Australia, famously known as the Land Down Under, is one of those countries that is not part of our must-visit-in-the-next-five-years-countries. This is because we know how expensive traveling to this country would be. And since we travel as a family, our expenses would always be multiplied to 3.
But have you experienced having family or relatives who reside (or work) in a certain country who would always encourage you to visit them? I do. My cousins live and work in Australia. I could not remember how many times they would invite us to go and visit them in the Land Down Under. And we did! Just this summer (or winter for Australia), we traveled to Australia for ten (10) days.
We took the risk and book our flight to Sydney, Australia to visit my cousins and explore the beautiful Land Down Under.
Let me share with you our 10 days itinerary in New South Wales, Australia. New South Wales (NSW) is the state where Sydney is located.
Day 0
11:20 PM – Flight from Manila, Philippines to Sydney, Australia
Day 1
10:00 AM– Arrival at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport; Australian Immigration; claiming of luggage
12:00 PM – Lunch at Cabramatta, NSW
2:00 PM – Arrival at Liverpool, NSW. Left our luggage and things in the flat.
4:00 PM – Explore Bigge Park and Liverpool Hospital
6:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 2
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Travel from Liverpool to Circular Quay where Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House is located
10:00 AM – Sydney Opera House / Sydney Harbour Bridge
11:00 AM – Royal Botanic Gardens
12:00 PM – Museum of Contemporary Arts
12:30 PM – The Rocks, NSW
1:00 PM – Lunch
2:00 PM – Queen Victoria Building
3:00 PM – Hyde Park and St. Mary’s Cathedral
4:00 PM – Chinatown and Paddy’s Market
5:00 PM – Travel back to Liverpool
6:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 3
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Travel to Auburn Botanic Gardens
9:30AM – Auburn Botanic Gardens
12:00 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – Travel to the Grounds of Alexandria
2:00 PM – The Grounds of Alexandria
3:00 PM – Travel to Homebush DFO
3:30 PM – Shopping at Homebush DFO
5:00 PM – Travel back to Liverpool
6:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 4
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Travel to Featherdale Wildlife Park
10:00 AM – Featherdale Wildlife Park
1:00 PM – Travel to Circular Quay
2:00 PM – Lunch
2:30 PM – Travel to Luna Park via ferry
3:00 PM – Luna Park
4:00 PM – Travel to Manly Wharf via ferry
5:00 PM – Manly Wharf
5:30 PM – Travel back to Circular Quay via ferry
6:30 PM – Vivid Sydney
8:00 PM – Travel back to Liverpool
9:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 5
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Travel to Blue Mountains
11:00 AM – Lunch
11:30 AM – Three Sisters Blue Mountains
1:00 PM – Hike down to Wentworth Falls
3:00 PM – Lincoln Rock
4:00 PM – Travel back to Liverpool
6:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 6
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Went to church
12:00 PM onward – The whole day was spent in Paramatta where one of my cousins live. Family Day Sunday 😊
Day 7
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Travel to Bondi Beach
11:00 AM – Bondi Beach
12:00 PM – Lunch at Bondi Beach
1:00 PM – Travel to Darling Harbour
3:00 PM – Darling Harbour
5:00 PM – Travel back to Liverpool
6:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 8
7:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Travel to Circular Quay
10:00 AM – Sydney Harbour Bridge Walkway (Sydney Central Business to North Sydney)
12:00 PM – Lunch
2:00 PM – Travel back to Liverpool
3:00 PM – Grocery shopping at Coles, and Woolsworth
5:00 PM – End of the Day
Day 9
Stayed at the flat the whole morning as I got sick ☹
3:00 PM – went to last minute pasalubong shopping at nearby stores
Day 10
11:00 AM – Flight from Sydney, Australia to Manila, Philippines
6:00 PM – Arrival at Manila
*Australia Eastern Standard time is 2hours earlier than Philippines Standard Time.
Our New South Wales itinerary looks very laidback. Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, our summer-time is their winter-time. Therefore, it was almost winter during our visit and the days are shorter. You can see that we always start our day at 9AM and has always time for breakfast. We also ended the day early. You see, we stayed in my cousins’ flat and would bond with them in the morning and evening.
How was budget in these ten (10) days trip?
Below is our budget for our Australia trip last May 2019. Note that all costs are in Philippine peso. Exchange rates used were 1 AUD = 36.47 PHP, as that was the conversion during our travel dates.
Airfare. Just like all our previous travels, we booked our flight tickets from Manila to Sydney vv. through seat sale. We booked it almost a year before our travel dates. Airfare for one person is Php 6,027.88. Baggage cost Php 6,298 (20kilos Manila to Sydney, 32kilos Sydney to Manila).
Accommodation. Apartment rentals is our favorite type of accommodation during travels. However, during our Australia escapade, we stayed in my cousins’ flat. For the purpose of computation, you can book a hotel room for as low as Php 3,000 per night or rent an apartment for Php 4,500 per night. An estimated accommodation cost for 10 days and 9 nights for 2 persons would be Php 27,000 ~ Php 40,500. (Php 13,500 ~ Php 20,250 per person if you are travelling as a couple).
Transportation. As with all the previous countries we visited, NSW Australia has very efficient transportation system. You can travel by train, by tram, by bus, or by ferries. Efficiency of transport comes with a price. The transportation can be quite expensive. You can save by buying Opal Card, which gives discounted fares and maximum spend limit. My cousins would sometimes tour us around NSW by car; but during the time that we need to commute, we always use the Opal Card. We only spent AUD 60 (Php 2,188.20) per person for public transportation since we sometimes use private commute. For the purpose of computation, let us estimate AUD 10 ~ AUD 15 for public transportation per day (AUD 2.70 for Sunday using the Opal Card). An estimated transportation cost for 10 days for one person is Php 3,381 ~ Php 5,022.
Food. Food in Australia is quite expensive when bought in restaurants. Fast foods normally cost AUD 7 ~ AUD 15 per serving. Restaurants would cost AUD 20 above. You can save by buying food by 3PM at malls as they offer discounts during this time. If you decide to cook in your apartment and buy your ingredients in supermarket, you will be able to save too as supermarket prices are not too high. We eat breakfast and dinner at my cousins’ flat. For the purpose of computation, let us estimate AUD 10 ~ AUD 15 budget of food per meal. An estimated food cost for one person for 10 days is Php 10,941 ~ Php 16,412.
Passes and Entrance Fees. Most of the attractions in NSW are free of charge. Some attractions charge entrance fee only during peak season. We only paid for entrance fee for Featherdale Wildlife Park and we got it at a discounted price in an Australian group-buying site which my cousin booked for us. Entrance at Featherdale Wildlife Park is at AUD32 per adult (AUD19 for kids) and we paid AUD 50 for 2 adults and 1 kid. Passes and entrance fees for one person is Php 911.75.
Visa and Travel Tax. Australian Visa for tourist cost AUD 140 (with credit card charges of AUD 1.85). It is done through online application and no appearance is needed. You need to furnish all documents needed prior to applying online and would have to spend in some documents like bank certificate and bank statements. Travel tax for Filipinos is Php 1,620. Visa and Travel Tax cost for one person is Php 7,146.
Miscellaneous. The miscellaneous cost we spent in our Australia trip were the pasalubong we bought and our DFO shopping.
If you are planning to travel to the Land Down Under for ten (10) days, Php 70,000 per person would be the estimated cost you will incur. Do take note that with this estimate cost, you will have to book your tickets during seat sale. Also, pasalubong cost and shopping expenses are not included in this estimate.
