Down under

[RonHaze]

OK flights out there are quite expensive etc but how much does it cost to get a visa, and how long does it take to get one, and how long is it valid?

And also when i get out there how much will food and beer and accomodation cost me?

And wheres the best place for an extended visit? Obiously im gonna travel all over but i wanna know wheres a good place to start.

Many thanks

[fugue]

yeah the only difference with beer is that ours is SOOO much better! :p

Now i'm going to go against what james said and say perth is the best place to start. Now before people start crapping on, perth is probably one of the nicest cities in australia. It's nice and clean, and not quite as full on as syd or melb. The main reason i say perth tho, is that most people who come to aus don't really go to the western half thinking they've seen the best that australia has to offer. These people are very wrong. There is heaps to do in perth, the accom is quite cheap and there is free public transport around the city. Also you'll meet lots of other travellers in perth, but most of them will be from eastern aus.
Having said that tho, you have to go to syd, melb, bris as well. Sydney has the best clubs - kings x is party central. Melbourne has the best shopping. Brisbane has a great atmosphere, and great beaches.

well i'm going to go now before i start making less and less sense.

oh yeah and sorry i have no idea about aus visa's. My advice would be to marry an aussie, just makes things much easier :p

[LadyJade]

I found this site the other day, http://www.australianvisas.net/etaonlineeng/ so you can apply for a visa online..... My partner and I are going in December for five weeks so I had to get him organised!

I am a bit biased because I like Melbourne, although if you are looking for hot weather and beaches you are better to head up the coast to Sydney and Brisbane, or over to Perth.

As for the cost of things, its not entirely accurate but I have found the easiest way to imagine it is this. Everything in Oz costs a similar amount to what it does in England, but with the exchange rate you are approximately doubling your pounds. For example, if a beer is £2.00 here it will be about AU$2.00, but will only cost you £1.00 by exchange. Like I said, that is a rough way of calculating but it gives you some idea.