Top 5 Cities To Visit In Australia On A Shoestring Budget
Adelaide
The most price-friendly city in Australia is arguably Adelaide. There is a huge student population, and where there are students comes price cuts. One side of the city shows off a stretch of beautiful beaches with yellow and white sand and clear blue sea. A day on the beach is always a cheap way to entertain yourself without breaking the bank.
The main attraction is that the city is on the whole safe and clean. The central business district is easy to get to, and public transport boasts some of the cheapest prices in Australia. On your journey around the city you find a hotchpotch of cheap restaurants, attractive bars and night clubs all of them offering special deals. If you are travelling with a partner, you can make the most out of the attractive buy one get one free deals.
Byron Bay
Getting to Byron’s Bay is relatively cheap. Low cost travel options are widely available with backpackers on a budget in mind when it comes to pricing. Once you get there, you discover that the town come city’s prices are also just as accommodating.
Bars, pubs and restaurants are constantly aiming their promotions at backpackers, but with such cheap prices it is still easy to get carried away. Therefore, you still need your financial head on your shoulders.
You also find the way of life here quite relaxing, and so there is little need for money apart from for the bare essentials such as food, water and accommodation. (And cheap beer!). There are plenty of beaches, places to relax and sports going on around the area, all of which is free.
Melbourne
According to the Backpacker Index that listed over 116 global destinations to visit in 2013, Melbourne is said to be the cheapest of the big cities in Australia. At least that is if you can avoid the huge Melbourne casino, which on a shoestring budget shouldn’t be an issue. Research suggests that you can stay in Melbourne for $87.16 a day and get the following:
- A bed in a dormitory or a cheap hostel
- 3 cheap meals
- 2 trips on the local public transport
- 1 ticket to visit a cultural attraction
- 3 cheap bottles of beer
Sydney
Coming in at number two on the Backpacker Index as one of the cheapest Aussie cities to visit is Sydney. Using the same criteria as Melbourne’s budget plan, in Sydney you would need a slightly extended budget of $90.53 a day. Although both locations have sprawling beaches along their coastlines, and so a day by the beach could reduce your budget if you cut out the trip to see a cultural attraction.
Take a Rain Check on Ayres Rock for Chillagoe
Each year Ayres Rock is swarmed by over half a million visitors. With such a high demand prices here are not cheap. If you are on a budget and you want a true outback adventure, take a journey away from the norm and visit the cheaper Chillagoe.
Only 350 people live here and you get a proper Frisbee-sized stake for your efforts, and at an affordable price. This place is more hospitable than Ayres Rock with its friendlier atmosphere and locals, who will by all accounts join you whenever they get a chance. Plus, getting into the outback is far easier and cheaper here than it is in Ayres Rock.