Australia and New Zealand are both on the well-trodden backpacker's path, and many young, long-haul travelers go straight from one to the other. Tourism numbers to both countries reflect annual increases (WTO). This is the only guidebook covering Australia and New Zealand together. It is written by an experienced team of local authors and specialist contributors and includes all the practical information needed for big trips on small budgets; a new Highlights section for quick itinerary planning and comprehensive coverage of the best budget buys in transport, accommodation, food and entertainment. Lonely Planet's 25 years of publishing expertise in Australia and New Zealand is unmatched by any competitor.
Growing up in regional NSW, Australia, George Dunford hitched a ride to the big smoke of Canberra to go to the Australian National University. The smoke wasn't quite big enough, so he took off overseas to do the Australian rite of passage that is backpacking in Europe in between working in the UK. He worked at Raasay House off the Isle of Skye, which remains one of his favourite places in the world (though it's in stiff competition with Singapore's long Bar). He lived and worked (illegally ? shhhh!) in the United States, and travelled to countries from Finland to Thailand with few other lands in between.
After returning from overseas, George worked in pubs and libraries before settling on the compromise of both that was Lonely Planet's Trade and reference area. He lurched sideways into a unit that changed its name from New Media to Digital Publishing Unit before finally settling on Those Web Guys, where he rose to a title that nobody knew what it was. After patenting the word "solutioneering" George jumped the fence to research Australian and New Zealand on a Shoestring. While on this trip he kept the first blog for Lonely Planet.
As a freelancer web producer/writer/editor/information leafblower he's worked on projects for seek.com.au (Australia's largest job site) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth site www.rollercoaster.com.au, as well as doing reviews for Melbourne's Cheap Eats and Good Food Guides, and writing freelance articles for the likes of Meanjin, The Age, Australian Traveller Magazine and The Big Issue. He contributed to the Rough Guide to Melbourne. For Lonely Planet he's worked on various freelance projects including bestseller The Travel Book, The City Book and The Big Trip.
He writes fiction with publications in Going Down Swinging (www.goingdownswinging.org.au), Verandah and SBS' Cornerfold site. He's a founding member of the short fiction collective Cardigan Press (www.renewal.org.au/cardigan), which published new short fiction by Australia's freshest writers.
He blogs at www.georgedunford.com
And has written two apps for Sutro Media - a guide to Melbourne (http://sutromedia.com/apps/Melbourne_Essential_Guide) and a guide to Sydney's Harbourside Walks (http://sutromedia.com/apps/Sydney_Harborside_Walk).
