Backpacking around Australia (Queensland)Whether you’re just backpacking around Australia for a few months, or squeezing it into a couple of weeks as part of a bigger trip: you will definitely be spending some time in Queensland. If New South Wales provides the ‘cosmopolitan’ ingredients for an Australian trip, then Queensland provides the ‘wow’ factor. In fact, if you’ve been to any backpackers hostel, anywhere in the world, someone is certain to have mentioned one of the ‘backpacking essentials’ that the state offers: the Whitsunday’s perhaps, or Fraser Island? There is nothing ‘undiscovered’ about Queensland, but it will still blow your mind – there are some truly magical experiences to be had, and the best thing to do is to find a hostel, join the throng and start booking your trips... Where is it and what’s thereQueensland makes up the north eastern corner of Australia and borders New South Wales to the south, the Northern Territory to the west, and South Australia to the south west. The largest city in Queensland is Brisbane – the ‘river city’ - which, despite generally being usurped by its more flamboyant southern cousin, is actually a great chilled-out city and well worth having on your itinerary.In terms of its size, Queensland is a similar size to South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales combined. In fact, it makes up 25% of the entire country. As such (even for Australia!) it has very different regions in terms of topography and climate. Queensland has several striking natural features, including the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree rainforest (the only place in the world where rainforest runs right up to the coastline), and Kirra point - one of the longest surfing waves in the world. ClimateThe southern end of Queensland has a similar climate to the west coast of New South Wales, although being a bit further north it is warmer, and the ‘Sunshine Coast’ lives up to its name. From here, things only get hotter and – depending on whether you head west or north – either just hotter, or hotter and wetter. If you do go right up to Cairns or beyond, then the climate is tropical, with tropical seasons: the wet running from November to May, and the dry from June to October. Average annual temperatures in Cairns (North Queensland) are 30°.If Australia is an early destination on your backpacking travels, or if you’ve spent time in New Zealand or the southern states of Australia first , then be prepared for the contrast in climate and – as the Australian’s do obsessively – follow advice around staying hydrated, applying sun-cream, and staying out of the midday sun. At the very minimum, sunburn will ruin a few days of your trip Getting thereNowadays most airlines fly into Brisbane and the cost and frequency of long haul flights are similar to Sydney. When planning your Australia trip, have a think about time of year you are arriving and how long you’ve got. If you’re arriving in ‘winter’ then it may well make sense to fly into Brisbane, go north (or west) first, and then work your way down when things warm up a bit.Getting aroundDespite being a big state (it is seven times the size of the UK!), you’ll probably drive or get the bus around Queensland. The attractions (Gold Coast, Whitsundays, Fraser island, Great Barrier Reef etc) are relatively well spaced, so you can break your travels up quite effectively. And driving along the coast road, putting in a few hours a day, is far from being a hassle!Queensland is also prime territory for the ‘backpacker bus’ companies, so you’ll be well served if you are using these to navigate around – definitely worth booking in advance though... Things to doQueensland really is a great backpacking treat. There are few other places in the world with such a density of ‘backpacker sights’, and you definitely want to ensure that you’ve got the cash to do most of these (if you’re running low, then a couple of weeks picking fruit in Queensland should be enough to get you back into the red and out on a few trips).• The Whitsunday Islands. Regardless of where your travels take you, few places can rival the Whitsunday Islands for iconic white sand and crystal clear water perfection. Find yourself a place at one of the hostels in Airlie beach and then check out your boat trip options. They’ll range from dive specific boats and racing yachts to ‘party boats’. For once, maybe it’s worth going for a sensible option and genuinely enjoying the ride...
• Fraser Island. This world heritage site is the largest sand island in the world. It has (more!) perfect white beaches, over 100 freshwater lakes to swim in and is home to up to 40,000 migratory shore birds. It really is a beautiful spot – plus you can hire a 4 x 4 for your trip and put your foot down as you cruise along the shore line: Ok, so not quite so tranquil... but good fun and essentially harmless. • Sea Turtles. Between October and March there are various organised tours enabling you to see the nocturnal nesting adventures of sea turtles. There are also opportunities to help with turtle conservation through measuring and tagging these remarkable creatures. • Skydive over the Reef. From Cairns you can arrange a tandem skydive with views over the Great Barrier Reef. If you really want to feel like you’ve arrived, then combine one of the most amazing visual vistas with the buzz of jumping out of an aeroplane! Queensland has a global reputation as one of the beautiful places on earth, and it is also incredibly well prepared for the masses of backpackers who arrive to capitalise on the year round sunshine, amazing sights and partying reputation of the state. Just remember that it is very big! Don’t try and cram too much in to too little time, but do make sure that you do everything you possibly can. Return from Backpacking around Australia (Queensland) to the home page
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