How to Get Around When You’re Traveling to Australia

0Shares

Going to new places means that you need to get to figure out the place from the most basic elements. This includes things like getting around. Public transportation is a preferable option for many travelers. And Australia is a huge place. This means long roads and wide distances. How do you figure out Australia’s public transportation?  

Determine where you’re going, first and foremost 

The information regarding the means of transportation that you can take in Australia entirely depends on where you’re going. No one region is the same. For instance, you can explore Sydney through its popular light railway option, often referred to as tram, but on cities like Perth, that option is not available. And like many other countries, trains or subway system is only available in the major metropolitan cities. Capital cities like Canberra and Darwin do not have train facilities in place.

Getting to know the types of public transportations available to you

In Oz, there are are roughly four types of common public transportations. They are trains, light rails, buses, and ferries. Ferries as a part of the public transportation system are only available in three capital cities, but you can use your commuter card for getting onto one. However, not all of these transportation options would be available to you. It all depends on where you plan on going. As a general rule, the bigger the city, the more options you will have. 

Obtaining a smart card to ride your public transportation of choice 

Any and all transportation methods in Australia already switched to the card system. Individual paper tickets are still in place but the use of it would be so much more inconvenient for you. The fare using card is also cheaper compared to when you opt to use individual tickets.  

Different cards apply for different region 

While this is clearly rather inconvenient for many travelers planning to go to several areas of Australia, this is the case. However, you don’t have to worry about this if you only plan to travel one area.  In which, this is actually the most recommended path to take—whether it’s your first time or your many times visiting Australia. 

Here’s the list of capital cities with their own commuter cards:

  • Sydney: Opal Card; it can be used on trains, light rails/trams, buses, and ferries.
  • Melbourne: Myky Card; the same as Sydney above, minus the ferries.
  • Canberra: MyWay Card; it can be used on buses.
  • Perth: SmartRider; it can be used on trains, buses, as well as ferries. 
  • Brisbane: Go Cardl; like Sydney, it can be used on trains, trams or light rails, and ferries.
  • Hobart: Greencard: it can be used on buses. 
  • Darwin: Tap & Ride Card; buses. 

It’s also recommended to find out information on how to get from the airport to your designated city or place. In some areas, certain methods of public transportation that is available in the city may not be available at the airport. For instance, there is no train stations currently at the Melbourne airport even though the facility is readily available inside the city. So you’ll have to take the bus from the airport to get you to your accommodation.