Australia is such a unique and fascinating country that it`s really a good idea to get out of the city and take your car hire Sydney vehicle for a little road trip. Even if you are only in the country for a few days, you can see something. There are plenty of attractions and natural vistas to be enjoyed within a short distance from any major city and if you`re hankering for a longer road trip, then there are plenty of scenic driving tours that beckon the traveler.

Short Trips If you aren`t interested in driving more than half a day or so, these attractions will let you see more of Australia without getting too far from home, or hotel, as the case may be.

Hunter Valley Wineries: Just a couple hours outside of Sydney, this is the perfect spot to enjoy nature and take a wine tasting tour. The views here are astounding.

Gipsland: A well-known skiing destination, Gipsland is nice and close to Melbourne and during the warmer months, you can picnic here or take hikes. When snow covered, these hills are perfect for trying out your snowboarding skills.

The Royal Botanical Gardens: This is found in Melbourne and is the epitome of botanical gardens. Here you`ll find more than 12,000 different types of plants, many of which are native to Australia.

Creswick Regional Park: Check out some real live koala bears and take a hike through the eucalyptus trees, or have a picnic by the lake here. It`s also a good place to try your hand at gold panning and fossicking, if you have a permit.

Buchanan Caves: Enjoy a tour through amazing limestone formations deep inside this cave system. It`s a bit of a drive, 360 km outside of Melbourne, but well worth the trip. Plan for a picnic outside the caves once you finish your tour.

Swan Hill: Just under 4 hours from Melbourne, this trip is a bit of a long one. You`ll be traveling alongside the Murray River and will have the opportunity to take a houseboat out on the river or check out the homesteads along the way.

Longer Trips For those who are looking for something a bit more exciting, there are several long drives available that allow you to get a good look at more of the Australian scenery.

The Great Southern Touring Route: This is a fairly small tour of 807 km that starts and ends in Melbourne. Your car rental Melbourne allows you to travel along the coast, through historical towns and to catch a glimpse of what rural Australia looks like.

The Matilda Highway: A real road trip at 2,725 km, this is a route that will take you through some pretty desolate areas. It`s a great way to see the real Australia and your best chance of meeting some true characters. You begin in Sydney, ending up in Karumba to the north.

Great Ocean Road: The perfect tour for anyone interested in sticking close to the ocean. The road winds along the coast, allowing for little stops in quaint towns and seaside villages. On your way, take a look at Port Fairy and Apollo Bay and don`t forget to sample the local seafood.

One of the main advantages of renting a vehicle in Australia is getting around to these different areas. If you are stuck using public transport, chances are you`ll never get out of the city and will miss some of the amazing scenery that Victoria has to offer. There are simply too many sights to see and you`ll miss the best ones without a car.

Posted under Cars

Are you interested in taking a driving tour around Australia? If you are, then you are in luck because it is very possible. But if youre taking a rental car, you need to take your distance into consideration. Keep in mind that Australia is a large country with plenty to see, so you need to set aside a lot of time and check with the rental car company about the mileage you will be placing on the car.

When you tell the rental car company where you are going, they may object to one of their cars being taken the distance. To drive around Australia, the distance is 20,000km. This means it would take 200 hours of continuous driving to make it all the way around. In other words, it would take 8 days for you to finish your quest, but you would not be able to stop and enjoy the sites if you did this. However, the concern of the rental car company is the distance being placed upon the car. That is a lot of wear and tear. For other car rental companies, they may not care if youre willing to put up the cash for it. If they give you a quote based on factors that include age, whether or not you need insurance, and mileage; the further you go, the more expensive it is going to be.

Sightseeing

Rental car companies also base the amount of the rental off of the amount of time you will have the car. If you are going to sightsee while driving around Australia, it can take up to 40 days to see everything. Then again, it depends on where youre stopping and how long you intend on staying there. It is probably ideal to give yourself about two months to do and see everything that there is to do and see, but you have to make sure that it is okay with the car rental company.

Since many car rental companies do have monthly plans and will allow you to rent for as long as you want without any restrictions, you may not have an issue. Just make sure you cover all of your bases before you drive away with the car. You dont want to come back two months later with an extremely high amount of mileage on the car that the car rental company did not expect. Some of these companies will only rent a car beyond a certain travel distance, and then sell it through their own car lot or through another. So make sure they are not surprised.

The perfect car

When you find the perfect company, you have to find the perfect car. Since youre going to be driving all the way around Australia, you need one that is spacious and comfortable. Many individuals will opt for a van because of the amount of room they consist of. You can store weeks of clothing and other supplies, everyone has enough legroom, and you can even lie down if you need to at some point on the trip. Make sure you talk to the rental car company about a van or another spacious vehicle that you can withstand spending hundreds of hours in for the next couple of months.

So now you know that you can drive a rental car all the way around Australia. It can be quite a fun and rewarding trip. You just need to make sure you do ample planning, make the rental car company aware of your intentions, find the perfect vehicle, and have a lot of fun. You might be quite amazed at how incredible a trip around Australia really is.

Posted under Cars

All over the world, there are car rental companies that require an individual to be 21 years of age or older to rent a car. There are even companies that require you to be 25 years of age or older. It simply depends on the company. But what if you are under 21 and you must travel, but you dont have your own car to do it? There are plenty of business situations, emergency situations, and personal situations in which an individual under 21 must rent a car.

If youre wondering what car rental companies will allow you to rent if you are under 21, the following can help you out:

- Gold Coast Car Hire will rent to individuals under 21. If you dont have full coverage insurance already, you can acquire insurance through them in case an accident does occur.

- Australian Rent a Car, which was just acquired by Red Spot, will also rent to individuals under 21.

- Aussie Camper Vans will allow someone under the age of 21 to rent campervans if youre interested in going on a camping trip.

These are just a few of them, but they are easily found on the Internet so that you can find information about them. And there are many others that list whether or not they will rent to people 21 years of age or younger.

If someone tells you that you cannot rent a car from any car rental in Brisbane Australia because you are under 21, that is indeed false. There are many question and answer forums on the Internet regarding this issue, but there are so many telling young people that they need to have someone 21 or over rent the car on their behalf.

The best way to find out if a car rental company will rent to you if youre under the age of 21 is if you go to their website and see for yourself. They will most likely specify whether or not they will rent to an under 21 individual or not. This can also help you to narrow down your prospects when finding the best car rental rate.

But why do car companies not want to rent to people under 21?

Much of this has to do with the fact that young people are a higher risk behind the wheel. They do not have as much experience and they are more likely to engage in risky behavior. If by some chance you find that you dont have a car rental company in your area that will allow you to rent from them, then you will have to ask someone 21 or over to rent on your behalf. If you are traveling for business, the wise thing to do is talk to your employer about renting the car under their name. When it is for business use, this is, perhaps, the ideal thing to do because the company is probably paying for it anyway.

So there are ways to get around it if you are in an area that does not have car rental companies that will rent to you if youre under 21. Just make sure you do your research and not listen to those who say, 'Not a single car rental company or truck rental Sydney Australia company will rent to you because youre under 21.' Although this fact makes finding a car rental company a little more difficult, it is not at all impossible. So yes, at 18, 19, 20 years old, you can rent a car to take care of your emergency, personal, or business situation whenever you need to.

Posted under Cars