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The first thing you have to understand about Australia is it's SIZE. It is the same size as the United States. Much Larger than Europe.

Driving from Sydney to Perth will take about five to six days if you drive only in the day time.

Driving at night is NOT recommended.

There is not much to see. All of inland Australia is desert.

You can take the Train, or a Bus, Drive or Fly.

Fly into Sydney. Buy a camper van in Sydney, check used car internet sites for prices. Look around Sydney, Blue Mountains, Jenolan Caves, Lithgow zig zag railway, Opera House, all that.

Head south to Canberra, take a look around. The war memorial museum is the second best in the world, according to a tour guide who used to do the European coach tours. Far better than anything in the USA or continental Europe. All day is about enough. Parliament House was the most expensive building in the world in 1988 and has free guided tours. I would not recommend the National Museum if you are short of time, I've been there a few times and it's hardly worth it. But the art gallery is worth at least 3 hours. Take a lake cruise. Drive out to Tidbinbilla where you can see the Canberra Deep Space Communications station operated by NASA and the Australian Government. One of the antennas used in the Apollo 11 landings is still in use. There is a Moon rock on display, a space suit and a full scale model of one of the Mars launders. Food & drink available. The public space of the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University displays at least one Nobel Prize medal. There is also a movie and sound archive nearby worth a couple of hours. Allow at least 4 days for Canberra.

If you are here in the Australian winter you can snow ski at a few resorts south of Canberra such as Perisher / Blue Cow. Snow chains are required in some areas. Chair lifts operate.

Drive down to Bateman's Bay, the region names itself the Sapphire Coast for a good reason. Note. very steep descent from Braidwood to the Bay with 3 hairpin turns. In winter the temperature is 5 -10 C higher down the bottom. The Innes family runs boat tours up the Clyde River to Nelligen, seafood lunch served. "If it were any fresher it would still be swimming about". Continue south along the coast into Victoria, through Gippsland to Melbourne.

From Melbourne you can take the overnight car ferry to Tasmania, or head west from Melb. along the Great Ocean Road (do not miss it).

Now you can drive across the Nullabor to Perth, which is a very long way. There are caves below the plain, I don't know if any are open to the public, many are half full of water. Big gold mines at Kalgoorlie. Otherwise sell the camper in Melbourne and take the train or a plane. The railway has the longest straight stretch in the world, over 400 km.

If you are going to drive, buy a car between you and sell it when you leave. Hiring a car will be expensive for that period of time. Petrol varies in price but you can expect to pay around $1.50 a litre in the city and $1.60 a litre in the country. The fuel consumption of your car is important. I have a 2litre Mazda3 and get just under 7litres/100km on a long trip. An older car or a larger car will use more petrol. Plan on 8l/100km.

Cost calculation is easy. Perth to Sydney is 4110km at 8l/100km you will use 321.8litres which at $1.50 a litre will cost you $482.70 in petrol. You will need to add accommodation and meals on the way to the cost of this. You can calculate how much it will cost you to drive where you want to go and allocate funds in advance.

The UK summer is our winter and the weather will not be the best along the south coast of Australia at that time of the year. The north of the country in the tropics is gorgeous then as it is the dry season but southern Australia can be bleak.

If you have 2-3months to do the trip, drive from Sydney to Perth via Brisbane, Cairns, Mt Isa, Darwin, Broome and down the coast to Perth. There is plenty to see and do on the way and the weather will be glorious for most of the trip. That trip would be about 10,000km and, at 8l/100km would use 800litres and cost you $1200 at $1.50 a litre. Allow $1500 for fuel to allow for diversions. Split that $1500 between the number of you going and compare that with bus prices or plane fares for the same trip.

An alternative to driving would be to take the bus. There are flexible tickets available or fly, checking for cheap flights. As you are going with friends, the cheapest will probably be to drive if you buy and then sell your car.

The highway around Australia is entirely sealed. The British intense Commissioner those days drove around Australia in a prior due sort Rolls-Royce. it extremely is a fantasy which you particularly want a 4 wheel stress to apply a dirt highway. human beings have been driving around Australia in 2 wheel stress automobiles considering that formerly the 1st worldwide conflict and in those days there have been no roads in any respect. the 1st to administration it have been a woman and her daughter nonetheless it took them some years. The around Australia rallies of the Nineteen Fifties the "Redex" trials have been specially on dirt roads and intensely very nearly each and all of the autos have been 2 wheel stress. a variety of of the aggressive sections interior the 1979 around Australia rally gained by ability of Peter Brock in an early Commodore have been on dirt roads. I actual have pushed a small French motor vehicle over in line with risk 1000 kilometres of dirt roads. the optimal ingredient to observe for is astonishing the engine sump on an obstruction. you may get around this by ability of elevating the vehicle fairly and/or by ability of setting up a sump preserve.

Maybe go for OzExperience or Greyhound buses...

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