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Australia Transport
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Travel in Australia is generally easy.
Transport in Australia consists of trains, ferries,
buses,air and road trips. Travel in Australia involves long
distances and so air travel Australia is a good way to go
and then hire a car. Road transport Australia is manly by
long distance bus or by car and the roads are good but can
be dangerous at nights in the outback areas.
Coach travel Australia is mainly wiht Greyhound buses which
run between the main centres. An option is join a travel
tour Australia. Rail travel Australia is organised by state
and each stat has it's own railway system. There a number of
long distance trains
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Bus |
This is how most independent visitors
elect to travel in Australia. There are two principal
long-distance companies McCafferty’s and Greyhound. However,
since McCafferty’s now owns Greyhound, there is less
competition than might appear. The advantage for the
traveller, though, is that now he or she can use the
services of both companies with a single bus pass.
There is still some competition, however. Premier operates
services up and down the east coast between Melbourne and
Cairns. Unlike its competitors, it travels the coastal route
between Melbourne and Sydney. Between Sydney and Melbourne
and between Melbourne and Adelaide services are operated by
Firefly. In Western Australia, Integrity offers competition
on the Perth to Broome route, including an unlimited-stops
ticket for the standard fare. This is appealing, but there
is no onward service to Darwin with Integrity, whereas
Greyhound can offer a pass right through from Perth to
Darwin.
Certain of the passes include Greyhound tours. It may just
mean that transport is provided from the main route of the
bus to a nearby place of interest. However, even that is a
valuable addition to the pass, of course, as getting from
main highways to places of interest is often one of the most
difficult parts of travelling.
The second type of bus pass is a distance pass, named by
McCafferty’s and Greyhound the Aussie Kilometre Pass. In
this case, one purchases a certain number of kilometres of
travel and uses those kilometres just as one thinks fit.
The Kilometre Passes are useful to everybody. Even if you
decide to purchase a rail pass, if you are staying in
Australia for any length of time, you will probably need to
supplement your rail travel with a little bus travel. A
2,000 kilometre pass will enable you to make a number of
short journeys which would otherwise be expensive.
Using a bus pass, one can reach all major places in mainland
Australia, but one cannot travel to many of the smaller
communities served by the state systems in New South Wales,
Victoria and Western Australia. Such communities can,
though, be reached with a rail pass. Where the bus pass
offers better coverage is in the north-west and in reaching
out-of-the-way popular attractions such as Ayers Rock and
Kakadu National Park.
It should be noted too that there are restrictions on
short-distance travel with the long-distance bus companies.
In general, journeys of less than forty kilometres are not
permitted, although there are exceptions, and some of the
states do not allow competition with their own transport
systems. This is particularly so in Victoria and South
Australia. In some cases, it may be made only as part of a
longer journey.
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Ferries |
Many places in Australia can only be
reached by ferry. Some are quick trips such as those to
Fraser Island, others are major including the crossing from
Melbourne to Devonport in Tasmania.
Spirit of Tasmania
The Spirit of Tasmania operates between Melbourne and
Devonport, sailing from both locations most nights and some
days during peak periods.
Inter Island Ferries
Ferry to Phillip Island, French Island or Seal Rocks.
Sealink Kangaroo Island
Provides regular, daily services from Cape Jervis (Adelaide)
to Penneshaw.
Sydney Ferries
Regular services in Sydney to over 37 wharves.
Oceanic Cruises
Runs regular ferry service between Fremantle and Perth to
Rottnest Island.
Rottnest Express
Offers ferry service between Rottnest Island and Fremantle.
Magnetic Island Ferries
From Townsville to Magnetic Island.
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Australia railways |
The way to see Australia comfortably and
economically is to purchase a rail pass. Few visitors
discover this. The majority buy bus passes. Visitors believe
that rail passes limit them to trains and they look on the
map and see relatively few railways in Australia. However,
in fact, some rail passes also permit the use of the state
bus services in New South Wales, Victoria and Western
Australia, plus a limited service in Queensland. You will
find that you can go almost anywhere with a rail pass,
except the north-west and Tasmania (the latter not covered
by the major bus passes either).
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Flights |
The four main carriers are Qantas,
Jetstar, Tiger and Virgin Blue and there are other smaller
ones. Flights are operated to numerous destinations and
price varies according to allocation and competition.
Melbourne has two airports the main international airport at
Tullamarine and the secondary domestic one sued by Jetstar
is some way from the city at Avalon but very convenient for
Geelong.
It is most likely that you will have to use planes to travel
around Australia as the distances are so big. Rental cars
are available at all airports and best reserved before
arrival.
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