ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

According to youremailverifier, Aircraft are as common in Australia as traveling by bus and train in smaller countries.

With the domestic airlines Qantas / QantasLink (QF) (Internet: www.qantas.com), Jetstar (JQ) (Internet: www.jetstar.com), Virgin Australia Airlines (VA) (Internet: www.virginaustralia.com/ au / en /), Tigerair (TR) (Internet: tigerair.com.au) and Rex (ZL) (Internet: rex.com.au) as well as the subsidiaries you can reach all large cities and important regional centers.

Scheduled flights:

Qantas / QantasLink (QF) (Internet: www.qantas.com.au ) flies to the big vacation spots and bigger cities.

Regional Express (Internet: www.rex.com.au) or REX (ZL) for short primarily serves destinations along the east coast as well as in Victoria and South Australia and Perth.

AirNorth (TL) (Internet: www.airnorth.com.au) flies from Darwin to the north of the country and focuses on the Northern Territory, but also flies to Broome in Western Australia.

Cheap flights:
Jetstar Airways (JQ) (Internet: www.jetstar.com) serves airports across Australia.

Air passes

Qantas Airways (QF) offers the Qantas Walkabout Air Pass, which can be used to fly to 60 Australian cities from three Australian international arrival airports. With the Visit Australia & New Zealand Pass from Oneworld you can fly to over 60 destinations in Australia and New Zealand.

On the way by car / bus

In the Australian outback, the country roads are seldom paved and from November to February they are almost impassable due to heavy rainfall. The distances between cities are sometimes enormous, so it is important that vehicles are perfectly roadworthy.

Water, gasoline and emergency equipment as well as any spare parts should be carried on long and remote routes. Local automobile clubs provide information about road and weather conditions.

Traveling in the city

There is excellent public transport available in all major cities. Suburban trains run in all state capitals, the local transport network is particularly well developed in Sydney and Melbourne. Trams operate in Melbourne and Adelaide.

Metered taxis can be found everywhere. The fare is calculated based on a basic fee and the distance. Taxi drivers do not expect tips. Sometimes extra fees are charged for baggage or pre-booking over the phone. Some taxi drivers accept credit cards. More in the chapters on the individual states.

On the go by train

Great Southern Rail (Internet: www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/rail-australia) operates the following trains:

The Ghan (Adelaide – Alice Springs – Darwin, once a week),

The Indian Pacific (Sydney – Adelaide – Perth, once a week) and

The Overland (Adelaide – Melbourne, twice a week).

The Ghan train connection between Adelaide on the south coast and Darwin on the north coast is 2979 km long and takes 2 days and 2 nights.

The Indian Pacific connects Sydney on the east coast via Adelaide with Perth on the west coast. The route is 4,352 km long and the trip takes 3 days and 3 nights. The Indian Pacific is air-conditioned and offers 1st and 2nd class sleeping cars as well as a bar and restaurant car.

The Overland runs the 828 km route between Adelaide and Melbourne.

QueenslandRail Travel (Internet: www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au) offers rail travel on popular long haul routes in Queensland that pass numerous attractions including the Southern Great Barrier Reef, the Fraser Coast and the Great Dividing Range:

Spirit of Queensland (Brisbane – Cairns, 5 times a week),

Spirit of the Outback (Brisbaine – Longreach, twice a week),

Tilt Train (Brisbane – Rockhampton, twice a week),

The Westlander (Brisbane – Charleville, twice a week),

The Inlander (Townsville – Mount Isa, twice a week),

The Gulflander (Normanton – Croyden, once a week).

One of the most scenic train routes is the Kuranda Scenic Railway (Internet: www.ksr.com.au), which connects Cairns with Kuranda over a 34 km section through the tropical rainforest.

NSW Train Link (Internet: www.nswtrainlink.info) operates rail services in New South Wales and offers nationwide connections.

Note on rail travel

Representation of the Australian railways in Europe:
Rail Australia, c / o Incento BV
Vaartweg 23-G, Postbus 1067, NL-1400 BB Bussum
Tel: (++ 31) (035) 695 51 11. Fax: (++ 31) (035) 695 51 55.
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.incento.nl/ Luggage

Long-haul passengers are allowed to carry up to 60 kg of luggage. Large pieces of luggage can be left in the baggage car up to 30 minutes before the train departs.

Sleeper:
Single and double cabins are available on most long-haul night trains at an additional cost. Double cabins (twinettes) are available in two price categories. In 1st class there are showers, toilets and sinks. Single cabins(Roomettes) only have a toilet and sink; There are showers at the end of the car. The Queenslander, Indian Pacific and Ghan only have 1st class sleeping cars (extra charge for meals).

Rail Passes:
Each state has its own rail pass system.
The Austrailpass allows unlimited rail travel for 14, 21 or 30 consecutive days. It is only available for 2nd class including sleeping car and must be purchased outside of Austria.
The Austrail Flexipass (also only 2nd class) is available for 15, 22 or 29 days and is valid for six months from the first trip, but cannot be used on the Queensland Rail Citytrainor used in the Savannahlander. The Austrail Flexi Pass must be purchased outside of Australia.
With the East Coast Discovery Pass you can travel on different sections between Melbourne and Cairns for 6 months from the date of issue.
The New South Wales Discovery Pass is only available for 2nd class and is valid for one month on Countrylink trains and buses. Trips to Canberra are included.
The Great Southern Railway Pass is valid for 6 months in the Indian Pacific, Ghan and Overlandas well as for traffic in Perth, Kalgoorlie, Adelaide, Broken Hill, Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs and Darwin.
The Queensland rail network can be used with the Sunshine Rail Pass. It is valid for 14, 21 or 30 days within six months and is available for 1st and 2nd class.
The Backtracker Railpass allows unlimited travel for 14 days, 1, 3 or 6 months with the XPT and XPLORER connecting numerous locations in New South Wales, as well as in the cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra.

Almost all tourist attractions can be reached by train. Multi-resort multi-resort tickets are also available from travel agents outside Australia.
There are often up to 30% discounts on train tickets booked outside Australia. More information from the tourist office (see addresses).

On the way by ship

The coast has a total length of about 36,000 km. Boating can also be done on lakes, rivers and other waterways.

Paddle steamers operate on the Murray River in South Australia. Deep sea fishing boats on the Great Barrier Reef take passengers and can also be rented for excursions.

Numerous tour operators offer cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, Cape York or the northern coastline of Australia, for example. Other cruise areas include the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, the dolphin cruises from Jervis Bay and Port Stephens in New South Wales, or the route between Tasmania and mainland Australia.

The car ferry The Spirit of Tasmania (website: www.spiritoftasmania.com.au) connects daily Melbourne in Victoria, Devonport in Tasmania.

Right-hand traffic / left-hand traffic l car rental

At all major airports and in large hotels. Minimum age: 21 years. Car renters under the age of 25 may have to expect a surcharge.

Coach

Air conditioning, comfortable and adjustable seats, toilet and television are standard equipment.

The national bus company is Greyhound Australia (Internet: www.greyhound.com.au).

The buses of the Tasmania Redline Coaches operate exclusively in Tasmania (Internet: www.redlinecoaches.com.au).

Greyhound Australia offers a variety of coaches tailored to different needs. There is the Short Hop Pass, with which you can get on and off as you like between two destinations, the Hop On Hop Off Pass, which is valid for 90 days and allows you to get on and off anywhere in Australia, the KM Pass, which is one year is valid and is optionally available for travel distances between 1,000-25,000 km, as well as the Commuter Pass, which is available for commuters.

Regulations

Left-hand traffic,

Driving licenses must be carried in the vehicle at all times,

Seatbelt compulsory,

Blood alcohol limit: 0.5 ‰,

helmets are compulsory for cyclists throughout Australia.

Speed Limits:

within built-up areas: 50-60 km / h,

Country roads and motorways: 80-110 km / h.

Documentation

A national driving license, for example from Germany, Austria or Switzerland, is recognized for temporary stays of up to 3 months, but is not enough on its own.

In addition, either a valid international driver’s license or a translation of the national driver’s license into English must be presented.

The German international driving license, for example, is also not recognized on its own, it only serves as a translation of the national driving license.

Rail passes

The Discovery Pass allows unlimited rail travel on the NSW TrainLink Regional train and bus network. It is valid for 14 days or one, three or six months.

The Queensland Explorer Pass offers unlimited train travel in Queensland. It is valid for either one or two months and is available from QueenslandRail Travel.

The Queensland Coastal Pass allows unlimited, one-way stops on the route between Brisbane and Cairns. It is valid for a month or two.