Backpacking IS:
A budget travel strategy that stresses blending in, and living like the people to develop a better understanding of the culture.

A mobile and flexible way to travel, where the traveler is free to change plans as much as they like.
An activity that requires you to pack light and live on the essentials. A few changes of clothes, and whatever gadgets or daily essentials you have is enough. Like point 2 says, you have to be mobile, don’t weigh yourself down with a bunch of crap.
By definition an economic way to travel. The idea is that you travel on a budget so that you can extend your travels as far as your budget can take you.
Moving slow, and getting off the beaten track. You are one (or maybe two) people with no deadlines, responsibilities, etc. Take advantage of that.
Sometimes a stationary activity. If you find a place you really enjoy, stay there for a couple of weeks, months, years! Learn more about it, and have fun. Why not?
A learning experience. You can learn so much about yourself, others, the world, what’s really important, and a lot more. It’s very important to remain open and allow yourself this growth.
Whatever you want to make it.

Backpacking IS NOT:
An activity exclusively undertaken by hippies, hobos, or other people that don’t understand the importance of personal hygiene. You are free to bathe as much as you like.

An activity for large groups of friends. I would say it is best to either travel independently or with one friend. This allows you greater mobility, and a much better opportunity to blend in.
An activity that even requires a backpack. I know the word “backpacking” kind of implies that you have something strapped to your back, but personally I think those 100 gallon backpacks that you see people toting around the world kind of defeat the purpose. In my opinion, you don’t need all that stuff, it doesn’t all need to be carried on your back, it makes moving around extremely cumbersome, and it makes you stick out like a sore thumb.
All fun. It’s an adventure. It’s not uncommon to get robbed, lost, stuck out in the rain, pissed off, homesick, etc.
Just hitting all the major sites, then going home. DO NOT simply hop from site to site, it is an unnecessarily expensive and exhausting way to travel, that prevents you from being able to experience and enjoy each individual area.
Spending all day in the internet cafe.
A waste of time or a hole in your resume. I personally feel that traveling has helped me to learn about myself as a person, understand my strengths and weaknesses, develop a better understanding of the world and how it works, and even develop many applicable skills like fluency in foreign languages, ability to operate under adverse conditions, creative thinking, etc. In my experience most employers feel the same way.

cheers to CHEERS!!!

weT blankeT alerT

Shark attacks send shivers through Aussie holidaymakers

SYDNEY (AFP) - - A spate of savage shark attacks in Australia has sent a shiver through summer holidaymakers bombarded with graphic details and claims that the razor-toothed predators are increasingly targeting humans.
Three attacks on swimmers within 24 hours over Sunday and Monday -- just two weeks after a snorkeller was killed -- have fuelled a fevered debate over whether overfishing has put man on the menu.
"Humans are next in line on the food chain," veteran shark hunter Vic Hislop told commercial radio. "It will definitely get worse."
Experts say there is no scientific evidence to support his claim that reducing the shark's natural prey through overfishing has produced a spike in attacks.
But a steady stream of shock reports has won splash headlines and set radio talkback shows buzzing during the annual school holidays:
-- Fifty-one-year-old banker Brian Guest disappeared in a turmoil of fins and blood while snorkelling with his son south of Perth on the west coast on December 27. His body has not been found.
-- Two surfers were rushed to hospital after separate attacks, one on the east coast north of Sydney and one in Tasmania, on Sunday.
-- A snorkeller's leg was ripped in a mid-morning attack south of Sydney by what is believed to be a bull shark, on Monday.
-- Punctuating the attacks have been several scares, including a kayaker being knocked into the water by a great white shark off a popular Sydney beach.
The encounters have been reported in breathless detail under headlines such as Monday's "Escape from the jaws of a killer" in the Daily Telegraph, accompanied by pictures of victims and a surfboard with a monstrous bite taken out of it.
The surfboard was carrying 13-year-old Hannah Mighall at Binalong Bay on the southern island of Tasmania on Sunday when she was attacked by a great white shark estimated to be five metres (16-feet) long.
"She was slapping it and screaming, 'Get it off me, get it off me'," her cousin Syb Mundy told national radio.
"Then she was just yelling out that her leg was hurting and next thing you know all the water was just blood, pretty much couldn't see anything."
Mundy, 33, has been hailed as a hero after paddling over to his younger cousin and hauling her onto his own board before catching a wave into the beach as the shark circled them.
Mighall was having plastic surgery on her leg in the Royal Hobart Hospital, where a spokeswoman said she was in a stable condition.
Three attacks in 24 hours might be unusual, but John West, curator of the official Australian shark Attack File held at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, dismisses claims that the number of attacks on humans is increasing.
"The human population is increasing and more and more people are going into the water, but there has not been a corresponding spike in fatalities from shark attacks," he told AFP.
"There is still an average of 1.2 fatalities a year over about the past 50 years -- if anything the fatality rate for shark attacks is dropping in comparison to the increase in the human population.
"Humans are not part of the shark's diet, otherwise there would be nobody safe in the water."
A total of 194 deaths through shark attacks have been recorded in Australia over the past two centuries, leading researchers to point out endlessly that more people die from bee stings and lightning strikes.
But there is something about being eaten that resonates with swimmers.
"It was basically a scene out of 'Jaws'," said surfer Ian Hollingsworth who witnessed the attack on Mighall, referring to Steven Spielberg's 1975 film.
"The shark went around and I saw it actually come out of the water and hit her... I saw her going backwards, and she was screaming."

boys! danger!!! how ar??? i hum chi!
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090112/tap-australia-animal-shark-5a1703c.html
The above is The original link from yahoo... i did noT make iT up in case u Think i have Too much Time. haha

Rough Costing

Fly to perth, Buy a car or caravan.
Pay for everything, drive to brisbane and sell.
Can sleep in the van or in tents wherever we drive, or find backpacker hostels along the way, say half the trip we camp out.

cost for EACH person:
FLy to perth $160
Buy/sell car/van (ie. buy car + repairs + fees - sell car) $2000/4=500
Petrol $1000/4=250
Sleep wherever or Hostel sometimes $40/night, half the time = 400
Try everything listed - A$1200
Eat $30/day = 600
Fly back from brisbane $200

Total 3500. Add another 500 for random stuff we buy or medicine or hospital etc.
$4k zhun zhun! ready set go!

Ozzie ozzie ozzie!

based on alvin's ideas i've marked out places where we can visit.

Click here to see the map

Still left to decide is Accommodation - stay friends' place or motel or hotel.. Transport - whether we rent a car all the way or take train or hitchhike or bus or taxi or walk.

so if u free help check that out ba. Also makan budget must add in. Also when nef/mel the working ones should join us?

My friend in duno melb or perth can give us tour to the wineries. haha. got very small portion to sample the wine but can sample NON STOP. YAAAAY

AUSSIE GRAD TRIP

watz the agenda for our trip man??
i was thinking other den skydive, bungy, and iceski/snowboard
which r the 3 main highlights..
quite interested in visiting the aboriginal tribes man..
i was thinking of a more outdoor n adventurous kind.. if agenda same.. den i carry on the plan man

aniwaes those 4WD itineraries r quite useful..

Day 3: Derby to Windjana National Park - Gibb River Road

Gibb River Road is one of Australia's classic outback drives. The 660 kilometre journey is accessible only between May and October. The rest of year is often rained out or rivers are too swollen to cross.

The region is steeped in frontier history with tales of cattle drives, hardship and Aboriginal culture at points along the journey.

First stop today is the Windjana Gorge camp site, which will be home for the night.

The area is rich in natural wonders and the day on the road provides a relatively soft entry into the sometimes challenging conditions ahead, and a taste of what's in store.

The 2134 hectare Windjana Gorge National Park offers a stunning natural retreat and encompasses a three and a half kilometre section of the Lennard River, which flows in the wet season, but evaporates into a series of pools in "the dry".

The campsite houses the only facilities in the area and is well serviced with toilets, showers and firewood.

The river pools attract a rich selection of bird life and fresh water crocodiles, which are often seen sunning themselves near the water holes.

From your camp, take a day trip out to the spectacular natural wonder of Tunnel Creek.

Tunnel Creek was formed when lava tubes receded millions of years ago, creating a 750 metre tunnel through which the permanent fresh water creek flows.

The cool, dark tunnel creates a stunning contrast to the surrounding landscape and can be explored on foot or by swimming. Take a waterproof torch and sandshoes.

The park is for day use only, so visitors will need to return to the Windjana Gorge campsite, where they can set up a protected campfire and settle in for their first night under the stars.

The remote location guarantees clear air, while the lack of artificial light makes the skies appear even darker. Stars absolutely blaze from the night, creating an inspiring sky show.

http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Things_to_See_and_Do/Suggested_Itineraries/Pages/Rugged_4WD_Adventures.aspx

BUNGY

FROM $475AUD

Day 1: Skydive
Today you will go to our Mission Beach office (free transfers available from Cairns accommodation daily) where you will experience an amazing skydive with 40secs of freefalling over the fantastic and spectacular views of the Great Barrier Reef and tropical islands finishing with a smooth landing on Australia’s best drop zone – Mission beach.

Day 2: Rafting
Today we will have you white water rafting for 5 hours on the Tully River with Raging Thunder. All transfers and a BBQ lunch are included.

Day 3: Bungy Jump
On your last day is where you will go to the AJ Hackett site in Cairns, and take part in jumping off their 50m tower, above the rainforest canapy, by doing a bungy jump.



http://www.adventuretravel.com.au/tours/3_day_top_gun_triple_challenge_-_skydive_raft_bungy/

SKYDIVE!!

Jump Details & Pricing

Learn how to skydive like the professionals at our fully equipped, resort skydiving centre. Students are trained with the latest state of the art parachuting systems by fully accredited, experienced, skydiving instructors.

Stages 1 – 8 and solo jumps from 14,000 feet (Flight Level 140)

Stage	Price $	Features
AFF Stage 1 60 sec. free fall	549	Comprehensive training, up to 9 hours duration * (Standard training days apply – see below for details) Jump with 2 instructors 2 months membership to the Australian Parachute Federation First jump certificate and a personal log book detailing your skydive
AFF 2	269	Learn a relaxed flying position. Learn the effects of arm and leg movements
AFF 3	269	Learn to maintain the free fall position by YOURSELF Begin to fly relative to one instructor
AFF 4	196	Skydive with one instructor from stages 4 - 8 Learn to maintain eye contact with your instructor while flying by yourself
AFF 5	196	Carry out 360° turns with you in control Learn to move forwards when YOU want to
AFF 6	196	Solo exit, diving out to meet your instructor Canopy handling exercises to prepare you for solo landings
AFF 7	196	Back loops during freefall Tracking across the sky
AFF 8	196	Flying relative to your instructor with fast & slow fall rates Controlled tracking in an S shape across the sky
AFF 9 5,000 ft 4,000 ft	90 90	Two orientation jumps to experience getting out of a plane closer to the ground Training on the packing of parachute system
Solo jumps 14,000 ft 5,000 ft	85 42	After successfully completing stage 9, you can jump by yourself to consolidate your flying skills and canopy accuracy, with the ultimate goal of achieving an A License.

Tandem Skydive & 1st Jump Prices

Jump Height	Price	Features
14,000 Feet ² 60 sec. Free fall	$429	As high as you can jump in Australia. The ultimate in freefall time. Most people choose this jump height.
10,000 feet 30 sec. Free fall	$339	Be radical by going that bit higher and doubling the freefall time.
8,000 feet 15 sec. Free fall	$299	The bare minimum, but a great introduction to skydiving and why people jump out of aeroplanes.

http://www.skydive.com.au/html/AFFskydive.html

http://www.skydive.com.au/html/tandem.html