I first came to Australia in 2006. It was the month of July when I arrived and even though I knew it was “winter” over here, I thought it was going to be nice and warm with the sun shining every day and I wouldn't need any warm clothes.

While this is partly true, I mean the sun shines incredibly perfect all day, it does get pretty damn breezy at night. Even though Brisbane is located in the Sunshine State Queensland, imagine further south, there are actually areas where it snows and there are ski fields too! 0 degrees here we come…

 

Prepare for Australia with both a jacket and a bikini, because one day it can be beach weather and the next night you might freeze your feet off. It's simply like that in winter.

I frequently see between 20 and 27 degrees in the daytime and down to 10 or even below at night here in Brisbane.

Keep in mind, that the northern parts of Australia are tropical with Darwin and Cairns boasting hot temperatures all year around.

Here are my essential things to take to Australia.

 

budget accommodation in Brisbane
Winn Lane Fortitude Valley Brisbane
essentials to pack for Australia

Let's start with the easy things first: summer clothes!

Flip Flops

Or well, thongs. Because that's what they call them on this side of the planet. Cute, no?

In summer, I only live in thongs because temperatures linger around the 30 degrees day and night and I frequent the beach like everybody else to cool off, to tan, chill and have fun!

I love my Havaianas which originated from Brazil but are widely available in all shapes and sizes in Australia now too.

Turkish Towel (& A Microfibre Travel Towel)

Lightweight, quick drying and compact. Turkish Towels are the perfect little thing to throw into your suitcase instead of a bulky bath towel.

They come in all sorts of colours and sizes and I actually really love the round Turkish Towel, just looks super cool and you get plenty of space to spread out!

I am also a fan of carrying a microfibre towel on all my travels. They are light-weight, quick dry and simply awesome without taking any space!

Swimsuit/Bikini

Yes, once again, in Australia they have another word for your swimsuit. They call them togs or bathers here. Bring one or better yet: bring many! Because there are plenty of beaches and places you will want to go swimming.

They say, if you were to visit a new Australian beach every day, it would take you 27 years to see them all!

So literally, too many options to choose from.

Sunscreen & Sunnies

With UV levels higher than anywhere else in the world, you wouldn't want to leave your sunscreen at home. I particularly love the Hawaiian Tropic Island Sunscreen as it just smells so nice like coconuts!

Bring at least SPF 30+, better yet 50+ which is waterproof. You will need it, I promise. Getting sunburned was never easier than in Australia. 20 minutes out in the rays without sunscreen and it will be lobster alarm!

Oh, and of course sunglasses to protect your eyes.

Warm & Windproof Jacket

fleece jacket pack australia

Last but not least, do bring a jacket!

Especially in winter which is from around June to August, which isn't very long compared to European winters, but it does get cold.

The southern parts of Australia also get to have snow in some mountainous areas. Tasmania's climate is also pretty close to the one in Germany.

I always have a light jumper and a fleece jacket with me, which keeps me warm on cold nights, flights, heavily air-conditioned bus rides and shopping malls.

Power Bank

Cygnett Power Bank

I used to always run out of battery on my phone, tablet, camera all the time… It's been very annoying!

In the worse moments too, while looking for directions exiting Central Station and my phone would power off because I had used it for the entire journey to my destination.

With the big distances between places in Australia, you will easily run out of power in no time before you even see the next power socket.

It took me a while to actually to find a power bank I like which charges my phone more than just once and I could rely on.

Today, I never leave the house without my portable power bank, there are so many different ones out there now. This one is one of my favourites.

Phone & Camera

Australia is spoilt with beautiful places, sights and landscapes. I have never seen such a pretty blue of the ocean! The clear skies, red soil in the outback and everything in-between is so worth a shot. Or really: many shots!

I often get asked how I shoot my photos. If I take a really quick snap, I use my unlocked iPhone 7Plus, otherwise, my daily companion is my mirrorless Sony Alpha a6000 with a standard 16-55mm power zoom lens.

But since the lens is interchangeable you can attach other lenses as well to shoot food with a macro lens or landscapes with a wide angle lens.

I love this camera so much because in the past I always had trouble with night shot quality. With this Sony camera, the quality is outstanding even without flash or tripod (even though I recommend you get one!). Otherwise, iPhone really does fine and I shoot a lot on it too.

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