# First time travelling - advice



## Rocky1804 (Jul 23, 2012)

Hi, I'm looking to travel Australia next April.
I've got dual nationalality (eng/aus) and I've also got Australian citizenship. I really havent got much of an idea of where to travel and how to do it, I was thinking about maybe buying a car when I get there and using that to travel. Has anyone got any experience of this? Will my
Uk license be enough? And how does car insurance work? 
To be honest I don't really have any intention of going back to the uk, am I able to just kinda stay indefinitely?
I'm looking to take between £10-15k. Any advice at all on where to visit or places to stay would really helpful.
Absolutely any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated.
Ben.


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## ozzy john (Jul 24, 2012)

Hi Rocky,

1) If you have citizenship it means you can stay in Australia for as long as you like.

2) Your Uk driving license will be fine for a while (I think upto a year) after which you will need a proper Australian license. If you're gonna stay, then it's no bother ay.

3) Car Insurance is a bit mental, the truth is you don't have to have it. At the moment it's not mandatory like it is in the Uk, only thing is, if you crash into an expensive car like a lamborgini or something, you have to find the money to pay for the damages. Theres different versions of cover which can be helpful, but fully comprehensive with your budget wouldn't make a great deal of odds so I'd go with that.

4) If your gonna buy a car in april I'd probably make a tour of the east coast maybe start in Tasmania and drive upto Cape Tribulation hitting every place on the way. WA is largely uninhabited northward of Perth, Darwin in April would be hot as hell. Actually, I might of started in SA > VIC > TAS > VIC > NSW > QLD using the Spirit of Tasmania Ferry from Melbourne. Keep in mind the seasons when your planning stuff out, the summer and winter are completely reversed between Australia and the Uk.

Good Luck! OJ


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## peterteh333 (Jul 23, 2012)

ozzy john said:


> Hi Rocky,
> 
> 1) If you have citizenship it means you can stay in Australia for as long as you like.
> 
> ...


thanks for your info


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## Rocky1804 (Jul 23, 2012)

Hi ozzy.
Thank you for your information.

This may seem a silly question, but what sort of car would you suggest?

I assume that staying is hostels in pretty much the only option of places to stay?

Ben.


ozzy john said:


> Hi Rocky,
> 
> 1) If you have citizenship it means you can stay in Australia for as long as you like.
> 
> ...


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## ozzy john (Jul 24, 2012)

It's a good question and it depends on what you want to do. If it were me I'd get a campervan with air conditioning and a decent radio. Good thing about a campervan is the space in the back for all your stuff and you can live in it forgetting about the rent altogether. Ah yeah, get one with a gas conversion kit.

You can often find people who will want to share a leg of the journey with you and contribute towards petrol or food if you're eating together. You know, travel partners.

Theres lots of picknic areas along the highways which are ideal for parking up at and making food, taking a break, staying the night. For lots of people in Australia it's a way of life travelling around in converted coaches, they will always be at the stopping areas.

Other than that, the least would have to be a station wagon (estate car) with a tent you can throw down, or of course the hostels.

Cheers mate OJ


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## Rocky1804 (Jul 23, 2012)

Thanks again for the info.

Sorry to be a pest, but another question.

What sort of price range am I looking at for a camper an that will last?

I'm really excited about going but I just wanna make sure Ive got an idea of what I'm to expect.

Ben.



ozzy john said:


> It's a good question and it depends on what you want to do. If it were me I'd get a campervan with air conditioning and a decent radio. Good thing about a campervan is the space in the back for all your stuff and you can live in it forgetting about the rent altogether. Ah yeah, get one with a gas conversion kit.
> 
> You can often find people who will want to share a leg of the journey with you and contribute towards petrol or food if you're eating together. You know, travel partners.
> 
> ...


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## ozzy john (Jul 24, 2012)

The boy scouts have an old motto "Be Prepared" and preperation is a travellers best friend. No probs ask away, I'm happy to help a fellow traveller.

Ok, so the price of a campervan can vary a lot depending if you buy new or second hand, condition of the vehicle, age etc. Campers last for years even decades, it's the same with anything, look after it and it will look after you.

If you were looking to buy a second hand camper I'd say it would be anything between $2000 - $4500 AUD for something decent. Strangely in Australia cars seem to hold their value really well even if they're 18 years old or more.

So the best place to look would be gumtree au or maybe the auto trader. The thing with Australia is you have a lot of people who have done their 12month working holiday visas and are looking to sell before they leave (because quite obviously they cant take it with them). 

So it's really quite easy to find one, in fact in all most every hostel and web cafe you walk into theres always a board with people trying to sell all kinds of things.

Don't forget you can hire vehicles too, some companies even give you the van for free if you deliver it back to another depot for them. My advice tho is the buy your own, especially as you have no time limit to sell by again.

If you're not mechanically minded find the local RAC depot and get a mechanic to come with you and asses the vehicle for you so you know it's good to go before you buy it. It will probably cost you $50 or so, but it's worth it I would say. Maybe check the vehicle out yourself first and return with the mechanic if you are serious about it.

OJ


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## jamesfly (Jun 7, 2012)

There are many picknic places along the roadways which are perfect for car vehicle parking up and making food, getting a crack, remaining the evening. For most people in Modern australia it is a way of life visiting around in transformed instructors, they will always be at the avoiding places.


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## Rocky1804 (Jul 23, 2012)

Hey, thanks for the info again.
I have a rough idea of what I'm going to do. Im thinking of going to Sydney in April then travelling up to cairns, I have a friend that would want to do that part with me, then after they finish I haven't really got an idea of where to go from there. Any recommendations? 
Ben.


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## ozzy john (Jul 24, 2012)

When you're planning a trip round Australia (or anywhere really) you want to make a round trip (or the best part of) which fits with the activites you are interested in.

So what I mean is, if you start in Sydney and head north, you've already missed the 12 apostles (great ocean road), kangaroo island (SA), cradle mountain/lake st.clare TAS) lots of amazing places and things to do. Of course you have some significant advantages, but why would you want to double back on yourself? Thing is, if you didnt have a car you could fly but driving Australia is a big country and petrol is become expensive. If your touring Oz looking to see if theres a decent enough place to settle, why not start in SA and do VIC & TAS before you meet your mate?

Anyways, to answer the actual question, just north of Cairns after you dive the reef  (take a 3 day charter with Pro Dive, in center of town they were amazing) you have Port Douglas which is a real backpackers haunt which has some really nice beaches and up a short way beyond that Cape Tribulation/Daintree Rainforest.

OJ


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