The big Aussie trip

I did it when I was 22 or 23, and worked at several places to fund it.
The only problem was I went with a mate and eventually his ex girlfriend convinced him to return, as we were in his 4x4 I ended up coming home too.

You'll meet plenty of other 25yolds travelling around...of course their English might not be the best :)) You'll have a ball, good luck.

Sorry to burst your bubble lol , but plenty have and do .

Have a great time

Sounds like a good plan. I hope you have enough cash reserves because no doubt you will seriously underbudget your expenses. I am 28 and am planning a 12-18 month trip around oz with my missus and GQ patrol. We are both nurses and could easily get work in bush hospitals/clinics. I have been up Arkaroola and the Flinders many times for short trips in the summer, as it's only 2 hours from my place, and it is damn hot. The best time to visit the arid regions is the southern winter, nights are freezing cold but the days are usually a pleasant 20-something degrees.

Good luck

Barnesy

I'm 38 now and did it when i was 21 on a motorbickle. That journey led me to a 4WD. You know, they don't fall over as much, and heaps better in sand (read better than top heavy roadbike) ... After the round australia thing I then later travelled a bit OS and never regretted a thing and had seen buckets more of my own country than any other aussie i met overseas. But that said i did not really do australia first just to see see Australia, i did it to go on a journey, which is how i justified it really. Going travelling is one thing, going somewhere to see something is something else. I just wanted to go travelling and to do it in Australia was just really attractive because it is so big and there is so much you just don't see in the media. i got what i wanted, am sure you will to.

enjoy it mate. You've got the rest of your life for home loans. The hardest part will be when it's all over and getting back to the "serious" stuff. Just make sure you make the most of the enjoyable bits.

Stuff overseas, see australia first and last and do it now. If you leave it until you retire like some would suggest every track, forrest and park may be foreign owned and off limits. Good luck

As someone who works at Moomba 2 weeks out of 4, I would not advise coming up here in December, particularly if you're going to camp. There are frequent 40 degree plus days (they don't tell us the exact temperature, but its probably best not knowing), which is bearable when one has air conditioning to return to each night (and its very DRY). If you are going to do it, I would suggest packing a large supply of lip balm & sunscreen with moisturiser, along with your survival essentials. On the plus side, it'll be too hot for the flies by December!

Just in case you haven't noticed, summers are HOT in Australia. And even HOTTER in Birdsville and northern South Australia. Ground temperatures can be up to 75 degrees and nights around 35 degrees. And don't forget the flies and the mozzies.

When I was in my mid 20's I saw a lot of this wide land using Shanks' Pony.

I worked my way around OZ for two years while in my late teens. Left Sydney on a 650 triumph trophy, came back on a Mach 3 Kwaka. I think others will agree that it was easier to get work in those days, than it would be now. People are now more suspicious of everyone, with good reason.
It was a different world then.
Go for it, you'll have a great time, and you may never have the opportunity again.
Bazza.

Hi Wombat,

Out on the road from William Creek to Lake Eyre there is a grave. This is the grave of a female backpacker who was camped at Lake Eyre in January with her boyfriend. They had an argument and she walked off without water or anything. Made it about 9ks back on the road to William Creek before she died. By the time he realised she hadn't come back it was too late. Not that I would expect you to be that unaware of the dangers but it shows how unforgiving the country can be at that time of year. Read some of the Len Beadell books as well for an idea of what he went through in summer.

If I was you I would change the itinerary and go somewhere where summer is fun and save that part of the country for the better time of year.

Tim.

Hi hairy Wombat!
Well congratulations on choosing this fantastic land to travel!
I am currently 28years old with a 32yr old hubby and a 9.5yr old daughter(yes the sums are right I was 18 when i had her) and a 5yr old son. We recently came back from a trip to Exmouth in May and were totally amazed by the number of families travelling with their kds around Australia.We had lunch with one such family at the Overlander.They had 3 kids and took 6months off work to travel! They had a 100 series and one mega HUGE caravan(at least 25-30ft) and were loving every minute of it.This got us thinking..... why don't we do it??
SO our big trip is planned for 2007.We decided to wait till our son had done year 1 as that is a really important year and just distance education them on the way...i mean look at the education they are going to get....beats reading about it in a book!
So we plan to put everything in storage and hit the road (ex Perth) on January 1 2007.I know it will be hot which is why we are planning to travel short distances each time and more than likely very early morning and hit our destination by mid morning.We too will cop the heat of SA in the full throws of summer but I would rather that than getting blown away by a cyclone in the north at the time of the year!!
We dont have any real plans on where to be and when coz if we really like a town we might end up staying for long periods.
We dont really want to work while we are on the road but if we have too my hubby has a trade( a painter) and also has loads of experience on mines...may i suggest you get your MARCSTA prior to going as work would be easier to come by in mining areas if you have one. We are both working our butts off now to ensure we will be right for 12months travel.
The only downside for me travelling in 2007?? I won't be home in Perth with my family to celebrate my 30th birthday! :( But heh i am sure there will be plenty of grey nomads out there willing to help me celebrate on the road! LOL
ANY WHOO Good luck and travel safe!
CHEERS
katrina

Hairy Wombat

Why go overseas when there is so much to see in Australia.

Don't be put off by anything anyone else says. You have made a good decision and I hope you thoroughly enjoy your trip.

When my wife and I were in Broome recently we spoke to a woman staying at the same caravan park who told us that she had been going to Bali each year. Because of the problems overseas she decided to go to Broome. She told us that she will never go back to bali because Broome is a much better place.

You will not see Australia in 12 - 15 months. There is just too much to see and do. Don't make the mistake of rushing to fit everything in. You will not enjoy the trip if you rush and still won't see everything. Take you time and see everything you can. The things you miss seeing will give you an excuse to do it again.

G'day Guy's,

The best thing I ever did was pack up, leave all my #$%^ at Mum & Dads drive off into the sunset from Moora WA on 1 Jan 02. Left in my old trusty HJ75 with 2 44's on the back and got Adeliade about 4 weeks later (still with fuel in one 44).
Had ball all the way Townsville around the coast.

Got offered a dream job there and now they keep giving promotions and pay rises and better still now they send me all over OZ with there money and toys.

Once you move out of your comfort zone (and you take them) the opertunities will keep on growing. Got rid of the old truck and now have two new toys to play with as well as two spare houses on the east coast and a wife.

Life's great, but it's what you make of it, you'll find all those with the so called great advice have very little expierance outside of their own little boxe, open the door and go out there, It's %$#^&#* GREAT.