Getting around a continent

The scale problem

Distances in Australia routinely surprise first-time visitors. Perth, on the west coast, is closer to Singapore than to Sydney. The drive from Sydney to Perth is around 3,900 kilometres and takes the better part of four days; the flight takes about four hours. Highway 1, the sealed ring road that loops the entire continent — the trip road-trippers call the "Big Lap" — runs roughly 14,500 kilometres, the longest national highway in the world.

The country also spans three main time zones, and it gets more complicated in summer: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT observe daylight saving from October to April, while Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not. So Brisbane and Sydney share a clock in winter but sit an hour apart in summer. Factor this in when booking connecting flights and trains.

Flying between cities

For any trip between capital cities, or anywhere more than a day's drive apart, flying is almost always the right call. The domestic market is dominated by three groups: Qantas and its budget arm Jetstar, and Virgin Australia. Between them they run frequent services on the busy "golden triangle" of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, plus Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra.

Regional towns are served by turboprop carriers — QantasLink and Rex (Regional Express) — which reach dozens of country airports the jets never touch. Rex withdrew from capital-city jet routes in 2024 and now flies its regional network only; the short-lived budget airline Bonza collapsed the same year, so the competitive picture is essentially the three main groups plus the regional turboprops.

Rough flying times give a sense of the geography: Sydney–Melbourne and Sydney–Brisbane are about 1½ hours; Melbourne–Brisbane a touch over 2 hours; the mainland to Hobart around 1½–2 hours; and the long haul to Perth is 4 to 5 hours from the east coast — a genuine transcontinental flight with a two-to-three-hour time change at the other end. Book a few weeks ahead for the best fares, and note that Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all have separate domestic and international terminals.

The great train journeys

Australia's famous long-distance trains, all operated by Journey Beyond, are not really transport — they are the holiday. They are all-inclusive, cabin-based experiences with off-train excursions, priced accordingly. Take them for the landscape rolling past the window, not to save time or money.

• The Ghan — Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs and Katherine, about 2,979 km over three days and two nights (a longer expedition version runs in the cooler months). The classic Red Centre-to-Top End crossing, with cabins and included dining in Gold and Platinum service.
• The Indian Pacific — Sydney to Perth via Broken Hill, Adelaide and the Nullarbor Plain, roughly 4,352 km across the width of the continent over about four days. It includes the world's longest dead-straight stretch of railway — 478 kilometres without a single curve across the Nullarbor.
• The Great Southern — a summer-season run between Adelaide and Brisbane down the south-eastern corner, timed for the December–January holidays.
• The Overland — the affordable outlier: a daytime train between Adelaide and Melbourne (about 10½ hours, twice weekly), with reclining Red Standard and Red Premium seating rather than sleeper cabins. This one genuinely works as point-to-point transport.

Everyday & regional trains

Alongside the luxury journeys, each of the eastern states runs ordinary intercity and regional trains that are cheap, comfortable and worth knowing about.

• NSW TrainLink runs the XPT between Sydney and Melbourne (around 11 hours) and Sydney and Brisbane (around 14 hours), plus regional services fanning out across New South Wales. Slower than flying, but inexpensive and scenic.
• Queensland Rail Travel operates the Spirit of Queensland from Brisbane to Cairns (about 1,680 km, roughly 24 hours, with lie-flat "RailBed" seats), the Tilt Train to Rockhampton, the Spirit of the Outback to Longreach, and heritage outback services like the Gulflander and Savannahlander.
• V/Line covers regional Victoria, and TransWA runs Western Australia's country trains, including the Prospector to Kalgoorlie and the Australind to Bunbury.

Driving & car hire

For coastal touring, wine regions and national parks, nothing beats your own vehicle. A few essentials for visitors:

• Australians drive on the left, and the give-way and roundabout rules follow that. If you are used to driving on the right, take it gently for the first day.
• Overseas licences are generally fine for temporary visitors, provided the licence is current and in English, or carried with an official English translation or an International Driving Permit. The exact period you can drive on it varies by state, so check the relevant road authority.
• The blood-alcohol limit is 0.05, random breath testing is routine, seatbelts are compulsory for every occupant, and using a hand-held phone while driving is illegal. Speeds are in kilometres per hour — typically 50 in town, 100–110 on highways, and up to 130 on some open Northern Territory roads.
• Hire cars are available from all major companies at the airports. One-way rentals between cities are possible but attract a fee; relocation deals — where you move a rental car or campervan between depots on the company's schedule — can be extraordinarily cheap if the dates and route suit you.
• City motorways often use electronic tolling with no cash booths; hire cars are usually set up to bill tolls automatically, but confirm this when you collect the car.

Campervans & the road trip

The campervan or motorhome is an Australian institution, and for good reason: it rolls your transport and accommodation into one and frees you from booking ahead. The ultimate version is the "Big Lap" — a full circuit of Highway 1 around the continent, typically 15,000 to 20,000 kilometres over several months — but a two-week loop of a single region is far more common and just as rewarding.

Overnight, you will choose between caravan parks (powered sites, hot showers, camp kitchens and laundries) and free or low-cost camping at rest areas, national parks and outback station stays. Apps that map campsites, facilities and reviews make planning easy. Wherever you stop, camp only where it is permitted, take all rubbish with you, and follow local fire and grey-water rules — free camping stays available only because travellers respect it.

Coaches

Greyhound is Australia's only truly national coach network, with more than 180 stops across every mainland state and territory. It is the backbone of budget travel on the East Coast — the classic Sydney-to-Cairns backpacker run via Byron Bay, K'gari (Fraser Island) and the Whitsundays — and also covers long interior corridors such as the Stuart Highway between Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin.

Greyhound's Whimit passes give unlimited, flexible travel for a set number of days, which suits the hop-on, hop-off style of an East Coast trip. Overnight services double as a night's accommodation. Regional operators fill in the gaps the national network leaves — for example, Integrity Coach Lines along the Western Australian coast — and many V/Line and TransWA rail journeys connect to coaches at the end of the line.

Outback & remote driving

Sealed highways, including Highway 1 the whole way around the continent, are fine in an ordinary car. But the moment you leave the bitumen for the outback — the Gibb River Road, Cape York, the Oodnadatta Track, many national-park access roads — you are in a different world that demands a high-clearance four-wheel drive and real preparation. Get this section right; it is the one where mistakes are dangerous.

• Fuel and water. Roadhouses can be 200–300 km apart or more. Fill the tank at every opportunity and carry extra. Carry plenty of drinking water — several litres per person per day — plus water for the vehicle.
• Road trains. These freight trucks can be over 50 metres long. Give them a very wide berth, only overtake with a long clear stretch ahead, and pull well off narrow roads to let them pass.
• Wildlife. Kangaroos, cattle and camels are most active around dawn, dusk and after dark. Avoid driving in the country at those times; if an animal is on the road, brake in a straight line rather than swerving.
• The wet season. From roughly November to April the tropical north floods, and unsealed roads and causeways close. Never drive into water over a crossing — the rule locals live by is simple: if it's flooded, forget it.
• Communications and permits. Mobile coverage disappears fast out bush. Carry a satellite phone or a personal locator beacon, and a UHF radio for road trains and other travellers. Some routes cross Aboriginal land and need a permit arranged in advance. Always tell someone your route and expected arrival time.
• If you break down, stay with the vehicle. It is far easier for searchers to spot than a person on foot, and it gives you shade and shelter.

Ferries & islands

Getting to Australia's islands usually means a ferry, and some carry vehicles:

• Tasmania — the Spirit of Tasmania crosses Bass Strait between Geelong (Victoria) and Devonport, an overnight sailing of about nine to eleven hours that takes your car, campervan or caravan. Two larger new ships enter service from late 2026. (Flying to Hobart or Launceston is the quick alternative.)
• Kangaroo Island — the SeaLink ferry runs from Cape Jervis, south of Adelaide, to Penneshaw, carrying vehicles.
• Queensland islands — ferries and vehicle barges reach Magnetic Island (from Townsville), North Stradbroke Island (from Cleveland) and K'gari / Fraser Island (from Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay).
• Rottnest Island — fast passenger ferries run from Fremantle and Perth (no private cars — the island gets around by bike).
• Harbour and reef boats — Sydney's ferries and Brisbane's CityCats are part of everyday city transport, and reef day-boats depart Cairns, Port Douglas and Airlie Beach for the Great Barrier Reef.

Getting around the cities

Every capital runs its own ticketing system, and most now also accept a contactless bank card or phone alongside the local smartcard. Public transport is generally the easiest way around the city centres — driving and parking in the CBDs is rarely worth it.

Queensland is the standout: since 2024 a flat 50-cent fare applies to every Translink bus, train, tram and ferry across the state, made permanent in 2025. For a closer look at one capital, see our companion guide, Getting Around Adelaide.

When to travel

Australia is a whole continent, so there is no single best season — it depends entirely on where you are headed.

• The tropical north — the Kimberley, the Top End and Far North Queensland — runs on two seasons. The dry (about May to October) is warm, clear and the time to go. The wet (about November to April) brings monsoon rain, humidity, flooding and cyclones, and closes many outback roads.
• The southern states have four temperate seasons; spring and autumn are the sweet spot for touring and road trips, summer suits the coast and beaches, and winter brings a ski season to the Victorian and New South Wales alps from about June to September.
• The outback interior is best in the cooler months. Summer heat inland is extreme and, in remote areas, a genuine safety concern.
• School holidays — especially the long December–January break and Easter — mean higher prices and booked-out flights, ferries and campsites. Book well ahead or travel just outside them.

Frequently asked questions