Australia Backpacker Guide

Australia has become an enormously popular holiday and backpacking destination over the last 20 years, largely due to an image that portrays a wonderful quality of life as well as having superb weather conditions. Of course, Australians also share a language connection which makes it beneficial for anyone from the UK.

Australia offers a hugely diverse collection of travel experiences — from the outback to the Great Barrier Reef, the cosmopolitan sophistication of Sydney or Melbourne to some of the world's best and most famous beaches.

To skip across Australia in a few sentences belies the absolute vastness of the country. It has three time zones like the US and any backpacker wanting to see it all better think again. A 12 month trip would barely scratch the surface on a nationwide basis, but with careful planning you can still have a life changing experience.

Anytime is a good time to visit Australia but it's worth remembering the seasonal differences. Summer is from December to February and it can get unbearably hot almost anywhere — it's great beach weather in the south at this time while in the north you'll experience the rainy season, extremely green pastures and very few tourists.

From June to August, things are much cooler in what is effectively the winter. This is a good time to visit Queensland or the outback, or even go skiing in Victoria or New South Wales.

Top sporting attractions include the Melbourne Cup (November), the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (March), the Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne (January), Sydney to Hobart yacht race (begins Boxing Day) as well as Aussie Rules Football (March to September), Rugby Union and Cricket in the summer.

For more travel guides click on the links below:
Australia | New Zealand | The Far East | India | North America | South America | Europe

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