Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PACKAGES
Great Southern Rail-
way, Countrylink, and Queensland
Rail Traveltrain (see above) offer rail
packages that include accommoda-
tions and sightseeing.
RAIL PASSES
National, East
Coast, New South Wales, Queensland
and Great Southern Railway rail
passes are available from Rail Australia
(see above) at its overseas agents.
National passes must be bought before
you arrive and are available only to
holders of non-Australian passports.
East Coast (Melbourne-Sydney-
Brisbane-Cairns) and Queensland
passes can be purchased before or after
you arrive in Australia. Passes are not
valid for first-class travel but upgrades
are available.
The national
Austrail Flexipass
is
good for economy seats and second-
class sleepers on all long-distance
trains (except WAGR services in West-
ern Australia) and is even good for
suburban city train networks. It allows
you to travel for any 8, 15, 22, or 29
days, consecutive or not, within a 6-
month period. An 8-day Flexipass is
A$560 (US$364), with the price
going up to A$1,570 (US$1,021) for
a 29-day Flexipass.
Note:
You cannot
use the 8-day pass on the
Indian
Pacific
or
The Ghan,
meaning not on
the Adelaide-Perth or on the Sydney-,
Melbourne-,
Australia has two national coach
operators:
Greyhound Pioneer Aus-
tralia
(
&
13 20 30
in Australia, or
07/4690 9888; www.greyhound.com.
au; no relation to Greyhound in the
U.S.) and
McCafferty's
(
&
13 14 99
in Australia, or 07/4690 9888; www.
mccaffertys.com.au). McCafferty's
owns Greyhound Pioneer, hence the
same telephone number, above.
While the coach lines operate as sepa-
rate brands with their own networks,
passes are combined and can be used
interchangeably on either network.
The coaches and service standards of
both companies are virtually identi-
cal. The only real difference between
them is that McCafferty's does not
travel in Western Australia, while
Greyhound Pioneer does (although
McCafferty's reservations offices can
book your travel in Western Australia
aboard Greyhound Pioneer buses,
anyhow).
Neither bus company operates
within Tasmania; however, McCaf-
ferty's provides a booking and transfer
service from Melbourne across the
Bass Strait aboard the
Spirit of Tasma-
nia
ferry to connect with one of Tas-
mania's Redline Coaches. As well as
point-to-point services, both coach
companies offer a limited range of
tours at popular locations on their
networks. McCafferty's/Greyhound
Pioneer has many international
agents, including
Inta-Aussie South
Pacific
(
&
310/568-2060
) in the
U.S.,
Goway
(
&
800/387-8850
) in
Canada, and
Bridge the World
(
&
020/7911 0900
) in the United
Kingdom.
BUS PASSES
Bus passes are a great
value. There are several kinds—Day
passes, Pre-set Itinerary passes, and
Kilometre passes. Look into the one
that suits you best. Note that even
with a pass, you may still need to book
the next leg of your trip 12 or 24
hours ahead as a condition of the pass,
or
Adelaide-Alice
Springs routes.
BY BUS
Bus travel in Australia is a big step up
from the low-rent affair it can be in
the United States. Terminals are cen-
trally located and well lit, the coaches
are clean and air-conditioned, you sit
in adjustable seats, videos are shown
on board, and the drivers are polite
and sometimes even point out places
of interest along the way. Some buses
even have restrooms. Unlike Aus-
tralia's train service, there are few
places the extensive bus network won't
take you. Buses are all nonsmoking.
