Whilst it’s true campervan exploration doesn’t necessarily offer the 5-star treatment of a luxury hotel, what it does offer is 5-star opportunity to really take in the splendors of Australia at your own pace. It is nearly impossible to really “see” Australia from a hotel room and during the course of a few taxi rides. Campervans simply open up a world of possibilities.

Holidaymakers who choose to take the laidback, scenic route to Australian touring often cite five main reasons for doing so. These are:

1 ? Australia’s Incredible Geography And Scenery
With landscapes that include everything from mountain peaks and deserts to rainforests and mangroves, Australia has it all. Each distinct region in the country offers its own unique draws as far as scenery and wildlife are concerned. Whether you’re planning to tour just a portion of the country or you intend cross-territory treks, it is impossible to miss the incredible landscapes as you drive the terrain yourself.

2 ? Access To Landmarks
It is simply much easier to ensure the time and ability to see some of the biggest landmarks and attractions within Australia if you’re in charge of the itinerary. From Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef to Wave Rock and the Sydney Opera House, when you base your holidaymaking out of a campervan, you can see it all on your time.

3 ? Ease And Economics
Whether your intent is to follow wanderlust without regard to a schedule or you have a set travel plan in mind, campervans provide a lot of comfort and flexibility. There is no need to worry about set hotel check-in or checkout times and you can even extend your holiday by simply picking up a phone. Your accommodations travel with you. When not wasting a single second on worrying about bookings and arriving at destinations at set times is to your liking, campervan travel delivers. Plus, as you tour all Australia has to offer, you are very likely to find campervan travel puts more money in your souvenir budget. With no exorbitant hotel fees to pay and meal expenses sliced down to grocery purchases that can be cooked in the galley, your holiday money goes a lot farther.

4 ? Campervans Provide A Fun Alternative To Regular Travel
There is just something incredibly liberating about taking a holiday in a campervan. The freedom to go and do as you please is hard to compete with. If it’s raining in one destination, you can turn around and head to the next without regard to tour limitations, taxi expenses or the transportation schedules of planes, trains or buses.

5 ? Ability To Go Off The Beaten Path
Many say this is the most outstanding feature of campervan travel in Australia. Since itineraries don’t have to be rigid, you are free to stop and see whatever you want. You can also take the long, scenic route, rather than the shortcut. If you see a beautiful spot for a picnic or for spending the night, you can stop.

Australia is a land of wonder that offers unique holidaymaking opportunities around every corner. When seeing as much as possible is your goal, campervan travel makes this possible.

But what differs with the place or country is the sport and the amount of bets placed on it. Like people in Asian countries are leaders in betting on cricket. Cricket is the favorite sport in the Asian subcontinent. But in Europe and America games like horse racing, basketball, hockey, soccer and football etc. receive topmost priority. Thus that sport is wagered the most, which is relished, by maximum number of people.

Australia is one of the best places in the world to enjoy betting. This is because betting is legal in Australia and there are ample of sports that are cherished by the Aussies. Australian Football and Rugby are the two eminent names in this category. Lots of good information and even betting guidelines or tips about these games and many others like tennis are available on the Internet due to the legality of sports betting in Australia.

Ireland is the land that gives birth to the most of the English sports action. Irish football and Hurling are unique English sports. Rugby, cricket, golf and tennis are other English sports that invite lot many bookmakers and so bets. The English Premier League or one can say the English Soccer involves tremendous wagering in Europe. Darts are also famous among the English. Many people love betting on the not so common game of Darts. But this isn’t all. Punters never leave The National Leagues, the National and International Cups, the Motor Sports like Formula F1 Racing, the IRL or the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR i.e. the National Association of Speedy Cars and Rednecks, involves million dollar wages or even more every year.

Human beings have always made good business through animals. Along with the horse racing the racing of animals like camels, pigs, ponies and dogs invite great amount of betting in Europe as well as on the land of America.

While betting on any game what should be followed is your knowledge of the game and what your intuition or common sense says. A bettor should be pretty clear and confident over the option of his bet. If an individual is making a bet for the first time, don’t bet big. It can lead to unexpected snags. Remember, it takes time to learn and develop betting skills.

Australia is a huge country, around the size of the contiguous United States, and it has several distinct climactic zones. The different climates create different types of landscapes: desert, mountain, rain forest and sunny beaches. Also, to the surprise of some, it does snow in Australia, there are winter snowfields in several states; and one of the most popular skiing areas is the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. Australian’s ski season runs from June to September.

Although Australia does receive some snowfall, it is one of the driest places in the world, second only to Antarctica. Mulka Bora in South Australia is one of the country’s driest places, averaging around 4 inches of rain per year. In some parts of the huge, dry interior of the country, known as the Outback, it has not rained in several years. On the other hand, sudden downpours in the Outback can cause flash flooding and fill huge salt flats with water.

Most visitors to Australia arrive in Sydney; and the best time to visit the city and the surrounding area is the summer. Airfare tends to be lowest however, from around mid-April to mid-August. It is important to keep in mind that Australians often take their main vacation somewhere between Christmas and the end of January. Similar to the UK, Australians consider Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, to be a holiday.

Much of the vast interior of Australia is hot, and some inhabitants have created inventive ways to deal with the heat. The small town of Coober Pedy in South Australia is famous not only for being the opal mining capital of the world, but for having most of its homes and businesses underground, in order to escape the fierce summer heat. The advantage of a home carved from the rock is that the temperature remains constant year round; it also saves on air conditioning bills.

A driving trip through the Outback is an unforgettable experience. It is a good idea to carry extra water with you as well as such essential items as spare fuel, towing ropes and perhaps a satellite phone. The town of Alice Springs makes a great base for exploring the Outback and nearby Uluru (Ayers Rock). Alice Springs experiences some of the country’s highest temperatures, often reaching 100F degrees. Keep in mind that even though it can be hot during the day, temperatures can plunge overnight.

Parts of Northern Australia enjoy a tropical climate; much of Australia is closer to the equator than many people think. Winters in this part of the country are generally mild and pleasant, around 70F degrees; while summer temperatures can easily reach 100F. In this part of the country, summer is the rainy season. If you are visiting during June, July and August, expect bigger crowds.

One of the biggest attractions in Northern Australia is the huge Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage Sight covering over 4 million acres. The dry season, which occurs May through October, is definitely the best time to go, although you should try to book your tours and accommodation about a year in advance, if possible. However, Kakadu is also a wonderful experience in the wet season, which is generally November through April. Crowds are fewer and the rains can cause waterfalls to swell and create spectacular lightning storms.

No visit to Australia is complete without seeing one of the wonders of nature, the Great Barrier Reef. It is impressive any time of the year, but July through November is considered to be the best time; there is less chance of rain and the temperatures are a little bit cooler. The waters around the Barrier Reef are some of the clearest and cleanest in the world. If you are diving to see the reef, as thousands of vacationers do, August through January is peak visibility time.

Also, if you are visiting the northern coast of Australia, especially the northern Queensland area, you should be prepared for possible cyclones. These strong winds are caused by warm sea temperatures and generally occur from November to April. If a cyclone is likely, the local TV stations will broadcast a warning. It is strongly suggested that you should take shelter immediately or evacuate the area in the case of a cyclone.

Australia is absolutely a land of extremes, and that includes the climate. However, regardless of the weather, a trip to the Land Down Under is an unforgettable experience.

Like many other countries of the world, the mortgage market in Australia has tightened considerably and extensions or increases to existing facilities that might have been offered 12 months ago are simply not available today. Many people in Australia, especially those in small business have been able to overcome short-term financial hazards or “cash crisis” and improve their position through a short-term second mortgage.

Second Mortgage

You may or may not have heard about second mortgages. In simple terms, a second mortgage is made against the same property, which is offered as a collateral in the first mortgage but usually to a different lender. Hence, it is considered subordinate to the first mortgage and ranks behind the first mortgage in terms of security.

The interest rate of second mortgage is higher than the first mortgage. This is because, in case of default, the first mortgage is paid out first then the second mortgage is satisfied from the remaining equity.

Usability of Second Mortgage

In a nutshell, a second mortgage is most beneficial when the borrower needs finance for a specific purpose for a short period of time and they can see how the second mortgage finance can be repaid in the short term. It is a good source of finance for opportunistic investments, or to satisfy an urgent unexpected expense. It is often used as a short-term cure for a business cash crunch or even to take advantage of a business opportunity that presents itself where the business operator can see that he or she can make money, IF they have some money NOW!

Other reasons for a short-term second mortgage might include the need of improvement of existing homes prior to sale, or bridging finance for the purchase of a new property prior to the sale of an existing property.

Overview of mortgage market in Australia

The Australian mortgage market witnessed a tremendous boom during 2003 and 2004. However, earlier this year the market observed a sharp decline in its rate of growth with 12% growth being recorded in contrast to 22 % in 2004.

An analysis conducted by InfoChoice and The Sheet estimates that the Australian mortgage market presently stands at $922 billion. It has been observed that this estimate is around three times greater than the report of Reserve of Australia. It is noteworthy that this study is also 12% bigger than the all-banks estimate in the mortgage industry of Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.

As a rule all big banks play a major role in the market, but usually only provide loans against first mortgage security and do not operate in the second mortgage space. Finance and mortgage brokers originate an increasing share of this Australian mortgage market and these brokers can usually source either first or second mortgages from a wide range of lenders.

Rise of Second Mortgage in Australia

As traditional lenders become more reluctant to lend to existing customers due to tighter credit requirement and liquidity limitations continue in the banking system, more and more borrowers with a need for a short term remedy are turning to a second mortgage lenders to solve their temporary or short term liquidity problem to take advantage of opportunities or to solve their short terms problems.

To be eligible for a second mortgage, you must have surplus equity in your current property. This means that you must owe less with your current mortgage than the value of the property. The second mortgage lender will need to be comfortable that there is a good commercial reason for the loan and that there is an “exit strategy” for the loan. This means that the second mortgage lender can see how the loan is coming to be repaid through some event or process that will satisfy the advance and the charges for the loan.

Flashbooking provides backpackers, students and families with a list of budget selected and independent accommodations worldwide -mostly run by locals- in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.

Cairns is a regional city and Local Government Area located in Queensland, Australia.

Flashbooking accommodation database is easily available online and comes completed with all relevant information about cheap hostel Cairns location, description, contacts, prices, instant real availability, customer ratings, facilities and pictures.

Originally settled in 1876, and named after William Wellington Cairns to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, the settlement declined when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas.

Recently put at travellers’ disposal is another useful tool: the Free Pocket City Guide of Cairns. This free travel guide of Cairns contains, in just 6 printable pages, all the essential information and very good suggestions about the Cairns flea markets, Museums and Art Galleries, budget restaurants and cheap lodgings, classic itineraries you can’t miss, transports and a lot more.

However, Cairns’ future was secured as it developed into a railhead and major port for the exportation of sugar cane, gold, precious metals and agricultural industries from the surrounding coastal and Tableland regions.

The city is rapidly expanding, with a population of 128,284 and is reliant on the sugar and tourism industries.

In particular Flashbooking provides a large selection of cheap accommodation offers in Cairns where there are plenty of low cost solutions for backpackers in budget Bed and breakfast Cairns, cheap hotels and guesthouses.

The City of Cairns lies about 1070 miles from Brisbane and about 1600 miles from Sydney by road.

Moreover, for anyone that owns a personal website or a travel blog, the travel guides (London, Rome, Amsterdam, Florence, Prague, Barcelona and more coming on soon!) come for free and can be used as an extra travel resource for theirs users.

Cairns is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions.

In Flashbooking website there is also a section dedicated to the world cities events where you can also get a quite exhaustive list of main festivals, exhibitions, concerts and cool things to do and see in other top European cities.

The Great Barrier Reef can be reached in less than an hour by boat. The Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 80 miles north of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical rainforest.

It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland.

The customer service is always available to suggest you the perfect accommodation for your trip. A Skype account has been recently added in order to give more assistance to our travellers and backpackers needs. In just a sentence here the flashbooking motto:

Those who love travelling light, those with a sense for adventure, those who love flexibility in their trip, those who like meeting locals and travelling slow and low… THOSE ARE OUR TRAVELLERS!

So mates, we are looking forward to finding the best accommodation for you on your next trip!

Australian money

Money in Australia is called the Australian dollar. We have $100, $50, $ 20, $ 10 and $ 5 notes, and $2, $1,.50 cent,.20 cent,.10 cent and 5 cent coins. Many shops will charge for items something like AU$ 10.99 for a product, just for marketing effect, but in the end you will pay AU$ 11.00. Capital cities expenses are usually more than country areas but sometimes it is the reverse. For example fuel can be more expensive in the country areas but not by too much. The list below is an estimate average of the prices charged in Australia, to be referred to as a guide only. It is all based on 33 years experience…

Accommodation

Budget tip: Use the Internet to get bargains and save loads of money. Some of my favourite sites are on the links page. If you’re travelling on a shoestring budget then I would suggest staying in hostels or caravan parks. They vary in price based on quality and location. A word of warning caravan parks especially along the coast are not what they used to be. These days they have almost resort style facilities so they can be just as expensive as staying in a motel.

Getting around

By air: Australia has 4 main airlines to choose from: Qantas: Usually the most expensive VirginBlue: Basic service at cheaper rates JetStar: Similar to VirginBlue TigerAirways: No frills basic budget service. Some of these don’t fly to certain parts of the country so you need to do your homework.

Public transport

A great way to save money on a tight budget. Queensland Rail or QR mainly covers south east Queensland (Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast) now offers a goCard which is valid for train, bus and ferry services mainly in Brisbane. It is cheaper than paying by cash. I am a big fan of getting the train around Brisbane. It is convenient, safe and cheap. You can also purchase daily, weekly or monthly QR passes. The longer the pass the more money you save. QR also offers concessions for pensioners and students. City Rail (New South Wales): covers Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast and Newcastle): Has loads of different tickets to save you money.

I used CityRail all the time when I was living in Sydney. Sometimes the trains run late but for the most part it is a good safe service. For families consider the Funday Sunday pass where currently (2009) you will pay just $2.50 per person you just need a minimum of one adult and one child. City Rail also offers other discounted tickets Cityhopper (for Syndey only), day tripper and the Sydneypass (Sydney only for 3, 5 or 7 days for travel within a 8 day period) which gets you unlimited train, bus and ferry around Sydney. Concessions are available for students and pensioners.

Getting to or from the international airports

Avoid taxis. These will cost you a small fortune mainly because of traffic congestion. The price of a ticket from the Domestic Airport to the City is $14.60 and from the International Airport to the City is $15.20. And sometimes the cabbies get lost.

SUPER BUDGET HINT:

Instead consider airport shuttle services. Do a Google search for Airport transfers in the city you are landing in. For example ‘Airport transfers Sydney airport’. Sydney New South Wales: Usually price range for shuttle services will be $20 return to major CBD locations but may be cheaper if you book online. Brisbane Queensland: Airport transfers by Rail. These are privately owned companies that don’t usually offer concessions. They are an excellent way to save money though. Brisbane Airtrain: This is a rail service that will get you from Brisbane International or Domestic terminals to Brisbane CBD, Brisbane suburban areas or Gold Coast. The price shouldn’t be more than $30 one way to most destinations. Check out the Airtrain interactive map on their website to give you an idea Airport Link Sydney: Similar to Brisbane. As of 2009 a one way ticket to the CBD from the Domestic or International airport terminals will be a little under $20. Check out the FAQ section on their webpage for details.

Hiring a car

East Coast Australia has all the major hire companies Hertz, Budget, Avis and independents which may be better for budget travelling. There are all types of cars and vans to choose from, the bigger the car the more you will pay. They’re a few websites out there that allow you to compare hire car prices. Use them, they will save you lots of money! If you will be here for a bit longer then consider hiring a van. There are lots of options for you. In Queensland a popular choice is Wicked. In NSW they have depots in Sydney and Byron bay. In Queensland their depots are in Brisbane, Hervey Bay and Cairns.

Grocery Shopping

Australian grocery shopping is dominated by 2 big ‘players’ in the market namely Woolworths and Coles. If you spend over a certain amount your sales docket will get you cheaper fuel (see below) You will find Woolworths and Coles in most bigger towns and they are of course in every capital city. They now use ‘price per weight’ tickets so you can compare and save whilst browsing the shelves. Australia also has Aldi stores in most regional towns and all capital cities down the Australian East Coast. These are my favourite for budget shopping especially if you are travelling and you only need basic items along the way.

SUPER BUDGET TIP:

Cheaper items are usually below eye level. That’s right the more expensive items will be on the middle shelves so look down and grab a bargain. Australia’s generic brands such as Home Brand, Black and Gold and Woolworths and Coles own varieties are just as good in value as the bigger name brands. Aldi are cheaper than Woolworths and Coles and the quality is just as good. You will though have to take your own bags to pack your items or buy bags at Aldi. There are other supermarkets in Australia such as Foodowrks and IGA and they are great if you just need a few items in your travels.

Fuel (Gas)

We call a gas station a service station. Australia has all the major fuel companies available (BP, Caltex, Ampol, Shell etc). Some offer 4c off your fuel if you present a supermarket docket. Caltex accepts Woolworths dockets and Shell accepts Coles dockets. I highly recommend using these especially if you are doing most of your traveling by car. Fuel prices go up and down through the week. Anecdotal research indicates the cheapest day to buy fuel is now either on a Tuesday or Wednesday. To save on fuel drive smoothly, limit using the air conditioner and don’t speed, this chews the fuel (and it is dangerous too!) A special word on Service station stops: All service stations want you to buy something else while you’re in the store such as drinks, chocolates, lollies, CDs etc. Avoid the temptation, as you will be paying extremely high prices for doing so. Instead plan your trip by buying drinks and food at a supermarket for your travels. Some service stations even offer 4c off your fuel if you buy $2 worth of food. This means you are worse off then if you didn’t buy the food or drinks. Don’t be fooled!

Phone calls

Cell phones are called ‘mobile’ phones in Australia. AVOID USING YOUR MOBILE (CELL) PHONE. INTERNATIONAL ROAMING RATES WILL STING YOU.Of course mobile phones are useful for emergency situations. Cheapest option when on a budget to save money when travelling is using international telephone cards. With one AUD 10 card, you can talk to the USA for longer than 2 hours. Keep in mind that making a lot of shorter calls will costs you more than a 1 longer call. For instance 6 calls of 10 minutes will cost you more than 1 call of an hour. There are lots of telephone cards available. Including: Ozcall, Daybreak and Gotalk. There are also lots of online sites to compare prices; just do a Google search such as ‘International telephone cards Australia.’ You can buy the cards from Newsagents or online and for a range of prices. To make it easy though buy them in even amounts of AUD 10, AUD 20 or AUD50 and use them from your home phone and also public phones.

Food and drink.

Eating out and drinking lots of alcohol can be very expensive. Depending on the bar or restaurant beer can cost from AUD 2.50 up to AUD 7.00.

SUPER BUDGET HINT:

Size of glass will determine the price. The Beer names given to different beer glass sizes varies from city to city in Australia and generally from state to state. For example asking for a Schooner in most Victorian or Western Australian Pubs will earn you a confused or annoyed look, as the don’t serve that size. Ordering a ‘Beer’ in Victoria will get you a 285ml (10 oz) ‘Pot’ however if you said the same thing in a Queensland Pub you might find yourself with a smaller 200ml (7 oz) glass. In other words a Pot (in Qld) is the same thing as a Middie (in NSW) and usually is a comfortable size to enjoy a beer. A schooner is larger and a pint is larger again. A jug of beer is (literally a jug of beer) is 1140ml or 40oz is the largest of all. Careful though, you’re not meant to drink straight from the jug, pour it into a pot (middie) and enjoy! Ordering spirit drinks (rum, bourbon, vodka etc) at a bar will normally cost you from about AUD 7.

SUPER BUDGET TIP:

One way to save is buying alcohol at a bottle shop. There are big ’superstores’ such as LiquorChoice and Dan Murphys in all capital and some regional cities. A six pack of local beer (xxxx, Tooheys, Cascade etc) will be anywhere from $12 to over $20. A carton of beer consists of 24 cans or stubbies (small bottles). Local beer will set you back anywhere between AUD 35 to AUD 65.

Wine

Australia boasts some of the finest wines in the world and I highly recommend you try some while you’re here. The prices range but you can usually get a ‘good drop’ for about AUD 15.

SUPER BUDGET TIP:

Look for the ‘clean skins’, which are bottles with no brand. Some have labels some don’t but they are often in the bargain bin but can be tasty surprises. A ‘clean skin’ will cost you about AUD 7.

Eating out

Australia has all the main food chains McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks Wine Australia boasts some of the finest wines in the world and I highly recommend you try some while you’re here. The prices range but you can usually get a ‘good drop’ for about AUD 15. I especially like the light variety of Moscato. It won’t give you a hangover and it won’t dent the budget. Subway and numerous pizza franchises: If you want to stay healthy on a budget Subway is a good option. They offer special prices for certain subs on each day of the week. Some pizza outlets such as Dominoes offer discounts on a Tuesday.

SUPER BUDGET TIP:

For budget travellers (backpackers and families) the best option is to: Buy food at the supermarket such as cheese, ham, and chicken and make sandwiches to pack for traveling. Also consider buying ‘popper’ packs, which are little square packs of juices that usually come in packs of 6. Australians love their pub meals and I highly recommend them. They can be costly though, expect to pay from AUD 15 upwards.Smokers Better stop smoking, as a packet will cost you about AUD 15 for a packet of 20 cigarettes. Some states in Australia also have strict laws about where smoking is allowed. Queensland probably has the toughest laws of all with smoking banned in indoor and outdoor public places. Also Queensland has just brought in a new law banning people smoking in cars if children under 16 are in the car too. Fine is $200 on the spot!

Entertainment

Movies (Cinemas): Go on a Tuesday, tickets are cheaper. DVDs: Again, buy on a Tuesday. Many outlets offer reduced prices on this day for whatever reason. Free entertainment for kids: Kids love beaches and there are loads along Eastern Australia. Keep the kids entertained for free by stopping off at some. Kids also love parks, and parents love them because they are free. Why not stop off at our great parks, which are often near beaches. The playground equipment is tested to the highest safety standards so you can rest assured the kids can play hard and then rest hard!

Summary

There are lots of ways of ways to save loads of money when travelling in Australia on a budget. My best advice is to plan ahead. That doesn’t mean a regimented itinerary but just some forethought such as picking up some groceries at the supermarket the morning you plan on setting off. My other super tip is to budget and add at least 20% on that. If there’s one thing I have learned in my travels is that despite all my good intentions and strategies I have always gone over budget. Hopefully though I have given you some tools and tips that will mean you keep more of your hard earned money in your pocket and leave the Australian East Coast with loads of happy memories!