Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING AN AFFORDABLE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
failing to comprehend the distances
between popular locations. Another
urban legend that grew up around the
2000 Olympics was the tale of the
tourist who asked which part of Sydney
Harbour he could get the boat to the
Great Barrier Reef from. That’s a mere
2,800km (1,736 miles) north. Don’t
try to cram too much into your trip.
Traveling overland may make sense
in Europe or North America, but in
Australia flying is the best way
between most points. People who go
by train, bus, or car are often disappointed
at Australia’s flat vistas of
desert, wheat fields, and gum trees—
the same landscape can go on for days.
A good compromise is to take to the
air for long trips and save the land
travel for short hops of a few hours.
Try not to backtrack, because it eats
up valuable time and money.
BY PLANE
Australia is a big country with a small
population to support its air routes.
Airfares are high. This section contains
tips to help you save.
Most domestic air travel is operated
by Qantas (& 800/227-4500 in the
U.S. and Canada, 0845/774-7767 in
the U.K., 09-357-8900 in Auckland,
0800/808-767 in New Zealand, and 13
13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.
au). You may get a cheaper fare with the
no-frills airline Virgin Blue (& 13 67
89 in Australia, or 07/3295 2296; www.
virginblue.com.au). It operates to every
capital, as well as Cairns, Townsville,
Mackay, Rockhampton, Gold Coast,
and Sunshine Coast, all in Queensland;
Coffs Harbour in New South Wales;
Launceston in Tasmania; Broome in
Western Australia; Alice Springs in the
NT—and its network is growing, so it
may have added more cities by the time
you read this.
Australia’s air network is not as well
developed as that of North America or
Europe, so don’t assume there is a direct
flight to your chosen destination, or
that there is a flight every hour or even
every day. Note: All flights in Australia
are nonsmoking.
FARES FOR INTERNATIONAL
TRAVELERS Qantas typically offers
international travelers a discount of
around 30% off the full fares that Australians
pay for domestic flights bought
within Australia. To qualify, quote your
passport number and international
ticket number when reserving. Don’t
assume the fare for international travelers
is the best deal, though—the latest
deal in the market that day (or even
better, perhaps, a package deal with
accommodations thrown in) may be
cheaper still.
AIR PASSES If you are planning on
whipping around to more than one
city, purchasing a Qantas Boomerang
Pass is much cheaper than buying regular
fares. You must buy the minimum-size
pass before you arrive in
Australia and it can be extended to
other cities once you get there; residents
of Australia and New Zealand
cannot purchase them.
With Qantas’s Boomerang Pass, for
example, you must purchase a minimum
of two coupons (with a maximum
of 10) priced at different fares
depending on where you travel, and
whether the flights are in high demand.
Fares are A$260 (US$169) or A$300
(US$195) per coupon for travel within
one zone, or A$330 (US$215) or
A$390 (US$254) per coupon for travel
between zones. The difference between
the higher and lower fares depends on
the airline’s yield management system
(availability of seats), so your coupons
may cost the lower or higher amount
depending on the day you buy them
and how many seats are available on the
flight you book.
Passes are a great value when you
consider that a fully flexible one-way
fare from Melbourne to Cairns—
a 2,254km (1,400-mile), 2-hour
journey—is around A$530 (US$345),