daxilic

Hi sorry for the very late response! Thank you for the replies so far - extremely helpful. 

On 15/08/2018 at 06:32, Quoll said:

Which direction to move in depends on when you start and whether you go clockwise or anti-clockwise. The Wet in the Far North is probably better avoided but you might not appreciate the cold winters in the south unless you’re into skiing. Don’t forget to put the National Capital on your route though, it’s interesting and often missed by backpackers.

I'm thinking to do new south wales first so start in Melbourne and work my way up the coast to Cairnes then Darwin, or vice versa - I want the best warm weather and I'm happy with up to 40C but I can't stand the cold. 

I got my bad - Osprey Farpoint 70 which has a small detatchable backpack and looks a good size. Also ordered packing cubes - Thanks! never knew these existed.

On 18/08/2018 at 03:07, digitalis said:

Route wise, the usual thing seems to be to base yourself on the East coast, travelling between Sydney, Melb and Brisbane then heading North to Darwin from May when their Autumn kicks in before going to Perth around September for a month or two and repeat. Not that many go to SA, there ain't a lot of work there and from what I hear Perth is the same now the mining boom has gone. Personally, I went in April and went straight to the NT. Darwin was quiet-ish when I first got there, but got busier by the week until September when they all went East/West again. Backpackers are like migratory birds, they follow work and the sun! Some backpackers spend their entire time on the East coast and make the odd sightseeing trip to Ayers rock etc.

So Perth isn't essential to see? It looks very isolated on the map I imagine you can only get there from NSW with a flight.

I’m going travelling solo for a year soon and doing the classic Australia and Asia backpackers route. I’m starting with Australia then doing Asia later on cause I don’t have time before my visa deadline expires. My rough plan is travel around Australia, maybe head over to New Zealand for some time then go to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore areas. Then come back to Australia to do some work before the visa ends. I’m already 31 (seriously cutting it fine!) so I won’t be eligible to extend the visa for a second year but I’m an experienced graphic designer and hoping to get a job doing that for a while.

I’ve done a lot of research but it’s mainly articles and blogs and It would be good to get some personal opinions too, I have a few questions:

1.  Do you have any advice on which route to take through Australia? – I’ll probably be starting at Sydney.
    
2.  For long term accommodation is hostels the best option or getting a house share? I know in London it’s common for backpackers to stay in house shares for a few days or weeks, occupying someone else’s room while it’s vacant.
    
3.  Round the world plane tickets vs booking your own flights – is it worth it?
    
4. The backpack – I’m looking at 70-80L Osprey bags and something with a laptop pocket – Is this too big and a ball ache to carry around?