There are a few things you have to keep in mind before you go to Australia. I do not say like plan the whole thing, because you never know what might happen. Not planning anything is cool in a way as well, keeps it interesting. But it's good to have a vague plan about the things you want to see and places you want to go. Like 'I want to see the Eastcoast and the Westcoast and definitely want to see Cape Tribulation'.

Before you go you have to make sure you are allowed to get in Australia. Get yourself a visa. I went for 'work & holiday'. You are only allowed to do that once in your life in the same country. I had to make sure I didn't spoil my time. The best thing is to sort it out early enough, but not to early. If you get your visa on a certain date, you are not allowed to go into the country a year after that. Sofor instance: if you got it on the 01-01-02 and you go to Australia on 07-05-02 and you're going to New Zeland inbetween and you want to go back to Australia, you can not go after 01-01-03.

Get yourself a ticket. Maybe it's a good idea to get yourself a 'ticket for a year'. You can get back anytime you want. You are not restricted to a certain date, well it has to be within a year of course...

Another important thing is of course a luggage insurance. If you're not sure how long you'll be gone, it's better to seal it for abit longer. You can always get your money back for the months you haven't been abroad.

There is actually a travel agency who sort all these things out for you. I went with one. I can recommend it if you are not really sure about yourself or if you feel a bit unsecure. Apart from this they'll organize the first few days after your arrival in Australia. They pick you up from the airport, you stay in a hostel for 2 nights with free breakfast. They show you around, give you all sorts of information and they help you sort out a bankaccount and a socialnumber. They also got an office in Sydney which you can contact or visit and where they got all sorts of information (ie.about jobs) and where they collect your mail from back home. You'll find more information about this on the 'links-page'...

If you want to get to know something about Australia, there are quite a few ways to get information. Of course the world wide web is one of the options, magazines from a travelagency, ... But one of the best (It think it's the best) travellers guides is the Lonely Planet. It tells you abouth the highlights of certain place, the cheapest and best places to stay and to eat, gives you a little information about the history, wildlife, climate, just whatever you want. Just check it yourself at the Lonely Planet website.

Another thing you should think about is to get yourself a bit of money. Make sure you have some kind of a buffer. If something unexpected happens you always have some money left to spend. To have a certain amount of money is one of the requirement to get yourself a visa as well. Maybe it's a good idea to get yourself some Traveller Cheques.

Another inportant thing is to buy/ to get good gear. If you want to go for a long time, like going backpacking, it's recommended to buy a good backpack. This is your wardrobe and house actaully for the time being. As it is small you have to take care about the space. Towels for instance take a lot af space. You'd better get yourself some sarongs. They're like skirts, but they are multifunctional. They take about no space, they're not heavy, you can tie them around your legs while you're walking in a rainforest, you can wear them on your head or shoulders as you're getting sunburned or getting a sunstroke, ... Don't be ashamed to buy them if you're a man, you don't look like a fool, you are a fool if you don't have them!

But these are not the only things you should get yourself. Here is a list of basic - comfort - luxury:

Basic:
visa
ticket
luggage insurance
money
backpack (a comfortable one, not the cheapest one)
sarongs (instead of towels)
first aid kid
pocket-torch
pocket-knife
sleeping bag (you might not always sleep in hostels)
shoes (comfortable and strong ones)
sunglasses
thermos flask
hat
certificates (school, work, ...)

Comfort:
plan
emailaddress (as it is the best way to keep contact)
adresses (friends and family)
photos (little photoalbum of family and friends)
shoes for a night out
music (diskman, mini-disk, mp3-player, walkman, whatever...)

Luxury:
guitar
suit

These are all things you should think about or you should have to sort out before you leave. You can find more information about these things on the 'links-page'...