# bus or train ? ? ?



## liam.r

Hi i am goin away with 3 friends in september the 21st we are flying into darwin and the traveling to cairns by campervan and then was wondering what is best to travel from cairns to melbourne bus or train ? And what sort of price are we looking at ? Thanks


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## ibu

Buses are generally a bit cheaper than the train and they are usually a national service where as each state runs it's own train service. They're also a bit faster. The train is more comfortable though as you have room to walk around and the option of eating in the dining cart or going for a drink or snack in the salon car which will probably also show the odd movie to while away the hours. I've done the journey between Townsville and Brisbane on several occasions and must stress that IT IS LONG. I always use to prefer the train because they offered considerable student discounts so it was affordable to travel in a sleeper car which is really the best way to travel if you're long hauling it. They aren't exactly 'high speed' though, the fastest service between Cairns and Brisbane is nearly 24 hours. I'm pretty sure both train and bus offer a travellers pass which gives you the opportunity to get on and off at places along the way. However seating may be limited on services during peak holiday times. Particularly on the train which can book up a months in advance because it's popular with students, the unemployed and people on pensions, all of whom get big discounts. It's really not very cheap if you're paying full fare. The bus from Cairns to Brisbane is probably about 19ish hours.
Google: Queensland rail for info on train tickets and prices
and Mcafferty's or Greyhound for info on bus tickets and prices


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## liam.r

Hi thanks for the replys we have had a look into both and over here it will be cheaper to get the train pass but am worried we will get there Nd alot of trains may be booked up ... We can get a bus pass that is called the oz experiance from sta travel company which they reccomend is the best for socialble reasons and info but yhey are fairly expensive ... 
Would you say we would be best buying some sort of pass before we arrive or just book as we mean to go on once we are there ? Thanks


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## ellesoj

Hi Liam, I have been to a lot of places already and I like renting cars. It can be expensive for one or two people, but more than makes up for it in mobility, time savings and sheer driving pleasure. And it's a blast. If you want to save in your car rentals while experiencing great adventures, I would like to recommend this company that offers great deals in vans/cars. Compare Bookings. You may go to Google's website and type in Compare Bookings, after that you may simply choose from the drop down list Car Rentals.

Feel free to browse for a car/van that you think would suit your need and is within your travelling budget. You may book there for free or call their friendly and very accomodating Customer Help Support team.

Enjoy!


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## dan

rent a car or take the bus

the train line doesn't go to many of the places you want to visit. the bus runs more frequently and it is cheaper.


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## liam.r

Hi Ellesoj i cant seam to find the website you are talking about can you please post the link ? Thanks ... 

And thanks dan that was one of my concerns about the train was its destinations .... Is there many companies over there that are cheap for car hire do you no ? And i will be 22 will that be an issue for insuance ? Thanks


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## ellesoj

Hi liam, 

I can't post for a link as of now, because I am still a junior member on this page. But you may try comparebookingsdotcomslashpslashcarsdothtml hope you can get this.

Best,

Ellesoj


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## liam.r

Ellesoj 
Is this what the webaite is as am struggling to find it i can find compare bookins. Com but that is just coming up to search for hotels not cars ... Is the link you sent as follows

Www.comparebookings.com/p/cars.html ?? Thanks


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## ellesoj

Yes, Liam. That is the site I am talking about. Aside from car rentals, they also offer other travel services like Hotels, Flights, Cruises and Tours at a very affordable price.

Hope that will help you.

Best,

Ellesoj


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## portalmojo

liam.r said:


> Hi i am goin away with 3 friends in september the 21st we are flying into darwin and the traveling to cairns by campervan and then was wondering what is best to travel from cairns to melbourne bus or train ? And what sort of price are we looking at ? Thanks


A bus is more comfortable than a train


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## liam.r

thanks i have checked out the site but doesnt seem that cheap .... 

are any of you lot from ozz ? i have just priced a bus pass from cairns to melbourne with gryhound and the price was £264 sterling ... $403 ad ..
does this sound cheap ? it is a hop on and off and is valid for 90 days ? ..

also anyone aware of any good tours from darwin to cairns ? thanks


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## dan

264 quid is cheap for that ticket.. i would probably take that option if i were you.

age 22 might be a problem to hire a car. look at wickedcampers.com.au ??


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## mason82

liam.r said:


> Hi i am goin away with 3 friends in september the 21st we are flying into darwin and the traveling to cairns by campervan and then was wondering what is best to travel from cairns to melbourne bus or train ? And what sort of price are we looking at ? Thanks


If your not stopping plane is easiest/cheapest/best.


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## liam.r

mason82 said:


> If your not stopping plane is easiest/cheapest/best.


Hi we r planning on travelling the east coast were not goin direct to melbourne but thanks anywas


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## ibu

The price you were quoted sound about right. 

I am an Australian, (from Queensland) but not currently living there. Not sure about tours across from Darwin to Cairns. It's a bit of a hike and there's lots of not much in between sights maybe try typing 'camping tours darwin cairn' into google. Not sure many people do it to be honest but I could be wrong. Main sight in Northern Territory that you would likely to get a tour to from Darwin would be Kakadu national park, Ularu (Ayres rock) is too far in the wrong direction for you to do 'on the way' to Cairns. 

The towns between Darwin and Cairns are pretty dire, as they're all cattle farming or mining towns. Be aware that it is not advisable to wander about on your own in small country towns at night in Australia.

I think you really are going to want most of your time to be allocated to the coast. There are a lot of things to do all the way down including reef trips, visits to beaches and islands, trips to the rainforests and that's just Queensland.


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## rpcarnell

I asked about the Australian train services in another post. It seems the Australian train service is far more efficient than the US's Amtrak system.


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## dan

rpcarnell said:


> I asked about the Australian train services in another post. It seems the Australian train service is far more efficient than the US's Amtrak system.


it is, but for a backpacker travelling around aus.. or anyone under the age of 50, really.. a bus is the best option. it is more flexible, more frequent, just as fast, goes more places and stops closer to them - many of the train lines run inland, far away from the coast where the tourist destinations are.

australian buses are also a lot cleaner and safer than the bus network in the USA.


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## rpcarnell

dan said:


> it is, but for a backpacker travelling around aus.. or anyone under the age of 50, really.. a bus is the best option. it is more flexible, more frequent, just as fast, goes more places and stops closer to them - many of the train lines run inland, far away from the coast where the tourist destinations are.
> 
> australian buses are also a lot cleaner and safer than the bus network in the USA.


Oh well, I am from Panama, when it comes to buses, we probably have the worst service the world has ever seen, and I lived in Florida for 12 years, and the bus network over there, it was dangerous, inefficient, and, not exactly properly maintained, since it was for the poor.


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## dan

yes, the buses in panama suck. i took a bus from panama city to bocas del toro and it was one of the worst bus trips i've taken outside of bolivia.

the buses in australia are much better. not as good as peru or argentina, but much better than america.


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## rpcarnell

dan said:


> yes, the buses in panama suck. i took a bus from panama city to bocas del toro and it was one of the worst bus trips i've taken outside of bolivia.
> 
> the buses in australia are much better. not as good as peru or argentina, but much better than america.


Geez, it seems you have travelled a lot. I envy you.


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## liam.r

Hi all thanks for all the info .. We have recently booked a bus pass which cost us £280 .. It is the OZ experiance we heard it was ment to be better as we will have a guide on the bus has anyone hears od this ? ... We was told that it was ment to be £400 so hopefully we got a good offer ... We are still undecided on how we are geting from darwin to cairns as are pass only starts in cairns ... We cant seem to find a cheap car rental company ?? Thanks


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## 4wdtraveller

liam.r said:


> Hi all thanks for all the info .. We have recently booked a bus pass which cost us £280 .. It is the OZ experiance we heard it was ment to be better as we will have a guide on the bus has anyone hears od this ? ... We was told that it was ment to be £400 so hopefully we got a good offer ... We are still undecided on how we are geting from darwin to cairns as are pass only starts in cairns ... We cant seem to find a cheap car rental company ?? Thanks


There will be not much in the way of cheap hire cars up there and being a 22 yo wont help things.
Any hire car above the 26th paralell(tropic of capricorn) also attracts a higher insurance premium and so does a drivers lic not issued in oz.
Greyhound do run a service from Darwin to Cairns.
I would check on your starting point,their site says you can start in Darwin,Sydney,Cairns.

A lot of young travellers advertise on various sites to share rides/costs with other travellers who own cars,most of them are in your age group.


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## Karlisle

Hello, I would also suggest taking the train if you don't care about a couple of bucks. If you are on a tight budget then I would decide to take the bus because it should be a bit cheaper.


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## RyanD

I would choose a train, it's way more comfortable


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## Lisa1990

Hello!
you could also take they greayhound bus and book the route "cairns to melbourne". you can get the ticket for 1 or 3 months (or more) and hop on / hop off as often as you want to. it runs every day up to 4 times in bigger places. you can purchase it short before the trip. once you have it you get a code to make online booking from which place to which directions you wanna go. we always did it a day before it never had any problems.
hope that helps
btw 3 months cairns-sydney was about 320$


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## mila

I'd choose a train. I think it's more comfortable


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## GTaylor

remember that you can sometimes relocate vans or caravans for the company and pretty much just pay petrol. You need to be flexible with dates and destination though. friends of mine have done this for the rental companies and loved it! good luck and enoy.


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## banyuwangi

I would prefer to choose train instead of bus...


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## roadrunnerrent

If you are 3 friends then take a car on rent. It would be very confort to all and you can get car on rental at roadrunnerrentals now at low cost.


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## cheapbushire

Hi, I think best option is bus than very cheap price. a train is no comfortable.


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