Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
looks like a road may be an unsealed
(unpaved) track suitable for four-
wheel-drive vehicles only. Many roads
in the Top End are passable only in the
Dry Season (about Apr-Nov). If you
plan long-distance driving, get a road
map (see below for sources) that marks
paved and unpaved roads.
You cannot drive across the middle
of the country (except along the
north-south Stuart Highway linking
Adelaide and Darwin) because most of
it is desert. In most places you must
travel around the edge on Highway 1.
The map inside the back cover of this
book marks the major highways.
You can use your current driver's
license or an international driver's per-
mit in every state of Australia. By law
you must carry your license with you
when driving. The minimum driving
age is 16 or 17, depending on which
state you visit, but some car-rental
companies require you to be 21, or
sometimes 26, if you want to rent a
four-wheel-drive vehicle.
CAR RENTALS
Think twice about renting a car in
tourist hot spots such as Cairns. In
these areas most tour operators pick
you up and drop you back at your
hotel door, so having a car may not be
worth the expense.
The “big four” car-rental compa-
nies all have networks across Australia:
•
Avis
(
&
13 63 33
in Australia,
www.avis.com.au; 800/230-4898
in the U.S., www.avis.com; 800/
72-5871 in Canada; 08700/100
287 in the U.K. and Ireland,
www.avis.co.uk; 0800/655-111 in
New Zealand, www.avis.co.nz)
•
Budget
(
&
1300/362 848
in
Australia, www.budget.com.au;
800/527-0700 in the U.S., www.
budget.com; 800/268-8900 in
Canada, www.budget.ca; 0035/
9032 7711 in the U.K., www.
budget-uk.com; 903/ 27711 in
Ireland, www.budget-ireland.com;
0800/652 227 in New Zealand,
www.budget.co.nz)
•
Hertz
(
&
13 30 39
in Australia,
www.hertz.com.au; 800/654-
3131 in the U.S., www.hertz.com;
800/263-0600 in English or 800/
263-0678 in French in Canada, or
416/620-9620 in Toronto, www.
hertz.ca; 020/7026 0077 in the
U.K., www.hertz.co.uk; 1/676
7476 in Ireland; 0800/654 321 in
New Zealand)
•
Thrifty
(
&
1300/367 227
in
Australia, www.thrifty.com.au;
800/THRIFTY [847-4389] in the
U.S. and Canada, www.thrifty.
com; 01494/751 600 in the U.K.,
www.thrifty.co.uk; 1800/51 5800
in Ireland, www.thrifty.ie; 0800/
73 7070 in New Zealand, www.
thrifty.co.nz)
Two other large companies with
offices around Australia are:
•
Europcar
(
&
1300/13 13 90
in
Australia or 03/9330 6160, www.
deltaeuropcar.com.au; 877/940
6900 in the U.S. and Canada;
1132/422 233 in the U.K., www.
europcar.co.uk; 1/614 2800 in
Ireland, www.europcar.ie; 1800/
556 680 in New Zealand). Europ-
car has the third largest fleet in
Australia.
•
Red Spot Car Rentals
(
&
1300/
668 810
in Australia, or 02/9317
5771; www.redspotrentals.com.
au). It has depots in Sydney, Mel-
bourne, Brisbane, and Cairns, and
about 25 other outlets, mainly in
New South Wales and Victoria.
SAMPLE DRIVING
DISTANCES & TIMES
Here are a few sample road distances
between popular points and the mini-
mum time it takes to drive between
them.
