Thetownend.com

If i was to go for 10 days family of 3 i have 2 questions

1) What sort of cost would i be realistically looking at .

2) Are they as strict as everyone says about criminal convictions etc (none since dec01)

Thanks in advance fuck heads

Massively depends on what time of year you go, where you stay and who you fly with.

Summer at the moment over there.

Be around july time probably, near steve irwins zoo hopefully  :D

bloody expensive

The Zoo is incredible, well worth it.  Can go from Brisbane or Noosa (Noosa is small sea town but v nice).

Won't be massively warm in July mind but the further up the East coast you get the warmer it will be.

Cheers mate dont want it too hot luckily as little one will burn to easily/ quite a while off yet just want to get it sorted asap

few grand i recon

Cheers Chubbs, dont know what to expect really .

To get to the best places is it a lot of travelling involved daily or are most things around eachother

The country is huge!  The biggest cattle station in outback Australia is the size of Belgium.  Took hours to drive through it.

It depends how long you're going for as Id say at least 3 weeks as you dont want to travel too much if you've got a little one as will knacker them out.

We did everything overland as had loads of time but flying domestically is best I think.   Jetstar and Virgin blue are the most common operators and if you go on the virgin blue site between 12 and 1 in the afternoon they have a daily hourly sale on flights!

Thanks lady i will look into it then

Thanks

If you go to the north it's 30 + degrees all year round and very humid.

I wouldn't recommend 10 days - it's just too far to go, bearing in mind it's at least a day's journey there and back, and you might take a while to shake off jet lag.

If you have to do 10 days I'd limit yourself to 2 centres, Sydney and probably somewhere North and Beachy (Queensland/Brisbane, Gold Coast or The Barrier Reef) Adelaide and Melbourne are nice, but Sydney's better, and Perth and Ayers Rock(Uluru) aren't really practical in a short space of time - not much to do as a family at Uluru either

Don't know about the convictions thing, but you have to get a visa (albeit a tourist one) first, I can't remember if it asks about that sort of stuff, but it wouldn't surprise me,so it may be worthwhile checking that out on the Australian Embassy website. There used to be a series of programmes somewhere on Sky about the Australian Customs dept, and they appear to be pretty thorough.

If you're travelling as a family the last thing you'd need is a snarl up at that end.

No I don't think they require you to have one these days  :D

I'll get me coat

Mate, read this:

http://www.visasforaustralia.co.uk/pages/visarequirements/australiancharacterrequirements.php

Before this:

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/index.htm

You need to apply for the 'you've been a cunt and we don't want you here' visa

It takes ages with all the backwards and forwards sending forms and waiting for replies.

Send off application then they send you loads of forms to fill out.

They'll want to know about all convictions, dates, sentences, and you need to contact the police over here of copies of them to send back with application.

Names of people you are staying with, their address (they will contact them to confirm - don't know how that works with hotels)

Exact dates of travel.

And loads more.

Oh, a fee of about £50 (probably gone up now)

If you're going to try for it, seriously start now.



I never did get to Australia  :D

Might be a bit different now though.

Cheers sussex and davis it was not funny the 1st time  :D

For a tourist visa they arent bothered at all about convictions.

Definately want more than 10 days, I wouldnt do it for less than 2 and a half weeks. Ideally 3 weeks+.

I wouldnt go on in july. Sydney is the best by far. But In july you might want to go to Brisbane for the weather. Could go on and on. But you have to remmember Brisbane isnt a coastal city, its a river city. I never went to surfers, but the people who did said they didnt enjoy it that much. Never went to any beaches in Queensland.

Whilst the backpackers are cheap, hotels with en suite even for a low quality hotel can be expensive. Drinking also expensive everywhere except Sydney.

If I went again Id have 2 weeks in Sydney, 3 days in Melbourne and 3 days in Brisbane.

Unless things have changed significantly in the last five years, I think they do fella. It's not quite a normal tourist visa he needs, so with the goings on in the world since 9/11 etc, I'd assume it's more strict, not less.

Took three months until they replied with the police documents I sent them. Then I gave up.

Is it true that if you go to an arab state they dont let you in the USA? Someone at work was on about it today as they are going to Libya

I've never heard that specifically, but I would guess you might have fun at US Immigration if you have a dodgy stamp (from somewhere like Libya et al) in your passport.

I really didn't realise getting a tourist Visa for Oz was so bloody difficult. Is it the same for business related trips? (Only asking as a lot of my colleagues are heading for Sydney for a conference in June 08 - sadly I'm not).

took me two weeks to get a 12 month working visa for oz, so unless there are complications (like CCJs etc) I can't see why it would ever take more than a month normally.

st. kilda in melbourne is the best place in the world

They are cunts in regards to the convictions :x

Its great there.  Loads of cake shops!

I lurve de cake.............