru was one of those few very special places that will become a highlight of this long trip around the world.