59 travel hacks to save money in Australia’s capital cities

Australian Traveller Australian Traveller
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We tramped our capital city streets in search of seriously cheap entertainment.

While we didn’t sleep under railway bridges or jeopardise any moral codes, we found sightseeing on the cheap is not only viable but also strangely satisfying.

 

The results are in. Here’s proof that some of the best sights and things to do in Australia’s capital cities are free – or if not free, at least within the budget of travellers once attracted to four cents a litre off petrol, frequent flyer points and no-deposit mortgages.

 

Many of these places to see and things to do are my own preferences, and as such they’re only representative. Testing and approval of kids’ things has been completed by my fun-loving nine-year-old daughter, and with one or two exceptions further details can be found via a quick Google. Happy budget trails!

Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne’s bustling CBD from above.
  • The City Circle tram is free, encircles the CBD and main city sights.
  • Scienceworks is free for kids, $15 adults; special exhibitions cost extra. Location in Spotswood is difficult on public transport. Focus is on kids here.
  • The Melbourne Museum has improved. Go if it’s raining or 40ºC, or both. Kids free, $15 adults.
  • Melbourne city tourist shuttle, free bus tour of major city sights like Victoria Market, museum, Botanical Gardens, Shine of Remembrance. Every 30min, 90min round-trip.
  • For under $7 day ticket, less at weekends, ride Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses. Go to famed St Kilda Beach, walk the pier, swim in the bay.
  • Take your bike, or hire one, and take the bike path along the Yarra River, or the track from St Kilda along the foreshore.
  • The historic Victoria Market brings the taste of cosmopolitan Melbourne to all who visit. Free, unless tempted…

Adelaide

Adelaide Fringe things to do events festival venues Rundle Street
Rundle Street and its surrounding laneways take on the atmosphere of a street party (photo: Imogen Eveson).
  • Travel free on the City Loop Bus. Two routes around Adelaide’s CBD, for shopping and sightseeing. Stop at the excellent museum or art gallery on a hot or rainy day. Adelaide markets have cheap food.
  • Popeye Motor Launches is a 40min cruise along the River Torrens. $10 adults, $5 children.
  • Free bikes to ride around Adelaide from the Bicycle SA office, or the Rundle Street Market on Sundays, and see all the sights from the saddle.
  • Stroll the Botanic Gardens’ impressive collections of palms, endangered cycads and culinary herbs on display. Free, and free guided walks are available too.
  • Take the Tram to Glenelg a 20min ride from the city to beachside suburb Glenelg. $4.20 adults, or $8 for a day-trip.
  • Taste Haigh’s Chocolates – a free 20min tour and tasting of SA’s iconic choccies shop. Mon-Sat, 5min from the city.
  • Watch an Indigenous performance at Tandanya – the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute. Free entry to the gallery, dance performance $5.
  • Tour Adelaide Oval’s cricket ground, Sir Donald Bradman Collection. Tours Mon-Fri (non-match days), tickets $10.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

Canberra

  • Into politics or not, Old Parliament House is a great experience just for the Australian history enacted here. $2 adults, $1 kids.
  • The current Parliament House on the hill has free entry, but we’re all paying for it.
  • Questacon is not free and not cheap, but your kids will love this fantastic scienceworks experience. $49 family ticket. Most expensive item on this whole list.
  • The Australian War Memorial is free.
  • BYO bike for a ride (or a long walk) around Lake Burley Griffin.
  • National Gallery and National Museum have free general entry.
  • CSIRO Discovery Centre gives kids some educational hands-on science information. $6 adult, $3 kids.

Sydney

View of Sydney Harbour from the summit of the bridge
  • A firm favourite is the Old Sydney Observatory, between The Rocks and Darling Harbour. Free entry to museum. Tours $7 adult, family $20.
  • The Powerhouse Museum adjacent to Darling Harbour, hours of exploring for the family. $10 adult, $25 family.
  • At Darling Harbour there’s cheap eats, buskers, boats and a few dollars for the ferry under the Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay.
  • Sydney Ferries travel to all parts of the Harbour. Be sure to include the Manly Ferry and Jet Foil.
  • The iconic Opera House is open for tours $74 for a family, but it’s free to admire from the outside.
  • See historic houses (Historic Houses Trust) in Sydney – Vaucluse House for a picnic and harbour views. Most entry or tours cost $8 adult. Government House visit is free.
  • Instead of an expensive bridge climb, walking across Sydney Harbour Bridge is free.
  • Instead of a spa package, take a dip at the iconic Icebergs Ocean pool. Salt water is Mother Nature’s penicillin, isn’t it? They also have a sauna which can be used at your leisure. $8 for adults. $5.50 for kids
  • Harbour waterfront camping on Cockatoo Island. $45 byo tent, or $75 for tent package, plus ferry from Circular Quay.

Perth

Perth’s rooftop revolution has seen a litany of new bars open upstairs
  • Kings Park, the world’s largest inner city park, has views of the city and picnic spots. The Botanic Gardens have spring wildflowers, and Federation Walkway Swan River views. Free walking tours of the park.
  • Swim, snorkel, surf or relax on one of Perth’s 19 metropolitan beaches.
  • The Cultural Centre, home to Perth’s art gallery, museum, state library and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA). Free.
  • Mountain Bike the Munda Biddi Camping shelters provided free for those enthusiastic riders wanting a weekend escape.

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Brisbane

View to Brisbane from Mt Coot-tha 2
The best view in Brisban? The outlook from Mt Coot-tha.
  • Queensland Museum and Art Gallery both have free entry.
  • Brisbane Powerhouse has free music and comedy every Sunday. Moonlight cinema here too.
  • Free films at Harry Kirby Park, Apsley, Sept-May.
  • Southbank precinct has BBQ areas, picnic spots, sandy beach, bike track, water playground for kids. Free.
  • Mt Coot-tha lookout and botanic gardens, on bus route 471, views of city and river.
  • Free downtown bus loops encircle the CBD.

Darwin

Focal point: Darwin’s waterfront.
  • Hire a bike and ride the Esplanade. Or hire a motor scooter, about $25 for two hours.
  • Free tours of Parliament House, Wed and Sat.
  • Follow history trails through Darwin, visit Lyons Cottage, free.
  • See WWII storage tunnels, images of war in the Top End, $5.
  • See a movie at the Deckchair Cinema, $12.
  • Fish feeding at high tide, the Esplanade, $6.
  • Self-guided tour of Fannie Bay Gaol, free.
  • Darwin’s City Shuttles cost $2 per ride.
  • Mindil Markets, Thurs and Sun evenings during dry season; food and craft.

Hobart

Tasmania hobart wharf history MACq01 tales rooms
Next time you’re in Hobart, we highly recommend grabbing some woolly socks, a Storyteller and a room at MACq01 for a yarn of historical worth (and mirth).
  • Salamanca Place market on Saturdays are free. Local produce just picked from Tassie’s green thumbs or greenies, crafts, busker-type entertainment – for kids too.
  • The Tassie Museum (free entry and tours), see the Tassie tiger, comprehensive Antarctic exhibit. Art Gallery for a rainy day, but the Maritime Museum is small and not free.
  • Mt Wellington overlooks Hobart and the Derwent River – a worthwhile view from the top. Free, but getting there isn’t.
  • Walk the hilly streets of Battery Point to Sandy Bay, colonial cottages and history. Free if self-guided. Tours $15.
  • The Hobart docks – commercial fishing boats and restored heritage vessels reflect perfectly in tranquil waters. Free.
  • Mure’s, dockside, has waterfront views and great seafood (cheaper fish ‘n’ chips downstairs).
  • Cascade Brewery tour costs $20 adult.
  • Heritage sailing ship, Lady Nelson, cruises the Derwent. From $15/adult, $5 kids.
  • Red double-decker bus, city tours from Brook Street pier. Costs about $14, all-day ticket.

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Exploding supernovas & gold fever: discover the past at this outback Qld town

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn.

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters, Four Mile, Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings. To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting. They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum. Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services. Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs. The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.

    59 Travel Hacks To Save Money In Australia's Capital Cities