Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Austrailia on the Cheap

Looking to go to Australia and New Zeland for two weeks on the cheap next August.

Couple of questions:

What is the cheapest fare I should expect to pay ORD-SYD-AKL-ORD?
How are the hostels in Australia/New Zeland?
Any recommendations of things off the beaten path that are musts?
If I only have 14 days should I concentrate in SYD and AKL or should I try to go to MEL?

Thanks for any thoughts/advice.

Aust/NZ is backpacker heaven, there are lots of backpacking accomodation everywhere (and at a surprising variety of price points). As for the airfare, adding the stopover in AKL typically adds USD 100 to the fare. You should be able to get slightly under $1K for this fare, but it all depends on fuel surcharges and will reqire diligent shopping around to get that price (normal fare is circa $1400). Sometimes Air NZ offers flights LAX-SYD with a free stopover in AKL.

SYD is probably more to your taste than MEL, particularly in August (mid-winter). The nice parts of NZ are outside of AKL, but you need a rental car to see them (though there are backpacker buses, but not too many in winter, it is mostly in summer). You should be getting off-season pricing, at least in NZ (SYD doesn't really have an off-season).

In Sydney, I would stay away from the hostiles unless you like hanging out when college kids and drinking beer and doing bong hits. You can probably find a reasonable hotel for about $75 per night plus tax. The Barclays Leisure Inn in Kings Cross on Bayswater Road is about that price (particularly in winter). It is in the middle of everything with easy train/bus access to Bondi, Bondi Junction (shopping) and Downtown/the Wharf.

If you can do without the NZ part, Quantas has a travel package from LAX for about $1K that allows a couple of flights within Australia. Check it out on their website. I think that you may be able to get AA Advantage miles, although probably at a reduced reate. Then look for a cheap flight from ORD to LAX.

I found some of the hostels pretty good. I think the YHA in Sydney is huge and new and has a mix crowd. My experience was if the hostel you were at had more long-term backpackers (ex-pats on working holiday) it was much less of a party scene. I stayed at the very funky Pink House in Sydney and most of the folk at the time were working so it was earlish to bed and early to rise. It was a co-ed dorm however. The YHA's in Oz and NZ are single-sex dorms, many have private rooms for a tad more money. Check out Bug Australia for hostel reviews.

In Sydney, I would stay away from the hostiles unless you like hanging out when college kids and drinking beer and doing bong hits.

My Sydney experience is certainly different than yours. The YHA has two hostels across from the Central Railway Station, one at Pitt and Rawson, and a newer one, Railway Square, which I stayed in this year, behind the station. They're both more than adequate, quiet, clean, and have easy access to local transit.

This year I've also stayed at the YHA in Brisbane, and in NZ in Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wellington. I would recommend all of these to other travelers. Some actually have very reasonable single rooms for $US40-60 a night if you don't want to do dorm accommodations.

Did not stay in any of the hostiles, but the crowd and the noise therein definetely reminded me of my college days when beer drinking and bong hits were a near daily ritual. For another $25 to $30 I would want the piece of mind for a real hote.

If I only have 14 days should I concentrate in SYD and AKL or should I try to go to MEL?

I did my first Australia trip about 13 years ago now, and was there for a month. If you only have two weeks, I'd stay in Australia, and think about NZ as a separate trip later on.

There's a number of options to get between Sydney and Melbourne including rail (daytime or overnight), bus (I've used Firefly Express before), and air (watch the Qantas web site for sales). Having said that, there's a lot more to Australia than Sydney or Melbourne, and if you're going to do two weeks I would venture out somewhere else depending on your interests (Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, Great Ocean Road, for instance). If you wanted to focus on the east coast, there are bus passes that allow unlimited stops (Greyhound, McCaffertys).

Did not stay in any of the hostiles, but the crowd and the noise therein definetely reminded me of my college days when beer drinking and bong hits were a near daily ritual.

That's why it's good to check with sites that have hostel reviews before booking. I tend to avoid the partying hostels as I want to sleep. the YHA (Hosteling International) hostels tend to fall in the non-partying category.

Australia-based Wotif is a good resource for cheap lodging:

http://www.wotif.com/

Australia and NZ have a high number of "apartment hotels": many of which have in-unit laundry. Yes, they also have in-unit kitchens and refrigerators but remember: live to eat, not eat to live. Especially since you can sample the wonders of cheap and tasty Lebanese and Malaysian food.

Base Backpackers offers a more "upscale" hostel environment (i.e. it's not always next to the train station) and also features a number of private rooms with ensuite facilities. They occasionally have specials that are advertised on Wotif (above).

http://www.basebackpackers.com/

OZ Stays provides "by owner" vacation rentals, some of which can be had for a good rate and are situated in "non-hotel neighborhoods".

http://www.ozstays.com/

Virgin Blue runs lunchtime "specials" (aka Happy Hour Specials) everyday between 12pm - 1pm Sydney time. Good for scoring a cheap domestic ticket:

http://www.virginblue.com.au

If you are using UA miles, an coach award ticket for travel within the region containing New Zealand and Australia is only 20K miles.

If you intend to visit Uluru / Ayers Rock only Qantas can get you there by air: Virgin Blue does not fly there. Tickets from locations within OZ are expensive. I suggest you purchase the Qantas Aussie AirPass, which lets you purchase a package of tickets based on quantity and city "zone":

http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals217

A $100 rebate off of the ticket price is available if you visit an OZ Outback city:

http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals250

Air NZ has airpasses that can get you to OZ, let you fly into one city in OZ and out of another, and provide a free stopover in NZ. Typically, you can not earn miles on these tickets.

http://www.airnewzealand.com/airfares_offers/web_specials_flights/flights/default.htm

Hi Mansh17,
As you've been advised above, keep an eye on fare sales at jetstar.com and virginblue.com.au websites to get to some great places on the cheap.

I highly recommend Airlie Beach, which both airlines service. This growing town is a backpacker (plus resort) hotspot, as a place to begin a cruise around the Whitsundays.

We were there in August and the weather was great and it was not crowded. Aside from megasized backpacker places, there are lots of accommodation alternatives, plus a variety of places to relax.

It would be easy to find a few affordable Whitsunday cruises this time of year, and you may even catch some of the yacht races at the two 'Race Week' weeks late August. Why not 'find Nemo' amongst the coral and swim amongs the fish and stingrays? :eek: ;)

Airlie Beach Backpackers even advertised free transfers from the airport if you stay for 3 days. Combining a couple of day cruises, you could do a lot over 3-5 days!

Hope this helps, and have a look at other advice from tom911 and others, who have been doing these budget trips to Oz on a regular basis. Hope to meet you on one of these trips, Tom :) ^

If you want to stay out of the Sydney CBD I stayed at the hostel at Collaroy Beach and it was great. 100 yards and you're in the surf, public transport 40 yards away with express buses to the city (40min). http://www.sydneybeachouse.com.au/ You might consider staying at different places, just an idea. I would look up www.virginblue.com.au during their "happy hour" from 12MD to 1pm, and they offer great savings from Sydney to Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) because if you have time, the reef is something you will not want to miss.

Edit: Just checked on virgin for flight from Sydney to Cairns in August 2007 and you can get a return tix for $318 all incl..