What are some budget-friendly transport options in Australia?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning and budgeting a trip to Australia for August 2026, lasting 40 days.

Here’s the current itinerary: Arrival at Port Macquarie Airport in New South Wales and return from Cairns Airport in Queensland. - South West Rock - Cap Ridge Park - Springbrook Park - Stradbroke Island - Maleny - Noosa - Rainbow Beach - K’Gari - Gladstone - Heron Island - Airlie Beach - Townsville - Magnetic Island - Cairns - Cape Tribulation

My main issue is transport to cover all of this.

The first leg is already tricky—I haven’t found a way to rent a car in Port Macquarie and drop it off in South West Rock. And if we keep the vehicle until Cleveland (8 days) before taking the ferry to Stradbroke Island, it’s already around 1000 €.

- Are there any systems where we could buy a vehicle in Port Macquarie and be sure it’s bought back at the end of the trip in Cairns?

- Do you know of any Australian online car rental sites?

As for trains, they’re not really an option for our stay in New South Wales. In Queensland, I found the Queensland Rail Travel website with a Brisbane–Cairns line, but trains don’t run every day.

- Do you know of any other train companies in Queensland that connect coastal cities from Brisbane to Cairns?

For flights, I checked Queensland with Qantas, and most routes require a stopover in Brisbane, which wastes a lot of time, and the prices are still high.

Do you know of any low-cost airlines for domestic flights in Australia?

Thanks for your tips!

Hi Lilou,

I live near Byron Bay in Australia and I’ve just returned from a little trip around North Stradbroke Island, Maleny, and K’Gari :)

To start with the simplest questions, the local low-cost airline is Jetstar, and Virgin Australia is a mid-range option that’s cheaper than Qantas. There are also other small local airlines, probably like the one you’ll use to get to Port Macquarie (since it’s a very small airport). As for trains, they’re really not a viable option in Australia—there are lines, but after organizing hundreds of trips, I’ve never used them. However, you can check out Greyhound for buses. It’s more commonly used, and the service is pretty good.

Regarding car rental, I took a quick look, and it seems Budget is available in Port Macquarie, and you can drop the car off at Cairns Airport. But yes, it’s expensive—it’ll be hard to do it any other way. As for buying a car, it seems a bit complicated for such a short stay since there are still some formalities to handle. But I’ve never tried it, so maybe others can give you more advice.

Also, I’m curious—why are you arriving in Port Macquarie instead of Sydney? There’d be more car rental options. And why do you want to drop the car off in South West Rocks? It’s a tiny place, and it’ll be tricky. Plus, prices are often cheaper the longer you rent, so it’s usually less expensive to keep one car for the whole trip, even if you don’t use it on the islands (if that was the reason).

Claire

Hi,

Thanks so much for your replies.

For the first question, we’re considering arriving in Port Macquarie because it’s the closest airport to South West Rocks, and I’d rather not drive for hours after a long flight. But we might end up spending the first night in Sydney or Brisbane and making the trip to Port Macquarie the next day.

I wanted to drop off the car where we didn’t absolutely need it to save money. But if it’s cheaper to keep it for more days, that’d actually be simpler.

Anyway, thanks again for all your answers.

Hi there! You can easily rent a car at Sydney Airport and return it at Cairns Airport. Last year, we rented a car in Adelaide and returned it in Cairns. You’d just need to swap Cape Tribulation and Cairns, finishing in Cairns. In 40 days, you’ll have plenty of time to complete your itinerary, even with these small adjustments. Happy road trip! !