Saving Down Under Via New Backpack Guide

Travelers planning shoestring-budget adventures Down Under can consult the new “Australian and New Zealand Backpackers Guide.”

Young Australians are masters at traveling on tight funds. When they travel abroad they tend to stay away for long periods, often circling the globe.

The bonus for Americans is that many young Australians have returned home with lots of firsthand knowledge and ideas, and have created their own budget-travel businesses.

The 248-page first edition of this magazine offers budget-travel information, plus background information on the various regions of the country. Only eight pages cover New Zealand.

The publishers plan to produce new editions quarterly, updating basic information and adding special features on seasonal destinations.

The magazine’s major drawback is its size. The information on budget transportation, accommodations and sightseeing is good for pre-trip planning, but the guide is similar to a thin telephone book--a bulky product for backpackers to carry.

Whether you want to investigate the Northern Territories of “Crocodile Dundee” fame, cuddle a koala, snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, relax in a rain forest, find a temporary job or search out ski slopes, the guide helps with information on how to get around, where to stay and whom to contact.

Accommodations listed vary from budget hotels and youth hostels to other low-cost options.

For example, in the Whitsunday Island area an island resort is restricted to travelers of between 18 and 35 years.

The Contiki Resort, on Long Island, was created as a special stop for Contiki tour groups.

According to the guide, independent budget travelers also can stay there in a special backpackers’ lodge, sharing four-bunk rooms for $15 Australian (about $12 U.S.) a night.

In Cape Tribulation National Park in northern Queensland, budget travelers can explore the lush rain forest, using Crocodylus Village as a base.

According to the guide, the village offers “moderate creature comfort in a safari-style complex” using “hut accommodations set high off the ground.”

The listings for caravan (trailer) parks can be helpful even if travelers aren’t carrying camping equipment. In Australia, many trailer parks offer vans or cabins as alternative accommodations.

The magazine lists the popular sights in each region of the country. In some cases, special discounts are offered.

For example, backpackers are offered special standby rates for cruising Sydney Harbor aboard a full-scale replica of the Bounty.

There is also special transportation fares. There’s a 25% reduction for buying the standby version of Deluxe Coachlines’ Koala Pass, which is good for unlimited travel.

To travel on the nationwide network of services, standby costs $299 Australian (about $25 U.S.) for 15 days. A 21-day pass is $404 A, 30 days costs $544, 60 days are $749 and 90 days are $1,049.

Backpackers Guide magazine is not being distributed in the United States, but you can write directly to Australia for a copy. It costs $2 U.S. plus $6 for airmail postage. Write to Backpackers Guide, Thomson Media Group Pty., Suite 3, 2nd Floor, 575 Pacific Highway, St. Leonards, Sydney, N.S.W. 2065, Australia.