Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South Australia Bitumen highways link the huge distances between Adelaide in SA and
other Australian cities, including the Stuart Hwy which runs north-south across the entire
country to Darwin.
Northern Territory Getting to the NT overland means a lot of travel through empty coun-
try, but there's no better way to appreciate Australia's vastness. The nearest state capital
to Darwin is Adelaide (a tick over 3000km), while Perth and Sydney are both around
4000km away, about the same distance as New York to Los Angeles and more than 2½
times the drive from London to Rome!
Border Crossings
» The main routes into SA include Hwy 1 from Western Australia (across the Nullarbor
Plain), and the Stuart Hwy from the NT (via Alice Springs).
» From Victoria, there are two main crossings: the Princes Hwy (via Mt Gambier and/or
Great Ocean Rd), and the more direct (but more dull) Dukes Hwy (via Bordertown and
Victoria's Western Hwy).
» Outback 4WD tracks aside, there are three main (sealed) roads into the NT: the Victoria
Hwy from WA (via Kununurra), the Barkly Hwy from Queensland (via Mt Isa), and the Stu-
art Hwy from SA (via Coober Pedy).
Bus
Many travellers prefer to access central Australia by bus because it's one of the best
ways to come to grips with the area's size - also the bus companies have far more com-
prehensive route networks than the railway system (and they have good air-con!). Dis-
counts are available for backpacker associations/international student ID card holders.
See Click here for info on bus passes.
Major long-haul operators include the following:
Firefly Express ( 1300 730 740; www.fireflyexpress.com.au ) Buses between Adelaide
and Melbourne (from $65, 11 hours), continuing to Sydney.
Greyhound Australia ( 1300 473 946; www.greyhound.com.au ) Services between
Adelaide and Melbourne, Sydney and Alice Springs, connecting to Darwin.
V/Line ( 03-9697-2076, 13 61 96; www.vline.com.au ) Combined bus/train services
between Adelaide and Melbourne (the Melbourne-Bendigo leg is via train).
Car & Motorcycle
See Click here for info on driving (or riding) in central Australia.
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