A warning to anyone planning a trip down the east coast of Australia - Don't sign up with Oz Experience! Maybe it's good in other parts of Australia, but I feel like I got ripped off big time!
Guys...... I'm soooooooo confussed!!!!!
I'm travelling on my own from Melbourne to Bris I want to stop off at Port Stephens... I'm really not sure whether to Oz experience it or use the Greyhound I'm 25 and I've been told that the Oz experience is a bit club18-30 stylee, but is a great way to meet people... What to do!!!!
Reply to this Bet that will be fantastic but id be worried about not meeting other people in the hostels...for me that was the best part of Oz x
Reply to this Yeah Hostels all the way!!!!
Thanks for your reply : )
Reply to this Hi - ok im very very unsure what to do now!! i had friends travelling in oz and telling me places to go and i have looked at oz experience and think it seems the best way as stops at all the places i want to go and also gives me the choice of how long i stay etc but i am just unsure because of the feedback on here although the positive stuff makes it seem good. I am very outgoing and love nothing more than partying and meeting new people which is why oz experience looks perfect - could do with some advice from anyone though!!!
Reply to this greyhound stops at more stops and has departures every day, usually 2 or 3 different departure times. this is cheaper than oz exp by almost half depending on where you want to travel to
oz exp stops at places you may not be bothered about and sometimes only have departures every other day.
you will be travelling with other travellers on both buses, but to be honest, you will meet most of you friends in the hostels. xx
Reply to this So the greyhound stops at more stops than Oz ex? I think the decider for me would be if the there was something I wanted to see that is out side a town and if Oz ex got me there where as greyhound might just drop me off in the town maybe?. So i guess what I am asking is would Oz ex get me to slightly more remote areas or do they both drop off at the same place? Basically booking with greyhound would save me about $800, so I am wondering what Oz ex would give me extra that would be worth that much money.
Reply to this basically both buses drop off at same points, waiting at the bus drop offs/terminals are usually guys from various hostels who will be advertising their hostel, offering free lifts to the hostels too.
i do know that Oz exp charges extra to take you to places that you can get to for free with greyhound. For example, Town of 1170. This is such an amazing place too...do not miss this one out!
Like i said before, i didn't do Ox exp but met a lot of people who did and all of them felt ripped off. x
Reply to this This is strange, ive never actualy heard the otehr viewpoint from someone whos been on the ozbus and not enjoyed themeselves. I think it depends how you want to look at Oz.
I myself last year went there and traveled all up the East coast with the Oz experiance and a small amount with greyhound i would never think about changing how i did it and the Greyhound altho faster was boring and not so fun.
The oz exp drivers have a wealth of knowledge in every aspect of australia. They make the groups tight knitted and if u dnt manage to meet 10 people on the ozbus that u enjoy hanging around with then your just rubbish., I met huge amounts of people who i am still friends with even now. The ozbus is a great idea to travel Oz with and i wld reccomend it to anyone. The drivers are hillarious...tho i think thats dependent on which driver you get. I luckily go one who was a huge amount of fun and prob ended up spending about 100 Dolars on drinks for me and my friends...a small bonus.
The busses are crampd but they are far more intimate and u learn a lot more than on the greyhound and they sort out ur hostels and give u plenty of trip ideas (especially the ones thye organise for Frasier Island) which were fantastic :D. Anyway il stop rambling. I think the Oz Experiance is awesome and a great way to travel Australia for most people but some people just want to do their own thing in which case its not for you, but its a great way to meet people and get involved.
Peace J
Reply to this I hope this post does not put other people off the OZE Experience.
As with any trip you do a reasonable amount of research before hand as this really helps to get the best experience and the best value for money. OZE Experience is a hop on hop off bus designed for people who want to see the most of Australia (mainly the east coast) as possible. There are a number of passes available so you do need to research, your trip and your travel agent can only advise you on so much, you need to decide what pass is best for you personally. The passes are designed for independent travellers and yes they do stop at places that are of interest to most travellers. Stopping at a snake and crocodile farm is of interest to most people as it is something they will not experience in their native homeland. Had the original poster researched this beforehand maybe she found the OZE Experience was not the best option for her. Australia roads are long so frequent stops are a must as you need to think there are around 50 other people on the bus so toilet and drink stops are necessary.
The origional poster also mentioned that the buses are uncomfortable. Will they are pretty much the same sort of buses that Greyhound use, so not sure what happened there?
Yes the buses do not go everyday but if the poster one put a bit of research in eg had a look at the OZE Experience website she would have seen this is the case. At the end of the day it is all about research to make the most of your trip. Greyhound is also a great bus company but alot of their buses are night buses which means you miss out on some of the great Aussie scenery by travelling at night.
Also to finish this off I do not work for OZE Experience but am a travel agent who do sell them. I have sold hundreds of there passes before and never had a complaint once. I could sell other tours through out Australia which would make my travel agency more money but very rarley do this as I have had no bad reports.
Reply to this I found this thread (actually, my mum did - thanks mum!) and couldn't believe how many people have having the same dilemma as me - the oz experience versus greyhound conundrum!
i will be travelling solo from melbourne to cairns over a 2 month period, mid june to mid august.
the phrase "club 18-30" which has been banded around in the descriptions of oz ex, both here and by other contacts of mine, has filled me with dread a little! i am 23, have been working for a year after graduating from uni, and am not really up for being trapped on a bus with a whole pile of drunken, raucous 18 years olds on their gap years, listening to cheese and singing kareoke. i found the videos on the oz ex website a little off-putting in their tone and in what they portray of the bus shenangians. at the same time, i am keen to socialise and realise that the travelling time of the overall trip doesn't make up an enormous part. i also understand that individuals aren't obliged to remain with oz ex or the people they meet during their time at different locations.
the greyhound, as discussed, is a lot cheaper, and it appeals to me that i'll be more in control of my plans and my environment with this option, but as a solo traveller i wonder whether i should just bite the bullet and throw myself into oz ex.. the extras, in terms of advice, tour guide services and insider knowledge, do sound like real advantanges, and i can see the appeal of taking these extra hassles out of the equation for the traveller.
any more advice to add to this already contentious debate?!
thanks a lot 😊
Reply to this hey betty7! i am in the exact same boat as you! 23 and have been working for a year after graduating and decided to go travelling! i have looked at both options and spoken to many of my friends who have been travelling! my friend advised me since travelling on my own that oz experience is much more fun and i will meet more people and have a party experience which sounds perfect to me as i want to see the world but party at the same time!! i have been coming on here alot to see everyones feedback etc as i feel it is really helpful! x
Reply to this Hi
A couple of facts mis-reported above:
Greyhound does not go to the Town of 1770 / Agnes Waters. It drops people off at the same place as Oz Experience to get picked up by the same shuttle bus service as Oz Experience.
Yes, Greyhound actually stops at many more places than Oz Experience and more regularly. But importantly they are small towns for no other purpose than to pick up members of the Australian public who also mainly use the service. Oz Experience stops at places that the company thinks most people will be interested in that are a little off the beaten track ie Surf Camp and Kroombit Cattle Station, as well as all traveller hot spots serviced by Greyhound. Instead of picking up members of the public at towns of no interest to a traveller, Oz Ex spends its time on guided walks, look out points or included activities ie Surfing, during it's days of travel. These are things that an express bus company will never offer you.
Reply to this I make it 3... 23 years old and have been working for a year after uni. A lot of my friends who did the whole pre-uni gap year thing did Oz Experience and loved it. However, they did say that if they were doing it again 5 years a later, a little older and a little wiser, they would do Greyhound. I'm doing Cairns to Brisbane in June and had this whole dilemma, but to cut a long story short I've just booked a Greyhound pass and I'm sure I've made the right choice! If you're an outgoing sociable person you will make friends wherever and however you travel. And if you skip Oz Experience you don't have to worry about getting stuck with a load of drunk 18 & 19 year olds who haven't been away from home before!
Reply to this oz ex was an amazing experience, one of the best of my life. The guides are the nicest people you'll meet and yeah the bus is small but that's what makes it so great to meet other people on the bus. i met some of my (now) best friends on that bus. the night kayaking was amazing, as was the cattle ranch. when i reached cairns i greyhounded and it was awful. i got my first sleep in a long time but that's all its good for, sleeping!! when i go back to do the west coast i'm gonna rent a car, i think this would be the best way to do it, but as for the east coast it's all about meeting people and oz ex is the BEST way to do this. i can't have people dissing the best thing that's ever happened to me!
Reply to this Oz Ex crew - yes Greyhound does drop off at Town of 1770 / Agnes Water. I used Greyhound only 6 months ago to do this. I did not have to pay extra, just simply requested Town of 1770 when i rang Greyhound and made booking. It was very easy. I was also picked up by minibus and taken to the Grehound drop off point at no extra cost, all organised by Greyhound. Fact!
Reply to this Hi Guys! First i'm glad this discussion is even happening i genuinely thought, like some others that i was the only one having this dilemma!
Similarly to the three girls above i've been working since Uni, for about two and a bit years (am 24 almost 25) and am aware of the OZ bus also being full of out of control 18yr olds...does anyone know if this is the case? Don't get me wrong i'm happy to have a few drinks and a laugh and i do like the fact that OZ goes to rare places but if it is purely aimed at 18 yr olds i don't know how much i'd enjoy it. Can anyone who's gone shed any light on this? Has anyone enjoyed their Greyhound trip? Thanks!
Reply to this Hi I will be going on it in about 15 days time. I can let people know what I think of the first bit of the trip then, if that helps anyone. (Oz ex that is)
Reply to this Well i have now decided for oz exp after many discussions with STA travel and also friends that went on greyhound! i am not in oz till august but will update on this! - hopefully i wont have made the wrong decision, but at the end of the day it is just a means of transport!
Reply to this Dan + girls, same boat, I'm always up for a good time but I'm 25 so not sure if the 18 yr olds will make me feel old. I'm going in August, thinking of doing Cairns-Brisbane (I've got some time issues). Would love to hear from some more people about the demographics...? I don't need to be with people "my age" but do want to avoid feeling like I'm back in high school if possible.
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