Things to Know Before Traveling to Australia

Spending a month in Australia wasn’t on our original plan at all. When we were originally planning our trip, we knew that we could swing a couple weeks there to celebrate Steph’s mom’s birthday. The closer we got to that date, it became clear that making the jump from Australia to Africa was a little trickier than we anticipated. We shifted gears and decided to visit the Outback in a camper van and add two weeks to our time in Australia. It was amazing.

There wasn’t a lot of time to plan all the logistics before heading there, so there were definitely things that we missed in our prep work. It’s always good to share our learnings with the next travelers. We pulled together our list of things to know before traveling to Australia.

17 Things to Know Before Traveling to Australia

It is a HUGE country

Australia is so much bigger than you realize. Click here to see 17 maps that help you understand the size. On top of that, there are less highways than we have in the US. There is so much to explore in this beautiful country, but if you have a limited amount of time, make sure you are doing research about how long the commute will be and add time. Everything takes just a little longer. Road tripping is the best way to get around, because you can discover some gems. The picture below is from the “Town that Time Forgot” on the drive from Sydney to Melbourne. We stopped for breakfast and coffee and it was amazing.

things to know before going to Australia

The WiFi is Almost Non-Existent

We were warned about New Zealand and its slow WiFi, but Australia was way worse in our opinion. It was the first time we stayed in AirBnBs that did not have WiFi included. We expected it in the camper van, but not in the cities. If you are someone that likes to be connected all the time, I use the Google Fi SIM card (click here to get a $20 credit) and it worked great in Australia. We just had to rely on cell service instead of WiFi.

Budget Travel isn’t Impossible

Australia is definitely not a cheap country, but that doesn’t mean it should be off your radar completely. We traveled in the middle of winter and found some amazing deals on places and our vehicle rentals. Eating out was a rare occasion for us which saved us a pretty penny. We enjoyed the free tastings at wineries, happy hour deals and we split everything we ordered. Farmer’s markets are the best place to get produce and local treats. Most of the hiking and parks are free as well as the beaches, so enjoy the natural beauty of Australia. We opted out of almost every tourist activity except for the Penguins at Phillip Island and the animal sanctuary in Yarra Valley.

Know the Deadly Wildlife

OK, so this can be terrifying, but it’s important to know. This is the list I familiarized myself with. I made sure to read the facts, because rarely do these animals actually strike and it’s pretty easy to stay away from them all. It’s just good to know what they look like and what to do if you do encounter one. We got pretty lucky because most of the snakes and spiders are pretty scarce in the winter months. That might be another reason to visit when it’s a little cooler.

Beaches are Amazing, but there’s more

About 85% of the population of Australia lives near the coastline and the beaches are world famous. There are at least 10,000 beaches in the country. But the entire middle of the country is pretty amazing also. The mountains in the east, the desert in the middle – the plants and animals here can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Just consider a little internal exploring if you are making the long journey to the land down under.

Talk to Everyone

Australians were the nicest people we’ve met in the world. We had so many casual chats with strangers in this country and we cherished every single one. The stories you will hear about animals, outback adventures and every day life will entertain you as much as watching Crocodile Dundee. I will also say that all the best places we visited came from recommendations of the locals we chatted with. So don’t be shy.

Skip Fosters, Drink Coopers

We thought we’d arrive in Australia and see Fosters everywhere. Turns out, they were bought by a foreign company and are no longer Australian. But the good news, there is a much better beer that is locally owned and wins tons of environmental awards – Coopers. You will find it at most bars and stores. It’s cheap, tastes amazing and is still 100% Australian.

Road Trains are Terrifying

If you are driving on the highways in Australia, you will most likely cross paths with a road train. It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a string of trailers being pulled by one truck – three is the most common number but there can be as many as five. If you are on a two lane highway, be careful because they will pull your car. Passing them is pretty intense as well. Central Australia is definitely where we saw the bulk of them, but just keep an eye out while driving.

Wombats are Adorable, Don’t Hit Them

You will see tons of warnings for Kangaroos and as long as you are paying attention while driving, you will spot them hopping along. The thing we weren’t prepared for was Wombats. They are short, but very heavy. They are out at night and hard to see when crossing the road. Our best advice is to avoid driving at night at all, but if you do have to for some reason – watch out for these little guys. They are so adorable, but they don’t always look both ways before crossing the roads.

Tipping Isn’t Expected

Australians have a much higher wage and tipping isn’t expected. You always have the option to leave a little something extra if you had amazing service, but it isn’t expected anywhere. Credit card slips never have the tip line on them, so it’s easy to remember when paying with a credit card.

Learn about the Aboriginal People

When visiting any new place, you should have some understanding of the history and the struggles that the people there have faced. It’s important to be respectful and aware. The history of the Aboriginal people has a lot of similarities with the Native Americans when you look at a broad overview – the British arrived, colonized it, people lost their land and their lives, the country is just now dealing with all of the injustice for the last few hundred years. This article will help give you a brief introduction, but I would encourage you to do more reading and learning.

While you’re there, you can find some pretty amazing art displays and history museums to dig a little deeper. If you are visiting Uluru, make sure you understand the importance that area has to the people who live there. It’s a beautiful part of the country, but it is so much more to them than a postcard or an instagram selfie.

States have Different Rules – Know Them

If you are driving between states, be aware of the quarantine rules. They are very strict about traveling with produce and other food products. The signs are pretty easy to spot and understand, but if you’re someone that stocks up on produce for a full week – do some research ahead of time. Also, alcohol is harder to purchase in the Northern Territory.

You are Closer to the Sun

The sun here is strong. It should not be underestimated. Make sure to have plenty of sunscreen on at all times and back ups for a reapply. I recommend this reef safe brand – we used it on all of our travels and it saved our skin huge. I would also recommend buying a wide brimmed hat if you are going to be out for long days. My sunglasses did not help my eyes enough. Headaches were common for us while driving long stretches if we were facing the sun, so you can definitely tell the difference.

There is a Correct Way to Eat Vegemite

Some of our best engagement on Instagram came from the Vegemite tasting. Only 1 out of 3 of us loved the stuff (Steph). We learned quickly that a little goes a LONG way. So toast your bread, add some butter and then add a very thin layer of Vegemite over the top. It’s fantastic.

For an even better option, make an egg sandwich with toast, a little butter, a little Vegemite, poached or fried egg and some avocado. That became a camper van staple for us. Thank you to all of you who helped us through the debacle.

Visas are Easy, but Required for Americans

We went through this website. It was awesome because it gave us approval almost instantly and the visa attached to our passports electronically. This visa is called an ETA, electronic travel authority. The visa is good for 90 days in the country, so it covered our trip without issue. Just make sure to check this as soon as your trip is planned so you know what is required.

The Language is English… kind of

We read all the signs with no problem. Food packaging, menus and everything you see will be easy to read. The confusion comes when your Aussie friends text you to meet in the “arvo” and you don’t know where that is. Turns out it means afternoon. There are quite a few words like this, so I would recommend reading through a few lists. This one has 125 different slang words and is a great place to start. What I learned is that I needed to focus on listening because some people talk really fast and it can be tough to understand.

TimTams & Wine Rule

Two things that topped our Australia love list were TimTams and wine. This is one of the most important things to know before traveling to Australia. They have multiple flavors of the TimTam cookies – caramel was our favorite. And the wine is cheap and fantastic. We visited multiple wine regions in Australia and tried lots of options from the grocery store shelves. Go ahead and treat yourself to both while you enjoy this beautiful country.