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Just wanted to say thank you again guys Tiamilo, how was your daughters birthday? Did she enjoy her second (I assume as you said you been here over a year) Australian birthday? BritChickX, I will be going to virtually every touristy destination / where the Greyhound bus lets me get off along the East Coast and spending 2 months doing that. Then my sister is coming in August and I'm meeting her in Brisbane then we go to Fiji, fly to Melbourne, drive up to Sydney and then go home. I had previously been to Oz which is why I came back so Western Australia and Tassie are the only places still to go to. I do plan on coming back so I can explore the outback more like the Kimberleys, go up to Cape York, go back to the national parks in NT. For a 19 year old I would say I have seen a lot of the world and more than some of my friends probably will in their entire lives, I'm very lucky for sure. Harvey88, I got all my pics on Facebook but think they are all private atm, I can change it to public and add some links to them if you want

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes And dxboz Port Douglas definitely is amazing, that's why I've stayed here for so long but the humidity is sometimes a bit too high for my liking Although I haven't seen most of Australia yet so can't say for sure that it is my favourite place but it is for now. Elliot

So this time 6 months ago I landed in Cairns after 3 flights from England, I then spent a week in Cairns and then have lived in Port Douglas ever since. I've had an amazing time so far been to the Great Barrier Reef twice and to the Low Isles, done a trip to Cape Tribulation, held a Koala and earned loads of money. Recently I haven't done a lot as I've been mainly working so not much more to say compared to my previous update which I think was 3 or 4 months ago. But I have now sorted out all of my plans for travelling when I leave here in May and got things booked, so going all over the place and across to New Zealand for a month too so should be great fun. Time is flying by, I will definitely be home before I know it, only 5 months left now :cry: I want to know where all the rain is for the wet season we've hardly had any up here surely it must have to come at some point. Oh and did I mention today is my 19th Birthday? Everyone I've told is quite surprised that I'm so young. :smile:

In the whole 5 months I've been in Port Douglas it has barely rained. Other than when Oswald was around the weather has been sun nearly all the time with the odd little bit of rain but then the day turns out nice and sunny. I never thought I would say this but I do miss the rain, could do with some to cool it down, my phones weather report said it was 30 degrees with a real feel of 40 degrees and I work in a kitchen and all our tables are outside so really feel the heat. My mum told me that in England last year they had something like 170 days where it rained, so that's half the year where it has rained (BTW not rained for an entire day, just at some point on those days)

There is very little support available, if she can get her children commonwealth supported places (I know you could get this for uni so I assume same for schools) then they will pay some of the costs. Hope things work out and welcome to the forum

Well I am one of the youngest backpackers, only 18 well 19 in a month and a bit. I came to Australia all by myself and have been here for 5 months today, so tell your mum and dad that if an 18 year old can do it all by himself then you definitely can BTW I love it out here, up in Port Douglas and spent a week in Cairns otherwise not travelled around yet. I assume the £3500 is after all your costs to get there, I spent that much before I had even arrived in Australia!

I'm not living in Perth but I am on the East Coast living in Port Douglas, an hour up North from Cairns. I'm living by myself and am spending $180 a week on rent and about $40 - $50 on food every week. So every month around $900 and that is me living as cheaply as I can whilst still having some nice things. So I would imagine in Perth it could be quite a bit more being a big city but I thought I'd say just to give you an idea / comparison of costs. Elliot

I'm not an Aussie but if I was would probably be these: Living in this wonderful country Being able to explore the beautiful landscapes and scenery all around Oz The laid back lifestyle Edit: Ooops I did like dxboz and put three points not three words So I don't know what three words, maybe, lovely relaxed lifestyle

You'd need a proxy server so that you get an IP from the UK then they think you are in the UK rather than Australia. I haven't tried any as my internet is too bad to stream videos but I'm not sure if the expatshield works with iPlayer, it should do and may be worth trying (http://www.expatshield.com/) Good luck getting it to work Elliot

I've got two one is an Animal and the other O'neil (I have expensive tastes) and neither of them have had any problems, I've had them for 3 years now and have been wearing them a lot the past few months, they stretch quite a bit when I take them off (the animal one to the extent I think it's going to rip) but they just go back to their normal shape. Me being 18 and a boy can't really be bothered to wash them properly so just rinse them off quickly and drape them over the bath to dry. So I would definitely recommend O'neil and the Animal one although doesn't seem quite as good as the O'neil.

Not in Sydney but up here in Port Douglas weather forecast is thunder storms, hope they go away as it's my first christmas away from home and in Australia :xmas3:

I applied this year to go to university (Computer Engineering at University of Portsmouth) for 2013 and have my place but I could have applied last year and deferred entry only I was so set on coming to uni over here I didn't. So I am staying in Australia until September and going to spend a few months travelling the East coast at some point but currently living in Port Douglas earning some money so then I can hopefully not work later in the year and just enjoy myself. Newjez I've read on here before about paying UK student loans back if you live in Oz and I think some say you can get away with it but I'd imagine if you did, the next time you set foot in the UK you would probably get arrested. I think you just have to declare what you are earning to the student loans people and then they tell you how much you have to pay.

Hi Tina, I was looking at going to university in Australia but was in the same situation as your son where I wouldn't be able to get the loans. However at some universities in Australia it worked out cheaper than going in the UK even with me paying international fees in Oz but in the end I decided I didn't want to be in a massive debt to my parents and have to then not enjoy my life as I'd be paying off the debt. So I came out here for a gap year instead. If he has missed the deadline to go in Oz this year could he not get a job for a year and earn some money to then help pay to go to university in Oz? I'd imagine he'd be better off with an Australian qualification even if the UK is equivalent and I would imagine people at university would help him to do the final stages to become a teacher. Out of interest as he can't get a loan for the fees is he classed as an international student for the fees or would he pay the local rate? Elliot

I think that's outrageous, if anything she should be paying for a new scooter for your son, most definitely not the other way round. She should have looked before driving over the scooter. I wouldn't have thought a scooter could do that much damage to a car to even make it worthy of getting it repaired, have you seen the 'damage' it 'caused'?

If you're looking for something to do... I would recommend that you and your family come up here to Port Douglas for a day either spending it at the beach which is 4 miles long or go shopping in town, quite a few shops here and parking is free everywhere. Really nice up here, I've been living here for seven weeks and spent a week in Cairns. And the drive up here is quite breathtaking, or it was 4 years ago when I came here on holiday, unfortunately it decided to rain this time so didn't have a great view. Cairns is quite nice and the lagoon is quite a good place to meet people and a really nice place to just relax for a few hours. Elliot

Well I think I came up here at the wrong time of year, I struggled to find a job and applied to many places doing all sorts of different jobs. Anyway I was after some chips, and found a place that said fish and chips so thought I'd try there, and I noticed a thing on one of the counters saying they needed a waiter. I went back the next day with my CV and asked about it, he gave me a trial shift and then I've been working there since but as a kitchen hand not waiter. However it is very quiet around town now with hardly anyone around despite the really nice weather so doubt there are many jobs going. I think if you come at the right time you would quite easily get a job, but get the wrong time like me and you may find it tricky. You save $300 a week on food I don't even spend that much on food and drink in a month!! Although I don't drink any alcohol which keeps my costs down, as I don't like the stuff

Thanks for the replies I've never liked any vegetables so not going to eat things I don't like, I probably drink more than enough fruit juice to make up for my lack of fruit although it's not quite the same. Yeah I don't know how hot it actually is but I was just going on the outside temp always being above 26 whereas in the UK that would rarely happen so it'd be somewhat hotter before you even involve a kitchen. Either way it's not very fun

So just over 2 months ago I left the wet and miserable UK and flew out from Heathrow to Cairns stopping at Singapore and Brisbane for a few hours. At Cairns I was meant to be picked up from the airport but never happened so I got a taxi to my hostel. I arrived at the hostel to find that there were a lot of Germans there and not many English people. I then spent the next week in Cairns and went out to the Great Barrier Reef on one of the days and it was amazing and got to see a turtle. Then going with my original plan I came up to Port Douglas and stayed at Dougies for a week, was miles nicer compared to the previous hostel, but I am now renting a room in a resort which is very nice, have a king size bed, 42" TV and a massive pool, soooo much nicer than hostels and not much more expensive! I didn't do a lot for the first few weeks just tried to get a job but with no luck so spent most of my time down at the beach or in the swimming pool. I did go up to Cape Tribulation on a day tour which was amazing and although pretty expensive was more than worth it in my opinion. Then I finally managed to get a job and work with really nice guys doing quite a lot of hours so earning enough to pay my way and then quite a bit left over. Oh and watched the solar eclipse which was weird and amazing. There are some things I miss from the UK mainly my family and all my friends but also sometimes the weather, I work in a kitchen and 26 degree plus temperatures aren't that fun to work in and biscuits like Foxes Viennese Fingers and Chocolate rings although I do have lots of tim tams which compensate for that. I was surprised at how expensive some things are over here especially food, however you can get away with spending little on food if you're fussy like me, all my diet has consisted of really is mash potato (out of a packet), tinned spaghetti, chicken nuggets or chicken and cheese schnitzel or pasta and carbonara or cheese sauce with bacon. I don't have any proper cooking facilities over than an electric frying pan, kettle and microwave and I get fined if I set off the smoke alarm. Although I have had pancakes and lots of chocolatey things for pudding. A lot of people I've met think I'm really brave to have to come to Australia all by myself at the age of 18, one backpacker who is 25 said he had guessed I was older as he didn't think anyone would be come to Australia alone at the age of 18 and that he certainly wouldn't. I don't think being 18 is an issue, it's just an adventure to me and is great to build my independence and confidence, only thing is there is hardly anyone else around that's a similar age so making friends with people your own age is tricky. All in all, having an amazing time out here and love my life. Anyone who is thinking of doing a working holiday or anyone who has a question or wants to know more feel free to ask and I'll try to answer it the best I can. Elliot

Hi Lauren, I came out to Cairns about 6 weeks ago and have moved up to Port Douglas and been here for 5 weeks. I think I came here the wrong time as there aren't many tourists despite the weather being really nice so there aren't many jobs, but it should be busy when you get here so getting a job shouldn't be a problem. 1. Depending on where you stay £6000 should last a long time if you can't get a job like me, I'm renting a room in a resort which isn't much more expensive than staying in hostels. If you are planning on doing trips to the Great Barrier Reef or out and about they can be very expensive so can quickly eat away at what money you have saved. I did a Cape Tribulation trip and it was really good (not sure if I can mention the companies name) which cost $180 but I didn't regret spending that much as it was an amazing day and I saw so many things. 2. After Cairns I would recommend going up to Cape Tribulation for the day or longer and visit Port Douglas too, it's really nice here. My plan is to head down to Brisbane in February and March and I'm planning on stopping at lots of different places along the way so going to spend about 2 months doing it but as I haven't been to any of those places yet I can't recommend where is best. 3. I've got a Greyhound bus pass which can get me from Cairns all the way down to Sydney and is a hop on hop off thing. I think this is probably the cheapest way of getting round can't remember how much it was. 4. I have no idea about this, maybe google it. 5. It all depends on how long you plan on staying in Cairns or wherever you go to, I applied for a job but because I am only staying in Port Douglas for another 3 months he said he wouldn't employ me and this was only in a Bakery. The minimum wage is a lot higher than in the UK so whatever you do you should be earning well over £10 which should be enough to support yourself. As you have experience which I don't as I'm only 18 you might find that you can get an office job for a few months whereas I would find it very hard to get one. 6. I got the STA travel job site thing which is actually run by Australian Backpackers and they have quite a lot of jobs on there in places like Brisbane but Cairns has a lot less, whether it's because there are less jobs or if it's just because people in Cairns don't use it I don't know. I searched for Port Douglas on it and nothing came up but people are advertising jobs in shops, so it is best to just go round places and hand in your CV. One thing I would recommend getting is an Australian sim card but also have an English one, I have a global gossip one that is pay as you go and for $10 you get 100 texts and 30 minutes of calls both of which can be used to anywhere in the world, so it works out a lot cheaper for texting back home. My English sim is with Tmobile and they charge me nothing to receive texts so I get people to text me on the English number, which is free if they're on contract or is cheap compared to texting an Australian number. For Insurance I have STA Travel insurance which covers everything from health care to things being stolen and many other things, some of which I hope never happen. Hope that helps, if you have any other questions I will try to help. You are a lot more prepared than I was as I decided at the end of August I was going to come out here then flew out 5 weeks later. Elliot

You don't stop for long! My flight with Qantas stops at Singapore for 4 hours, but I don't leave until 9:15pm from Heathrow T3

Hi are you flying out on the 25th? If so with what airline? Reason I ask I am going to Australia for a gap year and am leaving on the 25th to go to Cairns but I am going via Brisbane so we could well be on the same flight.

I know this is a bit late but still might be of use to anyone planning things in the future... You may want to have a look on here http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewforum.php?f=169 This is a 4wd forum with lots of trip reports and advice on planning trips or anything else 4x4 related. I'm always browsing on here looking at the wonderful places people go even though I'm still at college! We all have to dream though Be nice to hear how you get on with the trip, Elliot

Hello Toni, I'm planning on going to Australia in January 2013 and exploring the whole country... if my money doesn't run out before hand. I'm only 18 so don't have too much money but I am hoping to buy a 4x4 then travel everywhere in it working along the way. Not that I've decided where I am going soooo many choices and decisions to make. I've been planning on going back ever since I went there on holiday 4 years ago which was amazing. If you go to any northern parts of Oz then make sure you go in the dry season otherwise it will be incredibly humid and horrible, but you do get amazing electric storms :cool: I haven't really looked at any costs yet other than the cost of cars and insurance, which I can afford, don't know about food and petrol and places to stay though... I might be in for a big shock Oh and I hope to extend it to two years then go to New Zealand for two years afterwards... then I might be really crazy and attempt to drive back to England Elliot

Hello, I'm only 18 and will have had my English licence for a year in September. I am going to Australia in January or February next year and plan on getting a 4x4 and driving round the whole country. Having read that you guys opened bank accounts with just a passport (so I assume no address) and used this to get licences how do you do this? Do you have to of had an English licence for so long as I thought you had to take their test or is this not the case? Also for car insurance do you need an address since I wouldn't have one and don't want to rent somewhere when I plan on travelling around a lot. Thanks Elliot