Australia does have a reputation for being incredibly expensive. Unfortunately, this means that for budget travellers like us, popular excursions like the Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island come can be out of reach. However, there are also loads of FREE things you can do along Australia's East Coast! Australia is jammed packed full of natural beauty and wildlife. So if you are of a tight budget, carry on reading for our Ultimate Top 6 FREE Attractions.
1. EUNGELLA NATIONAL PARK
When we first arrived in Bundaberg we stopped off at the tourist information and were surprised at the amount of stuff that there was to do. The lady in the centre was really helpful and quickly understood we were on a very tight budget and wouldn’t be able to sell us any amazing looking excursions. Instead she pointed us in the direction of Eungella National Park (about a 1.5 hour drive inland). We highly recommend you break this drive up by stopping at the Pinnacle Hotel as it sells delicious homemade pies. It's a popular spot, and a great place to soak up some sun, have a drink and well, eat some pie. What more could you want? Once back on the road you will be greeted by the first glimpse of the Eungella mountain. The drive up into the park is just incredible, with lots of opportunities to take some great photos.
The main star, and the real reason (other than pies) to venture out to Eungella is the fact it is home to the infamous and elusive platypus. There are several areas which they are commonly spotted, so we picked up the first trail and sat and waited for about an hour. With no luck we were beginning to give up hope. We started to head back to the car and we bumped into a group of locals who were excited to tell us that there were some platypus around the corner. They showed us the way and even pointed them out. At first I was a little shocked at how small they were; they are only the size of a guinea pig! I've only ever seen them in books before and had the impression it would be the size of a dog. It was a great opportunity and best of all it was free!
2. MON REPO TURTLE BEACH
A short drive from Bundaberg (20 mins) is Mon Repo Beach and depending on the time of year you can either watch ancient turtles drag themselves up-shore to lay their eggs or watch hundreds of baby turtles scurry down the beach and into the sea. This area is protected so during turtle season you are not aloud on the beach between certain times. However if you go down early morning you can still catch a glimpse of any late comers for free.
If you are willing to shell out (yes that was a pun) a mere $12 per person, you can go down on the beach during the restricted times with the turtle sanctuary where you are pretty much guaranteed to see turtles. This trip is fun as well as educational and teaches you about the importance of protecting these endangered animals. Due to the time of year we went we had the opportunity to watch the baby turtles hatch. This was an amazing experience which we would highly recommend as its a great opportunity to watch nature doing its thing. The $12 also helps the sanctuary run as its a non profit organisation.
3. CAPE HILLSBOROUGH
When you think of Australia one of the first things that pops into your head are kangaroos and beaches - so what can be better than watching wild kangaroos enjoy their morning breakfast on the beach as the sun starts to rise. Cape Hillsborough is exactly this, and whats better its completely free and natural. There's no one forcing these animals to come down to the beach, they simply eat the seaweed that has been left by the high tide. If you have a tent or camper van you can stay in the National Park for a few dollars per person. This makes the drive to the beach a lot shorter, especially if you are like us and don’t really like early starts. This was one of our absolute favourite things as it was just us and the kangaroos. There were only a few other people mad enough to wake up at 4am.
4. CARLO SAND BLOW
What a place, located a short drive from Noosa at Rainbow Beach, it is definitely worth an afternoon admiring. It's a hard thing to describe as no words really do it justice. But, here goes. It's a gigantic sand dune which naturally occurs on the top of a cliff, which overlooks the beaches below with views out towards, Double Island Point, Tin Can Bay and on a clear day, Fraser Island. There's a 600 meter nature walk (uphill) before arriving where you can spot birds and other wildlife.. While we were there we saw many people bring up body boards to surf down them, for me I’m not quite sure how they stop themselves falling off the cliff edge at the bottom!
5. MOUNT TAMBORINE
Just under an hours drive from the Gold Coast, Mount Tamberine immerses you into a proper jungle land. Drive to the top of the mountain to get some spectacular views looking out towards the Gold Coast. There are well signed nature walks you can take around the mountain, we chose to walk to the nearby waterfall, though it wasn't so dramatic due to the recent hot weather. However, we did see a lizard soaking up the sun, who seemed to particularly enjoy having a photo shoot!
6. SYDNEY
Sydney needs no introduction. It's time to bring out the chunky camera, tourist cap and fanny pack, we're going site seeing! Sydney Harbour, Opera House and Bridge are the major things not to miss. Walking around and visiting these places are of course free! However, getting around Sydney can be expensive. On a budget? Go site seeing on a Sunday, public transport is dirt cheap at around $3 for the whole day. Winning!
Bondi Beach is also accessible by bus, prefect place to top up then tan and boss about the instagram boyfriend, and take some shots your friends and family will definitely be jealous of.
