Travel Tips

July 2007 Road Trip Brisbane- Victoria- Southern NSW Coast - Canberra- Brisbane.
Staying at mostly chain motels average cost 105 Australian Dollars. (Range from 77 to 135 dollars a room per night). All up cost including food, wine, fuel : AUD 288 per night for the 19 night trip for husband and wife team in their sixties.
Itinerary of the trip with distance breakup; accommodation; sight seeing and eateries.

Driving a recent model 6 cylinder Holden Sedan 5050 kms used 454 litres of unleaded fuel for a total cost of 595 dollars. Average fuel cost 1.31AUD per litre.

Fuel Economy. 11 kms per litre. A smaller 4 cyclinder car would be more fuel efficient. Unlike Europe, diesel is more expensive in Oz than un-leaded so don't know if there is a cost saving with diesel overall as there is in Europe.

Note on fuel purchases The big two Supermarket chains in Australia - Coles and Woolworths own fuel out lets (garages/ gas pumps) where a saving of 4cents a litre can be obtained with a shopping docket (purchase of $30 or more) from their stores.

Note also in Brisbane the price of fuel fluctuates by about 20c a litre depending on the day of the week. Dearest on Thursday dropping gradually 'til Wednesday. eg Fuel purchased yesterday (wed) at $1.19 is on sale today (thursday) for $1.39point9.

The range is great. Just the price of a cup of coffee changes with the venue from $4.00 or 5.00 for a long black and a cappuccino at a road stop on the inland highway to $12 on the coast in Victoria (seven bucks for a sea view!??).
Staying in Oz for a while? If you travel with another person, you may wish to purchase a "Coffee Club" two-for-price-of-one card.($25) Normal price of a cup of coffee $3.00 approx. 105 off food mid-week as well. Outlets all over Australia & NZ.

Dinner for two at a pub or club (RSL, Sporting) probably $55 including wine. Dinner at a more up market restaurant that has been rated by Gourmet Traveller magazine $155 (more if one splurges on the wine- $200 at Aubergine in Canberra on this trip).
We usually self cater for breakfast. Australian motel units all have refrigerators and tea/coffee making facilities. Most supply bread toasters. We have juice, yogurt and cereals, fresh fruit, toast (sometimes) all purchased from the supermarket. We carry a small insulated bag in the car & freeze water bottles or "ice packs" in the fridge overnight. See my packing info on a travelogue on home page.

Cheapest meal? Don't ask me what that would be! I can report ads for A Hot Pie and a bottle of soft drink at the local Four Seven Eleven Store - cost $4.50. Maybe Macca's can beat that?

Check out the price of a pint of beer in your home currency using this web site.
(Still needs more input from drinkers to give better averages. Scroll down to read comments - mainly from pommey pint drinkers. Go back to counties to change the currency units.)
By the way, a "pint" is not the usual beer glass size in Oz. Ask for a 'pot' which equals 285ml.
Terms for beer glass sizes change from region to region. Check out more info here