Getting around Australia

Australia is huge but sparsely populated. By land area it is the world's sixth biggest country, but the population of the entire country is only comparable to that of the Seoul or Mexico City metropolitan area. This means that great distances separate its cities and after leaving one city, you can sometimes expect to travel for hours before finding the next trace of civilsation.

By car

Main article: Driving in Australia Australia drives 'on the left'. Overseas visitors who are used to driving on the 'right' should exercise great caution until they get used to this. Car hire companies and local (generally friendly) police will give advice on whether your car licence is valid in Australia. Distances and speeds are specified in kilometres and fuel is sold by the litre. Australia has a generally well-maintained system of roads and highways. In Australia, as in many large countries, "the car is king". The vast majority of Australian adults own cars and would not seriously contemplate being without one. 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. Note that Australia's low population density makes for long driving times, often with 'nothing much' in between--here are some indicative travel times:

• Melbourne to Sydney: 9-10 hours (approximately 900 kilometres / 560 miles)
• Brisbane to Sydney: 12-13 hours (approximately 1000 kilometres / 620 miles)
• Perth to Sydney: 50 hours (approximately 4100 kilometers / 2550 miles)
• Sydney to Canberra: 3-3.5 hours (approximately 300 kilometres / 185 miles)
• Adelaide to Melbourne: 8-10 hours (approximately 750 kilometres / 465 miles)
• Brisbane to Melbourne: 19-20 hours (approximately 1700 kilometres / 1056 miles)
• Melbourne to Perth: 40 hours (approximately 3500 kilometres / 2175 miles)
• Perth to Adelaide: 32 hours (approximately 2700 kilometres / 1677 miles)

While major sealed highways are well serviced, anyone leaving sealed roads anywhere in inland Australia is advised to take advice from locals, carry sufficient spare fuel, spare parts, spare tires, matches, food and water (minimum 4 gallons per person per day). Some of these roads might see one car per month (or less). It is common to hire a satellite phone in case of emergency. Local police stations would prefer that you call in and say hello and give them your itinerary. It is also a good idea to advise a friend or relative of your itinerary and let them know to alert authorities if you do not contact them within a reasonable amount of time after your scheduled arrival at your destination. It is not unusual for people stranded in remote areas to wait for a week or more before being rescued (if they are lucky enough that anyone notices they are missing). Heat and dehydration at any time of year can kill you rapidly. If stranded, stay with your vehicle and do what you can to improve your visibility from the air. Do not take this advice lightly, even Australians die out there.

By plane

Due to the extremely large distances involved, flying is a well-patronised form of travel in Australia. Fares are generally low, due to the amount of competition, and flights depart regularly. 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. The major domestic airlines in Australia are:

• Qantas [3], the only nation-wide full service airline, flying to major cities and some larger regional towns;
• Virgin Blue [4], a nation-wide budget airline with limited service, flying to major cities and a few larger regional towns;
• Jetstar [5], Qantas's budget arm with limited service and assigned seating, currently serving major cities in the eastern states & Perth;
• Regional Express [6], covering larger towns & cities on the eastern seaboard;

Regional areas are served by several small state-based airlines. These include:

• Skywest [7], covering regional Western Australia;
• Airnorth [8], covering the Northern Territory;
• MacAir Airlines [9], covering regional Queensland.
• O'Connor Airlines [10], covering South Australia and parts of Victoria. [Note: This airline has ceased to operate [11]]

By train

Visitors from countries with well-developed long distance rail systems such as Europe and Japan may be surprised by the lack of high-speed, inter-city rail services in Australia. A historical lack of cooperation between the states, combined with sheer distances and a relatively small population to service, have left Australia with a national rail network that 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. 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. Within the capital cities, mass transit is by train or bus, and Melbourne also has a comprehensive tram network serving the inner suburbs. Sydney has an extensive rail system which includes stations within the metropolitan area. Some states also have an inter-urban train service, although it tends to be devoted to carrying people into and out of the state's capital. Not all states have a public rail network. Tasmania, for example, discontinued passenger services more than 20 years ago, though tourist railways still exist. 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 a couple of kilometres from the centre of Canberra.

• Great Southern Railways - The Ghan, The Overland and Indian Pacific
• CountryLink - Trains to and from regional cities in New South Wales; also linking Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.
• CityRail - Trains within the Sydney metropolitan area, linking to the regional cities of Newcastle, Maitland, Wollongong, Nowra, the Blue Mountains and Lithgow as well as the Central Coast area of New South Wales.
• V/Line Passenger - Train & coach services in Victoria, including combined Train + Bus services between Melbourne & Adelaide, Melbourne & Canberra and to places not served by railway lines
• Melbourne Public Transport - Train, Tram and Bus information and timetables in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

• TransWA - Train and coach services in Western Australia

• TransPerth - Train, bus and ferry services in the Perth metropolitan area

• Queensland Rail - Traveltrain - Long distance passenger train services in Queensland
• The Savannahlander - A unique train service that links Cairns with the outback town of Forsayth.

By bus

A nation-wide (except Tasmania) interstate bus service is provided by Greyhound Australia. There are a number of other interstate and state-wide bus services as well. Greyhound Australia is Australia’s only national bus service. it provides comfortable, hassle-free, and affordable coach services with air conditioning, onboard bathroom facilities and onboard entertainment, to people of all ages and to all corners of Australia. It travels to over 1100 destinations in Australia daily, ensuring that the passengers can get off the beaten track and truly experience the beauty this country has to offer. Greyhound Australia has now operated in Australia for over 100 years and are one of the oldest operating coach companies in the world. Greyhound Australia has a national fleet operating 365 days a year carrying 1.3 million passengers over 29 million kilometres a year. And Greyhound Australia not only provides commuter and tourist services but is also one of Australia’s largest charter bus company. It has a wide variety of ticketing options allow you to travel at your own pace, hopping on and off as many times as your ticket allows. Or, you can simply choose your origin and destination and design your own trip along the way.

By boat

While Sydney has a fleet of extremely fun ferries that serve the population living around the harbour and boat sports are popular in many regional locations, there are very few inter-city boat services other than cruise ships. Some exceptions are the ferries between Palm Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches and the New South Wales Central Coast; and the more famous car ferry services to Devonport in Tasmania departing from Melbourne.

By tour operators

Organised tours by bus are popular, especially for young people. You can visit the famous tourist spots (e.g. Ayers Rock, Kakadu NP) without the hassle of organising the trip. A variety of accommodation from camping to 5 star hotels is available. Competition among operators is strong, so check for discounts or special offers. Tour operators:

AAT Kings [12] Coach tours in style

Adventure Tours [13] Mini bus and 4WD tours all over Australia

NatureTour Australia [14] Natural habitat wildlife tours

Wayward Bus [15] Mini bus tours in in SA, NT and Vic, "Let the others rush"

Groovy Grape [16] Mini bus tours in SA, NT and Vic

Contiki Tours [17]

Down Under Tours [18]

Down Under Coach Tours [19]

Emu Run Tours based in Alice Springs run some excellent tours with very well informed guides. If you need a disabled bus, however, do not go on the one day trip to Uluru with this company. It does not kneel and the armrests are fixed. Front seats full of equipment and not available for disabled passengers.

In contrast the Adelaide Sightseeing company is excellent. Booking agent saw my w/stick, rang to confirm bus on the Victor Harbour tour next day could kneel and offered to reserve a front seat for me.

By thumb

Many people think hitchhiking is illegal in Australia, but it's not: it is, however, an offence to obstruct traffic by "soliciting ... a ride ... from within the roadway". If you stay on the footpath, you're legally in the clear. The great distances between towns in the Outback (or inner desert regions) can make hitchhiking difficult, but many travelers have made the coast-to-coast trek. Hitchhiking is more popular along the coastal regions (between Melbourne and Sydney, for example). During the 1990s several travellers went missing after hitchhiking along this route and were found to have been murdered by a serial killer. The perpetrator of these crimes has now been imprisoned; however, if you choose to hitchhike, you should use great caution. The very lightly populated outback regions in Australia can provide the unique opportunity of a ride in a road train. Waits can be long and the climate harsh but the local people very warm and inviting and supportive of any venture to move around by hitchhiking (public transport is often non-existent). It is highly advisable if venturing into these regions without your own transport to carry enough food and water with you for at least a day and carry a good sun hat and warm clothes — people do die in these areas from lack of preparation. In most Australian cities and towns, hitchhiking is often frowned upon, which can make getting a ride extremely difficult as many Australians are not generally comfortable with the idea of allowing a complete stranger to enter their car.