Thanks for your reply everyone. Right now, there is a promotion in AA, the ticket price for return ticket is about RM1,000/-. Not sure whether want to get it or not. By the way, I wish to travel on mid of May. Should I wait until it dropped until below RM900? The promotion is ending on 12 Oct 2014. I am wondering whether there is another promotion before end of this year. Should I take the risk?

2 years ago i got a return ticket for below RM600 excluding baggages and meals. that was to and from melbourne. sydney should be more or less the same

Hello!

I am currently a teenager that just finished my studies and begin to step into working stage (first step to adolescence). I have an urge to go for a solo travel next year and I am a first timer to step out of country all by myself for travel. (Life is short, start early for experience)

Do you guys recommend me to take my first step to Sydney or should I go somewhere nearer first?

I've always wanted to go to Australia since young and I want to meet with some koala bears and kangaroo. I am planning to take a week leave from my work next year for a solo trip but still have some paranoid of going somewhere I've not been before all by myself.

Sure, australia is a good place to start solo travelling. It’s convenient, safe and you speak the language. And everything is as easy as 123.

Personal recommendation, Melbourne > Sydney. Or do both in one go if money and time is not too tight. Though you don’t need THAT much of a time though.

Though I’ve always recommend that Queensland is the best state to visit though.

I see. Is there any train that transit from Sydney<->Melbourne? Or do I have to take a plane from one to another? If so, estimated how much for the journey?

Edit: I've found a train from a website, around 90+- AUD per trip. But the trip takes around 10 hours, is plane or train better?

This post has been edited by LovelyPotato: Oct 30 2014, 05:54 PM

plane - 1 hour and cheaper
train - 10 hour

go figure

he forgot bus... haha... you can check greyhound. they have overnight buses. if you are up for those kinda of things.

bus is 11-12 hours? timing is good enough to depart from one place and arrive at another.

Not exactly, you have to consider the time of:

1. Check in,
2. Wait for boarding
3. 1 hour flight
4. Check out
5. Luggage (if any)

That will take maybe a total of 3 hours?

Depends really, if he wants the train ride experience.

train ride experience? i rather go to uluru

Hi..

Would like to know how much is the budget for one month stay in Sydney minus food and accommodation?

Do you plan to see any of the sights or just going to stay in all the time?
I think you can get by with AUD50 a day just to move around the city and maybe buy some snacks

I'll be staying with my bf and I don't know where he will bring me. Lol. I don't wanna burden him with my stuff and expenses. T_T I totally have no idea how much to bring and how much I'll be using.

Excluding food and accommodation, the biggest expenses is transport and entrance fees. Places like opera house, harbour bridge and whatever market, it’s free to visit anyway. Even if you go out of Sydney, most stuff are kinda free. Example: Visiting Blue Mountain or going down the south coast.

Actually AUD50 to get by excluding food is a lot of money. Even though public transport is expensive, using daily/weekly passes that kind of thing should cap your expenses.

The most is paying to visit parks to pat some kangaroos and koalas, if you haven’t done that before.

Don’t worry about bringing cash. Debit/Credit Card works too. Using card for payments is very common. In Australia, one can even cash out from the supermarket. But using foreign cards, I’m not sure about cash out la.

Maybe you can research on the stuff you want to do and the sights that you want to visit so that you have a rough idea on how much the expenses would be. As mentioned by other forumer, going to Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House is free but if you want to climb it (you can walk across the bridge for free) or go in, entrance fee would be applicable. Markets such as The Foodies Market at the Rocks & Eveleigh Market (only on Saturday till noon) is free to visit with exception to transportation depending on where your bf place is.
To go places out of Sydney such as Blue Mountain, Hunter Valley would require you to drive or take tour which expenses should be factored in as well.

Hmmm. Is around $1.5k AUD enough?

i survive on average $50(sometimes much less a week) as a student excluding accommodation. so ya... 1.5k AUD is a lot of money.

again... even though aussie is very safe, you still don't have to bring that much cash over you know. debit card and credit card as back up. if you happen to go shopping and see something you like.

anyway, do some research first, you should get by well enough. aussie can be cheap as long as you don't eat out that often at restaurants and etc.

Alright!! Thank you ^^

Reporting back from 1wk sydney 1wk melbourne, just wanna give some comment on renting car / driving in Aussie (as as tourist).

Both cities I took Apex special at aud44/aud43 per day respectively (hyundai elantra, unlimited miles, zero excess). Apex seems good, fuss free, zero excess at these rates really can't be matched by the bigger rental companies I think.

http://www.apexrentacar.com.au/

Now ... car rental is cheap but parking and toll damn pain lol. The eTag which provided with apex they charge aud3.30 service fee for every day you cross any toll. Then many hotels don't come with free parking; Sydney still manageable cos we AirBnb an apartment with one free parking spot (but we had 2 cars) but in Melb, Crown Towers was aud16 a day and citadines right in the heart of CBD was aud30 a day

Sydney three days we went CBD we tried to somewhat reduce parking costs by using:
1. Flat rate full day parking for aquarium ticket url=http://www.sydneyaquarium.com.au/visitor-info/cheap-parking/

2. Book a bay for few hours at Opera House ($24 for 5 hours)
https://www.wilsonparking.com.au/sydneyoperahouse/

... then 3rd day we google wrongly, thought one place got sunday flat rate but ended up hourly rate lol ... that one really facepalm 3 hours $55

not sure about sydney and that apex company but normally i nvr get the toll reader from car rental company as i always look for the route without toll. but even with toll, the car rental company will send me another invoice with the total charges of toll but so far nvr had any.

for the parking, you can look for other parking within 100m or so and walk to hotel or to the destination for better rate.

anyone going to Blue Moutain, i do not receommend to pay 35$ for the railway/skyway/cable car etc as it is basically a short ride and i pesonally think it's not worth the price of 35$

but i do recemmend the hop on hop off bus which cost u 40$, however if you prefer hiking + walking all the way, then cna save the 40$ lar