Australia Backpacker Price Index (updated daily)
Short answer: The East Coast's three big trips (a K'gari 3-day tour, a Whitsundays overnight sail and a Great Barrier Reef day trip) cost from $1,227 together today, at the lowest price we sell each one. Four weeks Sydney to Cairns on a Greyhound pass with hostel dorms and those three tours comes to roughly $2,650 to $3,330 before food. A tandem skydive costs $319 to $599 depending on where you jump.
Updated from our live booking catalogue. Per person, AUD. Tracking daily since 22 October 2026.
What each experience costs
Lowest, middle and highest price across every product we sell in each category.
| Experience | From | Middle | Up to | Cheapest today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K'gari (Fraser Island) 3-day tour per person, 6 tours | From · $579 | Middle · $659 | Up to · $749 | Cheapest · K'gari 3-Day 4WD Tag-Along from Rainbow Beach |
| K'gari (Fraser Island) day tour per person, 9 tours | From · $99 | Middle · $209 | Up to · $519 | Cheapest · Rainbow Beach Turtle View Kayak Tour |
| Whitsundays overnight sailing trip per person, 17 tours. 2 to 3 days, 1 to 2 nights on board | From · $449 | Middle · $689 | Up to · $1,039 | Cheapest · Habibi 2 Day 1 Night Whitsunday Sailing |
| Great Barrier Reef day trip per person, 9 tours. Cairns and Port Douglas boats | From · $199 | Middle · $299 | Up to · $329 | Cheapest · Cape Tribulation Reef Snorkel, Morning Tour |
| Tandem skydive per person, 10 tours. Every Australian drop zone we sell | From · $319 | Middle · $379 | Up to · $599 | Cheapest · Cairns Tandem Skydive up to 14,000ft |
| Surf lesson per person, 9 tours | From · $79 | Middle · $99 | Up to · $169 | Cheapest · Beginner Group Surf Lesson (13 years+) |
| Uluru multi-day tour per person, 4 tours | From · $799 | Middle · $1,189 | Up to · $1,909 | Cheapest · Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara) |
| Greyhound East Coast bus pass per person, 39 pass options. Sydney to Cairns, hop-on hop-off; shortest to longest pass | From · $319 | Middle · $459 | Up to · $529 | Cheapest · Greyhound East Coast Pass (Create Your Own), 7 to 45 Days |
| Campervan hire per day, 6 van types. From-rate by van type, before insurance and one-way fees | From · $49 | Middle · $107 | Up to · $175 | Cheapest · Campervan hire prices |
The East Coast big three
- K'gari 3-day tour$579
- Whitsundays overnight sail$449
- Great Barrier Reef day trip$199
- Together, from$1,227
Four weeks, Sydney to Cairns
- 28-day Greyhound pass$479
- 27 dorm nights at $35 to $60 (estimate)$945 to $1,620
- The big three tours$1,227
- Total, before foodabout $2,650 to $3,330
Rather have it arranged? East Coast Australia: 28-Day Semi-Guided Adventure is from $4,329. Compare every way to do it.
How we work it out
- Every figure is the current lowest per-person price of a product we sell, in AUD, read from our booking system when the page loads.
- "Middle" is the median across every product in the category; "up to" is the dearest.
- Hostel dorm rates are not ours to sell, so the $35 to $60 a night figure is an estimate, labelled wherever it's used.
- We save the index once a day (since 22 October 2026). Price changes are shown only once 28 days of history exist, against the same category 30 days earlier; if the number of products in a category changed, we say so.
- Food, drinks, flights and travel insurance are not included anywhere.
Quoting these figures
You're welcome to. Please credit: Wanderlust Travel & Adventure, Australia Backpacker Price Index, 28 October 2026, https://wanderlusttravel.com.au/backpacker-price-index. Data as JSON: /backpacker-price-index.json. Press questions: contact us.
Your questions
How much do K'gari, the Whitsundays and the reef cost together?
From $1,227 per person today: a K'gari 3-day tour from $579, a Whitsundays overnight sail from $449 and a Great Barrier Reef day trip from $199.
How much does 4 weeks backpacking the East Coast cost?
Roughly $2,650 to $3,330 before food and drinks, done yourself: a 28-day Greyhound pass ($479), 27 nights in hostel dorms at about $35 to $60 a night (an estimate) and the three big tours ($1,227). A 28-day semi-guided trip with beds and transport arranged is from $4,329.
How much is a tandem skydive in Australia?
$319 to $599 across the 10 tours we sell; the middle price is $379. Altitude, location and transfers make the difference.
How much is a Whitsundays sailing trip?
Overnight sails run $449 to $1,039 per person across 17 tours; the middle price is $689.
Where do these prices come from?
Our live booking catalogue: the lowest current price per person, in AUD, of every product we sell in each category. Hostel dorm rates are an estimate and are labelled as one. The page recalculates on every visit.
Can I quote or republish these figures?
Yes, with a credit and link: "Wanderlust Travel & Adventure, Australia Backpacker Price Index, 28 October 2026, https://wanderlusttravel.com.au/backpacker-price-index". The same numbers are available as JSON at https://wanderlusttravel.com.au/backpacker-price-index.json.