Australia Travel Guide, Know More about Australia While Traveling

As Aussie Specialists, Pickyourtrail has been certified by Tourism Australia to guide people in their explorations to the vast Land Down Under. Here is a complete Australia guide, from where-to-go and what-not-to-do in Oz. We let you in on all you need to know before you get packing. Here’s another valuable tip for you – check out the super cool Pickyourtrail and plan your Australia vacation in minutes!

Australia guide: When to Go

If you are in Australia for Christmas, be prepared for a hot one, sans the snow you would expect in other parts of the world. Puzzles you? Australia’s weather isn’t all that simple, being the large continent it is. So here is what you should remember when planning your vacation to Australia from India.

Pleasant to go: September to November and March to May

Phew! It’s hot: December to February

Cooool, sometimes rainy: June to August

Grange Jetty in Seaton, Australia — Image credit – trover

Australia guide: Where to go

The land of Oz is surely a place for everyone who has been bitten by the travel bug. Practise your swim strokes in more than 10,000 beaches, snorkel to see the coral reefs, swim with the sharks, dive from the blue sky to the blue of the water – the options are never-ending. And who better to tell you that the Aussie experts at Pickyourtrail with what you should do when in Australia! Just remember that Australia is a continent and needs some time to explore at leisure.

Travel planning — Image credit – activeed

Australia guide: Be Visa Ready!

Only neighbour New Zealanders get an exemption to the visa for the land down under. If you are from USA, Canada, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and S.Korea then you can apply for an ETA online. Others would have to apply for a three-month travel visa. Also read Maldives Visa for Indians.

The Australian VISA — Image credit – y-axis

Australia guide: Oz food

Australia will not feature on the ‘cheap food guide’ for sure. Cities like Sydney and Melbourne often can be found on the world’s most expensive city list. Cooking your own food might help – shop at local grocery chains and stock up on bread and heat-and-eat food. Did you know that there are free public BBQ’s at most parks all over Australia? Great way to socialise too. Oh yes, drinking at bars might be quite heavy on the wallet too. On a tight budget, we recommend boxed wine or better still check out the local microbreweries. And there are some foods which are a must-try if you are in Oz-land – check them out.

The Aussie meatpie — Image credit – expatliving

Train your ears to Aussie slang

In Australia, English takes on a new meaning. Literally. If you are invited to a Barbie to have a few bangers, that translates to a ‘Barbeque with sausages’. Going to a swim party at the beach? Remember to take along your swimmers and thongs, aka, bathing suit and flip-flops. And Aussies love their country and often go on bushwalks. Not walks in the bushes, but hiking or trekking. Got an invite to tea? Get dressed for dinner, ‘coz in Oz, tea refers to dinner. If you ended up hogging a bit too much at dinner and need some meds? When you are shopping for beer, remember the different types – Brownies are bottles of which there are the tallie or stubby small necked ones while Tinnies are cans.

Australia guide: What not to do

Don’t Tip! You are not expected to tip in restaurants or pubs, workers in Australia are paid better than the rest of the world. You might even invite strange looks when you leave behind coins!

Don’t ignore signs. While Australian beaches are beautiful, don’t ignore signs for crocodiles or jellyfish. They can be potentially life-threatening!

Don’t climb the Uluru Rock. Australians consider the Uluru to be a sacred monolith.Climbing this rock has brought about several casualties. Respect the local customs while you are there.

Don’t pet the dingos. Cute as they may look, the Australian dingos are wild dogs. Be sure not to stroke their fuzzy heads and keep a safe distance.

Don’t forget to go easy on vegemite on your toast. True, you will want to try out the nation’s all time favourite Vegemite. But if you overdo the spread, you are sure to have vegemite nightmares!