Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INTERSTATE QUARANTINE
Within Australia, there are restrictions on carrying fruit, plants and vegetables
across state and territory borders. This is in order to control the movement of dis-
ease or pests - such as fruit fly, cucurbit thrips, grape phylloxera and potato cyst
nematodes - from one area to another.
Most quarantine control relies on honesty and quarantine posts at the state/ter-
ritory borders are not always staffed. However, the Western Australia border is per-
manently manned and sometimes uses dogs to sniff out offending matter. This
may seem excessive, but it's taken very seriously. It's prohibited to carry fresh fruit
and vegetables, plants, flowers, and even nuts and honey across the Northern Ter-
ritory-Western Australia border in either direction. The controls with South Aus-
tralia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are less strict - there's usually
an unmanned honesty bin for disposal. Check at the borders.
Sea
There are no scheduled international passenger-ferry services to/from SA or the NT, but
it's possible - with a bit of graft and fortune - to sail to northern Australia from Asia by
hitching rides or crewing on yachts. Ask around at harbours, marinas or yacht clubs. Dar-
win is a good place to try to hitch a ride to Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore. Try contact-
www.dwnsail.com.au
) at Fannie Bay, or the
Darwin Port Corporation
(
08-8922
0660;
www.darwinport.nt.gov.au
) .
GETTING AROUND
Air
Airlines in Australia
»
Flying around Australia is the fastest, safest and often cheapest way to get from state to
state or city to city.
»
The major Australian domestic carriers
Qantas
( 13 13 13;
www.qantas.com.au
)
and
Virgin Australia
( 13 67 89;
www.virginaustralia.com
)
fly all over Australia, operating
flights between Adelaide and Darwin (via Melbourne in Virgin's case) and other centres.
Qantas also flies to Alice Springs and Uluru; Virgin flies to Uluru from Sydney.
