Must Cities to Visit in Australia
 

I live in Canada so I want to make the most out of my time and see (almost) everything. I'm planning to be there for 2 weeks but I'm starting to think that 3 weeks might be better.

My budget, my likes, dislikes, goals, etc are listed below. If you could advise the best cities to visit in Australia, I'd be very grateful!

I'd say that my budget is medium - $5000 Cdn dollars - figure that $2000 will be swallowed up by the flight alone. Not a huge amount but I will aim to save more if this is unrealistic.

I'm very much into learning about different cultures and would like to know more about the Aboriginals. I'm looking to learn about the history of the country, etc. I wouldn't mind spending a night in the bush near Ayers Rock. I'm not keen on sunbathing, surfing, 4x4ing, etc. I don't mind hiking though.

Parliament building get a bit boring after awhile so I can't see that is one of my interests.

jenmakin - to see the 'best' of Australia, is to spend more time away from our cities, and more time in the bush, away from the crowds or touristy areas.
For aboriginal culture, I would think more of Darwin & Kakadu areas, where there tours which cover aboriginal culture.
Unfortunately, most overseas visitors think mainly of visiting, Sydney, Melbourne, Ayers Rock, GBR, and that's about it.
The visitors that I have met, whom raved about experiences or places visited, talked about the out of way places. Try not to see "everything" in Oz. My wife & I have places that we visit, which we consider "special". I will stop at this point, and allow others to divulge their favourites, then I will return with my favourites. You will be surprised to hear of some places, not always mentioned in the glossy brochures of Australia Travel.

Jen I'm a little worried about your budget. Even if you stay 2 weeks you will have $214 per day to cover accommodation, food, sightseeing costs and transport. If you stay 3 weeks it's only $143/day.

It doesn't sound like much unless you plan to stay in really cheap accommodation. You need to fly between most major areas in Australia if you don't want to spend a lot of time on buses, trains or in a car. You might be able to book cheap flights if you book ahead and research the costs.

Speckles is absolutely right, your budget is going to be a bit tight for 3 weeks, particularly if you fly between cities. Are you going to be backpacking?

Virgin Australia flights to the US will be starting later this year and they are going to be substantially cheaper than the current airlines. That might help your budget a little.

I'd try to save a little bit more money. At $143/day, you can figure $20 to $30 AUD for a dorm bed in a hostel (may or may not include breakfast), and $35 AUD for food. But you still have to come up with money for transportation and sightseeing. Flights inside Australia or a hop-on/hop-off backpacker bus ticket will definitely take a chunk out of your budget.

Total up all your transportation costs first (overseas and locally) and then you know how much you really have leftover for lodging/food/sights.

Hi Jen,
I'd echo the others re $. The AUD is roughly equivalent to yours, and I think you're cutting it pretty fine at $3k for your ground transportation, accommodation, food,entertainment & sightseeing etc for 2 weeks.

Australia is so big that unless you're staying in one place & walking everywhere, transport is a significant cost factor. Of course, you can get great deals from time to time, (I'm looking at Virgin $169 Sydney-Hamilton Is, one way as I write, for example).

Not at all to be a 'wet blanket' - but as you've mentioned Ayers Rock (Uluru), it's quite expensive both to reach and for accommodation; simply because of its isolation.
However, something you might consider (I've done it & it was great fun) is flying into Alice Springs & taking a 2 day bus trip to Uluru & back. They camp in permanent tents and it's a reasonably priced way of seeing the 2 areas, plus Kings Canyon, the Olgas and other interesting things along the way. Alice Springs is, to me, a most interesting place and could justifiably be said to be one of our last "frontier" towns.

One way to cut down on accommodation costs is to stay at backpackers and local hotels, (Pubs).
It's a challenge when you're so far away & know nothing about a place, I know, but you will find lots of helpful suggestions here. And, if you use "Google", you'll often find other options.

Whatever you do - don't be tempted to hitch-hike.