Flying isn’t particularly cheap, but it can begin to seem a bargain when you take into account the time saved, and the money you’ll spend on incidentals during a long bus or train journey.
The best-value flights are, not surprisingly, the most popular – between state capitals and major towns in the southeast; flying to remote Outback locations on private local services such as mail runs can be an expensive business.
Queensland (Regional Airports)
The main domestic airline is Qantas flying major routes, with the moderate-sized Kendell, using smaller craft, covering more regional areas of NSW, Victoria and South Australia and having recently taken over Ansett’s routes to Tasmania. Then there are smaller, regional airlines in each state such as Airlines of South Australia, or Hazelton in NSW.
If you do expect to fly a fair amount, there are a number of passes that can save money, such as the Qantas Boomerang Airpass or the Qantas OneWorld Airpass.
Another type of flight offered all over Australia is brief sightseeing or joyrides. Everything is covered, from biplane spins above cities (cricket-lovers may wish to re-create David Gower’s infamous escapade) to excursions to the Great Barrier Reef and flights over well-known landscapes. The last, especially, can be worthwhile, enabling you to see things that are inaccessible or impractical to reach overland.
Aircruising Australia offers a 12-day tour by air which takes in the main sights; the price of around £3000 per person (US$4799) includes accommodation, meals and guides.
Oz Experience offer an Air-Bus Pass where you fly one-way around Australia with Qantas and bus the other in off the beaten track routes with driver-guides; for example, the cheapest “Cobber Rama” allows you to fly from Sydney to Cairns and then bus down the coast from Cairns to Sydney with unlimited stops (min 9 days, max six months), while the priciest lets you fly Sydney to Darwin, bus Darwin to Alice, fly Alice to Cairns and then bus Cairns to Sydney (minimum 13 days, maximum one year).