We had an excellent 13 days vacation in Australia; landed in Melbourne on 4th Sept, day drive to Port Campbell on 6th Sept, drive to Sydney from Melbourne on 7th Sept with stopover in Phillip Island, Eden & Batesman Bay; arrive in Sydney on 10th Sept, flown to Gold Coast on 12th Sept and arrive back home in Malaysia on 16th Sept. It's a two year vacation plan and Alhamdulillah we manage to visit and do all things that we had plan earlier. I did a lot of research on the internet and also through various discussion with friends who has been there for their advise and it would be beneficial for me to share my knowledge to those interested to plan for their holiday in Australia.
Visa Application
This can be done online via ETA and it will cost about AUD20 per person; roughly RM60++. The process will take only few weeks to be approve provided all information is correct. The visa will be valid for one year on the date of application and you can stay for 3 months in Australia
Immigration Card
You will be given this card on your flight to Australia. Just bring along a pen and fill up the particulars before arriving. Don't forget to declare foods that you will be bringing and do not take out your airline foods; just leave it in the airplane.
Quarantine & Inspection Services
As long as you have declared that it wouldn't be a problem. They will check your bag of course; so adviseable to put the foods that you will be declaring in one bag. I brought my son milk powder, biscuits and medicines. Just make sure it is not open and it's still in it's original packaging. You can refer to this website for more information.
Car Rental
Adviseable to book early and online as you will receive discounts. Always opt for unlimited mileage and consider to take extra travel insurance. Usually the car rentals will offer theirs but there are other options.
I book Hertz while we were in Melbourne and Avis in Gold Coast. GPS is a must for better navigation. Childrens need to be seated on their own; car seats or boosters. You can rent this from the rental car or bring a portable one. Using the big 5 rental companies (Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Thrifty) it will be easier in terms of returning the car as most of them have their location at most airports. You will receive your rented car full with fuel and you need to return back the rental car with full fuel as well; so just be aware on the nearest petrol station before returning your car. In Australia, you need to fill-up first and then make payments at the counter inside; same goes for cash or credit.
Also opt for Roam Express; this will be used to pay for your toll charges. I use Vroom3 for my rental bookings; very reliable and opt for travel insurance at 1Cover
Car Parking
Just be aware of their parking sign. Some you can park for free but only for a limited duration. Some you need to display the parking coupons but also for a limited duration. Example if the sign says 2P 9am to 5pm; you can only park maximum for 2 hours from 9am to 5pm. After 5pm you can park more than 2 hours but you still need to pay though. There will be offers for weekends; AUD10 for full day parking. I opt for Wilson Parking nearby Sussex Street Sydney when we visited Darling Harbour. Btw parking at attraction park (Movie World, Sea World) is free; same goes for big shopping complexes (Robina Town Centre, Harbourtown & Pacific Fair).
Driving in Australia
Be extra careful of their pedestrians, cyclist and city trams (there will have the right of way). Always use your turn signals eventhough there's nobody at your rear. Be cautious on Melbourne Hook; as you need to be on the left before you can turn to the right. If you encounter this, better option is to just drive straight and turn right on any normal intersections.
Their speed limit is 100 km/h on highway and 50 km/h in towns; 40 km/h if on school hours. So driving long distance is a challenge as we need to abide by their speed limit. We are use to travelling balik kampung at our normal speed 110 (sometimes more) and we use three or two lanes highway. Over here is just two normal lane; no dividers and a lot of overtaking lanes. And we need to be careful of wildlife crossing as well as their huge trucks (all Optimus Prime like). I don't encourage driving at nights due to limited visibility. We stayed about 7 kms from Eden town and when we drove to the town to buy our dinner; driving was quite scary.
Dining
Halal food in major town (Melbourne, Sydney & Gold Coast) is easy to find; a bit difficult in smaller towns. You can opt for vegetarian meals @ Subway Veggie Sandwiches. Some outlet do sells Halal Chicken only; so need to be extra careful.
Average cost per meal per person is AUD10; no worries as their servings is quite big so you can share your meals. To save; just visit their markets @ Coles or Woolworths and buy bread, tuna, sardines and jams for your morning breakfast. Also stock up on mineral water and fruit juices. Btw don't forget to have their latte as it is delicious; even the one served in McDonalds.
Souveniers Shopping
You can visit Paddy's Market in Sydney; accesible via their monorail system. Here you can buy almost everything for your Australia souveniers to be given to your family members, relatives and friends; made in China of course. In Gold Coast there's a wholesale shop along Surfers Paradise; same block as Hilton Towers.
Attraction Tips
Opt for VIP Pass if you plan to visit Movie World, Sea World & Wet & Wild in Gold Coast. The VIP Pass allows you unlimited entry for one year; and it's cheaper than buying individual tickets as the attraction. Same goes for Sydney as you can opt for Fun Pass. Just visit MyFun for more information.
There's Funday Sunday at Sydney Ferries; each tickets cost only AUD2.50 for the whole trip; inclusive trains tickets as well. You do need to have at least one child with you upon purchasing though to enjoy this benefit.
For Penguin Parade, do consider buying Penguin Plus rather than the normal General Admission. At Penguin Plus it is not that cold as compare to General Admission seating; as you need to wait for the penguins to swim to the shore. Small kids will have problems coping with the cold breeze from the sea.
I think that's most about it from my recent trip to Australia. Please do feel free to email me at azlanshah75@yahoo.com if you need more information and I will gladly share with you :-)
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