Getting Around Australia (2026)
Australia is enormous and public transport between regional towns is thin to nonexistent, which makes "how do I get around" one of the biggest planning and budget decisions for any longer trip. The three real options — bus pass, buy a car, or hire a van — solve genuinely different trips, and picking the wrong one for your actual plans is an easy way to overspend or end up stuck.
Greyhound / Premier — bus passes
Greyhound's hop-on-hop-off passes are the default for anyone sticking to the east coast corridor without a vehicle. Reasonably priced for the distance covered, no vehicle maintenance or fuel to think about, and it connects most of the towns travelers actually pass through between Sydney and Cairns.
The limitation is coverage: it's built for the coastal trail, not for reaching an inland town or anywhere off the main highway. If your plans take you off that corridor, you're arranging a separate lift, taxi, or rideshare for the last leg regardless of how good your bus pass is.
Buying a car — real flexibility for a longer trip
For anyone staying more than a couple of months, buying a used car — often through Facebook groups or dedicated buy-back yards near Sydney and Cairns that specifically cater to travelers who'll resell before they leave — is usually cheaper over the length of a longer stay than renting, and it's the only option that reaches places a bus simply doesn't go.
The risk is real and well documented in the same Facebook groups: unregistered vehicles, undisclosed mechanical issues, and buy-back yards that lowball the resale price at the end. It's also entirely on you to sort registration, roadworthy certificates, and insurance — paperwork that varies by state and trips up a lot of first-timers.
Jucy / campervan relocation deals — vans
Jucy and similar campervan companies rent by the day, and relocation deals — moving a van from where a previous renter dropped it back to where the company needs it — can be extremely cheap or even free if your route happens to match. It's the path of least admin: no buying, no reselling, no roadworthy certificate to chase down.
Standard daily rental adds up fast over months, and relocation deals are opportunistic by nature — the route and dates are fixed by the company's needs, not yours, so it rarely lines up perfectly with your own plans.
Side by side
| Greyhound pass | Buying a car | Jucy relocation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reaches inland or remote areas | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Cost over a longer stay | Moderate | Lowest, if resold well | Highest, unless relocating |
| Admin (rego, insurance) | None | Significant | None |
| Doubles as accommodation | — | Only if a campervan | Yes |
| Schedule flexibility | Fixed routes | Full control | Limited to relocation routes |
Pricing and route details vary by season and region, mid-2026 — always get a current quote before committing.
The gap nobody covers
Most people pick a transport option before they've fully worked out where their trip is actually going to take them, which works out fine for a fixed two-week itinerary and less well for anything longer or more open-ended. If your plans include working somewhere off the main corridor, that's worth checking before committing to a bus pass specifically — see the working holiday guide for more on how regional work and transport interact.
Which option actually fits your trip?
- Sticking to the coastal trail, short trip: Greyhound pass — cheapest option with zero admin for that specific route.
- Staying several months or longer, want real flexibility: buy a car, and budget for registration and a roadworthy certificate in whichever state you buy in.
- Want accommodation and transport solved at once, budget allowing: a campervan, either purchased or via a relocation deal if your dates and route happen to line up.
- Short trip, sticking to well-connected areas: rideshare and the occasional short-term rental will usually beat any of the above on total cost.
FAQ
Is it cheaper to buy or rent a car for a longer trip in Australia?
Buying is usually cheaper over a longer stay if you resell reasonably well at the end, but it comes with registration, insurance, and roadworthy paperwork that renting avoids entirely.
What are campervan relocation deals?
Rental companies sometimes need vehicles moved back to a depot and offer heavily discounted or free rentals for travelers willing to drive that specific route on a fixed schedule. Worth checking if your dates and direction happen to match.
Is Greyhound enough to see Australia properly?
For the east coast corridor, yes. Anywhere off that main trail — inland, remote, or regional areas — generally isn't well served by bus, so factor that in before assuming a pass covers your whole trip.
Alex Turner is a travel blogger who has spent extended stretches of time in Australia, moving between cities, road trips, and regional stays.