Visiting the Land Down Under - Australia

The word that completes Master Chef is Australia. Well, most of the times, if not always. Kangaroo and Koala thrive here and are common as deer in the Tropics. The land has the oldest surviving rainforest and is home to the bizarre and intense creatures. Most of the white people are intimidated when they hear/see spideys. Yes, the land in discussion is the Commonwealth of  Australia which is the biggest in Oceania and sixth in the world. 

The country is filled with incredible natural beauty from Uluru to the Outback, rainforests to pristine white sand beaches, and of course, the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney’s Harbor Bridge and Opera House are iconic man-made wonders, and Melbourne’s café culture will make you feel like you are in Europe or South India (pun intended :-D) Majority of the population is concentrated on the eastern seaboard and my itinerary covered the eastern coast starting from Melbourne, visiting Cairns next and finally completing with Sydney.

The population is less , but its a huge country. So, everything is taxed before product reaches shelf. This results in exponential increase in products, especially when it comes to those finer things in life we enjoy, like a cold beer at a nice pub or an ice-cream at the beach. People there believe, more the price, better is the quality. Pity them. So, invariably, the budget shoots up and so trip to land down is expensive one.

Fret not, its completely doable on a budget, if you can forgo some things like avoid check in baggage, prepare own food/coffee, travel in public bus/train and utilize free walking tours to the fullest. These were the things I did :-). So lets roll it. As always, VISA process is the initiation for any overseas trip. Read here about the process and documentation. Vodafone, Telestra, Optus are some of the telecom players to buy sim. I chose vodafone and the plan was 30 AUD for sim, 1190 minutes call to India and unlimited internet/domestic call valid for 35 days.

Melbourne

I had the option of reaching either Melbourne first or Sydney. Flight to Melbourne was cheap. It was no brainer. So, the adventure began from Melbourne. 

Melbourne is Australia’s bar capital and hub of live music. Many of the city’s smarter bars are tucked away in the city’s numerous narrow lanes. Across the Yarra River, Southgate provides the arts precinct with a strip of bars and riverside views. Its best explored on foot and find some of the city's best street art and graffiti with epic coffee-drinking experience.

Number of Days needed : I spent 5 days here to atleast scratch the important and must visit sights. The more the better. 

Stay: Stayed at YHA Hostel.(Tripadvisor). Its located in CBD and is close to all means of public transport.

To read more about  sightseeing, check the below posts,

Melbourne Day 1 {Town walk through, St.Kilda Beach}

Melbourne Day 2 {Walking Tour, Other sights}

Melbourne Day 3 {Great Ocean Road}

Melbourne Day 4 {Grampains National Park}

Cairns

Cairns is the gateway to Northern Queensland and also to the Great Barrier Reef. Need no introduction for the latter. Its a tropical city and life here is slow paced. Its also home to the worlds oldest surviving rainforest. 

Number of Days needed : I stayed for 4 days to visit only Reef and Kuranda. If visiting other places like  the Daintree rainforest, the Atherton tablelands, Cape Tribulation may need more number of days

Stay : YHA Hostel (Tripadvisor). The stay was super comfortable and they had free pancakes every morning. :)

To read more about  sightseeing, check the below posts,

Cairns Day 1 {Town Walkthrough, Night Market)

Cairns Day 2 {Great Barrier Reef}

Cairns Day 3 {Sky Rail, Kurunda Village}

Sydney

Home to iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour bridge,  Sydney should not be given a miss whilst in Australia. Its the biggest city and the most visited too (not capital though). Coastal Walks, ferry ride, whale watching, bridge climb, bridge walk are some of the attractions.

Number of Days needed : I spent 4 days here and I visited some of the off beat places, planning ad-hoc

Stay: YHA Hostel (Tripadvisor). The stay was opposite to Central Station which is a major railway hub. Trains to Airport, Blue mountains depart here. Also china town, supermarkets like Coles, Hay market was near.

To read more about  sightseeing, check the below posts,

Sydney Day 1 {Coogee - Bondi Coastal Walk, Circular Quay}

Sydney Day 2 {Blue Mountains}

Sydney Day 3 {City Sights, Shopping}

Epilogue:

• Book stay directly with the Hostel as you save more . You also will get a complimentary membership after a night's stay. The membership comes with plenty of benefits and discount coupons. 
• Houseflies are common and so insect repellent would be beneficial
• Sunscreen with 40SPF+ is a must. So is a cap and poncho/rain coat. The weather can be nasty. It better to keep pullover handy.
• Its advisable  to stay in well lit areas always. 
• Coles supermarket is omnipresent. Stock up food items.
• If not in the mood to spend north of 4$ for a coffee, hit Seven Eleven shop where a coffee cost 1$. Spare the customization's though
• Target, Kmart and China Town are known for shopping . 
• Google Search and google maps are godsend. The public transport timing in google maps is accurate and can rely on them for transport. 
• Opal card is the one card you need for all kinds of public transport whilst in Sydney and the card is free. Just need to top up. The top up can be done in Seven Eleven and other supermarkets.Very convenient. 
• Myki card in Melbs is not free, but can loan from others. Please remember to return them :-)
• Kurunda village is overrated and instead can visit other places