Getting Around Australia

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WHV HELPLINE

If you plan your trip to Australia, it is very important to decide how you want to it - by car, by 4WD, by bus... Your mode of transport determines the places you can visit!

By car: Of course travelling by car gives you a lot of freedom, you can go where and when you please. This makes it the choice of a lot of people. For Working Holiday makers, cheap cars are easily available, on special car markets, or from other travellers who just want to sell their own car. Of course you can also hire a car, there are many agencies.
A disadvantage of travelling by car is that it is easy to underestimate the huge distances in Australia. A trip here can involve a lot of driving, and you need to plan quite well, especially if you want to travel to rural areas. You also need to take into account that you cannot go to all places if you have a usual car, that is, a 2WD. There are many national parks and tracks that are closed to 2WDs.

By 4WD: To travel to these more remote places, you need a 4WD. Only a car like that will give you the ultimate freedom to travel to all national parks, outback tracks, etc...
But: Renting such a 4WD is very expensive, and you also need some skills to drive it. If you don't exactly know what you do, it can become quite dangerous!

By bus: I have described the advantages of travelling by bus in my Greyhound tip. It is my choice of transport, as it gives you a lot of flexibility, but is very easy and saves you the hassles and dangers of driving. Instead of driving on your own for hours, someone else does it and you can relax.
On the other hand you are of course limited to the Greyhound routes, and although the network is extensive, there are many places that are not served by bus. You are also obliged to the timetables and might have to get up early to catch your bus. For more information visit the Greyhound website

By train: Australia's train network is not very extensive. The most famous trains are the Ghan and the IndianPacific. The Ghan is going from Darwin to Adelaide and vice versa, the IndianPacific from Sydney to Perth and vice versa. Both are quite luxurious trains, and even the cheapest seats are quite expensive, but it is a great experience. Other train services are the Sunlander in Queensland, the Overland from Adelaide to Melbourne, CountryLink in New South Wales etc. For more information click here.

By plane: Of course, you can also travel by plane, and if you want to travel between two cities, this is often the fastest way. I also travelled by plane several times, to cover a huge distance within a short time. Usually, though, I prefer travelling by bus because it allows me to get a feeling for the distance I travel, and to see the landscape. This is when you really feel how huge Australia is, and when you really get to know this country. In my opinion, you just have to experience this if you travel down under, and you don't if you just fly from city to city. However, sometimes flying is indeed the best option, and there are many budget airlines doing domestic flights.


To follow the Working Holiday Helpline and read more about Greyhound busses, please click >>>HERE<<<

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WHV HELPLINE

Travelling by Greyhound bus is easy and comfortable, and I like it very much. Of course travelling by your own car gives you much more freedom, but if you do not have that possibility, I think that travelling by Greyhound is the best alternative if you still want to be independent.

The system might at first look a little complicated, but it is not.
There are many different passes that you can buy and travel on, but the two most important passes, especially if you spend a long time in Australia, are the Flexi Passes and the Choice Passes.

Flexi Passes allow you travel around just as you like. You can go into one direction and then back again, and use all Greyhound services in the whole country - there are no limitations as to where you go. You can buy such a pass either as a kilometer pass where you purchase a specific amount of kilometers and can use these up within twelve months, or as a day pass where you purchase a pass for a specific amount of days, the highest being thirty days. As you can see, a day pass might be good if you have a shorter trip, and the kilometer pass if you stay here for longer than a month.

Choice Passes allow you to travel on a chosen route between two popular destinations within a specific amount of time. You can for example buy a pass from Cairns to Sydney or Melbourne to Cairns or and then travel on that route within ninety days. You can not change your direction or go back - you have to travel one way only.

These are the two most important passes, but there are more, for example packages with accommodation and micro passes. You can see them all here.

No matter which pass you choose, you can just make a reservation for your next passage before you go - the very day before you go, or earlier (you should in fact book a little earlier if you are travelling along the east coast). This is easily done online or by phone.
You have to be at the bus stop about 30 - 45 minutes prior to departure time and then just show your pass ticket to the driver.
The busses get very filled along the east coast, but in all other regions they are usually not so full, and most of the time I had two seats for myself. You can just relax during the ride, read a book or sleep, and often they show a DVD. The bus stops at a roadhouse about every three to four hours, so that you can visit the bathroom and buy a meal, a snack or a drink. Of course there is also a small bathroom on the bus.
In very rural areas there is only one bus a day, along the coast there are usually several busses a day, with the most frequent services along the east coast. You can see all the timetables on the website.
Many backpacker hostels and hotels pick you up from the Greyhound stop, and there are usually taxis waiting.
The busses are very comfortable and clean, and it is usually very quiet. Most drivers are also very friendly and helpful. I found travelling like this very relaxing, easy and comfortable, and I admit that I am a real fan of travelling Australia by Greyhound :-)

You can buy passes and tickets online, but also in Greyhound offices and travel agencies. Many hostels also have a desk where they sell them. If you go to such a desk or office, you will get advice on which pass is the best for your trip.

To follow the Working Holiday Helpline and read about packing, please click >>>HERE<<< on the tip or directly >>>HERE<<< on the travelogue

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BUSSES
Whatever state that you are visiting in Australia and what capital city that you will be in all capital cities have good local bus transport systems. I have been to and stayed in all Australian capitals and really can't fault the bus systems..most capitals have a free CBD (Commercial Buisiness District) bus system.
I always find that when I am travelling local transport plays a big part in my visit wherever I may be..usually it is also a very cheap way to get around.

Queensland : Recently I was in the city of Brisbane and Cairns in Queensland and found the busses that I used to be excellent., The busses were in new condition, clean and frequent. These busses cover a really large area of the city. Both in Brisbane and Cairns..

Darwin: Northern Territory:when there this year I used the busses a lot and found that there was a bus destination for everywhere that i wanted to go from the city centre.

Adelaide: South Australia. On my train journey across the country on the Indian Pacific I stopped in Adelaide on two occassions and found the local busses and trams to be just what I wanted. There is a free bus that runs in the CBD centre of the city and all the stops are marked" Free Bus"Then local suburban busses for all the places that I wanted to go even way out of town.

Perth Western Australia: Perth has a fantastic local bus system. The FREE "CAT" busses have different routes around the city . the different coloured CAT busses , red, yellow, blue are free in the Perth CBD.All local suburban areas are serviced by regular bus services..This is such a great service and really gets you anywhere close by the city that you want to go.

Sydney :New South Wales: Has a vast and reliable bus network..with two hundred NEW red busses being added this and last year. Sydney busses are natural gas driven keeping pollution to a small footprint.. I use the busses and all transport in Sydney to the "max." The busses are frequent ,safe, clean, and in new condition.
The "FREE" CBD bus in Sydney city is very noticeable by its livery of green/white colours... You don't need a car in Sydney if you live within forty kilometers of the city, In Sydney all Harbour Ferries are met at their destinations by a bus to take the traveller to their local suburbs.

So when visiting Australia..your transport needs are there to use.Always check with local transport about their pre paid ticketing systems for , Daily, weekly. tickets.These are the best as most bus sytems use pre paid ticketing.
Of course there are many tourists busses that ply the tourists sites but they are privately owned..I will write also on the train systems here as well as the cities with trams.. MORE PHOTOS TO COME...

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TRAINS
Seeing that this is such a large tip to write I will try and keep it as brief but informative as possible.I have caught trains allover Australia and I must say after going around the world by train and using so many and varied train networks the trains here in Australia are in some ways lacking speed but certainly not lacking comfort,service and ammenities.!! Though,..compared to European and a lot of Asia train systems Australia is dragging its feet!!.There is always a cry for a fast train system like ones that are now right throughout Europe ..but due to the vast distances that must be covered and the "who's going to pay"!!The costs to build a fast train network would be formidable. Also the small population of the country is always in question of such an investment.

Having said that.!!.

Interstate trains run the length of the East and south Coast of Australia from Cairns in far northern Queensland to Brisbane to Sydney to Melboure and then to Adelaide and here connecting for Perth in Western Australia.
The "Indian Pacific train runs from Sydney on the east coast to Perth Western Australia on the west coast. Travelling through western New South Wales to Adelaide City in South Australia. Travellers then wanting to go north or to the "red centre" can connect here with the train known as the "Ghan" that travels from the south in Adelaide to Darwin in the very north of the Northern Territory..This is a great train journey..

Most Australian cities have a rail / light rail or Metro system in place. ( I will write a seperate tip on suburban metros)
The major Australian Interstate train journeys are as follows.

The Indian Pacific train travels across the continent to/from Sydney to Adelaide to Perth a distance of 4,355 kilometers a journey of three days and one of the greatest train journeys in the world. The Indian Pacific as the name implies travels from ocean to ocean. You can take your car with you on this train. info at: gsr.com

THE GHAN This train travels the Australian continent to/from the South in Adelaide City to Alice Springs to Darwin right through the "red centre" a distance of nearly 3000 kilometers. The train journey is another of the worlds greats. You can also take your car with you on this train. info at: gsr.com

THE OVERLANDER This train travels from the City of Melbourne in Victoria to the City of Adelaide in South Australia. a distance of 828 kilometers. This is a scenic journey. info at: gsr.com

XPT Express trains run from /to Sydney to Melbourne Victoria nearly 1000 kilometers and also Sydney to Brisbane in Queensland over 800 kilometers the XPT trains also do country New South Wales journeys as well. Sydney to Canberra ,
info available at:www.countrylink.info

THE TILT TRAIN does the journey from Brisbane City to Cairns in far north Queensland. This is a journey of 1680 kilometers.A journeythrough wonderful scenic countryside.along the east coast servicing all coastal cities. info at:www.traveltrain.com.au

THE SPIRIT OF THE OUTBACK This train covers the journey from Brisbane City to Longreach in far western Queensland.This is a journey of 1,325 kilometers
information available at:www.traveltrain.com.au

A lot more train contact information can be found on all these train journeys in my train travelogues on my homepage.

THE SOUTHERN SPIRIT This is the newest train service that has recently be put in place to be able to get around this great country.The journey takes you through four Easter States and travels from Adelaide to Melbourne through inland New South Wales to Brisbane city. stopping in many inland towns with the journey taking six days information available at : www.gsr.com

Country Link is a railway services operated on the east coast of Australia; New south wales, Queensland and Victoria. I've made one trip with them so far, form Sydney to a place called Griffith; an 11 hour commute total.

I will say that the majority Country Link staff I've dealt with have been slightly rude to me as a customer. I needed to make a change to my reservation over the phone, and the man on the service representative scolded me for booking it online, saying that it made things complicated for them (if its so complicated, then why is it an option?) I wasn't able to print off my reservation before arriving at the Sydney terminal the day of my trip, and a different man there told me off for being irresponsible and not knowing that"you always need your reservation print off when you travel." when I corrected him and said that you don't need it to fly, he insisted that it made more work for them; a minute later, he had the print off of my boarding pass however.

Another important thing to remember (and what no one told me) is that you need to check in your luggage no less than 30 mins prior to the departure. I was a few minutes late, and the man refused to take my luggage. It wasnt a problem for me, it just meant I had to carry it onboard with me. But if you're carrying a lot, make sure you give yourself lots of time to check it in.

A couple of these things were the fault of me being a tad disorganized (not printed off my reservation myself or been aware of the check in time) but I still thought they could have been more friendly/helpful, rather than scold me. Whatever you do, make sure you're on top of things with these guys.

The trip itself however, was comfortable; food and drink for purchase and it was nice to see the surrounding scenery.

Qantas is Australia's priciest airline, but you get what you pay for. I've flown happy and comfortably every time I've taken a Qantas flight. Food, beverages and luggage are usually extra.

Jetstar (Jet*) is another Australian airline owned by Quantas, so although its cheaper you get roughly the same quality service and comfort level.

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During my search of the local flights, the following Airlines commonly serve domestic flights:

1) Tiger Airlines
www.tigerairways.com/au/en/index.php (cheapest, but less reliable as often flights delay)

2) Jetstar
www.jetstar.com/au/en/home

3) Virgin Australia (more expensive, but more reliable)
www.virginaustralia.com

I bought an return air ticket from Kuala Lumpur (transit Singapore) to Sydney for A$615.50 (RM 2000) with Singapore Airlines.

A380 flight is very comfortable, and the services are super nice.

You have to check Singapore Airlines website regularly to get this kind of deal. I booked this ticket 2 months in advance.