Getting There By Air:Perth International Airport (PER) Tel: (08) 9478 8888.
Website:
www.perthairport.comPerth's airport has three terminals - the international terminal, located 13km (8 miles) northeast of the city center; the domestic terminal, located 10km (6 miles) northeast of the city; and the regional terminal, which is located next to the domestic terminal. Transfers between the terminals are easily available and fairly frequent.
Airport facilities: Facilities include
foreign exchange, ATMs, restaurants, snack bars, duty-free shopping, children's playground and a non-denominational quiet room for prayer or quiet contemplation.
Avis,
Budget,
Hertz,
National Car Rental and
Thrifty all provide car hire services. Internet access is available.
Transport to the city: The
Airport City Shuttle (tel: (08) 9277 7015) meets every arrival within 30-45 minutes and operates between both domestic and international terminals and the city center (journey time - 45-60 minutes).
Fremantle Airport Shuttle services must be booked in advance (tel: (08) 9457 7150). Bus 37 operates between the domestic terminal and the city center.
Black & White taxis (tel: (08) 131 008) run to the city center from the international and the domestic terminals.
Approximate flight times to Perth: From London is 17 hours 45 minutes; from New York is 25 hours; from Los Angeles is 18 hours; from Toronto is 24 hours and from Sydney is 4 hours 30 minutes.
Getting There By Road:Traffic in Australia drives on the left side of the road and highways are numbered, although they are more commonly known by name. By law, drivers and passengers must wear seat belts or incur a fine. Unless otherwise indicated, the speed limit in Western Australia for metropolitan areas is 50kph (31mph), while on motorways the speed limit is 110kph (68mph). The maximum legal blood to alcohol ratio for driving is 0.05%, which is enforced with random breath tests.
The minimum age for driving is 16 years. Foreign driving licenses are valid for up to one year - an International Driving Permit is recommended for longer visits. Insurance for temporarily imported overseas motor vehicles is generally not available, although RACWA does offer a tourist insurance policy (excluding left-hand drive vehicles). Outback Western Australia is extremely dry and hot for most of the year and drivers planning to cross desert areas are advised to travel in convoy and take a large supply of drinking water, in addition to fuel, spare tires and an emergency kit.
The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RACWA) (tel: (08) 131 703;
www.rac.com.au) provides further information.
Emergency breakdown service: Royal Automobile Club (tel: 131 111).
Routes to the city: The main routes into Perth are the Great Eastern Highway 94 (from Fremantle and Kalgoorlie-Boulder), Wanneroo Road (from Geraldton), the Southwestern Highway 20 (from Bunbury) and the Albany Highway 30 (from Albany). People driving direct from Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney travel via Kalgoorie on the Great Eastern Highway.
Approximate driving times to Perth: From Geraldton - 4 hours 30 minutes; from Kalgoorlie - 6 hours; from Adelaide - 24 hours; Melbourne - 31 hours; from Bunbury - 1 hour 30 minutes; from Albany - 4 hours; from Sydney - 37 hours 30 minutes.
Long journeys should be broken up and it is not advised to drive outside daylight hours when help may be harder to reach.
Coach services: The main coach operators are
Greyhound (tel: 131 499;
www.greyhound.com.au) and the
Transwa (tel: (08) 9326 2000;
www.transwa.wa.gov.au). Destinations are varied and include Esperance, Geraldton, Mukinbudin, Albany, Bunbury and Collie. Services arrive at the East Perth Terminal, Summers Street, East Perth.
South West Coach Lines (tel: (08) 9754 1666) depart from the Perth City Busport, 3 Mounts Bay Road, to Bunbury and Margaret River.
Getting There By Rail:Great Southern Railway (tel: 132 147;
www.gsr.com.au) and
Transperth (tel: 136 213;
www.transperth.wa.gov.au) are the rail service providers operating from the main interstate/intrastate station, East Perth Railway Terminal, Summers Street, East Perth. Facilities at the station include a cafe, newsagent and souvenir shop. Local connections are available to the main city station, Perth Railway Station, Wellington Street (opposite Forrest Place).
There is no centralized national rail information number and visitors with rail enquiries should contact the relevant service provider.
Rail services: The famous
Indian Pacific, operated by
Great Southern Railway (tel: 132 147;
www.gsr.com.au), runs between Sydney and Perth via Adelaide, twice a week in each direction. The scenic journey takes 65 hours and terminates at East Perth Railway Terminal - the Gold Kangaroo class option includes private shower facilities and meals while Platinum Service comprises spacious hotel room-style cabins.
Transwa (tel: 1 300 662 205;
www.transwa.wa.gov.au) operates trains to Kalgoorlie (journey time - 6 hours 30 minutes) and Northam (journey time - 1 hour 20 minutes) from East Perth Terminal and to Bunbury (journey time - 2 hours 30 minutes) from Perth Railway Station.
Getting Around:Public TransportPerth's integrated, efficient metropolitan public transport system is called
Transperth (tel: 136 213; website:
www.transperth.wa.gov.au).
Buses,
trains and
ferries display the Transperth colors and passengers can transfer between services on one ticket. Timetable and ticket information is available at the
Transperth InfoCenters at Plaza Arcade, Wellington Street bus station, Perth City Busport and Perth Railway Station.
Bus services operate daily 0600-2330. Central Area Transit (CAT) buses are free and operate on three different routes around the City and Northbridge.
Transperth
trains run from Perth Railway Station to Currambine and Clarkson in the north, Armadale and Thornlie in the south, Midland in the east and Fremantle in the west (weekdays 0530-2400). Trains run until 0200 on Friday and Saturday and until midnight on other nights.
Ferries operate between the City at Barrack Street jetty across the Swan River to Mends Street jetty in South Perth. Services are between 0700 and 1915 (until 2130 on Friday and Saturday).
The fare structure for all forms of transport is based on nine zones. Tickets can be purchased from the driver on buses and ferries or from coin-operated and credit card-enabled machines at train stations equipped with
SmartRider technology. If traveling outside the free CAT zones and staying for any length of time in Perth, you will find it more convenient to purchase a credit card-style SmartRider card ($10 for card, minimum value $20) and ‘tag on' and ‘tag off' at the SmartRider machines each time you enter and leave stations.
TaxisExpensive, meter-operated taxis gather at transport terminals, taxi ranks and hotels. Taxis can also be hailed in the street. Booking by phone is possible with
Black & White Taxis (tel: (08) 131 008) or
Swan Taxis (tel: (08) 131 330;
www.swantaxis.com.au). Tipping is generally not required unless the service is exceptional or you have a lot of luggage the driver has helped you with; rounding up to the nearest dollar is always appreciated.
Driving in the CityTraffic moves relatively quickly in central Perth, except during very wet conditions (the rainy season is May to August), when a combination of caution and accidents slows down the traffic considerably. The tunnel under Northbridge, on the Graham Farmer freeway, also has significantly reduced traffic through the city.
Parking stations are marked by the standard blue P symbol used across Australia. Stations are scattered across the city, including Pier Street, Hay Street, Murray Street and Mounts Bay Road. Available at staffed car parks, the
City of Perth Park Card (tel: (08) 9461 1710) is an alternative to change as a means of payment at outdoor parking stations.
Car HireAll major car hire companies have offices in Perth, including
Avis, 46 Hill Street (tel: (08) 9325 7677;
www.avis.com) and
Hertz, 39 Milligan Street (tel: (08) 9321 7777;
www.hertz.com). The minimum age for hiring a car is usually 21 years. A credit card is required, as is an International Driving Permit (in English). Insurance is not included in the price of hire and fees are often added for administration and kilometers per day.
Bicycle HirePerth has many cycle routes that are fun to navigate. Bicycle helmets must be worn at all times. Providers include
About Bike Hire, 17 Read Place, Dianella (tel: (08) 9221 2665) and
Ace Cyclery, 14 Carrington Street, Palmyra (tel: (08) 9339 3765;
www.acecyclery.com.au).
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Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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