VISA AND OTHER PROCEDURES
Australia uses a system of entry into the country similar to the US, which involves applying for an ETA authorization (Electronic Travel Authority), to a allow ETA, an eVisitor visa or conventional visa. More information at Australian government.
HEALTH CARE
Australia does not require any vaccinations to grant tourist entry into the country.
For more information on traveling health, see the Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Tropical and Traveler Medicine Clinic. In FitForTravel find country-specific health and disease prevention advice (in English).
TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
Fly to Sydney or Melbourne with a combination of flights from TAP (tel.: 707 205 700) and Lufthansa, via Frankfurt and Singapore. Prices start at €1.100. THE Emirates flies to Sydney with a single stopover in Dubai.
INTERNAL FLIGHTS
Australian companies Qantas, Tiger Airways, Virgin Australia e jet star they ensure several connections between major Australian cities prices that fluctuate widely from low to high season.
CAR RENTAL
Rent a car or a good campervan (caravans) and set out to discover. Good 4WD vehicles can prove to be helpful in Australia. They provide safer driving even on tarred roads and allow you to navigate the dirt, sand, rock and mud roads of the Outback Australian.
In terms of costs, even if the car consumes significantly less than the campervan, you either use a good tent or you'll end up spending a lot more due to the costly per diems of Australia's roadside hotels and motels, guest houses and inns.
The lowest price for car rental is around €20 per day, including insurance and in low season. Prices for caravans equipped to sleep and cook on board start at €40 per day, including insurance. Approximately twice as much if they are 4WD. A jeep costs from €60 per day. In addition to these expenses, gasoline costs almost half of what it costs in Portugal.
TRUCK
Australia is served by several bus companies. Of these, the predominant Greyhound Australia. Greyhound sells a range of passes including the Central Coaster Pass which covers the east coast between Sydney and Brisbane, priced at around €150 for 90 days of use.
As an alternative to car rental and this type of pass, you can also buy a Hop On Hop Off style ticket. There are several Australian companies that market them, sometimes simultaneously with New Zealand itineraries. They allow you to travel on several buses, leave at one destination and re-enter another bus on the way to the next destination, always with the same ticket and at reduced prices
OTHER
Another possibility is to enroll in one of the programs of the numerous tour companies which cover the entire Australian territory. Remember if that – as with Hop On Hop Off buses – will travel with a large international entourage. And you will only be able to stop and explore the places covered by the itinerary.
Australia occupies so much of the Southern Hemisphere that its weather differs greatly from south to north and east to west. If your idea is to visit the south of the island, avoid the months of June to October when you will find these regions facing the Southern Ocean in the middle of winter, with serious cold, lots of rain and even snow in the highlands of New South Wales , Victoria and Tasmania. If you plan to visit the tropical and semi-tropical part of Queensland (north of Brisbane) it is very important to avoid the months of December to April when there is a serious risk of the region being hit by powerful hurricanes (including grade 5) formed on the warm waters of the South Pacific. If you plan to bathe in the best beaches in this region, be aware that many cannot be used from November to May due to the invasion of sea wasps (stingers), which make victims every year. More information at queensland beaches (in English). The other concern you should be aware of when planning your trip to Australia is not to visit northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia during the Southeast Asia monsoon season when most of these regions and their roads are under water . The best time to explore them is from May to November.
The Australian currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD). There are ATMs in the main cities and towns of the state and credit card payments are possible in the most sophisticated establishments. Remember, however, that vast areas of Australia either have no settlements or if they do, they are minimal. It is important not to be fooled by the difference in value between the Euro and the Australian Dollar. Australia is one of those countries where you end up spending more money than you had planned, easily a minimum of €100 to €150 a day, if you don't prepare accommodation and transport in time. Food itself has high prices even in supermarkets in major cities.
ACCOMMODATION
A hyper-popular solution in Australia is to combine transport with accommodation by renting a campervan (caravan). Remember that, especially in high season in every Australian region – especially from November to February – the campervans are rented at a hell of a pace. By December, many of the companies that rent them communicate that they have no availability. If treated early enough, you can rent one of these campervans for less than €50 per day that can be split by several people, depending on the size of the vehicle you rent. guest houses e hostels they have a minimum price of €30 in a double room, €12 – €15 per person in a dorm. As a rule, rates at the cheapest hotels start at €50 – €60. In high season, when the accommodation capacity of the most touristic places starts to run out, even the simplest roadside motel charges €80 – €90 per night in a double room. The best hotels and resortsThese are easily priced from €150 – €500 per room.
FOOD
Australians are used to justifying the exorbitant prices of their food products with the health of the economy aussie, the lack of competition and the vast distances that distributors have to travel. Whatever the main reason, supermarket staples – milk, fruit etc. – cost double, sometimes triple as in Portugal. Any complete meal, no matter how simple, will cost you a minimum of €10.
INTERNET
Most hostels, guest houses, hotels and motels have Wi-fi included on some computers for guest use. If traveling on a campervan you will need to stop at an internet cafe (2€ to 8€ per hour depending on whether you are in a big city or a small town) or in one of the many places with free or semi-free signal, such as the McDonald's chain – where, in principle, will have to consume – or the libraries of major cities.