Travel costs in Australia

adminonAugust 25, 2023August 22, 2023Leave a Comment

Australia Costs

Australia is known to be an expensive place and is in terms of living and travel costs significantly above those of Germany and most other countries. Especially as a backpacker you often have a limited budget and have to turn over every cent twice. The possibilities to earn money with the working holiday visa in Australia make it possible to afford a longer stay on the red continent despite the high costs. Without this visa probably only a fraction of the backpackers in Australia would be on the road as it is currently the case.

In order not to get a price shock when you arrive, you should still have a look at how expensive life in Australia really is and what travel costs you have to expect before you start your trip.

Food prices in Australia

Food costs much more in Australia and your budget should definitely not be too tight for that. Eating healthy and cheap will be difficult, but not impossible. Cheap fruits and vegetables can often be found on markets and you can definitely save money compared to the supermarket. You can also save a dollar or two if you go shopping together in a group. Here are some examples of how expensive food is

1 liter of milk = 1$
100g salami = 3$
Pack of eggs (12) = 3.20$
Chicken breast fillet (650g) = 8$
Packet of cornflakes = 5$
Apples (1kg supermarket) = 4$
One avocado (supermarket) = 3$
package of cheese (cheap) = 6$
yogurt (4 x 125g) = 5$
Good bread = 4$
Toast = 0.60 – 3 $
Small bottle of Coca Cola = 2$
1L apple juice = 2$
1 beer (supermarket) = 3$
1 beer (pub/bar) = 10$
1 pack of cigarettes (40pcs) = 28$
1 pack of tobacco (25g) = 20$

I personally was always between 60 and 100$ per week. I did pay attention to prices, but I also treated myself to something tasty from time to time. For food I would estimate a flat rate of 80$ per week. If you want to go somewhere to eat or celebrate accordingly more. Super cheap are always asian food stalls where you can fill up your plate yourself. You can really fill them up and pay 6-12$ per plate.

Fast food tip: With the free app from Hungry Jack's (Burger King) you can get burgers, fries and co. every 24 hours. win for free and redeem it in the store.

Hostel prices in Australia

Hostel prices

If you sleep in hostels like most backpackers, your stay in Australia will be relatively expensive. Hostels cost on average between $20 and $30 per night and will probably account for the majority of your expenses. A good way to reduce these costs is to work in the hostels where you want to stay a little longer. Many offer so called "work for accommodation", where you work a few hours per day in the hostel and sleep there for free. If that doesn't work out you can also ask for weekly discounts. The longer you stay, the more likely you are to get a discount.

Other ways to reduce your travel costs in Australia are couchsurfing, wwoofing, camping, Airbnb and of course your own campervan.

Bus and plane tickets

Airplane

To get from A to B in Australia there are two possibilities. Either you take the plane and be there within a few hours, or you go by bus, train, own car and co, which can take a long time.

Bus prices:

Cairns – Airlie Beach = 85$
Darwin – Katherine = 90$
Sydney – Byron Bay = 100$
Melbourne – Sydney = 115$

All these prices refer to the Greyhound bus, which has the best developed route network in Australia. Other bus companies are Premier Bus (east coast) and Integrity Coach Lines (west coast).

Airfares:

Airfares in Australia are actually quite reasonable if you book early enough. For example you can fly from Sydney to Melbourne for 40$ or from Cairns to Brisbane for 40$. The disadvantage is that you are not flexible at all and have fixed departure times that you have to follow.

Cheap airlines are Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways.

Prices for activities

Skydive

In addition to the cost of living, as a backpacker you will of course also have to deal with expenses for activities and excursions. These are also very high in Australia and should not be underestimated. Nothing is worse than having to skip something even though you really want to, just because it costs a few dollars more. I speak from my own experience and still bite myself in the ass not to have gone swimming with whale sharks in Western Australia!

Example prices for activities:

3 days Fraser Island tour with 4WD = 350$
3 days Fraser Island on your own (rental car) = 200$
2 days sailing tour through the Whitsundays = 250$
day trip Atherton Tablelands near Cairns = 70$
2 hrs stand up paddle board rental = 20$
3 hrs surf course in Agnes Water = $17
Kayak rental Katherine Gorge = 60$
Skydive Mission Beach = 300$
Open Water Diving Course Magnetic Island = 400$

Travel costs Australia – daily budget

As you can see Australia is not the cheapest travel destination. I had to find this out the hard way and arrived with completely different expectations. The first night in the hostel for 27$ and the following sixpack of beer for 17$ really blew me away.

In order to travel around Australia well and comfortably, I recommend a daily budget of around 60$ (about 40 €). This way you will always find a nice hostel, have enough to eat and you can book cool tours and activities every now and then. But of course it can also be done more cheaply, e.g.B if you buy your own car like I did and spend most of the night in it. With this you can reduce your travel costs in Australia significantly, because the biggest cost factor "accommodation" is omitted and you get from A to B also much cheaper.

In addition, as mentioned above, you can earn real money with the working holiday visa and finance your entire stay with odd jobs.

And if you are short of time, you can work in the hostel, go couchsurfing, or use the Hungry Jack's app! No worries mate! 😉

At least since Klaus Bednarz brought us closer to this region in the 1990s through his travel reports with the "Ballad of Lake Baikal", many people in this country also dream of a trip to Lake Baikal. Many travelers have since come to know and love this lake. We have also contributed our part: already in 1991 we, from biss, made a first pilot trip to Lake Baikal with more than 10 participants. It took us another 10 years to establish a rhythm of regular hiking trips to Baikal. (the Russians call Lake Baikal simply "Baikal" and often even the Siberian Sea) Although I have been to the Siberian Sea many times privately and as a tour guide, Lake Baikal has not lost any of its magic.

Why does Lake Baikal inspire so many people?

Lake Baikal fascinates every visitor in a different way. Some people look at the lake for hours and let themselves be drawn into another world by its play of colors, vastness and tranquility.

Others are impressed by the rich endemic fauna, such as the Baikal seals or the famous salmon-like omul, one of the lake's more than 60 species of fish. Others are overwhelmed by the sheer size of Baikal. With a length of 670 km and a width of 80 km, Lake Baikal is called the "Siberian Sea" by the locals for a reason. Since the lake is also up to 1.700 m deep, it contains about 20 % of the world's fresh water reserves. So Lake Baikal is really a lake of superlatives.

How cold does it get at Lake Baikal in winter??

Although the Siberian Sea is magically attractive, most people in this country can hardly imagine a trip to Siberia in winter for themselves. The ideas of bitterly cold, icy and hostile snowy landscapes are too strong in the mind. Although the picture may be true for some regions of Siberia in certain seasons, it is certainly not true for Lake Baikal. Even though in the depths of winter the temperatures can drop below 20 degrees Celsius, not at the times when we organize our winter trips. These usually take place from the end of February to the end of March. At this time the temperatures on Olkhon Island, where we do our walks, are usually in the single-digit minus range. During the day it can also have plus degrees. As the humidity is low, the cold feels much more pleasant than at the same temperatures in this country. Should the lake show its rough, stormy side during a hike, you can look forward to a hot, Russian banya, which awaits you in the family-run guesthouse.

At night you are well accommodated in this cozy, warm accommodation with sanitary facilities of simple, European standard anyway.

The sun shines in winter at Lake Baikal?

Due to its geographical position, there are long-lasting high pressure areas, which bring a lot of sunshine to our hiking region.

Olkhon Island has an average of 310 days of sunshine per year and can easily compete with some Mediterranean resorts. So in our Baikal travel season you can definitely count on sunshine. The sun then makes the ice of the frozen lake glisten in paradisiacal colors. Often there is also a beautiful distant view over the vastness of the lake.

But Baikal can also show its rough, stormy side and should never be underestimated. Apart from weather, what is different in a winter trip than in summer??

What is special about a winter trip to Lake Baikal??

The biggest difference to a trip in summer is surely that Lake Baikal is frozen over. This offers travelers special opportunities to experience the lake from completely different perspectives. So you can walk on the ice and explore the shore of Olkhon Island from the lake. Fascinating ice caves and caverns with bizarre ice stalactites can be discovered there. Often the harbor of the small island together with the ships lying there are covered by a thick layer of ice, which reminds of insects embalmed in synthetic resin. It is also possible to take longer hikes on the ice, but how does the ice look like on the frozen Lake Baikal??

What is the shape of the ice on the frozen Lake Baikal?

The ice of Baikal can take completely different shapes, colors and forms. It depends mainly on weather and wind during the time of freezing over. The lake does not freeze over in one piece, but layers of ice or even small icebergs form, which can then break open again and pile up on top of each other. If it is stormy during the freeze-up, small icebergs form in some places and ice sheets form in other corners. These are reminiscent of the back plates of the stegosaur and are difficult to overcome. Many parts of the ice are smooth as glass and can be skated over, while others are covered with snow that gives a good grip. A special highlight are air bubbles frozen in the ice. These can be found in many places of the lake in very different shapes and sizes and, depending on the light conditions, also in different colors. To experience all this you have to venture far out on the ice, but it is not dangerous?

How dangerous is it to hike on the ice of Lake Baikal??

"No one should challenge Baikal" the locals warn with much respect and reverence for their lake. Not unfounded, because every year accidents happen. Whole trucks or cars sink into the lake and people collapse. Even if the lake has a very solid, load-bearing ice cover with an average of 80 cm to over 1.20 m, there are also large ice holes and meter-wide gullies that are completely open or only covered by a very thin layer of ice. These are caused on the one hand by hot springs at the bottom of the lake, on the other hand by the permanent working of the ice. The ice is under permanent pressure due to different influences, which leads to loud, banging noises every now and then, when ice layers shift jerkily against each other. While these can be scary, they are usually completely harmless. Open water holes and gullies and other critical spots are usually easy for hikers to spot. Most accidents happen to non-local, careless or drunk drivers.

If you pay attention to a few things, you can make good hikes on the ice, but what should you pay attention to??

What to watch out for when hiking on the ice?

Where the dangerous spots are on the ice is best learned from locals who are out on the ice. Here, besides our tour guides, especially ice fishermen or professional drivers know their stuff. However, when I led my first winter trip on Lake Baikal, all the locals I asked had categorically advised me against a longer hike to the mainland. Nevertheless, we were driven by a local driver to the edge of a barrier consisting of a gully and small icebergs, which was insurmountable for the bus. The missing 3-4 kilometers to the mainland and the ca. 13 km back we hiked. The driver was extremely uncomfortable with our plan and his possible involvement in it. He left us with a heavy heart with good advice and a harpoon to check the thickness of the ice, which he gave us. We have completed the routes safely and since then they are an optional part of our trips in good weather. However, many travelers shorten the hike by taking the driver back to just before the home shore.

In addition to the tips of the locals and the careful observation of the ice with regard to the thickness of the ice over frozen water holes or gullies, the weather is of central importance. It can be extremely uncomfortable to get caught in a snowstorm on the open ice. Longer hikes over the ice should be limited to days with stable, good weather. As a third point it is important to estimate your own condition correctly and to plan always with conditional reserves. The last important point is the right equipment. But what do you need for a winter hike on the ice?

What equipment is needed for hiking on the ice of Lake Baikal?

Warm and windproof clothes will surely not be forgotten by anyone. But sunglasses are also necessary and an emergency ration of food, such as granola bars and a thermos bottle with hot tea should be in the backpack. There is no shelter or seating on the lake unless you happen to meet a fisherman with a hut on skids. Therefore it is practical to take a seat cushion with you. Since the ice of the lake is very different in texture, you would also need different footwear. Very few people have skates or cross-country skis at their disposal. For the slippery passages of the ice you should take spikes, which can be strapped under your hiking boots. A longer walking stick, preferably with an iron tip, is important to check the thickness of the ice at critical points. Last but not least you should always have a first aid kit with a blanket and a cell phone.

But if you already have to keep so many things in mind when hiking, where do cars drive on the ice?

Are there really roads on the ice of Lake Baikal and how is the right of way regulated??

There is indeed car traffic and even real roads on the ice. However, local drivers know many routes beyond the official roads on which they can drive without hesitation. But you also know the critical passages and know that where it was safe to ski yesterday, it can be dangerous today.

The few officially designated roads over the ice look different from roads in the countryside. Although there are even traffic signs, the roads are usually 100 to 150 meters wide in one direction of travel, because the braking distance of the vehicles varies greatly depending on their weight and type of tire. This is how the ice skaters on Lake Baikal get out of their way and keep huge distances from each other.

With an experienced local driver you can make safe tours on the ice. We use this possibility on our trips to be able to use the different areas around Olkhon Island and on the island as a starting point for small hikes.

Desire to see Lake Baikal in winter?

To experience Lake Baikal in winter and to be active on the ice and on land is a unique experience. Can you imagine / Can you imagine now also such journey? Or do you / have you still concerns or questions. I am happy to receive feedback.

Summertime is travel time and therefore also boom time for nature and travel photography. But who doesn't know this: the beautiful idyllic old town alley is either partly lost in shadow or the sky and the roofs are overexposed when you look at it at home. For many amateur photographers, and this happens to some extent also to experienced photographers, this is a disappointment, because the shot does not correspond in any way to what was seen.

But how do you get particularly high-contrast motifs with a contrast range of approx. Get a grip on 14-15 f-stops?

Many subjects in travel and landscape photography have a strong contrast. Our eye can compensate high contrasts to a certain extent by adaptation. The contrast range (= dynamic range) of a digital camera's image sensor is very limited, just like the dynamic range of monitors, photographic paper or printed matter. A contrast range of the motif of approx. 8-9 f-stops can be displayed without problems. For an experienced photographer, who exposes exactly and possibly uses a calibrated monitor, a contrast range of 10-11 f-stops should not be too big a problem. But how do you get particularly high-contrast subjects with a contrast range of approx. 14-15 f-stops under control? There are many of these "problem subjects" in travel photography: Backlight shots, but also motifs such as idyllic sunsets at the sea or landscapes in the high mountains have high contrasts.

An important rule is to avoid strong contrasts in the first place. Many professional photographers shoot landscapes exclusively in the early morning hours or late afternoon to evening, because the light is much softer during this time. Long shadows are avoided when the sun is at the photographer's back. When taking backlight shots, make sure to position the main subject in front of a dark background, as in this case the high contrast will only be noticeable as a bright light fringe around the main subject. Long shadows can be very appealing, but you should make sure that the shadows have enough drawing. Depending on the camera model, the contrast range of the subject can be checked either by contrast measurement or histogram. If the contrast range is higher than 10 or 11 f-stops, the techniques described below should be used.

Graduated filter

A classic aid for high-contrast landscape photography, such as motifs in high mountains, is the graduated filter. This allows the sky to be exposed accurately, while at the same time the subject in the foreground receives enough light and is not underexposed. Graduated filters are available in neutral gray, but also in different colors, mostly in yellow or orange gradations. Graduated filters were indispensable, especially in analog landscape photography. Digital photography offers other possibilities through bracketing, HDR and RAW push, so that the graduated filters have lost some of their importance nowadays.

Bracketing/HDR

Bracketing (automatic exposure bracketing) and HDR are based on the idea of getting a grip on strong contrasts with different exposures. With HDR, exposure bracketing is done by the camera, whereas with bracketing, the exposure bracketing has to be manually edited and merged in an image processing program later on. With HDR, the resulting image often has a somewhat artificial, sometimes even relief-like character. The bracketing method is more time-consuming, but with a little practice you will get optimal results. Modern cameras offer sophisticated bracketing functions: you can select the number of exposure series, but also set the deviation of the exposure with an accuracy of one-third f-stops. As a starting point, an exposure series of 3 images with a deviation of one aperture each is recommended. A tripod is not necessarily required for the exposure bracketing, since the image can also be captured with the bracketing tool (e.g. 6 or 8 frames/second) can be captured. The camera automatically takes the set number of shots with the selected exposure compensation (in this example 3 images -1/0/+1 aperture). In the image editing program, the exposure series can be automatically superimposed as layers and positioned exactly. In the last step, the exposure series are copied into each other using suitable selection tools. The advantage: the photographer has the contrast range completely under control, in extreme cases up to, for example, 7 exposures with one-third aperture exposure differences each. The disadvantage: depending on the subject, this method can be very time-consuming, and this method is not suitable for moving subjects (surf, strong wind and trees, people in the picture).

Example photo, fishing boats at sunset, Lake Malawi: Autobracketing, 3 exposures -1/0/+1 EV, manually combined in Photoshop

RAW Push

Modern sensors of digital cameras offer an unbelievable RAW dynamic range of up to almost 15 f-stops. This is achieved by an extremely low image noise, so that shadow areas can be brightened ("pushed") very strongly without the image quality suffering extremely. It is important to note that this only applies to RAW images, so anyone who only uses JPEG images cannot benefit from this. The procedure is very simple: the image is exposed on the highlights, which leads to sometimes considerably underexposed shadow areas in case of very strong contrasts. With the RAW converter now only the shadows are lightened, and if necessary even up to 4-5 f-stops. The result is a correctly exposed image with good drawing in the highlights and in the shadows, so comparable to the bracketing method. The advantages: the method is very simple, no tripod is needed, no bracketing is necessary, and moving subjects can be captured (which is especially interesting for wildlife photographers). But there are also disadvantages: The full dynamic range of up to almost 15 f-stops is only available at ISO 100; at higher ISO values, the usable dynamic range decreases quite quickly. Due to the deliberate underexposure, the control image on the camera is usually very dark and it is therefore recommended to additionally take a normally exposed image as a control for possible later color corrections. The biggest disadvantage of this method: when you look closely (100% view), you will notice that the shadow areas have a higher noise level than the highlights of the image due to the pushing process. In general, this is not too big a problem, but you may have to accept that image agencies may reject images in extreme cases due to excessive partial noise, even though the image appears to be perfectly fine when viewed normally.

The techniques described are the daily tools of professional landscape photographers, but with a little practice, any amateur photographer can also implement these tips quite easily. The important thing is to develop a feeling for the contrast range of the subjects. Modern cameras support the photographer with aids such as histograms or over- and underexposure warnings. In this way, nothing should stand in the way of a relaxed trip, and any later disappointments about incorrect exposures with high-contrast subjects will hopefully be a thing of the past.

About Dietmar Temps:

Dietmar Temps is a graduate media and photo engineer as well as a trained photographer with more than 20 years of professional experience in the media industry. He lives in Cologne, Germany. His first professional steps in photography he could collect as a photoassistant in whole Europe as well as in America. Afterwards he studied photo and media technology at the Technical University of Cologne. Currently his main focus is on the realization of photo and internet projects with a strong focus on travel photography, social networking and video streaming.
On his travel blog he writes about his photo trips to the most beautiful places on earth, which he has undertaken in the past years. Among them were many trips to Africa, South America and Asia.
On his website you will find numerous photo series of his photographic work which has been published in coffee table books, magazines and travel blogs.