I backpacked Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for close to a month
last December. Visited the outskirts and Gold Coast too. Spent most
of the time, say 2 close to 2 weeks in Melbourne.
Food is generally expensive, a plate of fried rice in a food court
in Chinatown, Melbourne is easily 8 dollars. Transport is expensive
too, from crown casino to my residence at Box Hill in a cab for 15
- 20 mins costed me 60 AUD. (Those electric trams are a better
idea, or if you got a Singapore driving license - Rent a car then.
Their driving culture is almost similar as Singapore.. the
traffic's better too)
I'd recommend going to Philip Island for the magnificient view and
to see lotsa penguins. Weather is pretty cold, it was summer when I
visited but still cold and bitter especially at night. Melbourne is
slightly colder than Brisbane and Sydney.
It was a wonderful experience, save for some unpleasant incident -
Chinese bashing is common especially in Gold Coast and Sydney. But
people are generally very nice and warm.
Remember to pay the shopping malls and surf shops a visit, their
surf products although almost the same price as Singapore, they got
a larger variety of designs you can't find in SG. Even I, an
anti-surf wear guy... Got tempted and bought afew surf shorts and
even ripcurl jacket 
It's a grand idea to explore the wild life parks, theme parks and
other attractions. But don't forget to shop! You will find a lot of
nice things there.
For Hotels, just go to some 3 star hotels - they're fine enough,
unless you're on a huge budget. I can't remember the names of the
hotels I stayed in; I'm quite a frequent traveler. When I was in
Melbourne though, I spent the last week renting a holiday bungalow
in Box hill, costed me close to 300 a day. But it was worth every
cent.
'Nuff said, just go and feel the Aussie experience. While, I get
ready to wander Hawaii this September 
