Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Route
Distance
Approx. Driving Time
Cairns-Sydney
2,495km (1,547 miles)
29 hr. (allow 4-5 days)
Sydney-Melbourne
873km (541 miles)
15 hr. (allow 1-2 days)
Sydney-Perth
4,131km (2,561 miles)
51 hr. (allow 6-7 days)
Adelaide-Darwin
3,024km (1,875 miles)
31 hr. (allow 4-6 days)
Perth-Darwin
4,163km (2,581 miles)
49 hr. (allow 6-8 days)
A small sedan for zipping around a
city or touring a wine region will cost
from about A$45 to A$80 (US$29-
US$52) a day. A feistier vehicle with
enough grunt to get you from state to
state will cost around A$70 to A$100
(US$46-US$65) a day. Rentals of a
week or longer usually reduce by A$5
(US$3.25) a day or so.
A regular car will get you to most
places in this topic, but because the
country has a high number of
unpaved roads, it can make sense to
rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle. All of
the major car-rental companies rent
them. They are more expensive than a
regular car but you can get them for as
little as A$75 (US$49) per day if you
shop around, cheaper for rentals of a
week or longer.
The rates quoted here are only a
guide. Many smaller local companies,
and the big guys, too, do competitive
specials, especially in tourist areas with
distinct off-seasons. Advance purchase
rates, usually 7 to 21 days, can offer
significant savings.
INSURANCE
Insurance for loss of,
or damage to, the car, and third-party
property insurance are usually in-
cluded, but read the agreement care-
fully, because the fine print contains
information the front-desk staff may
not tell you. For example, damage to
the car body may be covered, but not
damage to the windshield or tires, or
damage caused by water or driving too
close to a bushfire.
The deductible, known as “excess”
in Australia, on insurance may be as
high as A$2,000 (US$1,300) for
regular cars and up to A$5,500
(US$3,575) on four-wheel-drives and
motor homes. You can reduce it, or
avoid it altogether, by paying a pre-
mium of between about A$17 to
A$47 (US$11-US$31) per day on a
car or four-wheel-drive, and around
A$25 to A$47 (US$16-US$31) per
day on a motor home. The amount
of the excess reduction premium
depends on the vehicle type and the
extent of reduction you choose. Your
rental company may bundle personal
accident insurance and baggage insur-
ance into this premium. And again,
check the conditions; some excess
reduction payments do not reduce
excesses on single-vehicle accidents,
for example.
ONE-WAY RENTALS
Australia's
distances often make one-way rentals a
necessity, for which car-rental compa-
nies can charge a hefty penalty
amounting to hundreds of dollars. A
one-way fee usually applies to motor-
home renters, too—usually around
A$200 to A$220 (US$130-US$143),
more for remote outback areas such as
Broome and Alice Springs. And there's
a 7-day rental minimum.
MOTOR HOMES
Motor homes
(Aussies also call them camper vans)
are popular in Australia. Generally
smaller than the RVs in the United
States, they come in two-, three-,
four-, or six-berth versions, and usu-
ally have everything you need, such as
a minifridge/freezer (icebox in the
smaller versions), microwave, gas
stove, cooking and cleaning utensils,
linens, and touring information
including maps and campground
guides. All have showers and toilets,
except some two-berthers. Most have
