Size & Travel Plans in Australia

When making Australian travel plans fundamentals are important. The immense size of Australia often catches the unsuspecting traveller by surprise.

If you are making Australian travel plans it is useful to look at the most fundamental information about the country before you start such as the size, distribution of poulation and position of major cities. The size of Australia often surprises the unsuspecting traveller. It is sometimes called the "big country" and it lives up to this name. Even seasoned travellers are sometimes caught off guard in their "see as you go" plans when they actually appreciate how big and diverse this country really is. I have met so many travellers to Australia that underestimate its size and believe that they can easily drive from Sydney to Brisbane or even from Perth to Brisbane in a few hours. Planning travel in Australia must include large amounts of travel time. Australia is as big as the USA (without Hawaii and Alaska). To drive from Sydney to Melbourne takes at least 12 hours and if you want to relax and take the time to sightsee on the way then travellers really need to spend at least one night on the way. The other consideration that travellers often underestimate is the emptiness of Australia. Most of the population hugs the seaboards and often there are no towns for many miles as travellers go “cross country”. Having some basic facts can really help you get your mind around the country’s size and allow for better planning. Travelling large distances is probably best done by air unless you have the leisure and the time. Australia is such a great travel destination and having the luxury of travelling at least part of your time there by car, or even coach, can add to the total experience, but for most travellers internal air travel is necessary to get to see even a small part of this huge country.