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AUSTRALIA TRAVEL GUIDE - GETTING AROUND

World Travel Guide Oceania Australia Getting Around

Picture choosen by: Mrs.Rosy Black Getting around Australia By car
Australia has a generally well-maintained system of roads and highways, and cars are a commonly used method of transport. Most of the state capitals are linked to each other by good quality highways. Some parts are dual carriageway but many sections are one lane each way. Major regional areas have sealed (paved) dual-lane roads, but isolated areas may have poorly maintained dirt roads or even tracks. Distances and speeds are specified in kilometers and fuel is sold by the liter.
Australia drives on the left. Generally, overseas licenses are valid for visitors for three months without an international drivers permit (IDP) if the license is in English. If the license is not in English an IDP is required. Licensing regulations and road rules vary a little from state to state.
Australia's low population density makes for long driving times between major centers; its large size means there is sometimes great distance between key locations. Here are some indicative travel times:
Melbourne to Sydney: 9-10 hours (900km / 560 miles)
Brisbane to Sydney: 12-13 hours (1000km / 620 miles)
Perth to Sydney: 50 hours (4100km / 2550 miles)
Sydney to Canberra: 3-3.5 hours (300km / 185 miles)
Adelaide to Melbourne: 8-10 hours (750km / 465 miles)
Brisbane to Melbourne: 19-20 hours (1700km / 1056 miles)
Melbourne to Perth: 40 hours (3500km / 2175 miles)
Perth to Adelaide: 32 hours (2700km / 1677 miles)
Brisbane to Cairns: 22-24 hours (1700km)
It is almost impossible to predict your travel time just by knowing the distance. Seek local advice for the best route, and how much time to allow. Even averaging 60km/h can be a challenge.
While major highways are well serviced, anyone leaving sealed roads anywhere in inland Australia is advised to take advice from local authorities, check weather and road conditions, carry sufficient spare fuel, spare parts, spare tyres, matches, food and water (minimum 4-5 litres per person per day). Some of these roads might see one car per month (or less). Cellular coverage does not extend to many remote areas and you should take some precautions in case of emergency. It is a good idea to advise a friend, relative or trustworthy person of your route and advise them to alert authorities if you do not contact them within a reasonable amount of time after your scheduled arrival at your destination.
Car rental is widely available in major cities and towns around Australia. National chains include Avis, Hertz, Budget, Europcar and Thrifty. In smaller towns car rental can be difficult to find. One way fees usually apply, and restrictions usually exist on travelling into or out of Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

By plane
Due to the large distances involved, flying is a well-patronised form of travel in Australia. Services along the main business travel corridor (Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane) are run almost like a bus service, with flights leaving every 15 minutes during the day.
There are four domestic airlines in Australia that operate jet aircraft linking capital cities and major destinations.
Qantas, the only nation-wide full service airline, flying to major cities and some larger regional towns;
Virgin Blue, a nation-wide budget airline, flying to major cities and a few larger regional towns;
Jetstar, Qantas's discount arm with limited service and assigned seating.
Tiger Airways Australia, one of Asia's largest LCC has a hub in Melbourne serving about 10 destinations across the mainland and Tasmania, prices are very competitive.
Several airlines service regional destinations. Expect discounts on these airlines to be harder to come by, and for standard airfares to be above what you would pay for the same distance between major centres.
Qantaslink, the regional arm of Qantas, covering the smaller cities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia;
Regional Express, covering larger towns & cities on the eastern seaboard as well as country South Australia;
Skywest, covering regional Western Australia, Bali and Darwin;
Airnorth , covering the Northern Territory;
MacAir Airlines, covering regional Queensland (services currently disruspted due to being placed in administration);
Sharp Airlines, covering several regional towns in Victoria and South Australia.
National Jet, independently operates flights to Cocos Islands and Christmas Island and subcontracts to Qantas on some other domestic routes.

By train
Australia national rail network is relatively slow and used mainly for freight. As a result, travel between major cities will not only be faster by air, but often cheaper as well depending on the route you wish to travel. Train travel between cities is, however, more scenic, and tourists are likely to see more of Australia travelling by train than they would otherwise see, as well cutting down on their carbon footprint
The long-distance rail services that do exist are mainly used to link regional townships with the state capital, such as Bendigo to Melbourne, or Cairns to Brisbane. In Queensland, a high speed train operates between Brisbane to Rockhampton and Brisbane to Cairns. Queensland also has passenger services to inland centres including Longreach (The Spirit of the Outback), Mount Isa (The Inlander), Charleville (The Westlander) and Forsayth (The Savannahlander). There are also inter-city train services operated by Great Southern Railways on the routes Melbourne-Adelaide (The Overland), Sydney-Adelaide-Perth (Indian Pacific), Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin (The Ghan) however as noted above, these are not "high speed" services, so if you do not enjoy train travel as part of your holiday in its own right then this is probably not for you.
Tasmania has no passenger rail services. The Northern Territory has the rail line linking Darwin to Adelaide through Alice Springs only, and the Australian Capital Territory has only a single railway station close to the centre of Canberra.

Long distance train operators
Great Southern Railways. A private train operator running tourist train services, The Ghan, The Indian Pacific and The Overland between Sydney, Broken Hill, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Perth and Melbourne.
CountryLink - Links Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, and regional connections to most New South Wales towns, including Dubbo, Coffs Harbour, and Wagga Wagga.
V/Line Passenger - Train & coach services in Victoria, including combined Train and Coach services between Melbourne and Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra.
Queensland Rail - Traveltrain - Long distance passenger train services in Queensland
The Savannahlander - A Queenstrain service that links Cairns with the outback town of Forsayth, using old heritage trains, and providing overnight accommodation and tours on the way.

Rail passes
East Coast Discovery Pass. Get on and off as many times as you like on the east coast trains between Melbourne and Cairns. Different prices apply depending on which section of the line you want to traverse. One way travel only is permitted. Discounts apply on other train journeys, and often bus connections to local towns are included. This ticket is available to everyone, international visitors and Australian residents.
Australian Flexi-Pass. Available to non-Australian passport holders. Allows unlimited train travel on the Ghan and the Indian Pacific, New South Wales Countrylink and Queensland Rail. It will get you to every capital city on mainland Australia, as well as the tropical north of Queensland. If you are not travelling to Western Australia or the Northern Territory there are probably cheaper options.

By motorail
Some trains allow you to carry your car with you on special car carriages attached to the back of the train.
The Ghan and the Indian Pacific allow you to transport cars between Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Perth, and Darwin. You cannot remove your car at any of the intermediate stations.
Queensland Rail have motorail services on the Sunlander and the Spirit of the Outback, allow cars from Brisbane to Cairns and Longreach.

By bus
Bus travel in Australia is cheap and convenient, although the distances involved for interstate connections are daunting. Greyhound has the largest bus route network.

By boat
Due to Australia's size and layout inter city ferries are not common.
The Spirit of Tasmania. The only long distance ferry route connects Tasmania to the mainland and runs between Melbourne and Devonport. The Spirit of Tasmania carries cars and passengers on the route across Bass Strait daily.

By thumb
Whilst it is certainly possible to hitchhike in Australia, it is not common, and is often frowned upon by both locals and the police, at least in metropolitan areas. In rural areas it is a common thing to see a tourist on the side of the road with bags and thumb out, however, depending on the area many will not stop for fear of you being a potential criminal - especially in the Northern Territory. Your best time to hitchhike is early morning, preferably showered and shaved, near the exit to a town.
If you are in a position where you have no choice to hitchhike due to a broken down car, or other similar problem, you may be able to get a passing motorist to give you a lift to the nearest town to call for help. It would be rare that you¡¦d find a motorist who would take you further afield. Most major inter-city routes have specific help stations which people can call for help from.

By bicycle
Cycling the long distances between towns is not particularly common, and most long distance highways in Australia have poorly developed facilities for cyclists. Never-the-less some intrepid travellers do manage to cover the longer distances by bicycle, and have a different experience of Australia. Trips and routes need careful planning to ensure the correct supplies are carried. To cycle between Sydney and Brisbane you would have to allow a 2-3 weeks with around 80-100km per day. Other Australia Travel Guides Duty Free Getting There Key Facts Shopping Things To Do General Information Attractions Accommodation Public Holidays Money Stay Safe and Healthy Communication Climate Food and Drink Night Life and Entertainment Getting Around

RECENTLY SUBMITTED IN Australia

Things To Do in Australia Posted by Mrs. Rosy Black on 12 April 2010 05:08:52

Swim in the surf. Australia has seemingly endless sandy beaches. Follow the crowds to the world famous Bondi Beach in Sydney, or Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. Or find a stretch all for yourself. The surf is smaller and warmer in the Tropical North, where the reef breaks the sw... More

Stay Safe and Healthy in Australia Posted by Mrs. Rosy Black on 12 April 2010 05:08:44

Stay safe Emergencies The number 000, can be dialed from any telephone in Australia free of charge. This number will connect you with emergency operators for the police, fire brigade, and ambulance service. The first question that the operator will ask is which service you n... More

Shopping in Australia Posted by Mrs. Rosy Black on 12 April 2010 05:08:37

Shopping The prices of goods in Australia are roughly equivalent to countries in North America, Western Europe or Japan. But some excellent local wines, wool, clothes and sheepskin products, precious or semi-precious stones; and modern art sculpture and paintings are worth for you to bring... More