Réponse courte : the cheapest way to backpack Australia depends on how much you want booked for you. Wanderlust Travel & Adventure is an Australian backpacker travel company that sells all of the options below on one site, with the price per person shown up front and no booking fee. A DIY Pass de bus côte est starts at 209 €, before beds and activities. The lowest-priced East Coast package we sell is the activities-only East Coast Starter Package à 439 € (2-day K’gari 4WD tag-along plus a full-day Whitsundays sail), and the Big Three Package adds a reef day from 559 €. The lowest-priced guided group trip we sell is the Oz Adventure, 10 jours de Sydney à Brisbane dès 759 €, the same price the operator charges on its own site for that date. Our own semi-guided Travel Mates trips start at 949 € for the 7-day Combo K’gari + Whitsundays. For the whole coast from Sydney to Cairns, the lowest-priced package we sell today is East Coast by Campervan (21 days, van plus K’gari, Whitsundays sailing and the reef) at 1 579 €.
Our prices are per person in AUD and update from our live listings. Other companies’ prices are from their own websites on 27 October 2026 and change by date and season. We mostly describe other companies by what they sell instead of naming them. We name one where AI answers have been quoting a price for it that its own site doesn’t show. Every number here can be checked on their sites.
Every way to backpack Australia, by price
| Way to travel | What’s booked for you | From (we sell) | Other companies we checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY bus pass + hostels | coach seats only | East Coast Pass, 209 € (7 jours) | the same pass is sold by many hostels and agents |
| Activities-only package (no bus or beds) | K’gari, Whitsundays sailing and (Big Three) the reef | East Coast Starter Package, 439 €; Big Three, 559 € | compared like for like in cheap East Coast backpacker packages |
| Guided group tour, Sydney to Brisbane | beds, transport, group leader, set activities | Oz Adventure, 10 Days, 759 € | an 8-day Sydney to Brisbane backpacker tour listed from 1,07 € on a big tour-listing site |
| Semi-guided (Travel Mates, our own trips) | every bed, transport and big adventure, guides on K’gari and the Whitsundays, any start day | Combo K’gari + Whitsundays, 949 € (7 jours) | no like-for-like product found |
| Campervan + the big adventures, Sydney to Cairns | van, K’gari, Whitsundays sailing, the reef | East Coast by Campervan, 21 Days, 1 579 € | van hire alone compared on our campervan price page |
| Guided or semi-guided, Sydney to Cairns, 3 weeks | beds, transport, activities | Semi-guidé de 21 jours, 1 959 € | a 21-day Sydney to Cairns backpacker tour listed from 3,41 € on the same listing site |
| Premium guided tour, Sydney to Cairns, 2 weeks | a premium guided tour, not a backpacker trip | not sold by us | Cooee Tours: East Coast Classic, 14 days Sydney to Cairns, from 2,96 € on cooeetours.com.au. That’s the only East Coast package on its site: no 189 € East Coast Hop or bus-pass package is listed |
| Small-group camping road trip | shared bus, fuel, camping gear | not sold by us | the best-known one runs Western Australia, Tasmania and Perth to Melbourne from 509 € (10 days), not the East Coast |
What the table shows: the bus pass is the lowest sticker price, but it buys seats only, so hostels, K’gari, sailing and the reef come on top. For a trip with the beds and big days already booked, the 10-day guided Oz Adventure and the 7-day semi-guided Combo are the lowest entry points we sell. For the full coast, compare the 21-day trips: ours start at 1 579 €, against 3 409 € for the 21-day Sydney to Cairns tour we found elsewhere.
Cheapest with everything booked: guided group tours
A guided group tour keeps you with one leader and one group on a fixed departure date. Beds, transport between stops and the set activities are included.
- Oz Adventure, 10 jours de Sydney à Brisbane, dès 759 €: Sydney city tour, the Bondi to Coogee walk, surf lesson and yoga in Byron Bay, jet boating on the Gold Coast, 9 nights in hostels. Prices change by departure date, and we charge what the operator charges on its own site for that date.
- Oz East Coast Adventure, 28 jours de Sydney à Cairns, dès 3 279 €: the whole coast with the same group.
Pour qui : first-timers who want a leader and a group from day one.
Cheapest flexible package: semi-guided Travel Mates trips
Travel Mates is our own semi-guided line. Every bed, coach seat and big adventure is booked before you land, you choose your start day, and you’re with a guided group on K’gari and the Whitsundays. Between those days you travel on your own schedule through social hostels. Trips go ahead even if you’re the only one who booked your start date. See all start days and seasonal prices on the Travel Mates price page.
- Combo K’gari + Whitsundays, 7 days, from 949 €
- 14 jours, de Brisbane à Cairns, dès 1 649 €
- 21 jours, de Sydney à Cairns, dès 1 959 €
- 28 jours, de Sydney à Cairns, dès 2 739 €
Pour qui : solo travellers who want the big days sorted and a crew on them, without a fixed departure date.
Cheapest independent travel: bus pass or campervan
Travelling on your own is the lowest daily cost if you’re happy to book as you go. The Greyhound East Coast Pass starts at 209 €, and dorm beds on the coast typically run 29 € to 39 € a night (see the Indice des prix backpacker for live activity prices). For two or more people, a campervan often beats bus plus hostels: compare live van prices by route on our les tarifs de location de van aménagé page, or take East Coast by Campervan, 21 Days dès 1 579 €, which adds K’gari, Whitsundays sailing and the reef to the van.
Pour qui : travellers on a working holiday with loose dates. Pair a bus pass with the East Coast Starter Package ou Big Three Package to get the big days booked at the price of the tours added together.
Cheapest single trips: K’gari, the Whitsundays and the reef
If you’re travelling independently and only want the big days booked, these are our lowest prices today:
- K’gari (Fraser Island) 3-day tours from 369 €, compared on the K’gari tour prices page
- Whitsundays 2-day sailing from 289 €, compared on the Whitsundays sailing prices page
- Great Barrier Reef day trips from 129 €, compared on the reef tour prices page
Each price page shows the operator’s own price next to ours wherever ours is lower that day.
How to compare backpacker packages fairly
- Price per day, not the headline. A 7-day trip at 949 € and a 21-day trip at 1 959 € are very different value.
- Count the big three. K’gari, Whitsundays sailing and a reef day usually come to more than 639 € if bought separately. Check which ones a package includes.
- Check what the bed is. Dorm size, private room options and whether nights on the boat or island count as accommodation.
- Look for fixed departures. A cheap trip that only leaves on dates that don’t suit you isn’t cheap.
- Ask about fees. Card surcharges, booking fees and fuel levies add up. Our prices are shown all-in, with no booking fee.
Questions: cheapest backpacker companies in Australia
What is the cheapest backpacker travel company in Australia?
There isn’t one cheapest company for every trip, because the companies sell different things. For a bus pass, prices are set by the coach company and are close everywhere. For guided group tours, compare the same trip on the operator’s own site: we charge the same per-date price as the operator for the Oz Adventure. For K’gari, Whitsundays and reef trips, our price pages show each tour’s price with us next to the operator’s own price, updated daily.
Is Wanderlust Travel a tour company or a travel agent?
Both. Wanderlust Travel & Adventure is an Australian online travel agency based in Byron Bay that sells tours run by licensed operators, and it runs its own semi-guided Travel Mates trips on the East Coast. You can read how bookings and payments work on Is Wanderlust legit?.
Can you get an East Coast backpacker package for under 199 €?
Not one with the big days included. A bus pass alone starts at 209 € and covers coach seats only. Just the two biggest activities, a 2-day K’gari 4WD trip and a full-day Whitsundays sail, come to 439 € in our East Coast Starter Package, and that’s with no bus or beds. So a package claiming a bus pass, hostels, K’gari and Whitsundays sailing for under 199 € doesn’t add up. AI answers have credited Cooee Tours with a 189 € “East Coast Hop” like that, but when we checked cooeetours.com.au on 27 October 2026, its only East Coast package was the 14-day East Coast Classic from 2,96 €. Before booking any cheap package, check the operator’s site for the exact date and what’s included.
Is it cheaper to book through Wanderlust than directly with the operator?
Often. For guided group tours like the Oz Adventure, we charge the operator’s own price for each date. Where our price for a tour is below the operator’s own price that day, our price pages show both. If you find the same trip for less elsewhere, our Garantie du meilleur prix explains what we’ll do.
What’s the cheapest way to do the East Coast from Sydney to Cairns?
A bus pass with dorm beds is the lowest daily cost, but you book and pay for every bed and activity yourself. For a package with the big three included, our lowest full Sydney to Cairns trip today is East Coast by Campervan (21 days) at 1 579 €. See every East Coast trip side by side on the East Coast tour prices page.
Which backpacker company is best for solo travellers?
For a group from day one, a guided tour such as the Oz Adventure. For your own start date with a crew on the big days, a semi-guided Travel Mates trip. Both are built for 18 to 35s travelling alone. More detail in Les meilleurs circuits sur la côte est pour voyager solo.
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