It was 10pm on a Sydney Saturday night as I wandered toothbrush in hand to the shared bathroom. The lounge area was still full of fresh faced young backpackers, glugging merrily at the free wine. As I cleaned my teeth in a bathroom I shared with the oldest man we had seen at the hostel and an old Japanese fellow, I couldn't help thinking....Was I too old for this Australian backpacking lark or did we simply have a different approach to it all now?

Australia is the home of backpacking and many 18 year olds venture there for a gap year, normally before going to University. Generally this involves travelling the East Coast, visiting as many beaches and bars as possible. The purpose of the trip is primarily to be away from home (for most it is their first time away from home) and have lots of fun, often just hanging out in particular backpackers hostel for no reason other than to enjoy nights out and afternoons playing cards. This was certainly the experience I remember back in my late teens and from what i could see at the backpackers hostel in Sydney, there is no evidence of any significant change in this mindset!

Watching myself 18 years ago sitting in the lounge drinking and playing cards it became apparent that we are no longer backpackers. Sure there have and will continue to be nights out along the way but that is not the primary purpose of our travels. We have a specific itinerary of places, cultures and things to see on this trip and are therefore not backpacking as such. It is surely more fitting to refer to our adventure as 'traveling' and there is a distinct difference.

However, equally important when backpacking many years ago, was the fact that Australia was a cheap place to travel. Flights were reasonable, public transport, accommodation, food and most importantly drink were significantly cheaper than the UK. Sadly for us, the Australian economy has appeared to avoid the worldwide recession and the Dollar is stronger than ever. In addition i am sure there have also been significant increases in hotel and hospitality costs just because they can and they have even introduced a ridiculous new Visa fee! All in all it is very disappointing that the pound doesn't go very far at all in Australia anymore!

Here are some average costs of daily living expenses in Australia- for comparison I have included average costs for Vietnam which is probably the cheapest place we have visited:

Australia Vietnam
Dorm Room. £16 £3
Double Room ensuite. £50 £8 Bottle of Water(Lg) £3 30p
Large Beer in Pub £5 80p
Bottle of Coke (small) £2.50 35p
Main Course £7 £2
1 hr Internet £3 50p
1 hr Wifi £3 Free

Clearly living costs are very high in comparison to South East Asia. I'm not sure how you can justify charging such rates for wifi when you provide your own hardware and are simply using a broadband line? Throughout Asia this is a service offered to guests at hotels and pubs, not in Australia, here it is another way of taking the tourist dollar! A 15 minute airport transfer to and from a highly overpriced hotel which is quite often free in Asia is another of the endless money making schemes on offer here. I looked at some standard tours in Australia and the prices were astronomical. There is a lot to see in Australia and a lot of fun to have along the way but the costs have spiralled to a level which is surely no longer affordable for the younger traveller. Given the increased costs for University and the substantially elevated start up costs to get on the bottom rung of the housing ladder I find it hard to believe youngsters will be able to continue to follow this well trodden Aussie trail! Surely given the costs of South East Asia, where it is very possible to live with daily costs of £10-£20 this would surely provide a better longer term solution?

Therefore, having spent 4 months in Asia living at a quarter of the costs of Australia we were actually very glad we only had 2 nights and one full day in Sydney. Maybe it would just about be possible to survive without the need of taking out a 2nd mortgage. However, even living as simply as possible we still managed to spend as much in 2 nights as we did in 1 week in Cambodia and our en suite air con room with swimming pool in Siem Reap was far nicer than the fan, bunk bedded shared bathroom facility room in the backpacking area of Sydney!

What free stuff is there to do in Sydney?....Fortunately quite a lot!

All of the major city sights are located close enough that you can walk between them all. Starting at the elegant Darling Harbour with a mix of restaurants, bars and malls all set beside the water within 20 mins it is possible to walk via the trendy 'Rocks' area to the 'hub' of the city- Circular Quay.

Circular Quay is one of the most ambient and exciting places you can ever visit. It has an amazing charisma, charm and buzz to it. Home of the enigmatic Sydney Opera House on one side, the impressive Harbour Bridge on the other with a backdrop of the high rise city towers.

The Opera House is the talismanic symbol of Australia and every time we visit it holds a certain aura that draws you in. It is a stunning piece of architecture with it's distinctive clear white sail shaped peaks glowing against the blue sky. Closer inspection reveals the walls are made up of tiny mosaic marble tiles. The land it stands on juts out into the harbour surrounding it with deep blue waters and the monster wrought iron bridge providing stunning panoramic views.

Circular Quay hasn't changed in all the years I have visited. There is an even mix of tourists and locals catching ferries across the harbour or dining at the swanky bars or restaurants beside the quay and the Aborigine man decked out in face paint is still busting some rhythmic tunes on his amplified Didgereedoo. On this particular visit a cruise ship had dwarfed the 3 storey art museum it was moored beside. The sheer size of the boat drew your eye away from the other established world sights it towered above.

We have been exposed to unrelenting heat on a daily basis since crossing the border from Tibet into Nepal but this was something else. Only the steady breeze made it even possible to stand in the sun but only for a few minutes before we dived for the shade again. It was a little too hot but something we tolerated as this was our 1 day and 1 only chance to see the city sights on this particular trip. We were staggered although not totally surprised to read the headline on the Sydney Herald the following day... 'The day Sydney melted- 42 degree heat blasts the city'. Well that explained why we felt no effects of 3 months heat acclimatisation!

As much as we like this city it was a stop we would rather not have taken. We simply had no choice as we had to stopover en route to Auckland to catch our onward flight to South America. There is no doubt it is a fantastic city and most defiantly one of our favourites, it is just a shame it has now joined some of the equally charismatic European cities and grown too big for it's own boots. The extortionate and unjustifiable costs have taken a real shine off such a wonderful city.

I would urge anyone thinking of 'backpacking' for the first time to really think carefully about visiting Australia. Yes lots to see but this is equally true of Asia at 1/5 of the cost! It was a fun day melting in the heat of Sydney and seeing the awesome sights one more time but since arriving I can't help thinking..... 'i'm a budget traveller, get me out of here!'