Do I need to hire a car for my Australian holiday?
For freedom to explore on an Australian holiday, hire a car. But the main Australian attractions and traditional tourist highlights can be seen using tours, public transport and domestic flights.
Locals will moan about public transport in the big Australian cities such as Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. But the buses, trains, ferries and trams are more than adequate for visitors.
Most key tourist destinations on the east coast have either airports nearby or decent enough bus or train connections from those major cities.
So for the likes of Byron Bay, Cairns or the Blue Mountains, an Australian holiday is perfectly manageable without driving. Greyhound is the main country-wide bus company, but there are myriad local alternatives, including Premier Bus on the east coast.
Australian flights and tours
Other popular destinations can be tackled with a combo of flying in and tours. For example, the Uluru Hop On Hop Off at Uluru will get you between the Ayers Rock Resort and the big red monolith itself. And Adventure Tours offers four day trips through Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks, plus Katherine Gorge, from Darwin.
Key wine regions such as the Barossa Valley and Hunter Valley can easily be done as day tours from Sydney and Adelaide respectively, while Great Barrier Reef trip operators will usually offer hotel pick-ups in hubs like Cairns and Airlie Beach.
Other regions, notably the South-West, Tasmania, the West Coast and anywhere rural, require often headache-inducing study of bus timetables to get around without a car. And exploring them from behind the wheel is far more enjoyable anyway.
Australian holiday with a hire car
Having a hire car for an Australian holiday also allows you to string together lesser-heralded attractions. In the Sunshine Coast hinterland, for example, you can create your own tour around Mount Tibrogargan, the Maleny Botanic Gardens, Gardners Falls and the Kondalilla National Park.
In the Grampians, a hire car makes it considerably easier to get to the Boroka Lookout, MacKenzie Falls and the Aboriginal rock art sites.
And on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, you’re realistically going to want to rent a car in Port Lincoln to visit Mikkira Station or the Coffin Bay National Park.
So, rule of thumb: If hopping between bases, no hire car is needed. If wanting to cover several sights and small towns in a region, you’re better off with one.
More Australian travel practicalities
Where to see koalas in Australia.
Guide to Australian slang.