The cost of living with Mum and Dad has been estimated to be $1000 a month. Living in a share house is expected to cost $1800 per month, while travelling will cost $3500 per month. As of July 2015, iTalki is already providing me the income to continue living at home, without Centrelink support. By July 2016, an iTalki income of $1800 per month is anticipated... enough to support me in a sharehouse in Sydney, Alice Springs or wherever.
On an income of $21,600 per year ($1800 per month), it would be possible to spend an entire year in a sharehouse, or 6 months in a hotel. If my income remained at that level, and I decided to spend 3 months staying in hotels while advancing across Australia, I would incur a deficit of $5400 per year. With $10,000 in the Travel Fund, I could travel for 1.8 years with this kind of income (but that would be 6 months of actual travel).Here is my route plan for the Escape from Oz. Of course, it is totally possible I will get detoured by temptations on the way.
Wyong -- Chittaway -- The Entrance Backpackers -- Bateau Bay Hotel/Motel - Gosford -- Woy Woy -- Brooklyn -- Bondi -- Katoomba -- Bathurst (Gateway to Gold Rush towns and surrounding hamlets like Georges Plains) -- Perthville -- Perthville #2 -- Blayney -- Orange Backpackers -- Bogan Gate -- Trundle (revisit the "Scrub" on Yarrabandai Creek!) -- Condobolin -- Euabalong (see pub location -- West Wyalong(catch the Condobolin to Cootamundra bus - Temora - Junee (52km) -- Wagga Wagga (40km) -- Gunbower -- Swan Hill (on the Yungera Line) -- Nyah (could stay the Depot there! $100 a week for accommodation in the dorms! -- Mildura -- Port Augusta -- Pimba -- Woomera -- Coober Pedy (from Coober Pedy, I could take a detour to Oodnadatta on the Mail Run Tour!) -- Manguri -- Marla on the Oodnadatta Track (stay at Marla's Traveller's Rest. Could make a sidetrip to the mining community of Mintabie.) -- Kulgera -- Erldunta -- Curtin Springs, which features its own monolith! -- Uluru (let's hang out for a whole week!) -- Stuarts Well Roadhouse and Caravan Park -- Alice Springs -- Hermannsburg -- Aileron -- Ti Tree (catch a bush bus!) -- Daly Waters (famous Outback pub!) -- Yuendumu -- Wycliffe Well (Australia's UFO capital!) -- Devil's Marbles -- Tennant Creek -- Elliott -- Threeways -- Pamayu -- Katherine -- Pine Creek -- Hayes Creek -- Adelaide River -- Humpty Doo -- Darwin.
Find properties to stay at, between towns!
Catch a lift with Aborigines on the way to Darwin!
Follow route 87 to Darwin!
In a perfect world, I would be able to stay in hotels every night, with my own room, TV and wifi, etc. That would be ideal, but it requires a certain amount of money (let's say, $3600 per month in Australia). Until I earn such an income, I will need to compromise. The way to do so is to set a kind of ratio, say, between time spent in a hotel and cheaper forms of accommodation, such a sharehouse or youth hostel.