Australia
Getting there
Australia is a long way from everywhere (even New Zealand is a four
hour flight) and so air travel is the way to go.
BY AIR:
Luckily a large number of airlines fly to Australia. At popular
times of year (such as Christmas) you may find prices are high and
availability is tight. Security and customs procedures can be
lengthy. There are a choice of routes, mostly through Asia. Sydney
and Melbourne are the busiest airports but many of the far eastern
airlines also fly directly to Perth from their Asian hub. From
continental Europe some flights are routed through London via
Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.
These are some of the more popular airlines:
Air Canada flies from Vancouver
to Sydney.
Air New Zealand flies from
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch to most Australian gateway
cities.
British Airways flies from Heathrow
and many other destinations direct to the major gateway
cities.
Cathay Pacific originates
from Hong Kong, and flies throughout Asia and Europe.
Emirates flies from all over the
world to major Australian destinations and Auckland, via
Dubai.
Garuda Indonesia's hub
is Jakarta and the carried flies to Darwin as well as east coast
Australian cities.
Malaysia Airlines flies
from Kuala Lumpur and Europe.
Virgin Blue is the low cost
network in Australia and also flies to New Zealand.
Qantas is pretty much the
Australian national carrier and flies direct from all over Asia and
Europe to all Australian cities.
Royal Brunei Airlines is
another Asian carrier.
Singapore Airlines
operates out of Changi airport and has many routes between Europe
and Australia with a brief stop in Singapore.
South African Airways flies from
Johannesburg.
Thai Airways International
flies from Europe via Bangkok to most destinations in
Australia.
United Airlines flies from
LA and San Francisco via the Pacific or east Asia.
back to topGetting Around
BY AIR
As you may have noticed, Australia is rather large, so internal
flights are a useful way of seeing as much of the country as
possible, and the views from 37,000 feet can be good.
Qantas is the main domestic
airline but it has competition from newcomer
Virgin Blue. There are also
smaller operators, mostly owned by Qantas, flying regional routes,
such as Australian
Airlines who operate along the Gold Coast and Cairns to
Sydney, and Jetstar who fly east
coast routes. Skywest fly from
Perth to many regional centres in WA;
Northwest Regional
Airlines fly around the North West as its name suggests.
BY CAR:
As is to be expected with a vast and under-populated country,
public transport is unlikely to carry you conveniently to your
destination, except within cities. Inevitably hiring a car will be
the solution. We recommend
Holiday
Autos as being the cheapest and you can collect cars in every
major city. Be warned if you cross various quarantine checkpoints
between states you cannot carry honey, plants, fruit and
vegetables.
BY BUS:
A relatively cheap and reliable method of internal long distance
transport although the network really only extends to major routes;
and long bus journeys can be tedious.
Greyhound is the leading
operator.
IN CITIES:
Taxis are plentiful in all city centres. Sydney has a pretty good
network of suburban rail and bus connections; its ferries are the
best way to travel around the harbour. Melbourne has a privatised
system of its famous trams, rail and buses, and is great for
cycling around. Perth has an efficient fully integrated public
transport system of buses, trains and ferries, free in the city
centre. Adelaide also has an integrated system of metropolitan
buses and trains plus the Glenelg tram - a day-trip ticket allows
unlimited travel. Hobart has buses and a ferry service, as well as
many cycle paths. Brisbane has a Day Rover ticket for its buses,
ferries and CityCats. Canberra has buses.
When To Go
The seasons in Australia are generally the reverse of the Northern
Hemisphere. In the southern third of the country winters
(June-September) are cold but rarely freezing, although Tasmania
and the Snowy Mountains do get chilly. Summers (December-February)
are pleasant and warm, sometimes hot. The far north of the country
(Darwin and Cairns) is in the monsoon belt with two seasons: hot
and wet (October-March) or hot and dry (April-September). The
centre is hot and dry pretty much all year although at night,
especially in the winter, it can get very cold.
The size of the continent ensures choice: when it's cold and damp
in the south, it is usually the best time to visit the north, and
vice versa. December to February is high tourist season with
activities, events and festivities; if you can avoid the school and
public holidays you'll encounter fewer crowds and more reasonable
prices.
HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS
Australians need no excuse to party but here are some:
Boxing Day - Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
New Year's Eve - Fireworks and revelry everywhere
January - Australian Open in Melbourne
January - Sydney Festival
January - Tamworth Country Music Festival
26 January - Australia Day
February - Perth International Arts Festival
February - Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
March - Adelaide Festival of the Arts
March-April - Melbourne International Comedy Festival
March-April - Royal Easter Show in Sydney
25 April - Anzac Day - all over but Canberra salutes heroes
well
May - Outback Muster in Queensland
June - Sydney Film Festival
July - Yulefest in the Blue Mountains
August - Beer Can Regatta in Darwin
September - AFL Grand Final in Melbourne
September - Royal Perth Show
September - Henley-on-Todd Regatta, Alice Springs
October - Melbourne Festival
October - Rugby League Grand Final
November - Melbourne Cup
December-February - Test Match cricket
Visas/Entry Requirements
All visitors to Australia need a visa; only those from New Zealand do not. Application forms are available from Australian embassies, travel agents or the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. The Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is often issued by travel agents or airlines; this replaces the short term tourist visa, and is available to passport-holders of 33 countries including the UK, US, Canada, most European countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.