Australia Travel Guide - Getting Around

Australians rely on aviation to get from place to place as inhabitants of smaller countries rely on trains and buses. The network of scheduled services extends to more than 150,000km (95,000 miles) and covers the whole continent. Major domestic routes operate between all capital cities. Aircraft can be chartered by pilots who pass a written examination on Australian air regulations and have their licences validated for private operations within Australia.

The major domestic airlines are Jetstar Airways (website: www.jetstar.com.au), Qantas/Qantas Link (website: www.qantas.com.au), Virgin Blue (website: www.virginblue.com.au) and budget airline Tiger Airways (website: www.tigerairways.com), which serve the major resorts and cities throughout Australia. In addition, Rex Regional Express (website: www.rex.com.au) operates throughout New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria; Air North (website: www.airnorth.com.au) operates throughout the Northern Territory and also flies to Broome in Western Australia; Macair Airlines (website: www.macair.com.au) operates throughout Queensland; Skywest (website: www.skywest.com.au) operates throughout Western Australia; and several small airlines operate to the islands off Tasmania (see Tasmania section). Nearly all domestic airlines operate special deals at greatly reduced prices.

There are 59,736km (37,119 miles) of coastline, including islands, and many rivers, lakes, inland waterways and inlets, all of which can be used for touring by boat. From paddle steamers along the Murray River to deep-sea fishing cruisers along the vast Barrier Reef, all are available for charter or passenger booking. Most tour operators also handle shipping cruises. The Spirit of Tasmania (tel: (3) 6421 7209; website: www.spiritoftasmania.com.au) is an overnight car-ferry service linking Melbourne with Tasmania daily.

Over 40,000km (24,850 miles) of track cover Australia. Rail travel can be slow and relatively expensive. For further information on rail transport within the different states, see the individual state entries or contact Rail Australia (tel: (8) 8213 4592; website: www.railaustralia.com.au).

Two services span the continent from coast to coast. The twice-weekly Indian Pacific travels 4,350km (2,704 miles) from Sydney on the east coast to Perth on the west coast, via Adelaide. The journey takes three days and three nights, crossing the famous Nullarbor Plain. The Ghan travels 2,979km (1,891 miles) between Adelaide and Darwin, via Alice Springs. The service runs twice weekly in each direction and takes two nights. Both trains are fully air conditioned, with first- and second-class sleeping cars, a lounge car, bars and good restaurant facilities.

Other express service links (not always daily) from the state capitals are as follows:
A CountryLink service links Canberra with Sydney (4 to 5 hours). The XPT Express runs from Melbourne to Brisbane via Sydney. The Sunlander and the Tilt Train link Brisbane with Cairns (32 and 25 hours respectively). The Prospector links Perth with Kalgoorlie (6.5 hours). The Spirit of the Outback runs Brisbane to Longreach via Rockhampton.

Austrailpass: valid for 14, 21 and 30 days, with seven-day extensions available. Must be purchased outside Australia, and can only be used by non-Australian passport holders. Only economy-class passes are available. Each state operator offers its own Austrailpass scheme.

Austrail Flexi-Pass: valid for 15 or 22 days within a six-month period, and includes use on the Ghan or the Indian Pacific. The pass only offers economy-class accommodation. Must be purchased outside of Australia.

East Coast Discovery Pass: offers six-months' travel in one direction on the eastern coast.

There is also a Backtracker Pass and a Rail Explorer Pass available.

Traffic drives on the left. Road signs are international. Road quality in the populated areas of the country is excellent. There are few multilane highways - major arteries are generally sealed two-lane roads. Driving off major highways in the outback becomes more difficult between November and February because of summer rain, as many roads are little more than dirt tracks. Distances between towns can be considerable, it is advisable to carry spare water, petrol and equipment in the outback.

Coach: Major towns and cities are linked by an excellent national coach system, run by Greyhound (tel: 1 300 473 946; website: www.greyhound.com.au). Tasmania also has its own coach service, Tasmanian Redline Coaches (tel: 1 300 360 000; website: www.redlinecoaches.com.au). There are numerous other companies operating state and interstate services.

Coach passes are available for travel on a variety of routes for between seven days and one year, such as the All Australian, the Aussie Reef & Rock, the Best of the Outback etc. The Aussie Kilometre Pass allows you to purchase your travel in kilometres and then travel in any direction on the national network.

Car hire: Major international and some local car hire companies are available at all major airports and big hotels to those over 21 years old.

Regulations: Minimum driving age is 17 years. The speed limit is 50kph (31mph) in built up areas of cities and towns, unless otherwise signed and 80-110kph (50-68mph) on country roads and highways. Seat belts must be worn at all times and driving licences must be in the driver's possession when driving.

Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required by nationals of countries whose official language is not English. International, foreign or national driving permits are generally valid for three months. An International Driving Permit is only valid in conjunction with a valid national licence. Permits must be carried at all times while driving.

Comprehensive public transport systems are provided in all the main towns. The state capitals have suburban rail networks, those in Sydney and Melbourne being particularly extensive; trams run in Melbourne and, to a lesser degree, in Adelaide. Meter-operated taxis can be found in all major cities and towns. There is a minimum ‘flagfall charge' and then a charge for the distance travelled. An extra airport charge is sometimes levied. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. A small additional payment may be required for luggage and telephone bookings. Some taxis accept payment by credit card. For further details, see individual state entries.

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Sydney to other major cities in Australia.

	Air	Rail	Coach
Adelaide	2.10	24.00	23.00
Brisbane	1.30	15.00	15.00
Melbourne	1.30	11.00	14.00
Perth	4.00	66.00	-