Useful Information for Backpacking Australia: East Coast

Mostly budget-friendly, well-located hostels in multi-share rooms — clean, social, and full of other travellers. Solo travellers are roomed with someone of the same gender in twin rooms; multi-share rooms are usually mixed.

Three stretches are different, and they are some of the best nights of the trip: two nights camping under the stars on K'gari, two nights sleeping on board the boat in the Whitsundays, and two overnight coach journeys — Sydney up to Byron Bay, and Rainbow Beach up to Airlie Beach.

Wi-Fi is good in the hostels. On K'gari and out on the water, expect to be off the grid for a bit.

Awesome! Once you’ve booked, just let us know who you’re travelling with and we’ll make sure you’re roomed together. Easy as that!

Wait until your tour is confirmed before booking anything non-refundable. We will email you as soon as it is, and most group tours are confirmed well ahead of departure.

Once it is confirmed, book to land in the city your tour starts in on the start date, and to fly home from the city it finishes in on the last day or later. We recommend Skyscanner for comparing fares.

A Working Holiday Visa lets you live and work in Australia for up to 12 months. You can work for one employer for up to 6 months, or longer if you split the time between two different employers.

The age limit depends on your passport: 18 to 30 for most nationalities, and 18 to 35 for a few, including the UK, Ireland, Canada, France, Denmark and Italy. Once it is approved you have a year to activate it.

Check what applies to your passport on the Australian Department of Home Affairs website before you apply.

Yep - everyone needs a visa to enter Australia. Most travellers join on a Working Holiday Visa or Visitor Visa, depending on your plans.

To find out what’s right for you and how to apply, check out the info here.

Yep! Do 88 days of seasonal work in regional Australia and you can apply for a 2nd year WHV. Use it anytime before you turn 31 (or 35 if you're from Canada, Ireland, the UK, France, Denmark, or Italy.).

International flights are not included in the price of any tour and will need to be booked separately. You’re free to book your own flights or book here.

Once you’ve booked your flights, log in to the Manage My Booking area of our website and enter your flight arrival details. That is how your group leader knows when you are landing.

Arriving before the tour starts, or staying on at the end? Let us know as early as you can so we can check availability and pricing on extra nights.

For group tours, your place is confirmed once enough travellers have booked, and always at least four weeks (28 days) before your tour starts. Most group tours are confirmed around six months before departure.

For volunteer or private bookings, please allow 2-3 working days.

If a tour does not run, you get a full refund.

Backpack or suitcase? Totally up to you. But here’s the golden rule: pack light! We recommend keeping it under 20kg.

A few quick tips:

• A backpack that zips open on the side = super handy
• Don’t overpack, you can do laundry on tour
• You definitely don’t need 16 pairs of shorts

Keep it simple. You’ll thank yourself later!

Most travel is by public coach, including two overnight journeys—one to Byron Bay and another to Airlie Beach. This helps you cover long distances efficiently while keeping costs down.

It suits backpackers and social travellers who want the whole east coast in one go — 28 days, 11 stops, Sydney to Cairns, with a group of people who booked it for the same reasons you did. Most of them are travelling on their own.

It is a backpacker-style trip: hostels and multi-share rooms, camping on K'gari, a couple of overnight coach legs and some big nights out. You cover a lot of ground, so come ready to move. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food is easy to find right across Australia, so dietary needs are no trouble.

The trip finishes in Cairns on day 28. You can fly out any time that day — just leave yourself plenty of time to reach the airport, as no transfer is included.

One thing to check before you book that flight: if you upgrade to a scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, leave at least 24 hours between your final dive and take-off — in practice that means flying after about 3pm on the last day. It is the standard safe-to-fly guidance after diving.

Staying on? Your group leader will help you work out what comes next, whether that is onward transport, more accommodation, or finding work if you are here on a Working Holiday Visa.

Only if you want to drive on K'gari (Fraser Island). To get behind the wheel, you’ll need to:

• Be 21+ with at least 1 year of driving experience
• Have a full driver’s license in English
• Show your license at the safety briefing at the hostel

If your license isn’t in English, bring an international driving permit too.

Yep! Most of our accommodations have free Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to stay connected.

Wi-Fi in Australia is generally solid, just don’t expect full bars when you’re off the grid or deep in the wild!

The trip starts in Sydney and finishes in Cairns.