See Australia by Bus

Australia-bound passengers should check into a trio of bus passes offered by Greyhound Australia.

The Greyhound Australia bus pass allows unlimited travel and can be purchased for 7, 10, 14, 21, 30 or 60 days. The rates are about $92, $122, $143, $192, $272 and $408, respectively. You can get extensions for about $15 a day, but you have to make arrangements for this before the expiration of the original ticket. Your pass starts on the date you first use it to travel.

If you want to combine accommodations with a bus pass, look into the Great Bus-Pass. You can buy this pass for 7 days of bus travel with accommodations for 5 nights, 10 days with 7 hotel nights, 14 days with 9 hotel nights and 21 days with 15 nights. All accommodations, on a double-occupancy basis (you pay extra if traveling solo), are at Flag Inns. Rates are about $165, $223, $278 and $417, respectively.

Under this program you book your first hotel night in advance, then you can plan the rest of your journey as you wish. You get vouchers for use at the other hotels. It’s a good idea to book your bus travel in advance.

The Aussie Explorer pass permits you to use various planned routes, covering the major cities, with up to 12 months to complete the journey. Accommodations are not included. You have to travel on the circuit in one direction until you return to your starting point.

An example would be a Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide-Ayers Rock-Townsville-Sydney route (or the reverse itinerary), which costs about $238. Another illustration, of particular interest to those following the Americas Cup, is a Perth-Carnarvon-Port Hedland-Newman-Perth itinerary for about $98.

Each Greyhound pass also offers various discounts on car rentals, half- and full-day sightseeing tours and accommodations.

Prices listed for the passes are effective until March, 1987. While some of the passes can be bought in Australia, you have to purchase them in the United States to get them at these rates. The available passes are slightly more expensive in Australia.

Contact travel agents or Greyhound International Sales at (800) 828-1985.