Visa required.
 

I am looking to travel around oz for a year or more. However, I will not be working, will be fully self sufficient and am too old to apply for a work or study visa. The only visa I know I can apply for is for a six month maximum stay. Does anyone know any different?

If you haven't already, check on www.dfat.gov.au This is the government website that should tell you all you need to know. If the most you can get is 6 months you could have a short trip to Bali or Fiji or Thailand, somewhere not too far away where you can get cheap deals, then come back for your next 6 months. You can get very cheap deals to Bali from Darwin and Perth particularly as they are so close.
Kay

Also try www.immi.gov.au/visit/index.htm

G'day Gwennie.
Several people I had on a tour also only had a 6 mth visa.
They went to NZ for a few weeks and then came back for another 6 months.
Check www.virginblue.com.au and www.flypacificblue.com for good deals.

If you are going to NZ do it during our summer months if possible unless you want to ski.

Enjoy OZ,
Mike

Let me get this straight-
Can you get a 6 month visa, then leave for a holiday somewhere else, then come back to Australia for another 6 months on a second visa?

How hard is it to get a 6 month visa? How long does it take to process?

How long do you have to go somewhere else in between the 2 visas?

If I was in Oz and got a job,do I have to leave the country while they process the work visa?

I'll check those websites mentioned but if anyone can answer these questions from past experience I would be most grateful. Thanks, Abby

Hi all- your advice is a great help. I was thinking of visiting relatives in New Zealand too. I know the visa is valid for a year but didn't know whether I would be able to return to Oz. You have answered my question thanks a lot from sunny England ( yes it's true!!!!)

Abby - you might try posting your questions on the Lonely Planet website on the Thorn Tree. Lots and lots of travellers will have done what you need to know about. Also a work visa is very different from what Gwennie is planning. Different rules for different visas.
Kay