Is Australia really worth visiting, or just a bit of a fad?

It seems at the moment nearly everyone wants to visit Australia, or even live and work their for a few months. Now, I do see the attraction of it having a British feel yet being so far away. I've been doing some research on Australia, and while it sounds like it could have appeal for people interested in more "outdoorsy" type persuits, I think it could be quite boring just visiting their cities.

I could be wrong, and forgive me if I am, but from the pictures I've seen and what I've read Australia cities, even Sydney seem to be less vibrant than a lot of other large cities. And seems to lack things to do. A lot of other cities have a lot of history, but due to Australia's relatively recent foundation and history, it doesn't have much in the way of historic interests.

Some people seem to be going all that way for 2-3 weeks just to visit Sydney. Is it just me or do Australian cities come across as being a bit boring?

Reply 1

TomStudent

would u just go to australia for cities?......
you need to go surfin, laze by beach, see some animals and that.

history isnt a holiday for me

Reply 2

burninginme

TomStudent

would u just go to australia for cities?......
you need to go surfin, laze by beach, see some animals and that.

history isnt a holiday for me

Everything you've mentioned there isn't unique to Australia though. You could go to European countries for a quater of the cost and do the same things.

Reply 3

RosiePosiePuddingAndPie

Yeah but the European countries will have different animals, different beaches, different culture, different foods. Surely suggesting people go to Europe instead of Australia because they're the same, is like suggesting people go to their local town centre and have a pizza in Pizza Hut, instead of going to Rome and trying local Italian cuisine.

Reply 4

Fusion

burninginme

Everything you've mentioned there isn't unique to Australia though. You could go to European countries for a quater of the cost and do the same things.

Europe brings up the language barrier even if many young europeans have a good grasp of English.

Reply 5

chappy

I have been to Australia, and I much prefer the more chilled out atmopshere of New Zealand.

Reply 6

LosingAllHope

I'm in Australia right now, and having been to Asia and America before, it doesn't really compare. The thing with Australia is that it requires alot of effort in terms of travel distances and cost for not much reward, the country is far too young to have built up much history and even modern icons, like the Opera House, are few and far between. I'd recommend a visit, but there's plenty of other places I'd suggest first.

Reply 7

artorscience?

If you have a great desire to see koalas in an almost natural but still man-made habitat, Australia's the place for you.

I went a couple of years back because I got caught up in the excitement of planning and sorting a trip that I didn't really think it was real until too late... It was nice. But that is probably about it, "nice" is probably the best word I can use to describe it. When I went I spent a few days in different cities but I did feel that the 2 or three day stop in each was enough to do anything. Obviously doing multiple cities makes it more expensive still. And in Europe of course you have much more crammed in because Australia is very sparse, so it is naturally easier (and cheaper) to get between cities closer to home.

As far as I can tell, the people who love it are enthusiastic about the supposed laid back atmosphere and the "culture" which is something along the lines of staring at those aboriginals who have decided to make money out of white people rather than hate them on a 5 day tour and then spending 2 weeks on a beach. That said plenty of serious and sensible adults I kow like to visit, so there must be something... :smile:

Reply 8

kpg

It's a fantastic country to travel around for a couple of months and if you're into surfing, diving etc. great also. If you have the money it's also a very nice country in general if you dont want to do the "outdoors" stuff. As implied above, it's more than just 21 year old backpackers who go out there.

I lived in Australia for a couple of years and dont think it's all that in that respect but that's partly due to circumstances we found ourselves in. People do get wrapped up in the cliche of it being some kind of hot, less busy and relaxed version of Britain and in many ways it really is. But in terms of just dropping everything and moving over there - I would think long and hard about that and not get obsessed with the aesthetics of the country (obvious advice really)

Reply 9

RoyThomas

As an Australian, money and distance wise I can agree, though, I think lack of planning and research may have led to boring experiences, Australia may be a young country but we have plenty of history. In Sydney Harbour we have old military bases and Gaols, Victoria has many old Gaols, gold mines, bush ranger history, Mountains for amazing hikes and treks, World famous events such as Melbourne cup and Grand Prix, Western Aus has some of the worlds nicest beaches. Queensland has Great beaches, reefs, rainforests, treks, wildlife and history, such as old trainlines, military bases, ww2 bombing sites, It has Uluru and the red desert and much more.Really, to have a great holiday you need to leave the cities and find your own journey. Seeing a roo, koala or emu in Australia zoo is no where near as good as seeing a wild one in Cairns or The Grampians. Leave the travel sites planners and find your own way around Australia.

Reply 10

Shubh k

You are absolutely right . No history , No culture , No Night life , No creativity , No warmth in people and lot of beaches . Been to UK, Europe , Asia and Middle east. I would say there is absolutely nothing I would wanna come back to Australia for.

Reply 11

caitlinskywalker

I live in Australia and I have to say that if you are looking for amazing touristy attractions like in Europe then there's not really a point because Australia is not that exciting if you're looking for man made historic monuments and the like but I do really recommend anywhere in Queensland. If you're gonna come, don't bother going to Sydney or even Melbourne (I live there) just go to Queensland because the beaches, the weather and the atmosphere is just unlike I've ever seen anywhere else. Anyway, I've never studied anywhere else and I'm still in school but i hear that the universities are pretty good (there are like 5 main ones in the whole country)