Oz Experience Bus - DON'T DO IT!!

A warning to anyone planning to backpack along the east coast in Australia - If you're thinking of signing up with the Oz Experience bus company, owned by Adventure tours - THINK AGAIN! I'm kicking myself now for having signed up for the Oz Experience bus!!! A better alternative would be to take the greyhound. To be honest, I really hadn't done too much research before booking this few week trip down the east coast of Australia. I wanted to start in Cairns and make my way down to Byron bay, seeing some cool places along the way. This is how I got suckered from Backpackers' World Travel - I suppose they're just trying to make their commission by upselling as much as possible. I do feel like a sucker.

I had my first leg of the journey the other day when I got the bus from Cairns down to Townsville to go to Magnetic island. Oz experience makes a ton of unnecessary stops - we stopped at a crocodile and snake farm (which I had no desire to go see) for about an hour and a half. Of course, you can choose not to pay the entry fee and just wait, but that's really a waste of your time. All that, and the Greyhound is much much cheaper.

Not to mention, the bus itself was really quite uncomfortable - you would expect after paying more money that the bus would at least be a lot nicer. And, for most of the trip, our driver was blaring really bad music - some of the time she played really bad videos - I'm not kidding - including Hansen's Mmmm bop. Lord, help me! Luckily the electrical system died for a good portion of the journey and we finally got some peace and quiet. Like I said, I'm just kicking myself, and it's too late to get any money back.

The other major disadvantage is that this bus doesn't go every day, so it limits your flexibility - Can you say, sucker? I paid more money and have to work around their schedule. I might even have to end up taking Greyhound for portions of it. I'm really not sure where the added value is - They position themselves as offering an 'experience' and their drivers are really tour guides who give you some more insight into Australia. I'm crossing my fingers that it's gonna get better after this point - I've only taken one bus so far, and they do have bigger busses going south of here.... so maybe...

But if you're planning a trip - SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHE! Book with Greyhound or fly.
Reply to this

Yeah, I went last year and we considered it but quite a few people told us the same as you did. We bought a car instead and got completely ripped off anyway, but it was fun all the same. Reply to this

Hey i just wanted to back up oz experience here.

I completely understand what you are saying, all of it being true.

I have just recently come home from a months trip down the east coast from Cairns to Sydney on the Oz Experience bus and had the time of my life.

i understand its probably not for everyone, and if you are someone who is set in your ways only wanting to see certain parts, know exactly what you want to do, see, before you even get there and the rest is irrelevant, then i agree taking a premiere or greyhound bus is probably the best option. However if you want to experience the east coast of australia, visit places you wouldnt have thought of seeing. For example, on the first leg of the journey they break up the long drive by taking you on a quick visit to see some aboriginal rocks that kill men. I have to admit to start with alot of people were like "what the hell are we doing?". But the way i saw it as we were taken on a trek through the rainforest to see these rocks......its not something i would have done or seen or even considered if i had rented out a car and travelled down the coast myself, but then again isnt that the whole idea of travelling, exploring places you have never been to before?

Travelling down the coast i would recommend you give yourself longer than a month if you want to stay at places and really get a feel for them. However i didnt stop at every stop the oz bus went to, just the main ones several i just stayed at one night the islands such as magnetic island, fraser island and the whitsundays are definitely worth staying longer and it is best to speak to the driver and book them whilst on the bus as you will usually get the best deal this way

The drivers are helpfull and able to book your accomodation for you at almost every stop, they are very informative and encourage you to get to know everyone else on the bus you are traveling with, which if you are a sociable person can make travelling alot more fun and give you a variety of characters and personalitys to mix with in the evenings.

So basically all im saying, travelling is what you make it. On the oz bus you are able to meet heaps of people all the way down the coast, i found it was easier to make friends with people on the oz bus than other people in the hostels in the short time i was staying at each of them. I was willing to embrace the laid back australian culture as part of my travelling. I may have only had a month to reach sydney, but i had planned al my stops online before departing on my trip, so i knew i would reach my destination on time with a few days spare to play with incase anything was to go wrong.

Seeing a croc farm, bare foot lawn bowls, wrestling goats at a cattle ranch i felt was all part of the experience.

All the drivers are friendly, will play music you want to hear and will stop at the nearest service station if you need the toilet which is always good if you got a bit carried away with stopping yourself from becoming dehydrated.

TRAVEL WITH OZ EXPERIENCE

CHILL OUT AND YOU'LL HAVE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!!


Reply to this

"...some of the time she played really bad videos - I'm not kidding - including Hansen's Mmmm bop. Lord, help me! Luckily the electrical system died for a good portion of the journey.." - HAHAHA

Thanks alot for the heads-up. Greyhound it is for me! Reply to this

No, you will not save that much money on hostels to make it worth the extra cash for Oz Ex. As I recall, the trip I booked from Cairns to Byron Bay was about $100 cheaper with Greyhound. You really won't save much with Oz experience. Also, there are a ton of travelers up and down the entire coast. I traveled solo as well. You will meet a ton of other travelers at all your stops. Just go to any hostel, or book yourself onto one of the many tours available and you'll meet lots of new friends. You absolutely don't need Oz Experience for that! Most of the other travelers I met were not on Oz Experience, but rather on Greyhound or they rented a car or van. In retrospect, had I not booked anything at all, I could've hitched a ride with this really nice Canadian guy I met who had rented a van and just posted ads in the hostels in Cairns. Even that would've been cheaper and a lot more fun!

Not sure where you're from, but compared to the Greyhounds in the US which can be a bit sketchy, the Greyhounds in Australia are very nice and comfortable, they show movies and have toilets on board. (And are lots more flexible than Oz Ex - see my comment above).

My advice would be to book as little as possible beforehand! You're going in June, which is the low season for most of your journey. Travel agents will try to get you to sign up and commit to everything - but you should try to be a flexible as you can. You never know who you're going to meet! I met lots of amazing people!

Also, Australia is incredibly safe and easy. Australia is designed to make it very easy to travel - everywhere you go there are tourist offices and other travelers who will give you ideas. I met so many travelers doing it solo, including lots of women. You will be fine!

Have a great time! You will love it!

Kris
Reply to this

Guys, you must remember that OZ Experience are there to provide a service for the budget\backpacker market. KDK clearly had a bad experience, however for her one bad experience there are thousands of positive and enjoyable experiences. KDK didn't do her research, and despite what she says, nobody gets sucked into anything. You can't blame OZ Experience for not making the right decision.

I have never travelled with OZ Experience, nor do I have anything to do with them, however I am aware of there service from a tourism industry perspective and they offer a really good travel service. They make heaps of stops so that you can firstly experience as much of Australia as possible, and secondly due to the large driving distances involved in travelling anywhere in Australia, it breaks the trip up and prevents you from spending most of your time bored out of your brain or sleeping. They also provide a service where they assist you in getting accomodation. Maybe they don't save you money, but at least they will make the effort to help you out. I can assure you the Greyhound bus driver won't.

If you travel with Greyhound, do so in small (very small) stints, otherwise you will spend you time sleeping and having the countryside pass you blissfully by. Or do as KdK has suggested and fly. Virgin Airlines recently purchased new smaller jet aircraft, so they could fly into regional destinations at a reasonable price. You must however book ahead to get the best price, but then thats the same all over the world. Reply to this

Oz Experience Questions and Answers Reply to this

Hi, I have about 5 months to waste travelling, was looking at Oz Experience as I was planning to go from darwin to cairns the long way and have no problem stopping off any where and every where as I have no real plans yet. I was thinking that the bus would be better for me as I will be going on my own and it might be a better way to meet people, safer etc. Would people still suggest to avoid it? Would I save money if I did this trip with Greyhound or similar? Reply to this

hi 4kv4

I'm not sure where you are seeing all your hostels booked? Maybe if you are looking on the Oz Experience website under the Accommodation section the hostels have not updated their allocations so you can book via this service. Don't worry guides can book you in for the first night at the overnight stops. If you are staying on longer at any place it is good to contact the hostel concerned and book in. Shortly Oz Experience will have a new website and will integrate the Hostelworld accommodation booking system. Check out this thread for other questions and and answers on Oz Experience Reply to this

I travelled with Greyhound and thought it was fantastic. I knew a lot of ppl who travelled with Oz exp and everyone felt ripped off and wished they had chosen greyhound insead. This is fact and not merely one persons opinion. It seems that this thread has been taken over by ppl working for Oz exp who simply want to promote the company and turn around negative comments. Reply to this