Click here to send us an email
GETTING ABOUT in New South Wales + ACT
Sydney Harbour ferry © Tourism New South Wales
Scroll down for information about Air Travel NSW+ACT, Train/CoachTraveNSW+ACT, Ferries NSW, Driving in NSW+ACT

Getting about by AIR in NSW + ACT

International and domestic flights operate separately from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport www.sydneyairport.com.au using separate terminals on opposite sides of the runway. The airport is located at Mascot, 8km south of central Sydney. The airport in the ACT is about 7 km east of central Canberra.
Domestic airlines operating into and out of NSW are Qantas www.qantas.com.au, Virgin Blue www.virginblue.com.au, Jetstar www.jetstar.com.au, and Rex (Regional Express) www.rex.com.au. The Asian carrier Tiger Airways www.tigerairways.com currently operate from Newcastle and Canberra to their hub in Melbourne.

Getting about by TRAIN or COACH (Bus) in NSW + ACT
The Airport Link www.airportlink.com.au underground railway connects Sydney Airport to the City Circle train line. Metro Transport Sydney www.metromonorail.com.au run the harbour city’s light rail system whilst CityRail www.cityrail.info run the Sydney metropolitan trains, plus commuter services north to Newcastle, west to Katoomba and Lithgow, south to Bomaderry via Woolongong and southwest through the Southern Highlands to Goulburn. Other train services within New South Wales are operated by Countrylink www.countrylink.info which also has a twice daily service to Melbourne in Victoria. Most large towns in the state can be reached by train or by a train and bus combination. All local and interstate trains arrive at Sydney’s Central Station.  The main train station for the ACT is in Kingston, a suburb of Canberra.  Municipal buses are a good way to get about in the ACT.
Private bus companies that service routes into and out of NSW include Greyhound Australia www.greyhound.com.au, Premier Motor Services www.premierms.com.au who operate along the coast to Melbourne and Brisbane.  Firefly Express www.fireflyexpress.com.au go to Melbourne and Adelaide.  Murrays Coaches www.murrays.com.au run to Canberra, and Port Stephens Coaches www.pscoaches.com.au operate from Newcastle and Port Stephens to Sydney.
In and around Sydney there is a comprehensive bus network, mainly used by commuters although there are a couple of bus pass schemes aimed at visitors.  The schedules are a little confusing in that some routes are 'Pre-pay only' - full details are on the website for Sydney Buses www.sydneybuses.info
BACKPACKER BUSES: Oz Experience www.ozexperience.com is a hop-on, hop-off bus service aimed at young travellers and operating between Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.  Wayward Bus www.waywardbus.com.au offers a variety of routes through south eastern Australia, mainly connecting Melbourne with Adelaide and Sydney.

Getting about by FERRY in NSW

Although there are still a few small car ferries left in NSW which transport vehicles across rivers where a bridge is yet to be built, the main location for scheduled passenger ferries is of course on Sydney Harbour, operated by the world famous Sydney Ferries www.sydneyferries.info. Other passenger ferries operate on  Pittwater, Brisbane Waters, Port Hacking and the Hawkesbury, Hunter and Clarence Rivers.  There are no ferries in the ACT although sightseeing cruises operate on Lake Burley Griffin.

Getting about by RENTAL VEHICLE in NSW + ACT

 Sea Cliff Bridge, Grand Pacific Drive, Illawara, south of Sydney © Tourism New South Wales
With an extensive and largely well maintained network of roads, NSW is an interesting state in which to self drive - the Sea Cliff Bridge south of Sydney is pictured. 
The leading vehicle hire firms are … Europcar, Budget, Avis, Thrifty, Hertz and Red Spot.  For motorhomes and campervans the main suppliers are Apollo, Britz and Maui.  The main motoring organisation in NSW and the ACT  is National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) www.nrma.com.au

Toll Roads

There are 9 different toll road schemes in and around Sydney, 4 of which currently operate a 'No cash' electronic payment system (E-tag).  This is all rather confusing for visitors.  If you accidentally get onto a No Cash/E-tag road you have an option to pay retrospectively (including an administration fee) as long as you contact the toll operator quickly.
Here is a list of the current Sydney Toll Operators
Toll Road Payment Options Website Phone number Operator
Harbour Bridge Cash, E-tag or E-pass www.rta.nsw.gov.au 13 18 65 RTA NSW Govt
Harbour Tunnel No Cash, call for temporary E-tag or E-pass www.rta.nsw.gov.au 13 18 65 RTA NSW Govt
Lane Cove Tunnel and Falcon Street gateway No Cash, call for temporary E-tag or E-pass www.connectormotorways.com.au 13 31 11  Connector Motorways
Cross city tunnel No Cash, call for temporary E-tag or E-pass www.crosscity.com.au (02) 9033 3999 CrossCity Motorway
M7 - North/South No Cash, call for temporary E-tag or E-pass www.westlinkm7.com.au 13 86 55 Transurban
M2 - North West Cash, E-tag or E-pass www.hillsm2.com.au 13 76 26 Transurban
MI - Eastern Distributor Cash, E-tag or E-pass www.easterndistributor.com (02) 8356 2200 Transurban
M4 - West Cash or E-tag www.m4motorway.com.au 1300 880 099 State Wide Roads NSW Govt
M5 - South West Cash or E-tag www.m5motorway.com.au 1300 658 652 Interlink Roads
We also have a separate page Transport in Australia which has information and advice about driving in Australia.
 
Return to - Top   NSW + ACT Summary Page   NSW Regions Intro   AUS GUIDE BOOK Contents Page  or hit 'Back' button
 HOME

Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given.