Travelling Around Australia

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Our transport options for traveling around Australia range from flying to car rental, motorhome hire, coach, ferry and rail travel.

Rental Cars

rental-car

Australian Vacations are able to offer you the competitive car hire rates in each State. We can do this because we work with car hire firms that offer the best value. Ask us about the ‘driving in Australia’ special offers we have negotiated on your behalf.

We also go the extra mile to ensure we reserve the car most suited to your needs. This will be influenced by the distances you’ll be traveling and the places you’ve chosen to visit.

The rental company we choose on your behalf will be influenced by the costs of their one-way drop off fees, their insurance costs, their GPS rental fees and the age of the their vehicle fleets.

This is how the team here at Australian Vacations can guide you in making the right choice, because like airfares and accommodation, the choices are never as simple as they might first appear.

We offer the same service in regard to campervan, motorbike and cycle hires.

Escorted Coach Touring

australia-coach-tours

Not everyone is comfortable at the prospect of having to drive on the left hand side of the road while in Australia.

Fortunately there’s a large range of coach touring options available.

One of these options is all-inclusive escorted coach touring, the ultimate in hassle free, relaxing travel.

At Australian Vacations we work with all of the reputable coach touring companies including AAT Kings, APT, Scenic Tours and Kirra. These companies offer a range of accommodation choices, inclusions and meal packages and it’s important to choose the one that best meets your needs.

At Australian Vacations we can advise and guide you in making the right choices and we can make reservations on your behalf.

Motorhomes

australia-motorhomes-touring

A motorhome is a great way to travel around Australia. There are many camping grounds located throughout the country offering high standards of facilities and the strength of the US dollar against the AU dollar make a motorhome an attractive option.

In recent years there has been an explosion of new motorhome operators in Australia, from budget to luxury standard all of which vary in terms of quality and reliability.

Australian Vacations has agreements with the best motorhome operators and can help you in three important areas – choosing the right company, gaining you access to the most competitive motorhome rental rates and making reservations on your behalf.

Driving In Australia

driving-in-australia

Some Important Advice

Words like ‘motorway’ and ‘highway’ take on a slightly different meaning when you visit Australia. We think it is important that you understand this before you arrive. To be more precise  ‘highway’ or ‘motorway’ will often mean just one lane in each direction as opposed to three or four. This means that for some, driving in Australia will be more intense than at home. For a start, you will be driving on the left side of the road.

We suggest sharing the driving duties with a co-driver is a good thing, as are regular refreshment stops. Our website shows estimated driving times, but be aware that these do not factor in time for photo-stop opportunities. If heading out of some of the main gateway cities such as Sydney, an early start is recommended. Click here for some further useful driving tips.

Driving in Sydney

sydney-harbour-bridge

Sydney Traffic

Like many cities in the world, Sydney, the biggest city in the country, sometimes struggles to maintain smooth traffic flows during the peak traffic hours and delays can happen.

Our advice is to try and avoid driving during the Sydney rush-hours, especially between the busy week-day hours of 7:30 & 9:30 in the mornings and between 4:30 & 6:30 later in the day.

The good news is that because of the time difference between the USA and Australia, your body clock will be telling you it’s time to wake up at about 5am for the first couple of mornings!

Driving Facts

  • A valid US driver’s license is acceptable for renting a vehicle in New Zealand.
  • New Zealanders drive on the left hand side of the road.
  • The maximum speed limit in cities and towns is 50 km/h (30 mph) and on country roads and highways, 100 km/h (62mph) unless signs indicate otherwise.
  • Strict drink-driving laws apply.
  • Drivers and passengers must wear seat belts at all times.

Flights

Read important information here about arranging your air travel and getting the best airfares to Australia… Qantas Airways offer daily flights from Los Angeles to Sydney and Melbourne.

Accommodation

Talk to us about your accommodation requirements. Where you sleep is an important part of any vacation experience. Our Australian accommodation choices range from luxury lodges to quality motels.

Self Drive Australia

We offer several transport options for exploring Australia, from self-drive rental cars to fully escorted luxury coach tours. APT and AAT Kings are two of the best operators we deal with.