Getting Around Australia and Oceania

During winter, many roads in the mountains are closed, particularly at Kosciusko National Park and other parts of Australia.

To ensure a safe journey by road, check for closures with visitor centres which are usually located at major town centres. It is also a good idea to prepare for the cold by carrying snow chains, which are recommended for most vehicles. A winter blend in diesel engines are also wise.

It is also safer to check the level of your anti-freeze in your vehicle's radiator.

Most of all, be cautious in driving especially at night as many animals are feeding close to the roads. A number of them get killed by passing motor vehicles and big ones can damage your car and can endanger lives as well!

So near and yet so far. The city of Sydney seems to be a long way off from here and while the city is busy looking, within sight across the water is this beautiful park. You can get from one to the other in about half an hour (boat) or five minutes (road) because this photo was taken from under/near the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons on the northern side of the harbour. So from a thriving metropolis to and peaceful haven in next to no time at all.

I don't remember the cost of travelling by bus in Fiji, I think that it was probably included in the tour price but as it was about 35 or so years ago I can be excused for not remembering.

What I do remember though is that there wasn't any glass in the windows, rather they were roll up canvas type..........pretty dusty really because at the time there weren't very many tarred roads either.

klick on the map and see what distances you have to expect, generally the country has a very good road system, especially in the Cities, Countryside is a little different as everywhere else..outback trips should be very well planned for, service stations are few and far ... often 150miles apart. boy this is a big country
one wonderful means of transportation are the trains, I must admit not that cheap, but you travel in style, peace and comfort..and it is cool.
you can cross the Nullarbor by train, travel to the Alice on the Ghan or from Sydney to Melbourne also from Brissy to Sydney
check out Australia's Railways

If you're not in a hurry and wish to see the countryside, you may wish try the Backtracker Pass (http://www.countrylink.info/travel_passes/backtracker_pass) which provides you with unlimited travel on the entire CountryLink network from Brisbane to Melbourne. They have 14-day and 1-month passes. We've tried it 4 years ago, and were able to go from Brisbane to Sydney to Blue Mountains to Canberra to Melbourne and back to Brisbane where I was studying at the time. If you're into theme parks, do not miss the Gold Coast.

Jetstar is a budget airline servicing Australia, New Zealand and some South Asian destinations. Very much a buidget airline but in some places there is no option. recently caught flights between Darwin and Singapore with jetstar.

Use Transfercar (www.transfercar.co.nz) to find free relocations in NZ
So far Transfercar has been great! I am about to pick up a campervan from Christchurch tomorrow and drive it to Auckland. They gave me 7 days to drive it and they include the ferry cost and insurance as well.. I'll keep you posted.

There are several rules in Australia related to four-wheel driving in the snow or going up the mountains.

As there is a high incidence of four-wheel drive car vehicle accidents in Kosciusko National Park, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) now recommends ALL vehicles carry SNOW CHAINS from June to the October long weekend especially if drivers have little or no experience in snow conditions.

We have driven in New Zealand's South Island going to Queenstown in the snow season, which have harsher terrains (we didn't need to install the snow chains which are at the back of our rented 4 wheel drive then, despite the tricky Mt. Hutt and Coronet Peak snowy terrains). Hence, we knew, upon assessing the roads and surfing for weather info, etc, re the NSW Aussie Alps area, that we didn't need them after all.

However, we were still legally driving our car as four-wheel drives are exempt from fitting chains under the current legislation. But safety is still ensured as our car has a proper center/mid diff (differential). Drivers are also urged not to drive faster than 40 kilometres per hour when fitted with chains.

Some other driving tips:

Keep a steady momentum going uphill, don't start and stop.
Keep to correct side of roadway, sometimes there is just room for one vehicle at a time so be alert and look out for the road signs/traffic lights in some areas.
Carry correct fitting snow chains if need to (there are lots of places to hire snow chains and fitting stations to/from the snowy mountains).
Don't brake hard.
Don't overtake on double lines, crests or curves.
Don't use sharp steering movements.

As in any driving elsewhere, caution and practical sense are always essential to have a safe trip! (It must be noted that for this trip we have driven our less than four month old SX4 which is more fuel-efficient than our old beloved Grand Vitara.)