Anyone have any advice on visiting Australia / New Zealand ?

Me and a couple of mates are considering packing in our jobs and just going to Australia and New Zealand for a few months.
We would plan to work out there to earn some cash.

Anyone here been and done that and have any suggestions or recommend any sites to visit for information ?

Any recommended companies to book through ?

Places to avoid ?

Reply 1

AliK

Have you thought about being an au pair?

www.aupaircompany.com

is a great place to start.......they've got jobs all over the world. :smile:

ricurtis

Me and a couple of mates are considering packing in our jobs and just going to Australia and New Zealand for a few months.
We would plan to work out there to earn some cash.

Anyone here been and done that and have any suggestions or recommend any sites to visit for information ?

Any recommended companies to book through ?

Places to avoid ?

Reply 2

i-need-cake

There is always work for backpackers on farms. Fruit picking is pretty horrible but its really good money. Melbourne's nice but it's very cosmopolitan and similar to European cities, Sydney is really individual. Perth and Adelaide are pretty bland but the real place to avoid is Tasmania. That said, it's fairly cheap and we are very friendly!

Reply 3

ricurtis

OP

Which coastal cities are the best for visitors wishing to see the reef etc ?
We will travel about within Australia, but knowing which cities to head to would be a good start :smile:

Someone told me to avoid Sidney as it is too much of a tourist trap - i.e, not really like "real" Australia - just like a home away from home for English and American tourists... any truth in that ?

Reply 4

i-need-cake

Yeah Sydney is a bit of a tourist trap, it has basically no public transport so travellers get really stuck, it's a fantastic city for those who can experience the local haunts. Cairns is a pure tourist city but it is base camp, so to speak, for most trips to the reef etc. The Whitsunday islands are your best bet for seeing the reef, go one one of those scuba boats - all crystal beaches and booze. All the reef around Cairns/Port Douglas was damaged in a cyclone earlier this year (they won't tell u that) and it wasn't that fantastic anyway. If you do go to Cairns make sure you stay at Gilligans, it's a fantastic new backpacker place in the heart of the city, all new and snazzy and nothing else compares.
Brisbane is also really bland. Most people enjoy the Gold Coast (hell, it even kept Paris Hilton amused for 3 months!) but it's expensive. If you get like a contiki tour or something similar and whiz through the main cities you'll probably see most of what they have to offer.

Reply 5

milady

9

i-need-cake

Yeah Sydney is a bit of a tourist trap, it has basically no public transport so travellers get really stuck, it's a fantastic city for those who can experience the local haunts.

Hey, it does so have public transport. Ferries, and buses and trains.

I have to catch the latter every day, though, and I have to say, it's abysmal. I'm not sure why they bother having a time table, because they hardly stick to it, and my train to school is 5-10 minutes late fifty percent of the time, 15-20 minutes late twenty percent of the time, and about once every two weeks I'm stuck waiting for half an hour or more. :mad:

And this is like, freaking peak hour, too.(yes, off topic rant, but some things, such as anger, can make one unreasonable)

Sydney is pretty expensive, and if you're a backpacker it may be a little difficult - but it can't be that bad, because i know several german backpackers who packed it in (so to speak) and are now permanent residents.

And Brisvegas isn't too terrible from what I've heard.

Reply 6

keano

1

Only advice I can give you, watch Nigel Marven very carefully and learn to wrestle a croc..may save yourlife..ow and dont miss ray mears's's's bushcraft... then you will be ready... me thinks... and take some shampoo :p:

Reply 7

i-need-cake

milady

Hey, it does so have public transport. Ferries, and buses and trains.

Ok, it does have public transport, but it is aimed at the locals. The ferries are unreliable; the trains mainly go to residential areas/industrial areas and they don't have any logical maps displayed, so the next station is anyones guess; Star City used to have a great free bus around the CBD/Harbour areas, but it has since shut down. The buses in the city are Ok, but you really have to know where you are going. If you wanted to get to other areas like Surry Hills or Paddington you usually have to change buses several times.

It is easiest to befriend an unemployed local to take you around - they can be found hovering around Boost Juice at Bondi Junction at all hours!

Anyone have any advice on visiting Australia / New Zealand ?

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