AUSTRALIA TRAVEL GUIDE

Australia is a fun packed destination with many things to see and do- from diving the Great Barrier Reef to driving the Great Ocean Road. It’s a haven for outdoor adventure lovers, whether it’s creek swimming in one of the National Parks, hiking in the Australian bush or swimming with whale sharks off Western Australia.

Driving through the outback is a real Aussie experience unlike any other. The small towns, some with a population of just 12 people, are so quirky and great little stop offs if making your way to Uluru. This giant and sacred rock in the middle of nowhere is quite magnificent, especially at sunrise and sunset.
In stark contrast to the outback, Australia has some trendy cities too.

Melbourne is a coffee lovers paradise, with cute laneways full of great cafes and restaurants. It’s also great for art lovers, with museums, galleries and plenty of street art.

If you’re looking for a more relaxed vibe head to Sydney and check out the famous Bondi beach. Or Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala sanctuary to grab a photo with a cute and cuddly koala. If you’re a beach lover, then head to the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast- Byron Bay is very popular with tourists.

Up north in Darwin you can go on a crocodile river tour and see the wild crocs up close and personal. And in Western Australia why not try snorkelling on Ningaloo reef and get away from the crowds. Wherever you go you will find something exciting to do and meet some friendly locals along the way.

I travelled for a year solo in Oz and loved it. It’s a perfectly safe place to travel alone as a woman and I would very much encourage it, particularly for first time travellers. The transport is very easy to book, with the popular ‘Greyhound’ buses or cheap flights if you can find them.

Many of the hostels also arrange day tours and outings if you feel like having some company. Australia is very backpacker friendly, making it easy to find other solo travellers to sight-see with.

Australia has opposite seasons to the Northern hemisphere- summer is from December to February and winter from June to August.

North: Up towards Darwin in the North it is hot all year round, particularly being wet and humid around October to March. April to September are the best times to visit the North.

South: The further south you go the cooler the weather generally is, however cities in the South such as Adelaide and Melbourne can get very hot heatwaves in the summer, as opposed to Brisbane on the East coast which is more consistently warm.

Summer (December to February) will be very hot countrywide.

One of the best times is Spring (September to November) which is great for viewing animals and enjoying the fragrant flowers. Autumn (March to May) is also cooler in temperature but still warm enough to enjoy the outdoors.

Winter: Although it gets chilly in the mountain regions (even snow in some parts) and towards the south of Australia, it can still be pretty warm during the day, especially the more north you go. I love winter in Brisbane because it can still reach the mid 20’s during the day but the evenings are still really cool- for a British girl like me it’s a perfect mix.