Australia Transportation Tips by darthmilmo

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: I tend to refer to this airline as the chicken bus of the sky. They offer cheap airfare across Australia. I had a wonderful experience with them flying from Melbourne to Hobart (return). Plans are on the way to offer international flights to New Zealand and possibly Hong Kong.

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Website: http://www.virginblue.com.au/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: This clever bus company offers not only the bus serviced to the placed I wanted to go, but also a driver with commentary on the scenic sites along the way. It's packed with backpackers, which makes it a good place to meet people. This service is perfect for an independent traveler with plenty of time and no car. It allows you to hop on and off wherever you want in the East Coast and with some limitations in the Outback and South Coast of Australia. The con side of this service is that it only operates on certain dates. For this reason, the only package worth taking is from Sydney to Cairns, which can be taken in either direction. This is their most successful segment. Thus, it operates every other day. Elsewhere in Australia, you may have to wait several days or even a week to hop on a bus.

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Website: www.ozexperience.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Many people will agree when I say that it’s twice as fun to cover a distance by land then by flying. The Outback is no exception. The sky is so clear, the air is so dry, and the days are too hot. Yet, there is something about traveling the 3,000+ kilometers from Cairns to Darwin. I did just this when I took the tour operated by Desert Venturers. In the course of the next four days I would journey from Queensland's Great Barrier Reef at Cairns through the outback all the way to the town of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

The tour follows a fast pace itinerary. You start off leaving Cairns and heading past the Atherton Tablelands. The first stop is at the impressive Nandroya Waterfalls. Afterwards, you leave the dense tropical vegetation of the North East and enter the semi-desert of the Outback. It came as a surprise to find out that there is no mountain in Mt. Surprise. The first night was spent at the cozy pub stay in Croydon, a town so small I wouldn’t have seen it unless I had taken this tour.

The second day starts off with a stop at Normanton, where we got to see a statue of the largest croc ever found in Australia. It was over 10 meters long! We then had lunch at Quamby, a lonely dilapidated pub that is currently being renovated by a family. The place looks like a scene out of Mad Max, where the land is all barren except a few bushes. Today we spent the night at the comfy Irish Club at Mt. Isa, which is a large mining town. They mine lead, zinc, copper, and silver in Mt. Isa.

We crossed the Queensland and Northern Territory (NT) border on the third day. We then kept on driving until we reached the Heartbreak hotel in Cape Crawford. Once more, there was no cape nearby.

The last day was full of fun stops. Our first one was at the infamous Daly Waters Pub. We then had lunch followed by a swim at Edith Falls. Lastly, we paid our respects to Charlie, the water buffalo that stared on Crocodile Dundee 1 and 2. It is found stuffed inside the bar at the Adelaide River Inn.

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Website: http://www.downundertours.com/DVasp/default.asp

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Darwin lies near several interesting national parks, including Kakadu, Nitmiluk, and Litchfield, all of which hold a deep cultural significance to the local Aboriginal. I wanted to see all three so I took the Top Ender tour with Wilderness Adventures. Over the course of the next 5 days I would see them all with 6 fellow passengers and the driver/tour guide. We would cover over 1,500 km through the hot top end of Australia! Our tour guide was the friendly Graham, a local from Darwin who had ran tours for the last 9 years. He was a good sport that allowed us to tailor make the tour as we pleased based on his many years of experience. He provided tons of laughs as well with his many Pulp Fiction quotes. Sadly, this was his last tour as he was moving to New South Wales in the South of Australia. The passengers included the lovely Holly from the UK; ever speaking Nicky from Belgium; Christopher from Switzerland; the adventurous Nadine from France; Eduardo and his wife Sonia from Spain; and me. Together, we would bond in the next 5 days as we explored the top end of Australia aboard a Toyota Land cruiser with a trailer on tow.

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Website: http://www.wildernessadventures.com.au/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: The following morning I left on another big adventure with Adventure Tours. I took another tour from Alice Springs in Central Australia to Adelaide by the South Ocean coast. It was another big drive. Khani, our tour guide was as fun as they come. He was a weird mix between an American Indian and Scottish. How an American Indian made it all the way to Australia, he doesn't quite know! Anyway, he would bombard us with detailed and useful information on the region. Along his spill, we would come accustoms to his philosophy of traveling in "Khani Time," doing "whatever" we like to do and see. His other motto was saying how he "loves it when a plan gets together." He was definitely one of the best guides I’ve had. Together, we had a blast as we covered the huge distances in six days. As the bus was empty, we got to know each other well. It also meant we got a full row of seats where we could just stretch on and fall asleep easily. There were eight of us: Lynda with a "Y" from England, Linda with an "I" from Holland, Jack from Holland, Christina (Tina) from Germany, Team Japan (a friendly trio made up by Tomoka, Taka, and Keiko from Japan), and me. In the next few days we will bond through many ordeals, adventures, and more.

Adventure Tours offers tours all over Australia. Check out their webpage.

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Website: http://www.adventuretours.com.au/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: I rented a car on two occasions while in Australia. On one occasion, I bought a self-drive tour of Frasier Island. In it we were teamed with fellow travelers. We then were given a 4WD Toyota Landcruiser to explore the island at our own pace.

On another occasion, I rented a car in Tasmania with my friend Lynda. We received the car one morning and within hours we were driving on our own rental car. The good thing about renting a car is that you get the opportunity to stop wherever you want.

Prices vary by region and by vehicle. At times, you can get a rental car for as little as $35 AUS with unlimited miles. It'll be an older model such as the one I had in Tasmania, but who cares. As long as it takes you wherever you want to go it'll be fine. Oh, dont' forget to add the value of gas and oil changes as needed.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: I decided to buy a 1985 Toyota 4Runner. It was a beauty with its own mind as I would learn in a few days. Needless to say, driving on the left took a bit of practice, but by the end of the day I was fine. Make sure you read my warning and danger tip to see the early death of my vehicle.

I try not to repeat information on VT so go ahead and check “CptKangaroo” tips as he has great info on buying a car.

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Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/3821e/c48/9/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: There are several good bus companies in Australia. The best one is Greyhound – McCafferty’s. Many of you may remember them as independent rivals, but now they have merged as one. You can buy various types of bus passes depending on what you need. This give you allotted kilometers over a 12 month period. The good thing about this company is that you can travel with them throughout most of Australia. There are other regional buses worth exploring, such as Premier in South and East Australia.

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Website: http://www.greyhound.com.au/
Other Contact: http://www.mccaffertys.com.au/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: Besides the many attractive shops and cafes, Circular Quay is the jump up point for most of the Sydney ferries. There are several types of passes sold here. You can get an all day pass, which includes unlimited rides on Sydney buses, trains and ferries.

There are many other places in Australia that rely on ferry or boat transpor. A few of my favorites are Hinchinbrook Island, Tasmania, Great Kepel Is, and Magnetic Is.

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Website: http://www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: One of the best ways to see things is from the air. There are many touristy places where cheap flights are offered. Check out this one in Dingo, QLD. There is also a company along the Great Ocean Road on Victoria.

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