Several options are possible (I will present the most classic ones) to do the East Coast. I give you an explanation of the budget for Australia
Budget for Australia: my opinion
Budget for Australia: the East Coast
The best time to do the East Coast of Australia is at the end of winter in the South and the beginning of summer in the North because you avoid it being too cold in the Brisbane area and you avoid rains in the Cairns area. The best months would be October and November or April or May but for the second choice, it depends on the years and the rainy season. You can go between June and October but you risk having bad weather or rain in the south of the east coast.
- Rent your Car, Van
For the said periods if you rent a van/car for a minimum of 3 weeks, you will pay at least 60 euros per day.
- Take the Bus (Greyhound Australia) with a hop on / hop off ticket
With the Hop on Hop off ticket, you can take the bus whenever you want, count about: a little more than 300 Euros
This solution seems more economical! It’s the one I took and recommend for several reasons if you do Fraser Island and Whitsunday Island. These are multi-day excursions so you don’t use your Van and you are free to use or arrive at your destination within 90 days. You can always rent a 4×4 if you want to do your own adventure on Fraser Island.
Budget for Australia: The excursions to do on the Australian East Coast :
- Skydiving: count 250 euros without videos, 350 euros with the video and the t-shirt.
- Cruise on the Whitsunday Islands: count 100 euros per day, excursions of 1, 2, 3 days are possible with dormitories in single cabins or double beds.
- Visit Fraser Island, you can either camp or take a shareable room, also count 100 euros per day or 60 euros if you camp. Stay at least one night to experience the night on Fraser Island in the middle of the Dingoes!
- Snorkeling excursion on the coral reef: minimum 80 euros, the further you go on the reef the more expensive it becomes! You can also dive for 50 euros for 30 minutes. It’s really something I recommend and that you do only once. However, remember to take seasickness pills if you get sick on boats because some boats make you sick very quickly.
- Surf lessons or surfboard rental from 15 euros for 2-3 hours for rental, otherwise count 30 euros for lessons, the price depends on the number of people in the class.
- Visit Noosa Beach and national park: Usually free, the hostel provides transport there.
- Kayak rental, 15 euros for 2 hours or 25 euros for the afternoon.
Count at least 3 weeks to go from Sydney to Cairns, personally I did Brisbane to Cairns in 3 weeks. One piece of advice: Take your time and enjoy!
My budget was 2000 euros for 3 weeks of vacation with my brother including skydiving with video, 3 days/2 nights cruise at Whitsundays island, 2 days/1 night on Fraser Island. A bus ticket Brisbane Cairns, a stay at Magnetic Island, 3 weeks of hostel accommodation in Australia, external fees…
If you want more details about Australia, check the section: Australia blog
