One of the most important things an applicant for immigration must take into consideration is the public transport system in the country they are moving to. In Australia, public transport is primarily available through bus, train and tram services.
But Australia is a large country where distances can be in the thousands of kilometers. Travelling by rail or road through the outback can take a considerable amount of time. In such instances, travel by air would be most practical.
All major towns have a public bus service while the large cities have an intra-city train service. There also train services that connect the large towns. Take Sydney for instance. Airport Link is a train service that provides regular, direct and fast transport between downtown Sydney and Sydney’s airport. The train ride takes just thirteen minutes. CityRail is the intra city train service.
Country Link on the other hand is the inter city service that provides coach and rail transport that covers over 334 destinations in Australia. Most destinations and the highest traffic on Country Link covers the Queensland state, Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory. Some states and cities have their own rail service providers. For instance, Queensland’s train service is mainly provided by Queensland Rail.
When it comes to bus services, there are a number of service providers with some focused on serving a particular niche. Eastline Buses for instance provides airport shuttle buses and also hires out small buses for people travelling in a group in Melbourne or the greater state of Victoria. Eastline Buses can be particularly convenient if you are travelling with your family or if you have several guests flying in and who will be arriving at around the same time.
Greyhound Pioneer and McCafferty’s are the two largest long distance bus service providers in Australia. The cost of a bus pass is determined by three main factors – the distance travelled in kilometers, the duration within which the pass can be used (can be anything from 2 months to 12 months) and the standard fare on preset bus routes.
Large cities such as Sydney have tram services. The Australian government has significantly invested in these cable cars and this has helped to keep the cost low especially for persons that expect to move a lot within the city on any given day. In major cities like Sydney, one can get a whole day tram pass for just AU$ 6.
If you do not want to use public transport but do not own a car, you can consider renting a car or hiring a cab. The advantage here is privacy as well as the flexibility to go anywhere at any time. The flip side though is that renting a car or a hiring a cab is expensive.
Walking and cycling are not a bad idea either if you are not covering a substantial distance. They can be an especially great way to know your surroundings if you are new to Australia. However, you must always enlist the company of a local so that you avoid areas that may not be safe or steer clear of inadvertently trespassing on someone else’s property.
Back to the Australian animals overview
References:
http://www.clickforaustralia.com/australia_transportation_trains_bus_services.htm
http://www.australearn.org/destinations/australia/travel/public_transportation/
http://www.ehow.com/how_2246509_travel-around-australia.html
