Transportation within Australia

Australian cities have excellent public (and private) transport systems, making travelling around them simple.

Driving in Australia

In Australia, laws and driving regulations differ from state to state. Some states require you to carry an International Licence with your current foreign license. Other states require you to carry your current foreign driver's license together with a formal translation of your license into English.

There are many transport options available for getting around:

• Bike – cheap alternative and healthy too! But wear a helmet and buy a good lock for your bike. Many cities have bike lanes. These are designated lanes just for bikes. Melbourne offers a bike share scheme. Take a bike when you need it and then return it to one of the 50 bike stations throughout the city. For further details checkout the following website www.melbournebikeshare.com.au for more information
• Coaches – offers efficient travel between major cities. Further information can be found at: www.austwidecoaches.com.au or www.greyhound.com.au
• Buses – convenient way of getting around. Public transport can be inexpensive if used with student discounts on offer. Melbourne has a Nightrider service that operates on Friday and Saturday nights.
  The cost of travelling on Melbourne’s buses is A$9 for a student ticket. Melbourne bus information can be found at: www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/concessions-and-free-travel/children-and-students/international-students/. Outside of Melbourne check your local town government website for details of buses in your area.
• Trains - Australia’s train networks are vast and fairly inexpensive. If you are able to plan your journey in advance and book online it is generally cheaper than buying a ticket at the station. For details of tickets, train times, and journey planners contact www.internationalrail.com.au/other-rail-products/australia-by-rail/indian-pacific.aspx
• Plane - There are many airlines that fly to Australia, try a comparison website like Expedia www.expedia.co.uk/Flights or Sky Scanner www.skyscanner.net. These will search many providers for the flight you are looking for. Australia has a few domestic airlines offering internal flights within the country, JetStar www.jetstar.com and Tiger Airways www.tigerair.com.au/ being just two. There also many international airlines that fly to Australia:
  Qantas: www.qantas.com.au
  Virgin: www.virginaustralia.com
  British Airways: www.britishairways.com
• Taxi – can be very costly to use. Taxis in Melbourne costs a minimum of A$3.20 then $1.62 per kilometre. The fare is based on time of day, distance travelled and time taken. Fares elsewhere will vary from place to place and are more expensive in the evenings, at weekends and during public holidays.