Destination Guides > Australia > Western Australia > Perth > Coming & Going
Perth
Coming & Going
Perth is a long way from anywhere and most interstate visitors fly here, however there are also trains to the east coast and buses to most destinations within Western Australia.
AIR
Because of the distance between Perth and the other big cities, flying is the most popular way to get here. Jetstar, Qantas, Skywest, Tiger Airways and Virgin Blue fly into Perth.
Perth Airport (tel (08) 9478 8888) is 12km northeast of the city centre. The international and domestic terminals are located several kilometres apart and locals often talk about them as if they’re separate airports. The domestic terminal is served by local bus routes 37 and 39 as well as the more expensive Airport City Shuttle and Fremantle Airport Shuttle, which also serve the international terminal.
The Airport City Shuttle (tel 1300 666 806) is the quickest option into the city centre and charges $20 from the international terminal or $15 from the domestic terminal.
Jandakot Airport, south of the city centre handles some regional flights including flights to Rottnest Island.
BUS
Perth has three bus terminals. Greyhound (tel 1300 473 946) buses to Broome and Transwa (tel 1300 662 205) buses to destinations in southwestern WA that depart from the East Perth Terminal (train East Perth). Integrity (tel (08) 9226 1339) buses to Port Hedland depart from the Wellington Street Bus Station at 554 Wellington Street (train Perth). Southwest Coachlines (tel (08) 9324 2333) operate buses to the southwest including Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River. Southwest buses depart from the Esplanade Busport on Mounts Bay Road (train Esplanade).
TRAIN
The East Perth Terminal is the terminus for long distance trains. Transwa (tel 1300 662 205) has trains to Bunbury and Kalgoorlie and Great Southern Railway operate the Indian Pacific to Sydney with stops at Kalgoorlie, Adelaide and Broken Hill. The East Perth Terminal is part of Transperth’s suburban train network with frequent trains to the city centre and Fremantle.
HITCHHIKING
Perth’s local buses and trains run a long way from the centre, so it’s pretty easy to get to some prime hitchhiking spots.
If you’re heading to Bunbury and the Margaret River region, take the train to Mandurah and hitch from there.
If you want a lift to Albany or Esperance take a train to Armadale and then walk to the Albany Highway (route 30).
The Great Eastern Highway (route 94) runs from Perth to Kalgoorlie and across the Nullarbor Plain to Adelaide. Take a train to Midland and then a bus to Mundaring and wait for a lift on the highway just outside town. Use a sign as the road splits soon after Mundaring.
The Brand Highway (route 1) heads north up the west coast to Exmouth, Broome and eventually to Darwin. Take a train to Midland, and then it’s a long walk to the better hitching spots on the Brand Highway.
