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Beth Sandland

50 Things You Need to Know Before Travelling to Australia

03/04/2019 · AUSTRALIA, TRAVEL

 

Is Australia at the top of your travel bucket list? With pristine beaches to rival the Caribbean, gnarly surf (and the surfers to go with it), trendy cities, endless wildlife and countless adventures to have, how can it not be? If you’re planning a trip down under then there are some things you need to know before you get on that – probably very long – flight.

1. Australia is huge. You probably already knew that, but it’s important to grasp just how vast the country is. Domestic flights can take up to 6 hours and the east and west coasts sit on different time zones. If you want to see it all, you’ll need a lot of time and a lot of money. If either of those commodities are lacking then pick an area and focus on it.

2. Make sure you check the visa requirements from your country. Sometimes you’ll need an onwards flight booked too!

3. The seasons are the opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer is from December to February whilst winter is June to August.

4. Winter temperatures in Sydney vary between 18 and 9 degrees celsius. Not exactly cold by most standards!

5. Most people are either Team Sydney (*raises hand*) or Team Melbourne. Nobody goes to the actual capital city, Canberra.

6. There really are kangaroos just hopping all over the place. Watch out for them, especially when you’re driving at dawn or dusk outside the cities. Those bad boys will write off a truck.

7. The internet is awful. Why? I don’t know, I like to think it’s because they’re so far away from everyone. Expect shoddy Wifi.

8. Yes, there are a lot of venomous snakes and spiders but you’re unlikely to actually see them, so don’t let it put you off *deletes story about fist-sized spider in camper van bed on night one*.

9. If you do see a ginormous eight-legged foe then take comfort in knowing that the bigger the spider in Aus, the less likely it is to be dangerous.

10. It’s almost inevitable that within a few weeks you’ll be irritating all your friends with your Aussie slang. It’s infectious; don’t ever expect to call breakfast anything but brekky again.

11. Oh, and remember when your mum used to moan at you for adopting the upwards affliction at the end of sentences that makes everything sound like a question after you used to watch Neighbours? Yeah, that.

12. Talking of which, you can actually visit Ramsay Street and the set in Melbourne.

13. Or, if Home & Away was more your jam then you can catch some waves at Palm Beach in North Sydney.

14. Like in the UK, Aussies drive on the left hand side of the road.

15. Fuel is really cheap, which is just as well because if you’re planning to really explore then you’ll rack up a whole lot of miles.

16. You don’t need to tip! Wages are very healthy in Aus and it’s just not expected.

17. Unpopular opinion: Tim Tams are overrated. Penguins without the joke.

18. In fact, all Aussie chocolate is pretty awful.

19. But don’t leave without eating at least 7 boxes of Lamingtons.

20. Wear sunscreen. Seriously! With a hole in their O-zone layer, the UV here is like nothing else and you need to put at least SPF50+ on, even if it seems overcast.

21. The West Coast is the best for wildlife: you’ve got wild dolphins at Bunbury, stingrays at Hamelin Bay, roos bouncing about all over the place and quokkas on Rottnest Island; the only place they inhabit in the whole world!

22. The best place to spot koalas is the Kennett River Koala Walk near Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road (tip: dusk is the best time and you can totally drive up the walk, just saying)

23. It’s not a trip around Aus if you don’t go to Sydney.

24. Gold Coast is really overrated, there I said it.

25. You can drive for miles and miles through the outback without seeing another soul. It can be lonely so stock up on snacks, podcasts and most importantly – fuel!

26. No seriously, you do not want to burn out in the outback. Carry cans and fuel up wherever you can.

27. When Aussies say they’re putting their thongs on, they mean flip flops.

28. Maccas – the Aussie slang for McDonald’s – serves Frozen Coke for $1 and it’s going to become your new best friend.

29. Oh, they also do this stuff called McChicken Sauce and I’m genuinely considering setting up an import business to the UK because no nugget will ever be the same again without it.

30. If you’re in Tropical North Queensland during the summer months then you’ll need to wear a stinger suit in the water to avoid being stung by the poisonous marine jellyfish.

31. Though in all honesty, the threat of saltwater crocs in all waterways north of the Boyne River (Rockhampton area) is probably enough to put you off venturing in.

32. Nobody actually says G’Day (unless they’re from the country).

33. But they will all call you ‘mate’.

34. Two thirds of Australia is desert and the environment is very unforgiving.

35. The population of Australia is just under 25 million whilst the total land area is almost 3 million square miles, that’s 8 people per mile sq. In comparison, the population of the UK is just shy of 67 million and the total land area is just 93K square miles. That’s 717 people per mile sq.

36. Temperatures often take dramatic leaps or plunges. In Melbourne, it can be 40 degrees celsius one day and 16 the next.

37. If you want to visit Fraser Island, the worlds largest sand island, you’ll need to hire a 4WD or go with a tour group.

38. There are countless excursions and activities to take part in but you’re going to need a big budget.

39. The only reason anyone really goes to Cairns is to visit the Great Barrier Reef or the Daintree Rainforest.

40. Uluru, or Ayres Rock, is the most expensive place to visit in all of Australia. It’s very remote, flights cost a lot and there are few accommodation options.

41. The Whitsundays are in the middle of nowhere. There is a little airport or it’s a 7+ hour drive from Cairns.

42. The best way to see the Whitsundays is by sailing boat. There are some good value 2 or 3 night tours if you’re willing to bunk with others, a bit like a floating hostel.

43. Blow flies are the worst (but at least they don’t bite like the sandflies in New Zealand).

44. Always swim between the flags. Those Aussie lifeguards are not messing about.

45. The West Coast has some of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever see in your life. Like Little Beach at Two Peoples Bay.

46. You can’t buy alcohol in supermarkets, it’s sold in separate bottle shops (bottle-os!)

47. And make sure you take your ID out, especially in the cities, even if you’re clearly of age.

48. The Icebergs ocean pool at Bondi Beach, Sydney is world famous.

49. Oh, and yeah, there are quite a lot of sharks. Listen to the lifeguards and don’t swim in unpatrolled areas, especially around dusk, and you’ll be fine. Probably.

50. Try really hard not to fall in love with the idea of living there because Aussie visa requirements are really strict.

 

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50 Things you need to know before travelling to Australia, Australia bucket list, when to visit Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns

 

Follow my travels on Instagram for more destinations, tips and tricks!

Posted In: AUSTRALIA, TRAVEL · Tagged: Australia, Australia travel, Travel Blogger, wanderlust

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Comments

  1. Jordyn says

    03/04/2019 at 21:57

    I absolutely loved reading this post! Really makes me want to visit Australia, it sounds like you’re having the best time! x

    Reply
  2. Kat says

    03/04/2019 at 22:15

    Loved this! Hilarious

    Reply
  3. Fran says

    03/05/2019 at 12:50

    Loved this so much, Beth! The photo of the quokka made me laugh. 🙂 can’t wait for more of your travel content.

    Reply
  4. Jess says

    03/05/2019 at 15:35

    What a lovely post! I’m busy saving up for my trip (still) and your posts are keeping me motivated.

    xoxo
    Jess
    The Crown Wings | UK Travel & Lifestyle Blog

    Reply
  5. Lucy says

    03/05/2019 at 20:19

    The kangaroo picture is the best picture EVER! Australia does look stunning and seeing all the wildlife just sounds like a surreal experience! xx

    Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk

    Reply
  6. Danielle Alexa says

    03/06/2019 at 20:12

    Your trip has looked absolutely whimsical, I would love to go to Australia!

    Danielle xx
    https://www.fashionbeautyblog.co.uk/

    Reply
  7. Sarah Dickinson says

    03/07/2019 at 11:13

    I actually visited and stayed IN Canberra,
    Tim Tams are the best way to drink your tea,
    Aussie Rules football is almost a religion!
    Smoko is the Aussie version of Elevenses,
    Everyone is really friendly & they’re not being funny they actually are!
    The Gold Coast is full of hippies & is a fabulous place to learn to surf! 🏄
    Uluru is definitely worth seeing even though it’s just a big rock in the middle of the desert!
    You’ll make more friends in 5 minutes of being in a hostel than you ever did at school!
    And you’ll come to look forward to a stop work meeting at around 4pm after a long day!

    Just a few of my thoughts about backpacking around Australia! 😎

    Reply
  8. Faye says

    03/21/2019 at 08:02

    Love this post! I went to Australia about 10 years ago now but can still relate so much to a lot of this haha.

    Faye x

    Reply
  9. Sarah Jane says

    04/09/2019 at 02:37

    Such a great article! I’m heading to Australia in June for a year on a WHV and so excited to see everything it has to offer 🙂

    Reply
  10. whitsundays tours says

    04/09/2019 at 14:24

    hey awesome post

    Reply
  11. whitsundays.tours says

    12/03/2019 at 10:25

    useful information and posts

    Reply

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I am a multi-award winning blogger, photographer and writer from London. I’ve travelled to over 38 countries, lived out of a backpack for a year and love to scuba dive! This site is a destination for all things travel, lifestyle and my successful online book club.

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Ziggy Rex William 🤍 26.03.21 ~ 21:28 ~ 5lb 1oz. Ziggy Rex William 🤍 26.03.21 ~ 21:28 ~ 5lb 1oz. Our perfect, brave little rainbow baby, NICU grad, stealer of hearts.
Some bunny is tube free for Easter (and a bit miff Some bunny is tube free for Easter (and a bit miffed that even hospitalisation doesn’t get him out of a silly hat...) 😍🐰
What a week. The best and hardest of my life all r What a week. The best and hardest of my life all rolled into one. So much to unpack. We’d do every second a hundred times over for you baby boy. 🧡🌈
5 days old 🤍 Our brave little boy has been more 5 days old 🤍 Our brave little boy has been more poked and prodded in a few days than most people are in their entire lives. Now that he’s extubated he’s busy charming all the wonderful NICU nurses with that beautiful little face. 😍 We’re making slow but steady progress; despite being born at 37 weeks, he has the lungs of a 32 week preemie so he needs lots of patience and a helping hand to adjust to life in the big wide world. This week we have the immense challenge of leaving the hospital with an empty car seat and returning to a crib that he likely won’t sleep in for a few more weeks. Not being able to freely hold or feed my baby is breaking my heart so I can’t fathom having to go home without him. However, we’ll do so knowing he is being so brilliantly cared for by our magnificent NHS. Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers, we tell him regularly that people all around the world are rooting for him. 🙏🏼❤️
MY SON ❤️ Our beautiful boy was born on Friday MY SON ❤️ Our beautiful boy was born on Friday. He was admitted to the NICU at 3 hours old where an incredible team of doctors and nurses have been working their magic ever since. I was quickly induced last week after one of our routine growth scans showed emergent concerns and his birth was an incredibly traumatic experience both physically and mentally. Although we just about made it to term, his little lungs are premature and need some extra help. We could not be more in love with him and can’t wait to be a family outside of the hospital but for now we’re all just taking life at a gentle pace as we heal together. Please keep our sweet boy in your thoughts, prayers and positive vibes. 💓🙏🏼🌈
AD: So ready for some down time 🧘🏼‍♀️🙏🏼 The Readly app - home to over 5000 magazines - is one of my absolute favourites so I’m thrilled that they’ve teamed up with Diet Coke to encourage you to take a break! Even if that’s just 10 minutes peace with a great article and a cold drink. You can get 2 months free Readly membership with promotional Diet Coke’s in supermarkets now. Plus, they’re giving 10 people a YEAR’S supply of both! Enter on the link in my bio 🤞🏼 What’s your favourite mag? @readly @dietcokegb
Can’t stop rearranging tiny things. Send help 💛🙏🏼
There’s not long left now ‘just the two of us’! Our evenings feel more sacred knowing that soon the needs of a tiny new family member will come first (doesn’t mean we don’t still ignore each other scrolling on our phones in bed/half-arsed Netflix watching from opposite ends of the sofa, but the thought is there. 😝)...So what’s your favourite bit of advice for couples about to have/with a new baby? ❤️
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@victoriasomersethowphotography
How great is Spring though?! Even just the promise How great is Spring though?! Even just the promise of it! Daffodils, washing on the line, kids playing outside, vases of blooms, blossom trees, going outside without a coat, hot cross buns...🤞🏼☀️🌸🐣
Hospital Bags for Mum & Baby 🍼. This is everyth Hospital Bags for Mum & Baby 🍼. This is everything I've packed for myself for in labour and after birth, as well as for the new baby! I will also save in list form and linked where possible to a highlight and eventually to my blog too 😊

Bags:
@cathkidston Foldaway Overnight Bag
@jemandbea Jemima Black Changing Bag
@tibaandmarl Elwood Changing Backpack
@elizabethscarlett pouches
@eleanorbowmer pouches

Labour:
Water bottle with straw
Fairy lights + sky projector
@babycaretens TENS machine
Cooling spray + flannel
Lip balm
Hair bands
@spritzwellness aromatherapy sprays
Massage oil
Eye mask
Headphones
Large t-shirt/nightie
Comfy underwear
Slippers/flip-flops
Snacks + isotonic drinks
Dressing gown (for pool)
@placentaplus encapsulation kit

Post-Birth:
Disposable pants
Maternity pads
Large black knickers
Nursing Bra
Spritz for Bits
Nipple cream
Nightdress x 2
Thin robe
Towel
Toiletries
Peri bottle
Anusol
Fig syrup
Going home outfit
Chargers
Camera
@bbhugme feeding pillow
Own pillow
Some harvested colostrum

For Baby:
4 x vest in each size
4 x sleepsuit in each size
2 'normal' hats
2 cute hats
2 muslins
Jersey blanket
Knitted blanket
Nappies
Wipes + cotton wool
Nappy cream
Cardigan
Towel
Soft toy

Just in case:
Extra bag to stay in the car with extra nappies, pads, towel and clothes for mum and baby

Hope that's helpful! We all have different wants/needs but I'm feeling content that we've covered most eventualities 💕
I’ll really miss my bump. It’s such an odd shi I’ll really miss my bump. It’s such an odd shift; we spend years being told to strive for flat, toned stomachs, holding it in and angling ourselves in photographs, wearing things that don’t cling in the ‘wrong’ places. I live in an incredibly privileged body - I’m white and naturally slim. I don’t struggle to find clothes that fit me and I conform to the ‘norm’ of beauty standards both pre and during pregnancy, I recognise that. And yet I’ve still stood in front of the mirror countless times and prodded a size 8 stomach. Now I’m praised for how it’s ‘popped’, how beautiful and big and round it looks. I stroke it and talk to it and love it - it’s my baby’s first home. But it’s also the body I’ve physically felt the most confident in, probably because it’s praised for defying all those usual ‘goals’ of societal standards. As birth approaches I’ve started thinking about the other side. I’m nervous, because this is the body I’m comfortable in now. The pressure we put on ourselves - or is put upon us - to ‘regain’ a figure that has just been literally internally rearranged by the creation of an entire human being. Equally, the scrutiny and criticism we pile on women who appear to look ‘too good’ ‘too quickly’. A supermodel posts a photo selling a pair of pyjamas 10 days post-partum and gets ripped apart for it, like she owes a burden to society not to make other women feel bad. We seem to overlook genetics and circumstance entirely and assume we should all follow the same physical trajectories, without having any clue what’s going on in someone’s head either. Does “you look amazing!” come before “how are you really doing?”...I don’t know where I’m going with this anymore - feel free to chip in with your experience! 💛
I carried a watermelon 🍉 I carried a watermelon 🍉
36 WEEKS 💛✨ We’re into our final week of pr 36 WEEKS 💛✨ We’re into our final week of pre-term pregnancy. In less than a weeks time, bub will be welcome to make a grand entrance whenever they’re ready! Mama just needs that one more week to finish up work and tie off loose ends. I’ve got a little to do-list and then I’m very, very ready to slow down. From full term I’m calling it my unofficial maternity leave; no pressure, no deadlines, plenty of day time baths and naps and alllll the oxytocin I can muster! It’s an odd limbo period, feeling ready to welcome our little one earth side now but knowing that it could be a week or it could be six. I don’t want to wish away time or clock/calendar watch but I also just want my baby safely snuggled in my arms. 🌈🙏🏼
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The highs/lows of 36 weeks:
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🐳 Everything aches, everything is swollen. Even my tongue?!
🥛 Colostrum harvesting: weirdly satisfying! But whoever said ‘don’t cry over spilt milk’ has never squirted a syringe-full all over themselves...
😴 Insomnia (aka that thing that makes you want to punch people who say “sleep while you can! 🤗”)
🧘🏼‍♀️ Keeping up the Hypnobirthing though our course has finished, had my birth preferences approved by the midwife and generally feeling excited and ready for the main event!
🥘 Batch cooking! Slowly filling up the freezer.
🧠 I’d like to say baby brain isn’t a thing and I’m still as sharp as ever but it’s just not true. Basic tasks are becoming much more of an effort!
🌪 Didn’t think I could get windier. Sorry husband.
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#36weeks #week37 #thirdtrimester
Today I’m celebrating what - to me - is a big ca Today I’m celebrating what - to me - is a big career move. Last week I signed a contract to take on management and now have a lovely agent representing me and my little business! I started my blog in late 2016 and ever since it’s just been me (and my very supportive husband) behind the scenes. I don’t think people think of professional bloggers/content creators as small businesses, but that’s exactly what I run and I’ve done it single handedly from day one. I’ve learnt to wear many hats, I’m incredibly protective of what I’ve built and if I’m honest, I absolutely suck at delegating. Truly atrocious at it.
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However, the right person who I feel gets me and my ethos came along at what feels like very much the right time, with a new, tiny player about to join the team 👶🏼...
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It feels like the right step for my business but also for my family as I learn to navigate life as a working mama (as an aside; I had no idea how poor/impossible stat maternity pay is before researching it as a pregnant mum!) My business relies on all of you so without getting my cheese on, I’m forever incredibly grateful for the support and the fact that this space allows me to work for myself and provide for my family.
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We’ve got some big ideas for 2021 but first I’m very much looking forward to winding down over the next couple of weeks and protecting my energy ahead of our little persons big arrival. 🙏🏼✨
Just documenting that one time in 2021 that I wore Just documenting that one time in 2021 that I wore make up AND a bra AND blow dried hair simultaneously...in my living room 😝 I’m so ready to meet baby but I know I’ll really miss my bump. I’ve found it a lot easier to dress and feel comfortable with my body embracing the one part we always try so hard to hide. 🤰🏻
Bumpin’ into the weekend 🐡 #35weeks Bumpin’ into the weekend 🐡 #35weeks
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