7 Smart Ways to Get Around Australia on a Newcomer’s Budget
Have you just recently relocated to Australia and are in the process of figuring out how to get around? Not too keen on spending a fortune on a car straight off the bat?
While Australia is known for being a massive country, a lot of the places you need to be are clustered quite close together and are often connected by vast road networks and multiple public transportation options.
On top of that, these transportation options are fairly affordable relative to the median income of the average Australian. They’re also fairly straightforward to follow, making it easy for even new migrants to use them as soon as they arrive in the country.
In any case, if you want to minimise making expensive mistakes while using transportation and travelling in this country, then you’re in the right place. This article will get into detail on seven ways you can move around Australia affordably.
Let’s jump right into it!
Table of Contents
Learn About Your Local Transportation Options
One of the first things you should do upon moving to Australia is to learn about your local public transportation options. If you’re based in a city like Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne, you’ll have a wide range of transportation options available to you, from buses to trains and trams.
These transport networks typically have their own underlying system and payment option, so familiarising yourself with them is crucial to ensure that your travel goes through without a hitch. For instance, Sydney uses Opal cards, whereas Brisbane runs on the Go card. Credit cards, digital wallets, and contactless payments also work in trains.
Moreover, even small towns have public transportation options like buses that run on set schedules. It doesn’t have to take too long for you to know the transport schedules and routes that these modes of transport tend to follow.
Once you start learning about common bus or train routes in your area, you’ll be able to comfortably get around your city or town without having to spend exorbitantly on taxis or rideshare apps. This can keep your spending tight and controlled, allowing you to transition into the country more smoothly.
If you need more tips as a newcomer to Australia, consider reading up on this guide on Australian transport from Westpac.
Another excellent way to transition into the Australian way of life is by using Google Maps or local navigation apps to your advantage. Google Maps helps users navigate how to get to their desired location from their current location. It even details how long it takes to get from point A to point B through driving, public transportation, walking, or cycling.
Moreover, this app can also help you bookmark and save places for future reference—like your home or workplace—making navigation to these places even more convenient. These features make Google Maps a handy app to have for daily commuting, as it can provide estimated information on travel time and fare prices.
However, local transportation apps like Citymapper and TripView are often deemed more reliable in providing real-time tables on public transportation routes and schedules. These apps can more accurately tell how long it’ll take for a bus to approach a certain bus station, for example. This removes the guesswork and allows you to know when you can reach your intended destination.
Get a Monthly Commuter Pass
Another strategic way to get around Australia cheaply is by getting a commuter pass for public transportation.
Purchasing this pass reduces the need for you to frequently top up your transport card, making it a fairly convenient way to mobilise to your workplace from home and vice versa.
Furthermore, a monthly pass also allows you to travel in zones between your two points for free as long as it’s within the duration of the pass’s validity.
That said, the specifics of how these passes work differ across regions. Still, the concept remains the same: frequent travel earns you cheaper fares over time.
For example, both Sydney’s Opal and Brisbane’s Go Card commuter pass systems automatically cap your weekly expenses after consistent use.
Once you’ve developed an understanding of how your local passes work, you can quietly but certainly save on costs and keep your monthly transportation budget low and flexible.
Use Bikes To Get Around
If you want to maintain an active lifestyle and don’t live terribly far from your workplace, then you can consider getting a bike or e-scooter to get around. Many Australian cities have a mature cycling culture with safe biking lanes all across the city. This makes it easy for even newcomers to get around on two wheels.
Moreover, there are public bike sharing apps like Lime that allow you to hop on available bikes and drop them off near your intended destination. These apps also have frequent discount promos for frequent users, making it easy for you to go around without having to spend too much money on the ride.
That said, the best way to travel on a bike is by owning one yourself. With one, you can explore the city on your own terms. Just be sure to familiarise yourself with local bike safety laws while you’re out and about, such as wearing a helmet at all times.
Carpool With Fellow Colleagues
Once you start befriending your colleagues, you can consider sharing a ride with them as they go to and from your workplace.
This is not only a highly sustainable way of commuting, but it also reduces the time it takes to commute using public transportation. It also helps you save money as you don’t have to constantly spend on transportation.
In some cases, your workplace may also have in-house work shuttles that you may be eligible to ride. Consider applying for that scheme so that you can save on costs and have your transportation needs covered by your company at virtually no extra cost.
RELATED: Live and Work in Australia
Use Regional Buses Instead of Planes or Trains
If you’re planning to undertake a long-haul travel between regions, an affordable way of doing so is taking regional buses.
While this transportation option takes longer than airline services, it comes at a much cheaper cost. On top of that, it can even be a good way to save on both hotel costs and private transportation, driving from the airport to the city centre.
The reason is simple: you’ll be spending more time on the road, but you can time it in a way that makes it both a transportation and a place to rest.
A Melbourne to Adelaide route on a Firefly bus, for instance, typically takes 12 hours. You can simply book and board the 6-7 PM bus and arrive in the centre of Adelaide (or Melbourne, if you’re taking the opposite route) by the time you wake up.
The prices of transportation with these buses are up to fifty per cent cheaper than plane tickets, if not more, if you’re looking to book within the week. Comfort is obviously hindered, but if you prioritise saving on costs, then this is the best way for newcomers to save on transport in Australia.
Consider Car Rental For Weekend Road Trips
It’s no surprise that car ownership is an expensive ordeal, and this is especially true in Australia, where tolled roads and high import fees exclude many newcomers from entering the car scene on day one.
The prohibitively high costs of new cars shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the perks of driving one outright, though. You’re in Australia, after all, and road trips are quite a common weekend excursion for many locals. And you can join in on the fun as well.
One way newcomers can enjoy the perks of driving a car in Australia is by getting in touch with a car hire company and borrowing a car for a couple of days. You will need to apply for the appropriate permit or license to be able to secure any contract, but once that’s secured, you can start driving as far as you want within the duration of the contract.
The best part? The cost for hiring a car is quite cheap, especially if you’re renting it out for just a short time. You also don’t have to return the vehicle to your non-existent garage and have its value depreciate over time either. This gives you financial flexibility and the freedom to use a car only when you need to, such as during the holiday season.
We hope these tips will help you navigate Australia and its roads as a newcomer on a budget. All the best!
