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I grew up in outback Australia and have travelled around it fairly extensively. Now that I'm not living there anymore I've become a lot more passionate about telling everyone else how great it is ;-) So if you need any advice, let me know!

If I had to pick only one place to visit in Australia, where would it be?

I'm arriving in Melbourne in Feb 2010 and doing 5 weeks of nature conservation with i-to-i. When i'm done that I would like to stay in Australia for awhile and travel around. Any advice on places to see and the best way to travel around?

Hi Rachelanne... It really depends on your budget and the time you have available. One of the cheapest ways to get around is to buy a hop-on-hop-off bus pass that will allow you to travel around all of Australia at your own pace and meet loads of people along the way. If you're a bit short on time and a bit more flush with cash, you could get an airpass from one of the airlines (eg. Virgin Blue, Qantas, Jetstar or Tiger) that would allow you to fly to multiple cities. Of course a classic Australia favourite is to hire a car and make your own way around, but that can be an expensive option if you buy an old bomb and quite dangerous if you're not prepared for driving in the outback.

In terms of what to see, there really is so much that it's hard to know where to begin. One of my must-see favourites would have to be the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, but for a true Aussie experience make sure you get into the outback.... Seeing Uluru (Ayers Rock) at sunrise is a truly unforgettable experience!

Hello fellow travellers!
I, like Parker, also grew up in rural australia, in the Snowy Mountains. where (if you know your australian history) the Snowy Scheme started 60 years ago and attracted over 1 million migrants to work on the Scheme - which uses the mountains water to produce clean renewable energy by 'catching' the energy it makes through pushing our giant turbines around. so after that brief history lesson, the mountains are a beautiful place to see, with alot of amazing things to do, like climbing to the highest mountain in Australia (Kosciusko) or skiing in winter at one of the many ski fields we have here.
My family has travelled alot around Australia, usually by car to see family or just go on holidays, and as there is 5 of us we usually stay in caravan parks or BIG$'s my opinion is even though its nice to splurge on a hotel room with room service - who are you going to meet? rich pompos' with money to burn and no sense of adventure, wehreas in carvan parks you can meet anyone from the Grey Nomads on the Adventure before Dementia to the family of 8 singers and dancers - no joke i have met them before :P

so finally in my Australian opinion - travel the hard way coz its the only way!
PS your welcome to come round and crash at mine if you have no where to stay!

xx Lauren