Destinations > South Australia > Adelaide > Coming & Going

Adelaide

Coming & Going

Adelaide is well connected by road and rail to the rest of the country and most travellers heading to the outback will pass through the city.

AIR

Adelaide Airport is centrally located between the city centre and West Beach. The airport has frequent flights to most domestic destinations including Alice Springs, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and also handles some international flights.

Many hostels in Adelaide offer free pick up from the airport but it is best to phone ahead to book first. The Jetbus is the cheapest way to travel between the airport and the city centre. The trip costs just $3.50 ($2.10 off peak) and you can use Adelaide Metro Multitrip and Daytrip tickets on Jetbus services. A more expensive option is the Skylink airport shuttle bus (tel (08) 8332 2644; website www.skylinkadelaide.com), which costs $7.50 and runs between the airport terminals and the city centre with a stop at the Keswick Rail Terminal.

If you're arriving on a late flight you'll need to take a taxi into town, which will cost $12-15.

BUS

The Central Bus Station is situated on Franklin Street and is close to several backpackers hostels. Premier Stateliner and several other smaller companies run to destinations within South Australia, Firefly has buses to Melbourne and Sydney and McCafferty's/Greyhound go everywhere including the long-haul across the outback to Darwin via Coober Pedy and Alice Springs and also the marathon 35 hour journey to Perth. There are quite a few travel agencies around the bus station who sell discount tickets and travel passes.

TRAIN

Train service is pretty good out of Adelaide with trains to Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Trains terminate at the Keswick Interstate Rail Terminal about 2km southwest of the city centre.

Both the Ghan to Alice Springs and Darwin and the Indian Pacific to Perth are rated as Australia's top train journeys. Although you're really just looking at desert for hours on end, it is a much more comfortable option than the bus. The train is usually more expensive than travelling by bus, however the discounts offered by flashing your VIP or YHA card make this a travel option worth considering. Check the budget travel agents around Franklin Street for the best deal.

HITCHHIKING

Hitching out of Adelaide is fairly average although you can sometimes get lucky with long rides, especially if you're heading north or west.

If you're heading to Melbourne it is best to wait for a lift on Mount Barker Road before it joins the South Eastern Freeway. Take bus 100, 146, 161, 163, 163F, 164, 164F, 165, 166, 830F, 832, 840F, 841F and 842F and get off at Mount Barker Road in Urrbrae. The area on Mount Barker Road to the east of the intersection of Cross, Glen Osmond and Portrush Roads is a good spot to try your luck. Use a sign because this road gets a bit of local traffic to the Adelaide Hills.

Main North Road between Elizabeth and Gawler is your best bet for lifts to the fruit picking spots on the Murray River as well as rides to Broken Hill and Sydney. Take the train to Munno Para or Kudla station and walk about five minutes to Main North Road to wait for a lift. This road gets a bit of local traffic to the Barossa Valley and splits into two roads shortly after the turn off for Gawler so you'll need to use a sign indicating either your destination or the road you want to travel along. The Barrier Highway (route 32) goes to Sydney via Broken Hill. The Sturt Highway (route 20) goes via the fruit picking areas near the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers and joins up with the Hume Highway near Wagga Wagga where you can continue on to Sydney.

You may be lucky enough to get some really long lifts if you're heading north towards Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and Darwin or west towards Perth. For all directions north and west you'll need to get a lift north along the Princes Highway towards Port Augusta. At Port Augusta the road splits into two, the Eyre Highway (route 1) to Perth and the Stuart Highway (route 87) north to Alice Springs and Darwin. To leave Adelaide in this direction, you'll need to get a northbound lift on the Princes Highway (route 1), also known as Port Wakefield Road. Take buses 222 or 224 past the intersection where the road splits into Main North Road (route 20) and Port Wakefield Road (route 1), bus 222 terminates at this intersection and bus 224 continues along Port Wakefield Road. Get off the bus on Port Wakefield Road and find a safe place to wait for a lift.

Be careful not to confuse the Sturt and Stuart Highways if you're hitching with a sign showing the name of the road you want to travel on.

An easier option is BUG Ride (website http://australia.bugride.com), BUG's own web-based ride sharing service, which allows travellers to offer lifts and search for rides throughout Australia.