[Delthefunky]

Check out Travellerspoint.com , I'm a travel helper there and its the best forum i've come across... lot's of great members, kinda like calgarypuck that way. If your still thinking of going to Australia, know that it's not going to help your budget issues, it's along the same lines as Western Europe.

Backpacking doesn't necessarily mean that you hike from town to town. In my eyes it means travelling on a budget, a tight one at that, and finding ways to make ends meet. Hitchhiking in Europe is pretty common, and through the site I mentioned above you can actually arrange rides, usually as long as you chip in a bit for gas. You can also stay in many hostels for free as long as you agree to work there for a few hours a day. There are other places where you can work for accomadations as well, in fact there's a great site where people look and apply for such accomadations in many exotic places around the world (below).

My 2 bits would say to go to europe, no tremendous culture shock, but it's a great experience. If you can afford it, go to Norway. As Incogneto said above, Croatia is beautifull, with great beaches, Nudist welcome!! Ideally I would say go for a few months, but either way just plan ahead, and if your planning on staying in hostels ENSURE that you book ahead. Many are booked 6 months in advance. Railpasses can be had for a few weeks, a month or up to 3 months. Most but not all countries participate. Some Ferry companies also accept this pass, and you can actually take ferry's from places like Ireland to Spain, to Italy, and onto Greece. It's a great way to see the Meditteranean. http://www.eurail.com/

http://www.hospitalityclub.org/

http://www.workaway.info/

http://www.bugeurope.com/