Hop-On Hop-Off Services

While many travellers to Australia might not fancy the idea of a rigidly planned and mapped-out tour, preferring to explore this vast, amazing country under their own steam and make their own discoveries, hundreds of Brits do take advantage of the hop on, hop off organised tours such as those run by Oz Experience. These buses travel up and down various popular routes regularly, with a number of scheduled stops in interesting places - and you can jump off whenever you like and jump on another bus in a day or so, week or so, or until your pass runs out (usually valid for 6-12 months).

This is a great idea for first-time trippers, as your bus drivers will know the best places to stop for a swim, surf, photo, bungee jump! plus can recommend top places to visit, eat and drink in cities. Your driver can also book activities and accommodation for you while you’re on the bus; and staying on the bus with the same set of people over a few days means you’ll make plenty of friends, so perfect for lone travellers.

It’s a pretty flexible way of travelling: you may decide when you get to a particular place that you want to stay there for a few days after all, so will leave the bus you’ve been travelling on, only to hook up with a new set of people and driver when you want to carry on - and no rebooking or ticket juggling necessary. Sample tour passes include the Strewth Pass Tour from Cairns to Brisbane, from £156; and the fair Dinkum Pass, where you start and finish in the same place, taking in all the stops along the way such as Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Brisbane, Cairns (make your own way from here to Darwin), Alice Springs, Uluru and the Olgas - from £893. For a guide on how to choose and book a pass, take a look here:

Oz Experience You Tube

Most of your travelmates will be students or graduates; as such there will most likely be a lively atmosphere onboard which will soon break any ice. These tours aren’t just about backpackers though: you’ll meet families on board with children, and older gap year travellers and retirees. If you are a student however or have an STA card, check out the best deals for hop on, hop off trips.

Most major cities have their own mini version of hop on, hop off buses, so if you really want to get to know the landmarks in a short space of time (or just to meet people), ask at your hostel or hotel for details, or take a look at these tours.