Free travel in Australia

I recommend a travel book for your reference.

This is our family's first real self-help trip abroad. We have been to Singapore and Malaysia before. When preparing, refer to Paradise Garden, from visa to air ticket, hotel and car rental reservation, which has benefited a lot. I just need to give my trip one or two rewards.

First of all, the trip

Let my youngest daughter (seven years old) experience Australian society as much as possible and strive to visit all the famous' places of interest', so we arranged the sea (Great Barrier Reef), land (train, self-driving) and air (plane, cable car).

Book all air tickets, trains, hotel accommodation and car rental before departure to save time. Two families (4 big and 2 small) travel together, and the room is basically 2 bedrooms; ; Basically cook by yourself every night.

The whole journey went down strictly according to the itinerary, which was very smooth. Short-distance traffic on car-free sections is basically a taxi, and the final settlement is about 42,000 yuan per family.

The first day, July 2 1 (Monday): Zhongshan-Sydney (viva macauzg9501$199 22: 35).

The next day, July 22nd (Tuesday): Sydney half-day city tour (arrival 10: 15). Stay at a friend's house in Sydney.

On the third day, July 23rd (Wednesday): Visit downtown Sydney (eat seafood at the fish market at noon); Pick up the car in downtown in the afternoon (budget). Living in Sydney.

The fourth day, July 24th (Thursday): Hunter Valley Day in go on road trip. Go back to Sydney in the evening and live in Sydney.

Day 5, July 25th (Friday): Sydney-Canberra (4 hours by car); A trip to the city. Australian National University in Canberra.

Day 6, July 26th (Saturday): Canberra-Yala Valley (about 8 hs by car); Suara valley.

Day 7 (Sunday, July 27th): Visit Yarra Valley (wildlife and wine tasting) in the morning; After lunch, go to Penguin Island (2 hours by car); Watch the penguin parade after sunset and stay at Penguin Island.

Day 8 July 28th (Monday): Penguin Island-Melbourne; One-day tour in the city, living on the south bank of Melbourne (walking along the Yarra River in the evening).

Day 9, July 29th (Tuesday): Melbourne-Campbell Port, Dayang Road, visit Dayang Road; Look at the Twelve Apostles Stone at night. Stay in Port Campbell.

Day 10 July 30th (Wednesday): Dayang Road in the morning; At noon, Port Campbell-Melbourne, return the car; evening

Melbourne-Cairns (2 1: 25-00: 45 Virgin Blue $ 149), staying in Cairns.

Day 1 1 day July 3 1 (Thursday): One-day tour of Kullanda tropical rain forest (sightseeing train, cable car return). Stay in Keynes.

Day 12 August 1 (Friday): One-day tour of the Great Barrier Reef (join a local tour group). Stay in Keynes.

Day 13, Saturday, 2nd August: Cairns-Brisbane (Viking Blue 06: 10-08: 15 $ 95)- Gold Coast; Visit the Gold Coast. Stay on the beach of surfers paradise on the Gold Coast.

Day 14 August 3rd (Sunday): Take a walk on the beach in the morning. At noon, the Gold Coast-Brisbane (Metro). Visit Brisbane Zoo Solitary Pine. Stay in Brisbane.

Day 15: August 4th (Monday): Visit downtown Brisbane. Brisbane-Sydney in the afternoon [Train country connects Brisbane to Sydney (via casino) eco: adult $91.18; Children $65.65438 +03]. Stay in the car.

Day 16, August 5th (Tuesday): Arrive in Sydney at 7: 08am; Sydney to Macau (Long live Macau11:30—19:10, $ 199)

Second, the road map

Before traveling, Google Maps will print out the road map of driving every day in detail, and it is really invincible to use GPS "double swords". For strongmen who like or have a strong memory, only the road map will be unimpeded. The biggest difficulty in driving abroad is in the urban area, and it is difficult to change lanes in time when the speed is relatively fast. It is highly recommended to use GPS, which saves a lot of effort in memorizing maps and routes and allows you to enjoy the beautiful scenery more.

Third, the preparation before departure

1, visa

Prepare the materials and send them to sign in full accordance with the instructions of the predecessors of Paradise Garden. Because the cash deposit is less than 20,000, I temporarily borrowed 50,000 as a time deposit and obtained a bank deposit certificate. I received my passport four days after I sent it to Guangzhou. Return the loan immediately.

2. Air ticket reservation

I started searching online in mid-June, and just turned to Netflix for help. In the past, direct telephone consultation was available, and the service was very thoughtful, but now it is the peak season (although summer vacation is winter in Australia, air tickets are the peak season after the Spring Festival).

Later, I found that the round-trip low-cost flight from Macau to Sydney was 199 Australian dollars, and the airport tax was cheaper than that from China, which was about 4,300 RMB, so I immediately placed an order online. Extraordinary plane seats are very wide, far better than Jetstar's, but there are not flights to Sydney every day, about every two days. Just go directly to its website /sc/ and inquire.

Virgin Blue was chosen as a round-trip ticket to Australia. Go through. Au/, you can check the voyage and price comparison of major airlines in Australia on a certain day at the same time, and you can also book tickets directly. It is very convenient to use.

Step 3 book a hotel

Search online to wotif.com.au; hotel.backpackers.com； LP is the guide, use Google Maps to check the specific location. According to the standard of 100 per night for each family, it is finally found that booking a two-bedroom apartment is the most economical, because you have to cook for yourself. It turned out to be very wise, and the children liked it very much, saying it was like home. Two of the stops (Melbourne and Gold Coast) are arranged to relax, and they are also apartments with kitchen facilities. Hotels and room rates are as follows:

Date City/Region Hotel Website Price Address

Friday, 7m25d, anu.edu.au/unihouse, Australian National University, Canberra, 205cnr, Balmaine Cr & Liversidge-Saint acton

Saturday, 7m26d, Hillisville Motel, Yarra Valley, healesville-motor-inn.com.au, zip code: 160, Address: No.45 Malonda Highway, Hillisville, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia.

7m27d Tropicana Motel tropicanamotorinn.com.au159 No.22-26 Cosborn Avenue, Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia on Sunday.

7m28d Monday Melbourne Travelodge South Bank travelodge.com.au Melbourne 264 9 Riverside Pier. 3006 Nanmen Avenue, Nan 'an

Tuesday, 7m29d Lockhart Motel, Port Campbell lochardmotorinn.com.au180 3269 Dayang Road, Port Campbell

7m30d Wednesday Cairns Oasis Hotel Cairns oasisinn.com.au160 276 Cairns Street, sheridan, Queensland, Australia

7m3 1d Thursday Cairns Oasis Hotel Cairns 160

8m 1d Friday Cairns Oasis Hotel Cairns 160

8m2d Saturday Gold Coast International Beach Resort internationalresort.com.au 24084 Australian Gold Coast Surfers Paradise Binhai Art Center

45 Phillips Street, Springhill, Queensland, Australia, 4000 160.

Hotels in Melbourne include breakfast. The number of people who truthfully reported the house price. If you really want to save money, you can also save 1 and 2 people. Anyway, 1 people will do it when you check in.

Tips: If you lock the hotel location in a certain area, you can set a central point through Google Maps, then select the surrounding hotels or motels, find out the hotels in the appropriate location, and then check it on its website (usually displayed by Google).

Step 4 rent a car

Book in the budget in advance, because we need 8 cars, which is generally less. Downtown Sydney, downtown Melbourne, a week's rent plus surcharge without insurance, not enough for 700 yuan. For safety reasons, we bought insurance with 36 yuan. If the extra charge for returning the car at the airport is large, it is better to take a taxi. The six of us took a taxi to the airport in Melbourne to spend 67 yuan (it's convenient to call, just add 1.3 yuan, and make it clear how many people there are. We often call taxis ranging from 9 to 12).

5, train ticket reservation

It is also booked in advance. The train running between Brisbane and Sydney is booked on the website of countrylink.

Four, travel (diary)

① Sydney

Arrive at Sydney International Airport on the morning of July 22nd 10, take a rest in the residence and walk around the circular pier. The sun is shining, the sky and the sea are bright blue, and big shells are flying. If the clothes hadn't reminded me, I thought it wasn't winter.

On July 23rd, I visited the city all day, starting from Central Station, China City, Darling Harbour, City Hall, downtown and fish market (lunch). Hyde Park Gallery, New South Wales; Mrs Macquarie's point of view; At 5 pm, I went back to Kinhurst's budget to pick up the car. The female staff in the Philippines actually said that my driver's license issued in China was notarized. She couldn't understand it and said that it would be issued in Australia. At first, I politely explained the contents of notarization, but this person still insisted. In a rage, I asked her if she didn't know English or didn't trust the China authorities. Insist that many friends use this to rent a car in Australia. She asked if it was a budget. Answer with a firm answer. She didn't stop until some negotiations caught the attention of the white man at the counter next door. Since then, I have been looking for people with white skin, friendly attitude and simple work. After dinner, I still sat in Mrs Macaulay's chair and drove to the bottom of the Harbour Bridge and the rocks to watch the night view of the Opera House. It was so beautiful there.

② Hunter Valley Hunter Valley

On July 24th, I got up early and found it was raining. I'm a little worried that my trip today will be disappointing. After the road, it rained harder and harder, and it poured down in the middle. For the first time, LG galloped on foreign roads, and it was the right rudder. Although the local friends were guiding for nearly 1 hour last night, I was still a little nervous when I first started on the road this morning. As soon as I left the city, I got excited. The scenery on both sides of the road is so beautiful. There are continuous hills and pastures, and quiet lakes and forests appear from time to time. There are many cars on the road, and the speed is fast, but it is very disciplined. LG lamented that this is called driving. It turns out that driving can also be a pleasure! Since then, I have been fighting with my friends, which makes me the only cool brother among the four who has foreign driving experience. In fact, I just want LG and my daughter to really feel the Australian and Western society during this trip. ......

Follow the GPS guide 1 hour for 30 minutes. The weather is beautiful, the rain has stopped, and on both sides of the country road where vehicles are driving, large yellow-green and light yellow grass pastures are spread out, and occasionally cattle and sheep are dotted on them. Everything is quiet, pure, and quiet under a foggy blue sky. My daughter asks to stop and look at the cattle and sheep from time to time.

There are more than 100 wineries in the valley, which basically provide free drinks. We went to several wineries according to the recommendation on LP, but unfortunately, we came late and couldn't watch the red wine making process (this program is only available every morning 1 1 when some brochures are marked as sightseeing). When I started tasting wine, my friends were a little embarrassed. I kept urging them to put down their faces and pick up their glasses. Gradually, I found the restaurant very happy and enthusiastic. The more they drink, the happier people are. They never take the initiative to talk, nor will they have the words to try to sell. They only answer questions enthusiastically when guests ask them, and thank them happily when they leave. After several families came down, we all felt that it was really embarrassing for them to come here to drink their wine!

Tourist information of Hunter Valley can be found on its website:. au/

(3) Canberra

On July 25th, a friend from Sydney temporarily decided to go swimming with us in Melbourne. The initial GPS showed that the journey was about 3 hours, but this Australian friend was very worried about GPS and had to follow the route he knew. It took four hours. It rained in Sydney, and the road cleared up in half an hour. The scenery on the road is as endless and eye-catching as a country ranch.

After lunch, eat bread and fruit on the shores of Lake Burleigh Griffin, and then spend time visiting its library, science and technology center, high court, art gallery, parliament building, embassy district and National Museum of Australia. Unfortunately, there is not enough time to savor the exhibits of various museums, and the War Memorial Hall is set earlier (all at 5 o'clock) because it is closed.

LG and I like visiting museums very much, especially foreign museums. The exhibition is vivid and fine, and the galleries are full of treasures, which are of high standard, unlike the exhibitions of so-and-so celebrities who spend money to earn fame in China. The treasures in the collection are well preserved and people can ask freely, let alone freely. The people's service is also first-class, and there are projects left for you to look at easily. The first time LG was anxious to see the exhibits, a smiling beauty stopped him and said that your clothes were quite big and it was warm outside the room. I suggest you take off the exhibits and store them before you go to enjoy them. I don't know when I can enjoy such thoughtful service in China.

In the evening, in order to let the two children see foreign universities, they specially arranged to live in national universities. As soon as they entered the room, they jumped for joy. The huge living room, spacious dining room, kitchen, shower room and balcony are completely different from the hotels they stayed in when traveling in China. They are carpeted and very clean. Their reaction was the same as I expected, saying that it was more comfortable than at home, and they secretly enjoyed the reward of my efforts, which was worth it.

④ Yarra Valley Yarra Valley

On July 26th, I got up early in the morning and went to Yarra Valley in Yala Valley, about 1 hour drive from Melbourne. It takes nearly 8 hours by car, almost all on the road. I want to stay in some small towns as much as possible when I have a car, so I found a place to live-Yarra Valley before going to Phillip Island. It happens to be one of the three major wine producing areas in Australia (Barosa, Yarra Valley and Hunter Valley). My earliest trip was also planned to go to Barosa, but because of time, I gave up my love and left it to Perth-Adelaide-Tasmania next time.

The road from Canberra to Yarra Valley is more beautiful than expected. At first, it was mainly like the pasture scenery in the past, but it was more elegant and the hills fluctuated more. In Aragren (we have entered the valley and haven't reached our residence in Hillsville), we entered the winding path of the forest park and drove like a roller coaster, but the dense trees on both sides were surprisingly beautiful in the faint twilight, and the leaves passed through it. At 5 pm in Healsville, it was already dark, so I went directly to the supermarket to buy it and then went to Motel to cook.

On the morning of July 27th, I was awakened by the birdsong outside the window, and found that the scenery in the town was excellent. After breakfast, the soldiers parted ways. LG, a friend and couple from Sydney, and I went to the winery. My daughter and her friend's house went to the safari park and made an appointment to meet 1 1. Later, she found that there was not enough time, so she postponed the meeting time 1 hour 30 minutes, preferring to cancel the lunch time and eat bread instead.

The wineries and vineyards here are bigger, more beautiful and more natural than those in Hunter Valley. In contrast, the tourist atmosphere of Hunter Valley is slightly stronger, and the wine produced here is very pure. Winery architecture pays more attention to the coordination with the surrounding natural scenery.

(5) Phillip Island on Penguin Island

On July 27th, I ate bread in Yala Valley. After lunch, I drove to Phillip Island, Penguin Island, to watch the world's smallest fairy penguin. Arrive at the residence at 3 o'clock, the location is excellent, a few steps away from the beach. Here is a complete island scenery, with beaches, waves, rocks and pastures integrated. I'm glad I chose to stay here instead of starting from Melbourne and watching the Penguin Parade like most people.

Check in, a motel, went to the town information center to buy tickets and food for the penguin parade at night, then drove around the peninsula and saw a large group of cattle at close range.

Arrive at Sharan Beach at 5: 10 before the viewing time (the forecast for the day is 5: 45). It's the first time to see so many tourists in Australia, and many of them are yellow-skinned, which may be the reason for joining the group. They left halfway, and most of them were invisible in the stands. We have been reluctant to go, watching the military parade in the cold wind, watching them in a daze, singing and playing lightly in the nest. These little penguins are so cute that my little daughter learned to walk on the swing. Because touching is not allowed, she bought a hair doll for her to sleep with, and she was still laughing when she fell asleep.

(6) Melbourne

Driving to Melbourne in the early morning of July 28th, the journey time is 1 hour and 40 minutes. This road is easy to walk, just look at the road signs. The hotel is booked on the south bank of Yalu River, so it is very convenient to travel. Just put the car down and follow the LP road map of the city. The city is not as beautiful as expected. The modern atmosphere that Union Square strives to create is a bit mixed, and the old building seems to lack a little self-confidence. The "ballet skirt" in the Cultural and Art Center doesn't look very special, but the topic of my daughter's diary that night was "Compatibility between the old and the new". She said that the new is very new and the old is very old.

It rained a little at noon and stopped in 20 minutes. The most comfortable thing is to visit the Yalu River, Botanical Garden and Victoria National Museum, all of which are of high level. Unfortunately, I didn't take the free cable car, and I didn't see one after visiting the city for half a day.

It is comfortable to walk along the river in the evening. The fire-breathing performance in front of Crown Casino is actually average, but the scenery along the river is elegant. LG repeatedly praised the hotel location I booked.

(7) Dayang Road and Dayang Road

On July 29th, the weather was very sunny. Starting early in the morning, after Geelong, the scenery began to be more beautiful. In Torquay, I went to the information center to get a map and asked about the scenic spots along the way. The female volunteers on duty have a very good attitude. They introduced the scenery along the way in detail and marked it on the map. With the map on the road, the scenery is infinite, worthy of the title of one of the most beautiful coastlines, more beautiful than the coastline of the United States 1 expressway, and better than the shape and color of the rocks on the shore. Eat pizza at Lorne roadside store at noon. It's delicious and romantic.

At 4: 30 in the afternoon, I arrived at the Twelve Apostles as planned to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the sky, which has always been sunny and cheap, suddenly converges its light, and the bright sunset glow that was originally expected has turned into a light gray sky. But its magnificence is still shocking. Although the wind was blowing hard, we were reluctant to leave until the dust settled.

Port Campbell is a small town, and the hotel faces the only small supermarket in the town. When you check in, the landlord reminds you to close at 6: 30, and Australia enjoys thoughtful service everywhere.

On the morning of July 30th, I woke up and stayed on the coast in front of the hotel for half an hour. The sky is bluer and purer than yesterday. I just couldn't let go of the splendor of the twenty apostles, so I decided to drive back and wander there for more than an hour before I had to give up this attachment. Take a walk to the arch and other scenic spots, and then set off for Melbourne. The pasture scenery along the way is a little more mountainous, and some sections give people a sudden beauty or a surprise of looking back at a beautiful picture scroll. It's not too late to go back to the city. Go to the war memorial to kill the rest of the time.

(viii) Keynes Keynes

At 9: 00 pm on July 30th, I called a 9-seater taxi from Melbourne's return office, which saved more time than returning the car to the airport in 67 yuan 130 yuan. I took my children to experience the self-printing boarding pass (actually a plane ticket) at the airport, and I was very happy. Arrive at Cairns Airport in the early morning of July 3rd1,take a taxi (23 yuan) to the hotel self-service mailbox, and get the room key according to the password notified by the landlord in the mail in advance.

1, Kullanda, Kullanda

3/Kloc-Get up at 0/8, walk to the Central Station, have breakfast, and catch the sightseeing train to Kullanda (the bus leaves at 9: 30). In Kullanda, it is quiet and pleasant to avoid tourists strolling in its jungle. My daughter seldom enjoys this kind of asceticism. Seeing a bat shelter and various online houses, the nurse specially invited two girls to take a closer look. Strangely, they are all lovely, and they are different from what they see at home in peacetime.

It's really enjoyable to take the tiantie on the return trip. The feeling of walking through the forest top was so cool that my little girl refused to cooperate with the photo taking, saying it was a waste of time!

2. The Great Barrier Reef on the Great Barrier Reef

The landlord of the hotel (a middle-aged couple) provides free group reservation service (which is one of the reasons I chose at the beginning, because it was early in the morning and I didn't have time to contact others). On the evening of July 3 1, after we came back, they carefully recommended various sea trips. At first, they found a 139 brunch and shuttle service package, but unfortunately it was full. This is the tourist season here. Later, we found a glass boat (20 yuan per capita) at a price of 1 19 yuan. The next day on the boat, we knew that because of the hotel, only we won the glass boat. To show our gratitude, we gave the landlady a small silk scarf, and she has been thanking her.

There are only six Japanese in this group, plus four Japanese with Asian faces. Stop at two outer reefs and dive and snorkel for a long time. The weather is also very good, the sky and the sea are too blue, and whales were seen along the way. Because of the big waves, my friend's daughter threw up, and LG and my daughter were uncomfortable. I rented a diving suit as soon as I stopped (it has the function of keeping warm, after all, it's only 24 degrees, and the wind is strong, so I'm afraid my daughter will freeze. See a lot of beautiful women are almost cold, admire! My little girl is too thin to go into the water, but she is shivering with cold. But she insisted on going into the water. Maybe she is an only child and can't swim. She moved a white bus to accompany her and took her to the most beautiful place underwater. She looked up and asked with concern, "OK?" I followed him and found that the place where he walked was really more beautiful than the place where I visited.

(9) Gold Coast

On August 2nd, the plane flew to Brisbane at 6: 00 a.m. and arrived at 8: 00 a.m., and took a van directly to the hotel booked by the Gold Coast (4 big and 2 small fares 170 yuan, which is a little expensive, and my friend and daughter are a little uncomfortable, so it is better to change trains less).

10 arrived at the hotel and could not check in. We first went around and went to the Q deck, where the Gold Coast was more beautiful. /kloc-0: 00 when I returned to the hotel, I saw my friend was very angry and still didn't get the room, because the waitress at the counter who didn't smile for the first time and even had a bit stiff attitude promised to move out of a room as soon as possible (two high-rise apartments were booked here). A friend said that everyone can get the key as soon as they arrive, but they can't; And seeing many warnings in Chinese, I feel that foreign women are dismissive. I went to negotiate, but I still didn't clean it up. My friend still looks unhappy, and I feel very guilty. /kloc-0: 00 to 2: 00, the waiter gives the room key on time. It's really high-rise,17th floor, facing the sea, with excellent scenery. There are only three such rooms, and we realize that other rooms that can be checked in early are really different from ours, and the unhappiness just disappears. However, my friend has just been suffering, insisting that people discriminate against China tourists. The reason is that there are Chinese warnings everywhere. I read it carefully and posted it in both English and Chinese. The English original is very polite, but the Chinese translation is very condescending in Taiwan Province style, which really makes people feel unhappy. When I come back in the evening, I want to discuss this special problem with the counter in Chinese. I saw the lobby was noisy and crowded with people. It turned out that a tourist bus took dozens of middle school students from China. Our lovely future may be really exciting, running and screaming ... and I'm embarrassed to mention anything to the counter.

The beach is so beautiful. We spent the afternoon, evening and the next morning on the beach, playing with water, sand, walking, picking up shells and watching the sunset and sunrise, and enjoyed a short leisure holiday.

(10) Brisbane

At noon on August 2, I took a train from the Gold Coast to Brisbane. Motel was in Chunshan, not far from Central Station. The landlady is very good. Take the map to mark the nearest supermarket and the route to the city center, just in time to check in. Look, it's still early Put down your luggage and take a taxi to Gu Song (yellow taxi has more than 6 people, that is, 1 1 yuan. Taxi fare is a bit expensive, 46 yuan; Return by bus from 2 yuan to queen street. It is very touristic and small, far away from the large, natural and multi-animals in Yala Valley. The biggest advantage is that you can take photos with koalas (3 yuan can be reduced if you buy tickets), feed kangaroos and watch some animal performances. My daughter is the happiest.

On August 3, I spent most of my time walking in the urban area, with a journey of about 8 kilometers. The city hall is average, but the central square is ok. The exhibitions in state museums and art galleries are very Queensland-style, and some also show many specimens of animals, marine life and shells, which are beautiful and interesting. Walking in Nan 'an Park and Brisbane River is very comfortable. There are many boats on display in maritime museum, and the bridge back to the city is covered and comfortable. In order to catch the train to Rome Street Transit Center at 2 o'clock, my little daughter was very tired and persisted. LG couldn't bear to carry it for a long time. My daughter did well all the way down. I'm afraid she will be exhausted by the tight schedule. Unexpectedly, her 13-year-old sister collapsed first and caught a cold. My daughter has always maintained a high enthusiasm and had a good time. The main reason is that she will take the time to sleep in the car, plane and train. Therefore, people who travel with children should fully consider the children's own endurance to determine the itinerary. When I travel to consult my friends, I always say, "Your daughter can do it, and we will certainly have no problem." , in fact, not necessarily. I also neglected, and finally I felt guilty that her daughter had a cold.

Looking back on this trip, it was better than we expected. Before leaving, I was a little worried that the winter weather in Australia would not be so beautiful. I didn't expect winter in Australia to be so beautiful, and I didn't expect it to be dark. It would be more interesting to go skiing again, because my daughter has already experienced it, so I canceled it. Before the trip, many friends heard that they were going to Australia in July and August. Experts said it was winter and there was no water. However, LG and I must be willing to take our daughter to travel and do our homework with the mentality of watching the winter scenery, only to find that this time period is actually very good. Keynes has no four seasons, only two (dry season and rainy season). July and August are dry seasons and one of the best weather periods. This time I went to see a completely different scenery from the rainy day I went in June 2004. Even in the south, as long as there is sunshine during the day, in fact, every day is sunny and the scenery is beautiful. Besides wearing a thick coat, you also have fun. It is suggested that parents who need to accommodate their children's holidays choose summer vacation instead of Spring Festival to go to Australia. The weather, scenery and money saving are better.