Gap year in Australia

Taking a gap year in Australia is by far Real Gap's most requested programme.

Gap year in Australia - Gap year programmes in Australia

The main arrival points for your gap year in Australia are the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Cairns. Sydney is Australia's largest city and most people starting their gap year in Australia choose to arrive there. If your gap year in Australia is part of a round the world itinerary it may be that you need to look for work fairly soon after arrival in order to boost your funds. If this is the case then Sydney and Melbourne are probably better places to arrive in to if you're keen to find work soon after starting your gap year in Australia. This isn't to say of course that finding work in places like Brisbane, Cairns and Perth on your gap year in Australia is difficult - just that there are generally more opportunities in Sydney and Melbourne.

Most travellers start their gap year in Australia by staying in one of the many backpacker hostels, before looking for some longer-term rented accommodation once they have started work. Hostels are an inexpensive alternative to hotels and a great place to network at the start of your gap year in Australia - both in terms of meeting up with other backpackers and also for finding work. Notice boards in backpacker hostels are always an excellent source of information for possible jobs, as well as for rooms in shared houses if you are looking to settle down in one place for a while at the start of your gap year in Australia.

Working on your gap year in Australia is a great way to experience local culture, meet people and save up some money. Ultimately, however, it is the prospect of travelling Down Under that attracted you to spend your gap year in Australia in the first place - and you shouldn't neglect this important aspect of your gap year in Australia. It's not uncommon for travellers spending their gap year in Australia to have such a good time living and working in one particular place that they end up hardly doing any travelling at all - particularly as Australia is such a huge country.

A recommended itinerary for people who started their gap year in Australia in Melbourne or Sydney is to travel up Australia's east coast to the northeast city of Cairns and then travel on to Brisbane and the Northern Territory before travelling back south again down through the ‘red centre' of Australia. This circuit can obviously be done the opposite way round on your gap year in Australia, and is an excellent route for fitting in many of Australia's main sights. Probably the best way to travel during your gap year in Australia is by using ‘Oz Experience Bus Passes.' This ‘hop on, hop off' bus service is inexpensive, travels to places not visited by standard bus services and is operated exclusively for backpackers - meaning it's by far the most social and fun way of travelling during your gap year in Australia.

Some of the many ‘must see' sights located on the east coast to see during your gap year in Australia include Fraser island, Byron Bay, Brisbane, the Whitsunday Islands and the city of Cairns - the main base for snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef. The east coast is packed with mile upon mile of superb beaches. A great way to see these on your gap year in Australia while learning the ultimate Aussie outdoor pursuit - surfing - is by going on Real Gap's ‘Learn to surf in Australia.' This programme takes in beaches ‘off the beaten' track between Sydney and Byron Bay - and these are the venues for the surf lessons, which are an essential part of any gap year in Australia.

Brisbane is the main base for travel in to the Northern Territory on your gap year in Australia. From Brisbane the Stuart Highway runs the length of the country down through its red desert centre, and for much of the journey through this part of Oz on your gap year in Australia, you won't see anything more than desert and kangaroos! An essential place to visit on you gap year in Australia is Uluru (more famously known by its non-Aboriginal name of Ayers Rock) which is located almost slap-bang in the centre of Australia. Uluru is an incredible sight, particularly at dusk or dawn, and - although it's a remote place to get to - anyone taking a gap year in Australia should make the effort to visit.

For more detailed information on places to visit on your gap year in Australia it's a good idea to invest in a decent guide book. If you have enough time on your gap year in Australia it's well worth visiting Perth and the remoter area of Western Australia as well.

Gap year in Australia - Gap year programmes in Australia