Important Info | Trip Planning
Australia on a Page
Australia is both a country and a continent, although referring to the region as Oceania is becoming popular. There are five states and two territories in Australia, and the capital city is Canberra, not to be confused with Sydney. Australia is huge in landmass, it’s the 6th biggest country, and it has the 7th largest desert in the world. Australia is home to 20 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Demographics
- The current population of Australia is approximately 25 million people and most people live in the coastal regions.
- The official language of Australia is English.
- Australia is a British colony that was established in 1788. However, the Australian Aboriginal peoples are one of the oldest populations and have been in Australia for at least 50,000 years.
Economy
- The local currency is the Australian Dollar. Australia has very colourful and vibrant polymer cash.
- ATMs are available everywhere.
- Australia has PayWave or Tap and Go functionality when paying with cards if your card has the required chip. It’s an easy, contact-less way to pay for goods.
Trip Planning
When is the best time of the year to go?
I might be biased, but my answer to this question is all year round! Of course, it does depend on where you are going and what you are planning on doing, but because Australia is so big and there’s so much to see and experience, there’s always somewhere good to be.
- Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, so take that into account when planning your trip. And yes, Australia has a summer Christmas!
- Australia has a wet season, but it is confined to the top of the country, otherwise known as the ‘Top End’.
- It does snow in Australia!
- If you’re planning a road trip around Australia, make sure you check Google maps for times and distances. When I said Australia was big, I meant it! It can take days just to cross one state.
Other Information
- JUNEE ROUNDHOUSE MUSEUM / AUSTRALIA
One of the best places to visit in NSW is Junee, a small town in the Riverina. Ok, so I am a little biased because I live here, but it… Read more: JUNEE ROUNDHOUSE MUSEUM / AUSTRALIA - TIPS FOR VISITING ULURU AND KATA TJUTA / AUSTRALIA
The sandstone monolith Uluru and the domes of Kata Tjuta are some of Australia’s most famous rock formations, and they are situated in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This national… Read more: TIPS FOR VISITING ULURU AND KATA TJUTA / AUSTRALIA - MOVIE WORLD GOLD COAST / AUSTRALIA
It’s tough waking up to this view every morning… Today is our third day of our trip! After our super fun day yesterday, it was a no-brainer that we would… Read more: MOVIE WORLD GOLD COAST / AUSTRALIA - SEA WORLD GOLD COAST / AUSTRALIA
Before we left for our trip, I had bought a 7-day holiday pass for entry into Sea World, Wet n Wild, and Movie World. Our biggest decision this morning was… Read more: SEA WORLD GOLD COAST / AUSTRALIA - TRAVELLING SYDNEY TO THE GOLD COAST / AUSTRALIA
I had really wanted to take the kids to the Gold Coast and the theme parks for quite some time now, but it was always financially out of reach to… Read more: TRAVELLING SYDNEY TO THE GOLD COAST / AUSTRALIA - MT KOSCIUSZKO SUMMIT WALK / AUSTRALIA
On the Easter long weekend I decided to take the kids to climb the summit of Mt Kosciuszko. I booked a motel through Booking.com, and like always, filtered by price and choose… Read more: MT KOSCIUSZKO SUMMIT WALK / AUSTRALIA - AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM IN SYDNEY / AUSTRALIA
Amy woke up on Sunday and really wanted to go bowling. So of course we took the kids to the Australian Museum instead. We’re cool parents like that. We drove into… Read more: AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM IN SYDNEY / AUSTRALIA - FORSTER / AUSTRALIA
We hook the camper trailer up and this time we are heading north to Forster, on the mid-north coast of NSW. It is absolutely pouring with rain as we leave… Read more: FORSTER / AUSTRALIA - BURRALOW CREEK CAMPGROUND / AUSTRALIA
Camping in NSW is fantastic. Our first camping trip with the camper trailer see us go to Burralow Creek campground. This campground is in the Kurrajong/Bilpin area, north-west of Sydney.… Read more: BURRALOW CREEK CAMPGROUND / AUSTRALIA - ACTIVITIES IN CANBERRA / AUSTRALIA
A snap decision saw us taking a day trip from Sydney to Canberra, along with my sister and her family. If you’re looking for things to do in Canberra with… Read more: ACTIVITIES IN CANBERRA / AUSTRALIA