Traveling Australia by Bus: What You Need to Know

Learn all about getting around Australia by bus, from the bus companies to check, how to save money on buses in Australia, and more!

If you’re headed to Australia, you’ll realize quickly that it’s a giant country and cities are far apart. Fortunately, they have transportation figured out. In fact, traveling by bus in Australia is pretty easy and reasonably affordable.

If you’re only going from one large city to the next, it probably makes sense to look into flying, but if you’re stopping in some of the smaller towns along the way to see some of Australia’s highlights like Fraser Island, the Whitsundays, Magnetic Island, etc. definitely check out the bus systems.

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Best Bus Companies in Australia

There are two main competing Australia bus companies: Premier and Greyhound. Both offer travel passes which enable you to start in a city and travel in one direction, making as many stops as you would like for one set price.

There are many different passes available dependent on where your starting and end points are, and they can all be purchased and then booked online.

1. Premier Motor Service

Premier Motor Service offers two types of tickets so you have the option to hop on and hop off as you travel Australia by bus or you can buy point to point tickets.

Value Passes from Premier Motor Service

Premier Motor Service offers a number of different Value Pass options. These allow you to hop on and hop off as long as you travel in one direction.

You purchase the pass and then once you book your first leg of the ticket your direction of travel is set. You can then continue to book as many stops along the way as you want. Here are some of their routes and timelines to work with.

Brisbane to/from Cairns: $275 / 6 months
Byron Bay to/from Airlie: $209 / 3 months
Byron Bay to/from Cairns: $258 / 3 months
Byron Bay to/from Cairns: $296 / 6 months
Sydney to/from Airlie: $296 / 6 months
Airlie to/from Eden: $309 / 6 months
Sydney to/from B r isbane: $110 / 3 months
Sydney to/from Cairns: $245 / 1 month
Sydney to/from Cairns: $352 / 3 months
Sydney to/from Cairns: $384 / 6 months
Sydney to/from Eden: $98 / 6 months

Find full details about the Value Passes.

Express Tickets from Premier Motor Service

These are your traditional bus tickets from point to point. You can either book one way or return tickets.

It is possible you would want to do a combination of Value Pass and Express Tickets if at any point you need to travel the other direction from your Value Pass as it does not allow any backtracking.

Find the most up to date ticket information on the official Premier Motor Service website.

2. Greyhound Bus Company

There are three types of options for traveling Australia by Greyhound bus.

National Whimit Travel Passes from the Greyhound Bus Company

The most flexible bus pass in Australia is the Whimit Pass. You can travel in any direction and hop on and off as frequently as you want. No need to plan your trip only going one direction. There are five options available:

15 Day National Whimit Pass: $369
30 Day National Whimit Pass: $465
60 Day National Whimit Pass $529
90 Day National Whimit Pass: $665
120 Day National Whimit Pass: $789

Find full details about the National Whimit Passes.

East Coast Whimit Passes from the Greyhound Bus Company

Similar to Premier’s Value Pass, the East Coast Whimit Passes allow you to begin your journey from a list of 68 popular East Coast destinations between Melbourne and Cairns and then continue in either direction for a set amount of time.

Here are the three options they offer:

Melbourne to/from Cairns: $265 / 7 days
Melbourne to/from Cairns: $339 / 15 days
Melbourne to/from Cairns: $415 / 30 days

Find full details about the East Coast Whimit Pas ses.

Point to Point Tickets from the Greyhound Bus Company

Of course if you only need one bus ticket or are not traveling around a lot, a point to point ticket may be your most cost effective option.

Find details about your ticket needs on the official Greyhound Australia website.

Selecting a Bus Company in Australia

So which company is better for you? That’s completely up to you, but here are some of their differentiating points.

Premier Motor Service

Less expensive option

Only one bus running per day so your time options are limited meaning sometimes buses are overnight, sometimes they’re mid-day

Best if you are limited more on money than time

Greyhound Bus Company

More expensive option

Better known brand

Multiple buses running the routes each day creating more flexibility in your travel schedule

USB charging ports for each seat

Free wi-fi

Best if you are limited more on time than money or have no limits on either

The Australian Bus Company I Ultimately Chose

I purchased a Value Pass to travel with Premier from Byron Bay to Cairns traveling north, but I did take a Greyhound bus from the Gold Coast down to Byron Bay on a point to point ticket as that was traveling South and not covered in my pass at the time.

The convenience of having wi-fi was great on Greyhound but Premier suited my needs better as budget was a bigger factor than time. On some of the buses they showed movies which is both good and bad as the time passes faster if you watch them, but if you aren’t watching, it’s just noise.

On arrival in many cities hostels will offer pickup from all Greyhound and Premier buses so this shouldn’t weigh in on your decision. Either way you go, you will get to your destination and usually on time and at a cheaper overall price than if you book all single point to point tickets.

Traveling by bus in Australia doesn’t have to be complicated. Get ready for an exciting trip up and down the Eastern Coast with Premier or Greyhound.

Plan Your Trip around Australia

Whether you’re headed north to south or south to north, Australia offers a large number of destinations to explore. Here are some additional resources to get you started.

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Traveling Australia by Bus: What You Need to Know