New travellers

Welcome to TT Nomads,
I take it that maybe you wanted your ID to read Nowherenomads and between Lake Hillier and Sydney I also take it rather than heading off to find Sidney Poitier.
Between the west and Sydney on the east coast there's a huge blank canvas for you to explore, one that you might even want to do some regional work in so as you can even think about a second WHV.

If you want to do that, it'll be best for you to look at doing the regional work earlier in your first WHV, that way you'll be free to go where you like afterwards and perhaps have saved up more money to keep you travelling longer.
And if you intend to do that, have a look at https://jobsearch.gov.au/harvest to get an idea of where you will find farm work at various times of the year.

You will also find some facebook forums where many jobs and also vehicles for travelling get advertised - Backpackerjobsaustralia a reasonable one and for two people, a vehicle is a good idea compared to paying out for two for fares - there's also campervan relocations that can be useful at times - imoova.com .

As for where to go when aside from getting work, you need to realise that Australia's northern regions have a wet or at least warm and humid season, it not too hospitable re climate between say November and April above the Tropic of Capricorn - say Geraldton on west coast and Rockhampton on the east.

As for highlights of Australia, you have the rich red country and ruggedness of the NW and inland, the vast plains, Uluru and many other national parks and beaches all around Australia along with more national parks in much lusher country over in the east with places like Flinders Ranges in between, to the north of Adelaide.

For must see locations, I'd suggest that you do a search of each state " top 100 things to see " as well as national parks and that will get you started on some planning for yourself, just too many to list but for a few in addition to Uluru and the red centre, you have Kakadu and Litchfield NPs near Darwin and places like Fraser Island and The Whitsundays along with Cairns and northern Queensland rain forests.

Starting in Perth in October, after the west I'd consider heading east and staying in southern parts for a few months before heading north so as you start moving into Queensland about April and so you will be heading towards more tropical territory at the end of the wet season.

Thanks travoyageur

That is all really helpful. I hadn't considered wet /dry seasons.

The name is meant to be knowhere nomads, and i may plan a trip to the bahamas to find sidney poitier at some point, but in this instance i did mean Sydney.

Thank you for the links, i will have a look at those later. Someone else has recommended flinders ranges, which look awesome, but the other places you mentioned are new to me. I'll investigate. Thank you.

Must see is a personal thing and very much depends on personal choice. Someone once ears ago asked about the " must-sees" in Thailand. We had fun with that one but unfortunately it was much further back than most archived posts. Some of the replies were absolutely hilarious, nothing serious at all.

We are completely flexible and will be heading all over hopefully so we'll look into anything that sounds interesting.

I haven't read #1. Do you plan to be here for 12 months, or 24, or some other period? During your time here, will you be seeking work? Are you purchasing a vehicle, and if so, will it be something to sleep in? Buy a cheap GPS when you arrive (ebay, or discount electrical store) ... buy a good camping/caravanning atlas.

The whole country has worthwhile attractions ... we do not have soaring glacier-covered mountain ranges, mighty rivers through huge jungles, or millennia-old ancient cities ... Australia is a SUBTLE experience. Done in the right way and it can be very exciting and life-changing.

Avoid the tacky ... look for the natural. But also do not neglect the cities ... we actually do urban areas pretty well - our cities are nice - much better than North America, and other than historical centres, even better than many congested European ones, and streets ahead of Asian nightmares.

Eating in Australia can be cheap and excellent (especially if you self-cater) - the range that is always "in season" is staggering. Buy all your alcohol in a discount warehouse ... a quarter the price of buying it in a bar or restaurant. Get an Esky (an insulated cooler for drink and perishables).

Do not neglect Australia's Indigenous history or heritage ... it is 65,000 years old and deserves our interest and respect. Many national parks and a wide range of other places have a strong Indigenous presence ... enjoy it all.

Flock to our beaches ... Australia does "coastline"better than any other nation or continent - and by a margin that is huge. So take advantage of warm waters, warm climate, and stunning seascapes.

Do not neglect the North ... and I don't mean Brisbane, which is "south" ... I mean the half of the country north of the Tropic of Capricorn that runs through Carnarvon, Alice Springs, and Rockhampton. It is stark, unique and accessible.

Tours and activities are expensive ... so DIY as much as possible, but do take tours when it's the only way to see something outstanding (Great Barrier Reef, or Yellow Waters in Kakadu NP, for example).

Use our extensive network of caravan parks (also called holiday parks or tourist parks). The YHA hostel network is also excellent - worth joining HI now. And do consider camping - the weather is great and tent sites are cheap.

MOVE WITH THE SEASONS ... this is the best advice.

Perth in October means travelling anti-clockwise. Cross the Nullabor Plain before the end of November | Victoria | Tasmania | Sydney for New Year's Eve | Northern NSW and Gold Coast by Feb-March | Cairns by May | Darwin June | Alice Springs | Kimberley by July-August | WA West Coast by September | return to Perth by October.

Yes - in your time and with a vehicle, visit Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges ... some of the oldest rocks anywhere (although the very oldest rocks on the entire planet are at Jack Hills - inland from Ningaloo Reef - they are 4.4 billion years old, formed barely after the earth cooled).

Visit Ningaloo Reef - it's easily in the Top 5 in Western Australia. When you're heading to Monkey Mia, do stop at Hamelin Pool to look at the Stromatolites ... some of the oldest living things on the planet. Australia is interesting.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what responses i get. I'm hoping for some personal ecperiences from people.

I've embodied nearly 65 years of personal experience into post #4 ... I trust that's a start, however if you want any more input from me - you'll need to answer the basic questions that were asked.

But really ... there are a lot of resources. Just search on "Top 10 Things to Do/See in ... X" - you get a large response.

I'll give you just one: a day-trip driving from Alice Springs to Glen Helen Lodge and back - along Namatjira Drive. Arguably the best inland drive in the country.

My personal favourites are:

East Coast:

• Sydney

• Blue Mountains

• Manly

• Port Stephens

• Byron Bay

• Australia Zoo

• Noosa

• Rainbow Beach

• Fraser Island

• Whitsunday Islands

• Great Barrier Reef

South Coast:

• Melbourne

• Great Ocean Road

• Grampians National Park

• Kangaroo Island

Northern Territory:

• Kakadu National Park

• Litchfield National Park

• Katherine Gorge National Park

• Devil’s Marbles Conservation Reserve

• Kings Canyon

• Uluru National Park

Western Australia:

• Pinnacles Dessert

Hopefully this helps you out. If you have more questions, let me know.

Best of travels!

I think what westwood is getting at is that with different people seeking different things and your liking of Lake Hillier and Sydney being miles apart as one being a natural feature and the other our largest city developments imposed on a wonderful natural feature, your blank canvas needs a bit more input from you so as some artistic talent is the right talent, like are you into a landscape, a portrait or would you like to pose in the nude?

We have visited L'Archipelago de la Recherche - perhaps it could be explained to me what the attraction might be for Lake Hillier. Enquiring minds would like to know.