Australia By Bus

Buses cover more of Australia’s rural landscape than trains, but journeys off the beaten track may require a few days’ wait. It may be more cost effective to buy a kilometer or multi-day pass if you’re planning on a lot of bus travel.

Greyhound Australia (☎1300 473 946; www.greyhound.com.au) is the nation’s premier bus service, with travel options in every state. Fares booked over the phone include an additional fee; fares booked on the Internet are the least expensive (no additional fee) and may include discounts. They offer a standard 10% concessions discount and a number of passes. Their most popular options are Aussie Explorer passes, which include extensive travel along thematic or regional itineraries. These include the year-long All Australian Pass ($2968, concessions $2672), which allows you to hop on and off anywhere on Greyhound Australia’s network; and the Aussie Highlights Pass, which gives you 365 days of travel to Australia’s most popular spots, including everything from the wine country to the Great Barrier Reef ($1781, concessions $1603). A more flexible option is the Aussie Kilometre Pass, which allows travelers to purchase a set amount of kilometers (from 500 to 20,000km) and use them to explore Australia on any of Greyhound’s bus lines until their pre-purchased kilometer package runs out; valid for one year. Shorter 30- to 45-day passes run between the major cities ($80-360, concessions $72-320).

Oz Experience

This popular bus company (☎1300 300 028, elsewhere ☎02 9213 1766; www.ozexperience.com) offers flexible backpacker packages and charismatic drivers who double as tour guides. The packages must be purchased for predetermined routes (cheaper if bought outside of Australia), and travelers can usually take up to six months to complete their route, often with unlimited stopovers. Oz Experience offers a variety of passes to suit any travel plan, including routes that run Cairns-Sydney, Adelaide-Darwin, Melbourne-Adelaide, and Alice Springs-Uluru. Be prepared for a younger, party-ready crowd.