„Australia is always warm“ or „Australia is so dangerous, there are poisonous animals everywhere“. We’ve all heard phrases like this before, or even said them ourselves.

If you’ve never been to Australia, you might think of Australia as a huge country, where there are only dry deserts outside the city, temperatures don’t drop below 20 degrees all year round, and at least five spiders lurk around every corner. Anyone who has already spent a long time in Australia can promise you that this is not the case. But how can you imagine Australia?

In this blog post I would like to explain to you what you need to get ready for and what awaits you when you travel to Australia.

It’s not always warm in Australia

How many times have you heard that it is always warm in Australia? Probably enough. Yes Australians may like to celebrate Christmas on the beach in bright sunshine, but that’s because the seasons in the southern hemisphere are the other way around. Nevertheless, there are also the winter months, which go from about April to September. In northern Australia, you might not get to see much of winter, as cities like Darwin or Cairns are closer to the Aquator. In the south, on the other hand, it gets quite cold in Australia in winter. Although there is no snow in Sydney or Melbourne, temperatures still fall below 10 degrees.

In the outback, on the other hand, it is always warmer than on the coast, but even there temperatures can drop below 15 degrees at night during the summer months.
When I went to Australia and took my winter jacket with me, a lot of people smiled at me for it, but in 10 months of Australia I probably wore my winter jacket more often than any bikini.

You won’t meet any dangerous animals

During my entire time in Australia, I spent six months on campsites in the middle of nowhere and working on farms in the outback. Believe it or not, during these six months, I’ve seen a little snake and not a single spider.
Yes, there are many places to watch out for spiders and snakes, but it is very unlikely that you will encounter any of these animals. So a spider phobia should be the last reason to stop you from going to Australia.

Australia is very expensive

Even though there are so many backpackers coming to Australia every year, this does not mean that Australia is cheap. Quite the opposite. Australia is one of the most expensive countries to travel. Especially accommodation, alcohol and restaurants cost you a fortune. In summer, when many tourists come to Australia, prices for accommodation and the like go up again.
So if you want to travel more during your Work & Travel stay instead of working, you should use your money sparingly and think carefully if you really want to spend your money on parties every night.

There are many flies in the outback

Until you’ve been to Australia yourself, you probably won’t think it’s possible: The Outback is teeming with stubborn flies. You can wave your hand as much as you like, but it won’t do any good. Depending on where you’re going in the outback, the flies won’t leave you alone. They crawl into your ears, into your eyes, into your nose and it is not at all unlikely that you will even swallow several flies. To protect yourself from the annoying animals, it can help to buy a hat with flynet.

It’s snowing in Australia too

Many Australians have never seen snow in their lives, but in the Australian Alps it snows more than in the Swiss Alps. From June to September, snow falls in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Many people then go there for skiing or other outdoor activities.

Everybody drinks coffee

No matter who you run into in Australia early in the morning, almost everyone will hold a coffee mug in their hand. Coffee is actually very popular in Australia. That’s why you’ll find a coffee shop on almost every corner, where the baristas make excellent coffee.

The moon is upside down

In the southern hemisphere, you will see the moon rotated 180 degrees. So the moon is upside down, so to speak. If you come from Europe, then for you a decreasing moon is a increasing moon in Australia.
But there are differences not only in the moon but also in the sun. While the sun moves south on the northern hemisphere, the sun moves north during the day on the southern hemisphere.

There’s plenty of water in the outback

Red, dry deserts and no water as far as the eye can see: this is how some people might imagine the outback of Australia. Yes, there are places, there is nothing there for miles, but that is not the case everywhere. In the Outback of Australia there are plenty of national parks in which also water flows. You will find the most beautiful waterfalls in the middle of the outback. In addition, there are plenty of great hiking trails in the desert of Australia through forests or gorges.

The country is huge

Australia is almost as big as Europe. While there are 47 countries in Europe, Australia is just one country. To get from one city to the next, it is worthwhile to fly than to travel by car for days.
If you’re driving by car and you think at night that you’ve come a long way because you’ve driven 1000 kilometers, then you’re wrong. When you look at the map, you’ll notice that you’ve only managed a very small part in the end.
If you go on a road trip through Australia, you’ll be sitting in your car for several hours a day just to get to the nearest supermarket.

The west coast is more beautiful than the east coast

Many backpackers travel to Sydney or Melbourne, and from there travel up the east coast. Therefore, you will find backpackers and travelers everywhere along the east coast. The West Coast, on the other hand, only very few people travel, but the West Coast is much more beautiful. Since many people only travel the east coast, it is much quieter on the west coast.

Sure on the east coast you meet many new people everywhere and have the opportunity to party every night. But that’s why all the tourist attractions are also crowded with people and for a good photo you have to fight your way through the crowd.

On the west coast, on the other hand, you can sometimes be alone in all the beautiful places and enjoy the beauty of nature in peace and quiet, without having someone step on your feet again and again. The West Coast is therefore much better suited for travelling!

Every backpacker drinks Goon

If you travel as a backpacker to Australia and live in the hostel, you will not get around to drink Goon at least once. Goon is a wine that is sold in two, four or five litre boxes for a very reasonable price. Since alcohol is very expensive in Australia, many backpackers then resort to the cheap Goon. But Goon does not taste, but he fulfills his purpose: to get drunk!

You meet more backpackers than locals

Australia is full of backpackers and travelers. If you live in the hostel, then you probably meet more German backpackers than an Australian.
If you work in Australia, you will most likely meet one or the other Australian. But since many backpackers do the same jobs you will not get around your jobs to have one or more co-workers, who are also backpackers.