Getting to Canberra

Arriving at an international airport in Australia

Canberra is approximately 3 and a half hours drive from Sydney and seven hours drive from Melbourne.

Sydney International Airport - Most students will enter Australia through Sydney.

Clearing Customs

• At Sydney's International Terminal, you must clear Immigration, Customs and Quarantine
• Ensure you have read the “Quarantine Matters” page and declare anything you are uncertain about to the customs officials. Make sure you declare any food.
• Allow at least two hours from arrival time to departure time in order to clear customs properly

  Transferring to Canberra Airport

• You will then be able check-in your luggage for your connecting Qantas domestic flight to Canberra. Turn right once you have cleared customs and continue right following the signs to the transfer lounge
• Qantas will transport your luggage from the International Terminal to the Domestic Terminal
• There is a free shuttle bus to take you to the Domestic Terminal in order to board your flight to Canberra
• If you get lost at Sydney Airport, approach a “Gold Ambassador”, someone wearing a bright yellow jacket, and they can be of assistance.

Booking your domestic flight to Canberra while in your home country

Although your international flight will not take you to Canberra directly, it is possible for your travel agent to book your ticket all the way to Canberra. You will be required to disembark at either Sydney or another Australian city (and clear your luggage through Customs and Quarantine there), but you will only be in-transit. You simply take a connecting domestic flight to Canberra. Having a pre-booked ticket to Canberra is much more convenient and sometimes less expensive!

Travelling to Canberra

Air

There are a number of domestic flights to Canberra daily.

For information, please refer to:

www.qantas.com.au

www.virginblue.com.au

www.tigerairways.com

Bus

There are several bus lines operating direct services to Canberra from: Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide

For information, please refer to:

www.greyhound.com.au   or www.murrays.com.au

Train

The only direct train service to Canberra is from Sydney. Train services from other Australian cities would require you to either travel to Sydney first, or use a combination of train and bus.

For information, please refer to:www.countrylink.nsw.gov.au

• Please note there are new rules for taking liquids, aerosols and gels on flights into and out of Australia.These rules also apply when transiting on international flights within Australia.

Road distances (in kilometres) between each Australian capital city, and specifically, the distances from Canberra

Source: Lonely Planet. (2000). Australia. 10th edn. Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. Melbourne.