It’s an island that has drawn travellers from over the World for decades. Some come for the sun, sand and surf, others for the breathtaking scenery, and then there are those in search of culture and spiritual enlightenment. Whatever the reason, Bali is more popular than ever.
In 2006, 193,000 Australian’s visited Indonesia. For over 90% of these visitors the final destination was Bali. Fast forward to 2016 and there are now 1.25 million Australia’s making this trip. That’s an increase of 546% in 10 years! So what is it that Australian’s love so much about Bali, the famed ‘Island of the Gods.’
Introduction to Bali
For many Australians Bali really needs no introduction, and of course its popularity has bred many blogs, posts, comments and articles over the years, so why do another blog? Well our purpose is to provide a brief overview and particularly highlight the ‘long stay’ and potential retiree opportunities on the island. Much of this information can be found in the various ‘Indonesia/Bali’ areas of our website. It’s here you’ll find information on visa’s, healthcare, property and the cost of living.
As with so many locations in South East Asia, the cost to live in Bali is so much cheaper than most parts of Australia, and it’s this together with the beauty, variety and accessibility of the island to Australians that make it such a favourite.
Beautiful Bali
A (very) brief overview
Bali is one of more than 17,000 islands that make up the Indonesian archipelago, and is located about 2kms from the eastern tip of Java, and just west from the island of Lombok (another Aussie favourite). The island is home to around 4 million people, and is some 5,780 square kms in size.
Climate / Seasons
Bali is only 8 degrees south of the equator so you can expect a tropical, warm and humid climate all year round, but is does have two distinctive seasons (Dry, from April though to September and Rainy, from December through to March).
The High season is generally around July and August, and also over Christmas / New Year, which also coincides with Australian school holidays, so it can be extremely busy. For many retirees and long stay visitors this is often a time when they take a break from the island and either visit family and friends in Australia or explore other parts of the region.
Island of the Gods
Getting there
This is without doubt another key reason for Bali’s popularity with Australian’s. Accessibility. The flight time from the East Coast of Australia is just over 6 hours, and from the West Coast its only 3 1/2 hours. Airlines which service the route from Australia to Bali include Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, Garuda and Air Asia. This keeps prices competitive, and flights are available from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin and even Port Hedland.
In addition to Australia, Bali also has regular direct flights to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.
Denpasar International Airport (also known as Ngurah Rai International Airport) has excellent connections not only to Australia, but throughout the region. A new International Terminal was opened in November 2013, and the Domestic Terminal was upgraded the following year to meet growing demand. With over 20 million passengers now passing through the airport annually, Ngurah Rai is close to capacity so talk of a new International Airport in the North of the island is now in the planning stage.
Boats and Ferries are available from Ketapang, in Java to Gilimanuk on the West Coast of Bali, plus there are numerous providers of services from the island to Lombok and the nearby Gili Islands.
Planning a longer stay
With so many visitors it’s natural that there are many who consider staying on the island for longer than the traditional 1 or 2 week holiday, and why not? Bali really does offer a fantastic lifestyle, at a very affordable price.
As mentioned in the introduction, in the Indonesian/Bali section of our website you’ll find more detailed information on key areas to consider if you’re thinking of either retiring or planning a longer stay on the island. In addition to this, we’re also only a phone call or email away if you should have any questions or would like more information.
