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This was the footnote from my main page, which ended up as long as the page itself! Public transport offers very affordable travel to Melbourne and Canberra, and for some to Sydney, especially for those with concession travel.
News: FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT is available for all of April in Victoria (and on buses in Tasmania)! Trams, and Metro trains, and bases are free, likewise V/Line trains are free and unbooked, but coaches must be booked due to limited seating, or to allow vehicle allocation. This does not apply beyond the immediate area around Victoria, so Albury is included, but not Canberra, Adelaide, etc. Qld has 50 cent fares. Chris Minns' XPT, like everything else in NSW, in still charged: Wakey wakey Chrissy! And Andrew Barr!
Getting to Melbourne: Labor has applied the Melbourne fare cap to the entire state, this being $11.40 or $5.70 (Concession) on weekdays, and $8.00 or $4.00 on weekends. If in greater Melbourne only fares can be paid for using a myki card, or Android 'phones. There is a free city tram zone, although you need to bail out at stop 124 before the bridge, not 124A on the bridge nearer MCEC. On any day you are doing rural travel you can just show your electronic or paper ticket at the ticket gate if they can be bothered to check it, on a bus (orange triangle pattern), although one driver said he just drives the bus, and doesn't look at tickets; or if asked for on a tram, or at a stop. Local trains (blue patterns) are operated by Metro, but have fixed forward or rearward facing seats. There are also silver and plain orange SmartBus buses on cross-town and orbital routes.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is a huge venue. It is across the Clarendon Street from the ultra-tacky Crown casino. Spencer Street changes its name to Clarendon Street at the Yarra. The western entrance is near buses and Montague Street, including the famous truck-decapitating bridge Montague St Light Rail stop.
The Poly Woodside museum ship is beside the site, along with the Boatbuilders Yard, now a food and drink venue. Them Authentic Vietnamese is across the pedestrian and bike Seafarers Bridge.
NaviLens Go is a very useful app on trams, which uses the Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and blacK (CYMK) 5 × 5 coloured "barcodes" at stops and on trams to provide next tram and route information, in visual and spoken form.
If you live in Canberra, Yass, or along the Hume in NSW you can get a V/Line coach (with a partial purple triangle pattern) to Albury or Wodonga, and transfer to a standard gauge V/Locity train at either of these stops, with no further payment as the out-of-state fare exceeds the daily cap, but do book a seat to avoid the risk of standing. It is best to book to Melbourne: Southern Cross. This can be done on arrival at Wodonga if not online, or at the Visitors' Centre stop at Gundagai (which is a V/Line booking point, ticket printing location, and the loo stop). There is also a Canberra to Cooma to Bairnsdale route several times a week (scenic in parts), connecting with trains to Melbourne, or vis-a-versa. Much of southern NSW (coastal and inland), and of Victoria also have V/Line coach stops. Greater than 60 km from the border fares are $38 or $19 on weekdays, or $34.60 or $17.30 on weekends.
V/Line trains include a limited kiosk service, but it is subject to staff availability. I just looked at the menu, and now I want a hot dog... I'd take drinks and snacks personally. Standard gauge sets include a USB-A outlet in the back of each seat, broad gauge has then near flip down seats in spaces which may be used by a wheelchair user.
The Standard Gauge line crosses Maribyrnong River on the Albion Viaduct / Maribyrnong River Viaduct / Quarter Mile Bridge, the highest rail over river bridge in Australia, and highest rail-only over water one.
Driving to Seymour to join trains is popular, as there are more options, including broad gauge V/Locity sets and Sprinters. The Thai there is quite good.
Victorian pensioners can apply for free trips. See: https://www.vline.com.au and Public Transport Victoria: https://transport.vic.gov.au.
The NSW Trainlink XPT also arrives at Southern Cross (with a stop at Broadmeadows in the northern suburbs). You can book from Victorian stations as well as NSW ones, with Trainlink, not with V/Line as was the case previously. Full fares, or somewhat discounted concession fares applies, bailing at Broadmeadows saves money if your accommodation is anywhere other than near Southern Cross, so you have to use a metro train anyway.
And Lord of the Fries, at major stations and elsewhere, does great breakfast food, Chick'n, and burgers - I'd go there over McD's, HJs, KFC, etc. They also happen to be vegan friendly. High end doughnuts are also a thing around the city. Victoria Markets is another must-visit place.
The Victoria Hotel in Little Collins Street, just up from Swanston Street, is a long-standing tradition for accommodation, although it has moved upmarket, and thus price scale, although not excessively. It has been termed a "private hotel" as it provides accommodation, rather then being a pub (there is a bar for guests). They do have a King Single option with a small saving over a Queen. See: Info & Bookings. More recently I stayed in a low cost room in Glen Waverley overnight - clever until I accepted an invitation to an early breakfast presentation. But I did get to talk to EVs about someone on the train. Maybe the answer to "Which EV is best?" is the one inspired by the car hubby has always wanted, a Mach-E if a Mustang; a Macan, Cayenne, or Taycan if a Porsche, etc
Pensioners (nationally) can buy Concession myki cards at significant stations, including Wodonga, or order them online. Ditto Child ones. They cost $3 instead of the full fare $6, and yes, these are also available at stations, including from Myki machines. From the airport use the 901 SmartBus to Broadmeadows or Epping; or a station closer to your non-city accommodation, noting that it potentially takes longer to get to Dandenong or Frankston than the train via the city. Myki: https://transport.vic.gov.au/tickets-and-myki/myki. The third party Moovit app may be useful.
Melbourne Showgrounds are north of Flemington racecourse, and north-west of the CBD. If the event is considered "Major" you can get a train from Southern Cross. Or you can get a Route 57 tram at any time (30 minutes travel), commencing in Elizabeth Street, or a 57a shuttle for major events.
There is a new "metro" tunnel - Sydney people fear not - seats are crossways, and it operates in driver supervised automatic mode here, and manually on surface or skyrail segments closer to Dandenong and Sunbury. The new Town Hall connects to Flinders Street; and State Library to Melbourne Central on the City Loop. Arden is near the University and major hospitals.
Despite all the impotent anger (now turned misogynistic) you might see on Farcebook, against the premier and government, especially over their much needed public transport expansion, the only significant negative is that there are not as many express or limited stop outer suburbs to city services as in Sydney. Although some outer suburban services do skip certain stations near the city.
The Westgate Punt is EFTPOS and Credit card only, with no Myki, and no cash. AMEX works, meaning JCB does too. On weekdays it is $3 per trip, thanks to PTV support, or $5 on weekends and holidays. Ferries elsewhere are fully outside the PTV system. See: https://westgatepunt.com/. Fares still apply in April.
Firefly, Flix, and other coach companies link Sydney and Melbourne, with various stops.
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| MG4 EV in Albury, fitted with a bike rack. |
Trainlink operates the XPT and Xplorer (XPL) railway services. They also operate coaches around the state, and into the ACT, ditto along the southern border and to Adelaide. If your trip uses Trainlink for part you can book to any Sydney Trains station, Stations downgraded from heavy rail to Metro only have been removed, but places to which the pink rail replacement buses run remain possible for all future bookings, including dates which may be post downgrade. Airport stops are also excluded. Bathurst, and certain Goulburn services allow Opal travel on a coach, but book a seat to prevent being left behind. NSW and ACT pensioners get four free trips per year, including Canberra; to get to Melbourne you pay only for the interstate component. Kids travel for $1 dollar with a full-fare paying adult, but concession adults have to pay for the first kid. Under 4s are free.
XPT and XPLs have food on board. You can buy light items as required; pies you order an hour before so they can be heated. The Endeavours do not have food, nor event a tray table as the seats flip rather than rotating. D-sets have fixed seats, allowing a tray.
With free (or any ticket) you can book say from Albury (overnight XPT) to Bathurst via Sydney, using an electric train and coach, or the slow "Bullet" Endeavours; or to the Upper Hunter. The part beyond Sydney is on the Opal network, but with no need to tap a card. I add this because one trip back from Melbourne I used one of my free tickets from Albury, having also booked a V/Line service from Melbourne to there which also gave me included travel in Melbourne (and to places such as Geelong and back). The wait is a bit over an hour between trains; I wandered to a supermarket.
For pension card holders, it is possible to use small rail segments and/or coaches to get from the south of the state to the Central West or to the north on a CPE, avoiding paying a half-fare for going via Sydney.
Some sets will one day be replaced by Electro-Diesel Multiple Units (R-sets) built with great tardiness by CAF in Spain (thanks Gladys) instead of local options.
Sydney Trains has taken over Endeavour DMUs and Hunter sets, along with all Electric Multiple Units. Comfortable V-set services have ended, with only "Oscar" H-sets from the Illawarra and D-sets from Central Coast and Newcastle Interchange, and from the Blue Mountains. "Mariyung" is a racist pun on EMU / emu. Seats are fixed direction, and bolt upright (ick). From the Mountains the "Bathurst Bullet" maybe be the best option, with moving seats at a comfort level I'd rate between V and D.
Ticketing on these is by contactless credit / debit card (Visa, MC, Amex, but not UnionPay), electronic wallet, or the Opal card. Pension Card Holders and Seniors from anywhere in Australia must apply for the gold coloured Opal card ahead of travel to get the $2.50 daily cap*. TAFE students and job seekers (non-DES) can apply for a Concession one (silver), job seekers need to live in NSW, and apply for a Transport Concession Entitlement card. For Adults (black) and kids (green) this is optional, but otherwise you need to buy from a shop, not a railway station! Crazy, hey?
*Be aware that, being owned by banksters, Sydney airport stations have excessively high station access fees. Take the 420 or 350 bus to Mascot (Domestic) for normal fares; walk to Mascot; or use the 420 to/from Arncliffe (a short walk), Banksia, or Rockdale; or Campsie; or the marked destination, Burwood. Also a gold Opal is not a DVA Gold Pass.
The regular ferry service to or from Manly is now back to the large Freshwater class, not the unseaworthy imports, even if the operation is contracted out to the French. The F4 ferry goes to Pyrmont Bay Wharf close to the International Convention Centre. Note that using "OpalPay" on the fully private Fast Ferry from Manly eats massive amounts from the balance, without being counted for any daily cap.
For many getting to ICC is by the L1 light rail from Central's outside concourse or Capital Square to Exhibition, or from Dulwich Hill. "Convention" is at the northern end of the site. The 389 bus from Bondi Junction via Paddington and Town Hall Stand J to Pyrmont / Maritime Museum, at the northern end of the site; 501 from runs from Parramatta via Ryde and Gladesville, and along Harris Street to Central.
The Royal Agricultural Society was forced to move out of Moore Park in Sydney to the old abattoir site at Homebush Bay, as the result of a very "unusual" deal between the NSW "Liberals" and Fox to build studios, on land gifted in perpetuity to the people of NSW. The "Sydney Showground" name transferred with the move. Get the shuttle train from Platform 0 at Lidcombe (yes, zero) to "Olympic Park", or get a bus 526 from Strathfield or Rhodes; 533 from Chatswood via Ryde; or 525 from Parramatta. For truly major events there are special trains from the long distance part of Central, aka Sydney Terminal, and elsewhere; ditto special buses. One day you will be able to wobble your way there on a Metro, or use Light Rail. The Olympic Park ferry wharf is a bus trip or a very long walk away.
If you live on the line to Broken Hill and are in Sydney on a Sunday at an event which ends before ~5pm (or 3 pm) get a Bullet to Bathurst, crash at a motel or a pub, then get the Xplorer at a more pleasant hour, and only pay $2.50 if a pensioner (about 0.28¢ per km - a quarter of a cent). This likely works for other cross-over points.
The Country Pensioner Excursion map is here: CPE Map and Opal Map
RED - Regional Excursion Daily for pension card holders, etc is the final element. Info: Regional Buses. These are available on non-Opal buses across rural NSW. This includes NSW based CDC Canberra (but ACTION (ACT government) ones). If you get a rural local bus to a train or coach then from the stop/station to your final destination, the driver is required to accept it. If they stuff you around immediately call the Rural Transport Minister's 02 7225 6220. It is currently Jenny Aitchison. There is a form here: Minister for Roads & Regional Transport
These include Centrelink issued pensioner cards and eCards from NSW, Victoria or ACT including for disability pensioners and injured jobseekers (DES, now "Inclusive Employment Australia"); and NSW Seniors; and war widows. Note that using a credit/debit card on a rural bus is a standard transaction, like buying a drink, not a tap-on and tap-off thing. Retain the RED and use that for subsequent trips that day.
Trainlink: https://transportnsw.info/regional-travel, Trip Planner: https://transportnsw.info/trip#/trip, and Opal: https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/opal. The Opal App is useful for checking tap-on status, balances, and trip planning. If a service is subject to industrial stupidity, etc, you can turn that mode off.
Murrays and Premier Motor Service are have a range of services, including from Canberra and the NSW south coast, and Greyhound has less frequent services from Canberra, and elsewhere. See https://www.murrays.com.au/ and https://premierms.com.au/
The primary coach stop is the Jolimont Centre opposite the Alinga Street Light Rail Stop (currently the terminus). Multiple City Interchange bus "platforms" surround this terminus. West Row very close by has other coaches. The train station is at Kingston. Buses along Wentworth Avenue link to the city (marked R2 Belconnen), with selected R2 services entering the station area. Quite a few Trainlink and some V/Line coaches stop here.
Trainlink trains travel from Sydney to Canberra via Goulburn and Queanbeyan. Trainlink and V/Line coaches converge on Canberra as well, including those mentioned, including from western NSW. Murrays have stopping coaches from the Wollongong via Moss Vale and Goulburn; from the NSW south coast; and express ones from Sydney. Trains or Trainlink coaches from Goulburn to Canberra, coaches from Cooma to Canberra using Trainlink, and similar routes outside Sydney using Trainlink can be $2.50 if using Country Pensioner Excursion (CPE) tickets. Wagga Wagga is another Trainlink route.
The Wollongong to Canberra Murrays is in the morning, returning in the evening. There area also Wollongong ↔ Moss Vale Trainlink coach services. They use the coach stop on the the station property (stop 257711), as do replacement services.
The Airport has a stop used by some coaches, and the R3 to/from Belconnen via the City. No $20+ train tickets here. A Trainlink coach (784) leaves Belco at 17:10, the city at 17:30, airport at 17:50, then north avoiding city traffic, and gets to Goulburn at 19:00. You can sleep here, then get the 07:34 to Moss Vale, and on to Sydney. The T5 line from Glenfield to Parramatta and Blacktown allows connections west. A few Trainlink services visit hospitals (eg at Woden), etc which have good local bus connections.
Greyhound have very limited early morning services only. New player Flixbus has a mix of tickets from around $32 to over $67 - no $9.99 ones at the moment, thus higher and lower than Murrays, which is capped at $54.
For pensioners a trick is getting a Sydney Trains / Opal card Diesel train to Moss Vale, then joining Murrays from Wollongong to Jolimont (city) service at the Moss Vale Court House stop (257719). Bailing out of the coach at Goulburn and waiting for a Trainlink train using a CPE ticket is the ultra frugal option (visit the library, maybe). There are a couple of Sydney Trains / Opal buses from Camplbelltown to or from Goulburn and Trainlink coaches over the same route. It is possible to reach this coach's starting point from Sydney by train, or to return to Sydney from Wollongong very late.
Leaving Sydney super-early on weekdays lets you mix Opal and CPE (or at semi-sensible times on weekends). This uses the SH100 Moss Vale ↔ Goulburn Opal bus service, which leaves on Moss vale at 09:20 weekdays, and 11:40 on weekends. The reverse is 13:20 on weekdays, or 14:20 on weekends, meeting trains to Sydney. They arrive at Leighton Gardens, in Argyle Street, named for a park (257735), and while being listed as departing here likely leave from the court over the road as the may shows them going south, not making a loop. It is listed on the SHL - Southern Highlands Line timetable, marked as (Bus). There are in the pop-out menu obtained by clicking "Intercity Trains" at: https://transportnsw.info/routes/train. Booked seat trains in the area and beyond: https://transportnsw.info/regional-southern-line
Local transport is light rail and buses, many electric. R is Rapid, with a single digit, say R7. The R may be absent. Because numbering things 0 confuses people R10 / 10 is also rapid. Two digits wend their way through suburban streets. 3 digits are peak or shuttle routes; 4 digits are school routes, Pensioners can use the MyWay+ app for free off-peak travel or paid travel in peak; others use it for for paid travel. It generates a QR code which you scan. Interstate Seniors can get free or low cost travel too. Rock on over to: https://www.transport.act.gov.au/tickets-and-myway/account
Note that Canberra has districts: Belconnen, or "Belco", is the district around Belconnen; but Woden is the area around Phillip, and the name of the updated transport interchange and shopping centre. Civic refers to the area with "Canberra" as the address, and maybe the immediate surrounds.
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| An electric bus at the southern end of the R7 route at Weston Creek Terminus, which has rural / bush views. |
Queanbeyan bus interchange is maybe a kilometre from the station - a solid walk with luggage.
CBR and QBN are linked by NSW Transport contractor and buyer of Q-City Buses, CDC Canberra. For pensioner card holders they issue $2.50 RED (Regional Excursion Daily) tickets which can be used across rural NSW. Some use the Trainlink train for the short commute!
There is lots of great food around the city and elsewhere, but Uyghur Cuisine at Shop 4/114 Emu Bank, Belconnen is great, and affordable. It is from western China, so has strong Middle Eastern influences. Dumplings, lamb skewers, and noodle dishes are the headline items, with tofu also available. We also had a dish with enoki mushrooms. Large groups can order a whole lamb. Let the staff guide you, as some westerners may find some items challenging. The Saffron Room at 57A Nellie Hamilton Ave, Gungahlin was recommended by a friend.
The original Fenner House towers are now the Canberra Accommodation Centre with affordable single and double rooms with shared facilities up to 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartments. Heating is by steam radiators - something rare in Sydney, but adjust the tap to very the heating. It has shared cooking facilities. It is right on the Ipima Street Light Rail and bus stops. It includes parking. The city is in walking distance. Forrest Hotel and Apartments is National Circuit, Forrest. It has stops on Route 59 between Woden and City / ANU at the door. Ibis Styles Canberra is in Goyder St, Narrabundah, a short walk from the Harmonie German Club in 49 Jerrabomberra Ave, which has a small piece of the Berlin Wall outside it, as a memorial. The motel is on the R6 and 56 routes. R6 to Belconnen goes via the city, from the stop opposite the motel; 56 to the City & ANU from the side of the motel, as R6 to Woden does.
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| A 1988 Subaru 700 Sherpa recently converted by Electrogusto using a P70 electric motor. According to the site it has sentimental value. |
V/Line coaches run from various Victorian locations, but currently not Mildura, which was an important service which the Victorian government should re-instate (maybe elect a local member who can join Cabinet, or is at least in the Labor Caucus). Kennett also removed Mildura's train (getting to Adelaide is possible, but transfer wait times are excessive). One coach leaves from Albury on arrival of the XPT from Sydney, at around 4 am (ouch). The return leaves Adelaide at 8:00. There is a cross-country link from Geelong joining a train at Ballarat to Ararat before going onto a new bus. This train also leaves Southern Cross at 7:53, while the train to Bendigo leaves Southern Cross at 7:01 to meet a different coach. You can either option online. They arrive at or depart from "Adelaide City" coach station at 85 Franklin Street. See: Timetables. Scroll to top of the last block. Map and Bookings
Trainlink run a few coaches per week to Adelaide from Broken Hill: Friday and Monday morning to Adelaide, and Tuesday and Sunday afternoon back to BH. Coaches connect to Dubbo and thus the XPT, ditto the Xplorer if you stay 2 nights. These use the Franklin Street stop, as well as one at Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The Indian-Pacific was public transport until Howard flogged it off, and it became a tour for millionaires, requiring booking a year ahead. The Overland is a twice weekly Melbourne - Adelaide service run by the same company. It departs Adelaide Sundays and Thursdays, returning Mondays and Fridays. On certain routes within Victoria V/Line subsidises the fares, but not to Adelaide.
The south-east of SA has a fairly extensive network of coaches. While you book with the company, Adelaide Metro has a list: Regional Services
Adelaide has a good network of electric and diesel-battery hybrid trains running on broad gauge track, plus trams. O-Bahn buses use a nylon wheel to guide buses along a concrete track to the north-eastern suburbs, as well as on ordinary roads. A route bus runs from the airport. You can pay by app or buy a card, or use a credit or debit card (Visa, MC, or AMEX (which may or may not include JCB), but not UnionPay - maybe they are being racist?). Adelaide station is a terminal station on North Terrace near Adelaide Convention Centre. All broad gauge trains leave it in the westward direction, before turning as necessary. The private standard gauge ones use Adelaide Parklands Terminal, 450 metres from a bus stop, 700 metres from Adelaide Showground railway station (which operates year-round).
There are a number of houses available in North Adelaide, just across the river from the Adelaide Convention Centre. One is the former Fire Station, which has an old fire engine parked in it (the Fire Station Inn), although not cheap stay. Naturally there are multiple options in the city and beyond. Adelaide Riviera Hotel is affordable and close. Adelaide is interesting in that away from Rundle Street Mall, the shopping district, many low to medium height building remain, many very old. Central Markets are also worth a visit.
Anytrip is a website and App. The site, whether on PC or 'phone browser allows filtering, including for electric buses. This is paid in the app. Site: https://anytrip.com.au/. Note that in each case you must select the state, territory, or nation (NZ) you are in. This means they may not play well in border areas. And of course, they rely on a person
The Opal app provides planning in NSW, including non-opal option, but only if they are NSW related. The same applies to the Transport for NSW planner. Thus they tell you to use QBN based "CDC Canberra" service when using them within the ACT is restricted. Or it tells you to leave the train at QBN, and get an CDC bus. *Maybe* google maps works better in such cases.
You can try EV Stays for accommodation if booking ahead, rates are often at the frequent-user rates of other sites: https://www.evstays.co/
Written by Julian Sortland, VK2YJS & AG6LE, April 2026.
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