The Complete South Pacific — Self-Launched (Melbourne to Queenstown)

Land at Tullamarine and take the SkyBus (£10, 30 mins) to Southern Cross Station, then a tram or walk to your CBD hostel. Grab a myki card for trams/buses/trains. Evening: free City Circle tram loop and a cheap feed in Chinatown or on Lygon Street. Jet-lag-friendly, low-commitment day.

🚌SkyBus Tullamarine–Southern Cross ~£10; myki card £4 + top-up

🛏CBD hostel dorm (e.g. around Flinders/Spencer St)

• →SkyBus airport transfer
• →Free City Circle tram
• →Chinatown dinner

Self-guided walking day: Hosier and Degraves lanes for street art and coffee, Queen Victoria Market for lunch, then the Yarra riverside path to Federation Square and the Botanic Gardens (free entry). Optional: Melbourne Skydeck (£22 book ahead) at sunset, or a Yarra river cruise (£18–25). Food trucks and market stalls keep costs down.

🚌On foot + free tram zone

🛏CBD hostel dorm

• →Hosier Lane street art
• →Queen Victoria Market
• →Royal Botanic Gardens walk
• →Optional Melbourne Skydeck

Book a GetYourGuide/Klook small-group Great Ocean Road tour (£65–85, 12 hrs) for the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and koala spotting at Kennett River — cheaper than a private tour. Alternatively stay in Melbourne: St Kilda beach, Fitzroy for vintage shops and free live music. Back by evening.

🚌Tour minibus (included in tour price)

🛏CBD hostel dorm

• →Great Ocean Road small-group day tour
• →Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge
• →Optional St Kilda penguins at dusk (free)

Short Jetstar/Virgin flight (~1h15, £45–80 booked ahead) to Hobart. Check into a hostel near the waterfront. Afternoon self-guided wander: Constitution Dock, Battery Point's colonial cottages and Salamanca Place. Friday/Saturday = Salamanca Market. Cheap fish and chips on the docks.

🚌Flight MEL–HBA ~£60; SkyBus into town ~£12

🛏Hobart waterfront hostel

• →Constitution Dock
• →Battery Point walk
• →Salamanca Place

Take the TassieLink or a GetYourGuide day tour to Port Arthur (£75–95 including entry, ~7hrs) covering the convict site, Tasman Arch, Devil's Kitchen and the Blow Hole. If self-driving isn't an option, the day tour is the sensible budget route. Entry to Port Arthur historic site ~£25 or included in tour. Optional evening Tasmanian Devil feeding at a wildlife park (~£20).

🚌Day tour coach

🛏Hobart waterfront hostel

• →Port Arthur Historic Site
• →Tasman Arch, Devil's Kitchen, Blow Hole
• →Optional Tasmanian devil conservation visit

Morning bus/hitch to Mount Wellington summit (free; the kunanyi/Mt Wellington Explorer bus ~£20 return) for views over the Derwent. Afternoon: MONA museum — take the ferry (£15 each way) and pay the ~£20 entry; the building alone is worth it. Back for a cheap pub meal in North Hobart.

🚌Explorer bus ~£20; MONA ferry ~£15 each way

🛏Hobart waterfront hostel

• →Mount Wellington lookout
• →MONA Museum
• →MONA ferry

Fly HBA–ADL (~1h45, £70–100). Adelaide is compact and walkable — settle into a city hostel, then explore the free Botanic Garden, Rundle Mall and the Central Market for a picnic dinner. Drop into the South Australian Museum (free) if you have energy.

🚌Flight HBA–ADL ~£85; airport bus ~£10

🛏Adelaide city hostel

• →Adelaide Central Market
• →Adelaide Botanic Garden
• →Rundle Mall

Barossa is tricky on public transport. Best value: a GetYourGuide small-group wine tour from Adelaide (£80–110 with 3–4 tastings included). Cheaper DIY alternative: train to Gawler (~£5), then a taxi/tour into Tanunda. Visit Seppeltsfield, Chateau Tanunda or any cellar door — most charge £5–15 (often waived on purchase). Big winery lunch is optional; a bakery lunch in Tanunda is £8.

🚌Small-group wine tour from Adelaide

🛏Adelaide city hostel

• →Seppeltsfield winery tasting
• →Chateau Tanunda tasting
• →Tanunda village lunch

Fly ADL–AYQ (~2h, £120–180 booked early; book early, this route is pricey). Take the airport shuttle (~£15) to Yulara. The Ayers Rock Resort has a supermarket and the only accommodation in the park — dorms and a campground. Afternoon: catch the free shuttle to the Uluru sunset viewing area (park entry ~£20, valid 3 days).

🚌Flight ADL–AYQ ~£150; airport shuttle ~£15

🛏Ayers Rock Resort hostel/campground (Yulara)

• →Uluru sunset viewpoint
• →Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park pass

No climbing — walk the 10.6 km base of Uluru (free, 3–4h, bring water and sun protection) and read the cultural signage at Mutitjulu Waterhole. Optional sunrise shuttle (~£20) or a Kata Tjuta (Olgas) shuttle in the afternoon. Get to a free ranger talk if one is running. Note: Uluru is sacred to the Anangu — follow signs and stay on paths.

🚌Resort shuttle ~£20

🛏Ayers Rock Resort hostel/campground

• →Uluru base walk
• →Mutitjulu Waterhole
• →Kata Tjuta viewing
• →Anangu cultural signage

Fly AYQ–CNS (~2h30, £150–200, often via a connection — book early). Cairns is a beach-less backpacker town but the gateway to the reef and rainforest. Check into a hostel on the Esplanade and swim in the free lagoon. Evening at the Night Markets for cheap food.

🚌Flight AYQ–CNS ~£175; airport shuttle ~£10

🛏Cairns hostel dorm

• →Cairns Esplanade Lagoon
• →Night Markets

DIY the rainforest: scenic railway or Skyrail cableway up to Kuranda (Skyrail one-way ~£32, book on Klook/GYG), rainforest boardwalks, then the Kuranda markets. Rainforestation Nature Park with a shuttle/tour (pamagirri Indigenous dance and spear-throwing demos included, ~£30). Koala spotting at a wildlife park (£15–20). Self-organise rather than the operator's escorted version.

🚌Skyrail one-way ~£32; local bus/shuttle ~£8

🛏Cairns hostel dorm

• →Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
• →Kuranda markets and boardwalks
• →Rainforestation cultural show
• →Koala wildlife park

Book the Green Island catamaran day trip direct (Great Adventures ~£85–100 including return catamaran, glass-bottom boat and use of snorkel/beach) — this is the budget version of the operator's reef excursion. Snorkel straight off the beach, walk the island trail and watch the reef from the pier. Outer-reef pontoons cost extra (~£35 more) if you want deeper coral. Reef tax included in ticket.

🚌Reef Terminal ferry 20 min (included)

🛏Cairns hostel dorm

• →Green Island catamaran day trip
• →Beach snorkelling
• →Glass-bottom boat
• →Island walking trail

Fly CNS–SYD (~3h, £70–110). Hostel in The Rocks or Kings Cross. Afternoon: walk Circular Quay, the Rocks and under the Harbour Bridge, then take the ferry to Manly (£5, 30 mins) for a harbour sunset — far better value than any cruise. Cheap meal in Chinatown.

🚌Flight CNS–SYD ~£90; airport train ~£12

🛏Sydney hostel (The Rocks / CBD)

• →Circular Quay and the Rocks walk
• →Manly ferry
• →Harbour Bridge and Opera House exterior

Take the official Sydney Opera House guided tour (£28–35, book direct) — the self-launched way to get the expert-led experience. Then walk the Botanic Gardens to Mrs Macquarie's Chair for the classic view, and bus to Bondi for the Bondi–Coogee coastal walk (free, 2h, spectacular). Optional: free National Opal Collection display.

🚌Opal card bus/train ~£8

🛏Sydney hostel (The Rocks / CBD)

• →Sydney Opera House guided tour
• →Royal Botanic Gardens
• →Bondi to Coogee coastal walk

Cross the Tasman on a Jetstar/Air NZ flight (~3h, £90–140). Take the SkyBus or cheaper AT bus (£8–13) into the city. Cheap self-guided city wander: Queen Street, Viaduct Harbour (America's Cup base), and a free walk along the waterfront. Pick up a NZ SIM/eSIM (~£15) or rely on wifi.

🚌Flight SYD–AKL ~£115; AT airport bus ~£10

🛏Auckland CBD hostel

• →Queen Street walk
• →Viaduct Harbour
• →Auckland waterfront

Take the InterCity bus Auckland–Rotorua (~4h, £18–25 booked ahead) with a stop at Hobbiton if you want the film set tour (~£55, pre-book). Rotorua smells of sulphur and is the geothermal heart of NZ. Even on a budget, the free Kuirau Park steaming craters and Government Gardens are worthwhile. Hostel has a kitchen — cook in.

🚌InterCity bus ~£22

🛏Rotorua hostel

• →InterCity bus ride
• →Optional Hobbiton Movie Set tour
• →Kuirau Park geothermal area

Visit Whakarewarewa – The Living Maori Village (£35–45 entry, self-guided with hourly guided portions) to see geothermal pools, a hangi demonstration and a cultural performance. Alternative: Te Puia (£45) for the geyser and carving school. The Agrodome sheep show (~£22) is optional if sheep-shearing is your thing. Redwoods forest walk in the afternoon (free).

🚌Local bus ~£5

🛏Rotorua hostel

• →Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village
• →Optional Agrodome sheep show
• →Whakarewarewa Redwoods forest walk

Long InterCity day: Rotorua–Wellington (~7h, £30–40; the overnight option exists but the day bus via Taupo and Tongariro is stunning). Keep an eye out for Mount Ngauruhoe on a clear day. Arrive Wellington evening; cook at the hostel and prep for a city day.

🚌InterCity bus ~£35

🛏Wellington hostel (Cuba Street area)

• →InterCity bus via Tongariro/Taupo
• →Free evening in Cuba Street

Te Papa museum is free (and brilliant) — plan 3–4 hours, especially the Gallipoli and Treaty of Waitangi exhibits. Then a self-guided parliamentary walk: the Beehive, Parliament Buildings and Old Government Buildings (free; book a free Parliament tour if you like), Lambton Quay, and the cable car (£5) up to the Botanic Garden with a walk back down.

🚌On foot + cable car ~£5

🛏Wellington hostel

• →Te Papa Tongarewa (free)
• →Parliament and Beehive exterior
• →Wellington Cable Car and Botanic Garden

Take the Interislander or Bluebridge ferry across Cook Strait (Wellington–Picton, ~3h30, £30–45 walk-on) — one of the great ferry crossings, with Marlborough Sounds on arrival. Then the InterCity bus Picton–Christchurch (~5h, £25) or, better, the scenic Coastal Pacific train on alternate days (~£75). Long travel day; cook at the hostel tonight.

🚌Ferry ~£38 + bus ~£25

🛏Christchurch hostel

• →Cook Strait ferry crossing
• →Marlborough Sounds views
• →Optional Coastal Pacific train

Christchurch is rebuilding and vibrant — free walk around the Transitional Cathedral, Riverside Market and Hagley Park. Afternoon: Willowbank Wildlife Reserve (~£22, self-drive/limited bus — a GetYourGuide Banks Peninsula tour ~£55 if you want transport) for kiwi spotting and the 'Big 5'. Optional waka paddle on the Avon (~£20) is a nice substitute for the operator's canoe ride. Akaroa's French colonial village is a fun day out if you hire a car share.

🚌City bus ~£5; Willowbank taxi/shuttle ~£10

🛏Christchurch hostel

• →Riverside Market and Transitional Cathedral
• →Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
• →Optional Avon waka paddle

InterCity bus Christchurch–Queenstown (~7–8h, £30–40) via Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and Lindis Pass — arguably the best bus journey in NZ; sit on the right, stop for photos at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Arrive Queenstown in the evening. Hostels here are pricey in peak season — book well ahead.

🚌InterCity bus ~£35

🛏Queenstown hostel (book early)

• →Lake Tekapo and Church of the Good Shepherd
• →Lake Pukaki
• →Lindis Pass scenery

Milford Sound on a budget: coach-cruise-coach day tour from Queenstown is the cheapest practical option (£95–125 on GYG/Klook, including the cruise; self-driving 4h each way saves £40 but needs a rental car). The cruise lasts ~1h45 among Mitre Peak and waterfalls. If you have time, bus to Te Anau and take the 4–5h Milford road trip, staying at Milford Sound Lodge for a less rushed visit.

🚌Coach-cruise day tour from Queenstown

🛏Queenstown hostel

• →Milford Sound nature cruise
• →Homer Tunnel and Hollyford Valley
• →Mitre Peak views

Pick your splurge, if any: Shotover Jet (~£75), bungy off Kawarau Bridge (~£95–135), hiking the Queenstown Hill or Ben Lomond track (free, 2–5h) or the Skyline gondola (£28) for views. A street-food burger at Fergburger is NZ rite-of-passage (£8). Do a self-celebratory farewell dinner with hostel-mates rather than the tour farewell.

🚌Local bus/foot ~£4

🛏Queenstown hostel

• →Queenstown Hill hike or Ben Lomond track
• →Skyline gondola
• →Optional Shotover Jet or bungy

Morning at Lake Wakatipu waterfront or the Queenstown Gardens (free). Take the airport bus (~£5) for the flight to Auckland/Sydney for your onward international flight (domestic flights from ZQN, longer-haul via Christchurch/Auckland). If flying from Queenstown directly, book a connection with a 3h+ buffer.

🚌Orbus to airport ~£5

🛏—

• →Queenstown Gardens
• →Lake Wakatipu waterfront