Author Archives: Monique Thorpe

We cannot believe the amount of horror stories that we have heard from business owners, particularly in regional areas, that have had travellers working or woofing with them and just absolutely taken the piss. This is not just relating to international travellers either, but also Aussies who seem to forget their manners as well as their brains as soon as they leave the big cities. Besides that fact that it is always sad to hear that one human has ripped of another, I guess you’re asking yourself just how do the actions of other travellers affect you? The answer: their Read more

Brochures of Australia are filled with snaps of Whitehaven Beach, Bondi Beach and The Twelve Apostles. If you want to have the same experience as everyone else, the same photos of everyone else and spend your time in crowded and expensive destinations, then by all means, follow the suggested itineraries in the brochures. If you’re after a more intimate experience with the Australian coast, if you want to actually meet some locals and enjoy long unspoiled beaches to yourself, then read on excited traveller. You might want to get out a map of Australia and mark these gems down!   Read more

There is a lot of information online for backpacking hostel-dwellers and cashed up grey nomads however not too much is written for those of us who are camping on a budget. This is obviously because we’re not great a business investment, always looking for the cheapest option! However there are a few places that you can turn to get great info about the free and cheap campsites in Australia. CAMPS 8 This often referred to as ‘The Bible’ both in our tent and for many of those on the Australian road-trip circuit. This book lists thousands of free and cheap Read more

Something that stunned me earlier this year when we were camping in the Chilean Andes, was the lack of animals running around the campsite. As a local Australian, I am accustomed to fighting of wild animals from our BBQ dinner and listening to footsteps around the tent at night. After sensing that lack of wildlife in Chile, I now pay even more attention when camping here in Australia, to the wildlife around me and appreciate this special country even more. Currently, we are camping our way around Queensland and we’re making a special effort to document the places where we Read more

I have lost count of the amount of travellers who have told me that they came to Australia with a dream of learning to surf. How many of them actually and up doing it is a few smaller number. Don’t be one of those who spend 12 months here and never get on a surfboard. Never feel the thrill of riding a wave. Many tourists are not aware that the amazing surf of the Australian coast does not run all the way up to Cairns. In fact Agnes Water, is the most norther surf beach on the east coast of Read more

Imagine camping amongst Volcanic Rock Formations and Golden Sanded Beaches Located in the Cape Hillsborough National Park, Smalleys Beach Camping Ground could easily be the best campsite in Queensland. It is surely one of best campsite I have seen on the East Australian Coast. The campsite is relaxing, tranquil, well located and booked out a week in advance; it’s not hard to see why. Smalleys Beach is the only state-run camping facility of the area. As such, it is managed by the local rangers and has your basics facilities, but no bells or whistles. This keep away a lot of Read more

Traveling the East Coast of Australia we have met dozens upon dozens of European couples and friends who are doing the same, as well as a couple of Americans along the way. Camping is becoming an increasingly popular way to travel in Australia, especially with the rise of the converted travel van industry and the high price of bus and plane travel in Australia. Camping can also help you to reduce your accommodation costs as your work along the way! Besides the economy of camping, what is the drawcard? Freedom! If you’re on a road trip you can leave the Read more

Sick of accommodation sucking up so much of your hard-earned money? Have you thought about housesitting while you’re in Australia? If not, then you should. Membership to the housesitting sites are quite cheap and the amount you can save in accommodation far outweighs the price. Memberships range from $65 for an annual subscription to a specific-country housesitting site, such as aussiehousesitters.com.au or around the $10 per month mark for a larger international site such as trustedhousesitters.com. Once you sign up and pay your membership fee, you simply create yourself a profile and start to search and apply for housesitting opportunities. Read more