Backpacker numbers in Australia are down.

I'll follow up your comment with......
It’s official: Australia is more expensive than London

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are all more expensive cities to live in than London, according to the latest Worldwide Cost of Living survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

With the strength of the dollar being cited as a key cause for Australia’s high prices, as well as housing and power shortages, the respected UK-based research placed Sydney as the 6th most expensive city on the planet, followed by Melbourne in 7th,(ed. the worlds most livable city), Perth in 13th and Brisbane in 14th. London was next, in 15th place.

Just two years ago, Sydney was the dearest Aussie city, back in 32nd, while a decade ago Sydney was a lowly 71st, while Brisbane was all the way down in 93rd.

Tokyo topped the list, followed by Oslo, Osaka, Paris and Zurich. Frankfurt, Geneva and Singapore completed the top 10. Bottom of the list, in 133rd, was Karachi.

Los Angeles was the highest US city, in 41st place.

The survey also found Australian cities were among the most expensive for business trips.

In Melbourne, accommodation, meals, taxis, drinks and a newspaper now cost the average business traveler $A712.75 a day, with Sydney close behind at $A588.

http://backpackertradenews.com/its-official-australia-is-more-expensive-than-london-13647

I visit Australia twice a year currently, But lived there a large portion of my adult like since 1989.. then Cost of Living in Oz was a positive as it was very cheap compared to Other "western" countries. Now it's the exact opposite.