My trav­el tips for the se­mes­ter break in Aus­tralia

Anyone spending a whole year on exchange at the Australian National University gets two two-week teaching breaks in the middle of the semester (one per semester) and the three-month long summer break. Understandably, most people probably wouldn't want to stay in one place the entire time. For anyone contemplating coming to coming to Canberra too, I have compiled various travel highlights with tips on planning and budgeting.

From Tasmania to Queensland: My highlights

During my time in Australia, I mainly went on short trips, never staying in one place for more than a week (except during a trip to Japan). Here’s an overview of my three favourite destinations: First up: Hobart. I chose to go because of Tasmania’s breathtaking nature. So, at the beginning of the summer holidays in November, I travelled to Australia’s southernmost state for four days. For street art fans, Hobart is definitely worth a visit. The guided graffiti tour we took also provided a good overall impression of the city. I also took a bus tour to Mount Wellington and then hiked back – which offered the nature experience I'd been hoping for. The Great Barrier Reef is surely on many people’s travel lists. I went to Cairns for a few days in November, took a day trip to the reef and swam with clownfish and turtles. On another day, I visited the mountain village of Kuranda, which has a koala, parrot, and butterfly park.

Lastly, I travelled to Jervis Bay, which officially still belongs to the Australian Capital Territory. Those going there in the spring have the chance to see bioluminescent algae. I was there in the autumn, but it was still pleasantly warm, and you could swim with rays!

Where to start? From plans to experiences

It is definitely advisable to think of a rough list of travel destinations before leaving for Australia. Do you want to stay only in Australia, or also visit New Zealand? Or perhaps Asia instead? And how do you prefer to travel? If you have a driving licence, apply for an international permit before leaving for Australia! It takes forever to get an appointment for this in Berlin, but then they issue the international driving permit on the same day. If you are not registered in Berlin, it can take a few more weeks after the appointment. Then, of course, the question arises whether to travel alone, with friends, or perhaps even with family. Depending on the complexity of the trip, planning should start months in advance. This can be challenging for the first teaching break when you might still be making friends. For instance, if you want to visit the Outback but not Uluru, you will need to plan much earlier, as these trips are often fully booked months in advance and can be quite expensive.

How much to budget?

Someone told me before I left that flying within Australia is very cheap. However, this did not match my experience. Depending on when you book and where in Australia you want to go, flights cost between 200 and 750 dollars – with one Australian dollar currently being about 60 euro cents. What did pleasantly surprise me, however, were the prices for rental cars. For a weekend trip to Jervis Bay with five people, we ended up paying about 75 dollars per person for a three-day car rental for under-21s. We had to refill the tank twice, which came to about 25 dollars per person combined. If you have a driving licence, you could also buy a used car: they are surprisingly cheap (sometimes under 1000 dollars), though they can be quite rickety.

When I travelled by plane, I usually took the bus to Sydney and flew from there. The bus ride takes about three and a half hours and costs between 35 and 50 dollars for a round trip. Hostels are about the same as in Germany, around 25 dollars per night in a dormitory. For those wanting to visit the Great Barrier Reef, tours can be booked. We opted for a day tour, which are between 120 and 300 dollars, depending on your expectations. If you would like to visit many places, short trips are probably the way to go. Longer trips require more planning but are certainly worthwhile if you want to immerse yourself more deeply in the culture and nature, for example in New Zealand. In any case, as an exchange student at the Australian National University, you are in an excellent geographical location for many different travel destinations.

29.07.2024