Australia Travel

Getting Around…

Australia is a large country with a wide expansion of train, planes and buses services, but you can also easily get around by bike or car.

Public Transport

Students who hold a student card will get a concession fare for transport in most Australian states.  Depending on where you are in Australia, transport options can include buses, trains, ferries and trams.

Sydney buses and trains operate around the city and suburbs, while the ferries operate along the Parramatta River and around the harbour.  The metro light and mono rails have limited services in the city areas.  In Melbourne it is easier to use the trams when traveling in the city and inner suburbs and the buses and trains for the outer suburbs and trains alone beyond the suburbs.  Brisbane has two ferry services, as well as a free inner city bus loop and to reach further from Brisbane there is a good train and bus service from Roma Street.

Perth has one ticket can cover all public buses, trains and ferries, similar to London.  There is a frequent boat service and a free inner city bus and train service (within the free zone) that can take you to most of the sights.  A wider train service operate for the outer suburbs.  Adelaide has a buses serving the inner city and a suburban train service beyond that.  Darwin, Hobart and Canberra all have frequent bus services that operates in and around the city and suburbs.


Safety when Traveling on Public Transport

As stated earlier, Australia is a safe place to travel, however, when traveling at night and on busy transport you must maintain the same level of cautiousness as you would at home.  Keep all your valuables close to you, at night travel as close as possible to the driver and be aware of the people around you.  If you are threatened tell the driver.

Australia is a big country, so when traveling interstate it may be quicker and cheaper to fly, then to go by bus or train.  Jet Star are the Australian low cost airline, but other regional airlines include Tiger Airways and REX.  If decide to travel interstate by bus or train check out the Rail Australia and Busline websites.


Interstate Travel

If you want to buy your own transport, a second-hand bicycle will cost about $200 and a good second hand car will cost $5,000. Although when buying a car you need to consider all the extra costs as insurance, registration, repairs etc and can turn out to be a non-viable option, and you would need your full drivers’ license.  Whether on bicycle or car, Australian drive on the left side of the road and maintain a 50km speed limit within cities and towns.

Although Australia is cheaper than most other countries, you will still need to set a budget and stick with it.