Transportation

Water Transportation:

Inland waterways are unreliable and do not compete with land and air travel.  However, being an island, there are major ports for external water transportation scattered all around the country.  This provides great opportunities for international exchange of goods, as well as transporting goods within Australia.  Most major cities lie on the coast, providing easy access to water transportation.  There are also ferries running between the mainland and Tasmania.

Land Transportation:

Australia is amongst the leaders in per capita car ownership and usage.  There is an extensive network of highways at a federal and state level which facilitate high volume traffic between major cities.  Roads, both paved and unpaved, are the most common way to transport goods within Australia.  Railroads are available, but more commonly goods are shipped using road trains. Road trains are semi tractors towing two or more trailers.

Map of Major Interstate Highways

Railroads are also commonly used to move goods such as ore and sugar cane, in addition to transporting people.  

Within cities, extensive public transit systems of busses, trains, and watercraft provide transportation to locals and visitors.

Air Transportation:

There are over 300 airports with paved runways in Australia, and more than 100 additional with unpaved runways.  The largest of the airports serve the largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.  Australia is home to several airlines including Quantas, Virgin Australia, and Tiger Airways Australia.