What to Pack for a Trip to Australia

Packing is probably the most exciting part of any trip planning – the nervous excitement of gathering your things, waking up in the night and scribbling on your packing list, and the final zip of your bag… nothing beats it! We’re pretty good at this travel thing now, so we put together a list of items we recommend bringing on your East Coast adventure. When it comes to backpacking, less is more, so we’ll try to stick to just the essentials.

Clothing

While the Australia in your head may be purely white sand beaches and long summer days, unfortunately, we do experience cold weather too. For a trip up the east coast, pack shorts, t-shirts and dresses (loose cotton or quick dry materials are best), but bring a warm top layer and warm pants too. A rainjacket is a must, as well as your cozzies (swimsuit) and a towel. If you’re planning to visit during Australian winter (May – August), be sure to bring a few extra layers. We love merino wool tops for this!

A 4x4 safari
See more & do more on a Stray Tour

Shoes

Flip flops (we call them thongs) are basically the uniform of Australia. Definitely bring them. Plus a pair of comfortable walking shoes that you can wear in the cities and on hikes, and that will see you right for most activities.

Skincare

No, we don’t mean your Olay moisturiser, but you can bring that too (FYI, we stock almost every brand you can get at home, so no need to stress about bringing everything). By skincare we mean protection! The sun in Australia is extremely strong, and you are not stronger than it. SPF30 is the minimum for sunblock, bonus points if you bring or buy reef safe sunblock to help protect the environment. Please also bring a sunhat and sunglasses, you won’t regret it.

On that note, insect repellent is also a must – the mozzies in the rainforest do bring grown men to tears when they’re unprotected. Essential oil based repellents are a great natural alternative to DEET based repellents. Hot tip: mosquitos don’t like light coloured clothing, so consider swapping your black leggings (they bite through) for looser fitting light coloured pants.

A man on a pink flamingo
Don’t forget the sun block

Your Bags

Ideally we recommend a backpack but if you bring a suitcase that’s fine as long as you can carry it.  You won’t have to walk miles with it but you’ll still need to manoeuvre it on and off buses and trains by yourself.  We also recommend a day pack, which is a smaller backpack that you can keep your camera, water bottle, snacks, swimsuit and towel for day excursions.

A female back packer on the east coast
A day pack is handy for the Stray excursions and activities

Other Gear

The rest are things we recommend having to make your life easier/cooler/better:

  • Head torch/flash light
  • Camera (obviously most of us will use our phone)
  • A shawl/light scarf – the swiss army knife of clothing, you can use this to keep the sun off, warm up when the air con is too intense, as a personal picnic blanket, beach towel, and of course, a scarf.
  • Reusable water bottle, coffee cup and tote bag – come on man, help save the planet!
  • Packing cubes – these are LIFESAVERS for organisation
  • Any medication you need, including for car and sea sickness (however you can easily buy these here)
  • Plug adaptor – again you can buy this here, it will definitely come in handy…

What are your essential packing items? Did we miss anything you absolutely love taking with you? Let us know in the comments!

Now you’ve sorted out your packing, all that’s left to do is choose which of our Stray Tours is best for you. Take a look at our current tours here.

Emily profile picture

Emily

Emily is a native creative nerd. This creative crew member's favourite stop is Bay of Islands.

We are so excited to be back on the road, getting you further off the beaten track along the Australian East Coast again! We are determined to make up for lost time and we’ve been busy creating some brand new tours for you!

EMU TOUR

21 days - start: Sydney | end: Cairns

Our 21-Day Emu Tour is our biggest and best tour, taking you on an epic journey up the East Coast. As Australia’s largest native bird, the Emu is the perfect companion to guide you from Sydney all the way up to tropical Cairns.

ROO TOUR

16 days - start: Byron Bay | end: Cairns

Our 16-Day Roo Tour will take you from vibrant Byron Bay to tropical Cairns. Possibly the most iconic of all Aussie animals is the playful kangaroo. The Roo lives life to the fullest and this 16-Day Tour is all about fun!

DINGO TOUR

15 days - start: Brisbane | end: Cairns

Our 15-Day Dingo Tour will send you up the coast from Brisbane to Cairns. If you like to explore the best of the East Coast from rain forests and beaches to picturesque islands and destinations that are off the tourist trail then this tour is definitely for you.

Or check out these articles for more travel inspiration

Catch a Stray Bus Tour for the most amazing way to see Australia

Australia is big. In fact, it’s massive. It can be difficult to plan a tour or backpacking trip that takes in everything you want to see and experience. So catch a Stray Bus Tour for the best way to see […]

Read More

10 amazing things you must do on your east coast tour

A backpacking tour of Australia’s east coast is an unforgettable, mind-blowing experience, but how do you know what to see and do in such a huge area? Well, here are 10 amazing things you must do on your east coast […]

Read More

4 Simple yet Fun Card Games to Play to Kill Time when Travelling

A simple 52-card deck absolutely belongs in every backpack. Apart from being a fun solution to kill time, it is easy to carry and space-saving. Here are the best yet easy card games to play while travelling.

Read More
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Scroll to Top