getting around Oz
 

We are planning on travelling to Alice Springs, Cairns, Sydney - cant seem to find the best route/transportation to take and at best price. Any advice?

<BR>These places are VERY far away from each other. The only real solution is via airplane. <BR> <BR>I have always found it very reasonable to book my inter-city travel when I book my Qantas or Air-NZ flight over there. They can sometimes throw you a package where you can leave the days/locations fairly open & use them as you wish.

Lorraine, <BR>I agree with the above post, the best solution is flying. There are trains and buses but unless you have LOTS of time, probably not a good idea because of huge distances. <BR>As for the best route, Sydney and Cairns both have international airports, so you could arrive in Syd, then fly to Alice then Cairns than back to Syd or arrive in Cairns, fly to Alice, then to Syd and depart from Syd. That would save a little time. <BR>If you are interested in the bus/train option, have a look at the Lonely Planet Australia book, they have travelling times and costs, etc. <BR>One other thing, if you are planning to visit Ayers Rock, this is about 500km south of Alice Springs butyou can actually fly straight into the Ayers Rock area. This could save time. <BR>Kay

Isn't there a round Australia air pass (or Aussie Pass)? This could reduce flight costs.

both quantas and ansett/air new zealand offer air passes that you need to purchase before you arrive in australia. it's approx. US$190 per segment. check with your travel agent if this will work better or if there's a fare that beats that, considering the good exchange rate we're getting right now. <BR>i agree with kay regarding flying directly into ayers rock. if you are taking a tour, most operators can pick you up at the airport and start your tour from there as opposed to sitting on a bus for 6 hours. all tours end in alice springs.