Any car rental experts out there? rental in Australia question

[chris1gill]

I'm hoping that I can ask a non-Disney question about car rentals here!!

We are taking an Australian trip in December/January & my car rentals are over 900 US dollars!!! (1100 AU dollars) Is there anyone out there that can find better values for us?

Here's a quick rundown with airport codes, all rates include taxes.... All dollars are in Australian (take about 20% off to get US dollars)

Jan 4-7 ADL dropping in MEL 177.57 (full size) unlimited mileage
Jan 7-17 BNE 444.60 (intermediate) unlimited mileage
Dec 27-31 ASP 355.48 (full size) unlimited mileage, we plan for 1000 km's
Jan 1-4 KGC 214.04 (full size) 400 km's (problematic)

We need at least an Intermediate to fit a wheelchair, so economy cars are out Where I only found a 10.00 difference I upgraded to full size.

We have the entertainment guide & it looks like we have a coupon we can use in BNE to save one day's fee... we don't have any weekend rentals per se, they just fall oddly so we never get to use like a free weekend day. We'll join any membership that will allow us to save on these extraordinary costs!

Hope this is the right board to post this!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I'm hoping that I can ask a non-Disney question about car rentals here!!

Yes, but we charge extra for it. Just kidding. There's no problem in doing this. I'm sure we get a few people from Australia on here and maybe one of them can help.

Bumping this up to the top for you. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to add something to the title that might get the attention of people that can help.

 

[CarolA]

Try AutoEurope.com. I can't gurantee they do Australia, but they do North and South America so it's a good bet. They are a consolidator and you get cars from the major rental car companies. (I have always gotten Hertz or Avis with them.)

However, I have found in trips to Europe that the car deals you find here just don't exist there....Good Luck.

 

[chris1gill]

Thanks CarolA, I tried your link... they did have Australia, but I did not find a lower rate than what I have... this is such a bummer.... Where are the cheap car rentals when you need some??

 

[CarolA]

Thanks CarolA, I tried your link... they did have Australia, but I did not find a lower rate than what I have... this is such a bummer.... Where are the cheap car rentals when you need some??

In Florida LOL!

I actually think you aren't doing too bad. I rented for a week in France last year and the best I could do was about $400. Have you tried the talk boards on www.fodors.com?

 

[CheshireVal]

Is there any way you can get away with not using a rental everywhere? (You mentioned a wheelchair so I don't know if this is feasible for your party.)

When I visited Australia, I didn't think a car was really all that necessary in some of the larger cities (Melbourne and Sydney both have terrific public transport).

 

[chris1gill]

Hi Cheshireval,

Everyplace we are going we are seriously driving.... We are driving the Island of Kangaroo Island, driving from Adelaide to Melbourne along the great Ocean Road & then we are driving from Surfer's Paradise to the West & then heading North to Noosa & then North from Noosa!!! I plan on putting a couple of thousand kilometers on these cars LOL... Oh & don't forget we are driving from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock & then back... maybe I should pony up & get a fast car LOL...

CarolA, Uh, I'm so cheap, we're flying on FF miles, staying on hotel points (most places) & all in the most expensive thing we have are these car rentals, that's fifty percent of my budget!!! EEK!!

 

[roger_ramjet]

Unfortunately you might struggle to find anything cheaper. Car rental in Australia has always been more expensive to begin with, especially with larger cars (they cost a lot more to buy than it does in the US which I am sure factors in to the rental cost). I'm not sure if there is any kind of disabled discount (I suppose that depends on what the wheelchair is for), though that might be something to look out for. Who are you using? I used Thrifty when I took my wife on a tour of the southern coast when she visited the first time and it was the cheapest company that I found. Otherwise, perhaps ask your travel agent and maybe they will have some recommendations.

Just a hint from a native - try not to fit in too much driving in one day! The distances between places are often huge in Australia, and you'll miss a lot of interesting sights if you try to pack in the miles. Having said that, touring by car is easily the best way to get around, despite the cost. You'll love the Great Ocean Road, it's simply superb.

 

[monty]

chris1gill, I live in Melbourne, Australia.I can not post any links yet, but I am happy to PM you any info. that would be of help to you.I have been to all the places you are visiting except Kangaroo Island.That is a fair bit of driving you plan to do!! Alice Springs and Ayres Rock in the middle of summer ??? .....has your travel agent advised about this?

 

[chris1gill]

Hi Monty,

Glad to find an aussie! Oh yes, we are aware of Alice & Ayer's in the summer LOL... Can you say HOT?!?! But, this is our third trip, and we are going to go see that monolythe and that is just that! We may not get back there, and if we do, it will always be in your summer... By far that is our greatest driving destination in one day. I estimate it takes 4.5 hours to drive (from Alice)?

Would you happen to know if Adelaide has any fireworks or special events for New Year's Eve? We will be arriving at 7pm, and would love to do something special for the night... we are staying at the Hilton, but might change over to the crown plaza on points if it's still available when we can book it Did I mention that this is a cheap trip LOL.....

Roger, I have been very careful with our driving schedule, no more than 4-5 hours in a day, and most days significantly less than that... Can you give me any information on driving the Great Ocean Road? Besides the view itself & the Apostles, what should I be looking for? For our Great Ocean Road drive, we are driving day 1 from Adelaide (noon) to Gap's Hall (4.5 hours), then the next day we will drive from Gap's Hall to the Apostles & then the next day we will be driving from there to Geelong... we will spend the day in Geelong, and on the next day is our day in Melbourne, I believe we have a 5pm flight... so I was hoping for some type of day tour... If I could get a free night hotel in Melbourne, I might prefer that over spending the night in Geelong... Any suggestions on this itinerary?

Thanks so much guys! Does anyone have any thrifty codes I could try?

 

[roger_ramjet]

G'day chris1gill,

Well, I can tell you a ton of things to see on the Great Ocean Road, but then you might take too long traveling on it! Hall's Gap is in the Grampians - if you haven't been there then I recommend spending some time to look around the Grampians before you head to the coast. It's a very pretty area and there is plenty to see. If you can get up to Boroka or Reid's Lookout then do so (and the Balconies if you want a bit of a scare!).

Along the GOR there is heaps to see. The Apostles are obviously the big thing but don't miss Island Arch, Loch Ard Gorge and the Bay of Martyrs as well. Bear in mind that one of the Apostles actually collapsed a month or so ago, so it might look a bit different. Along the way you might want to stop in Port Campbell for lunch - there are very few towns along that stretch of road. I don't think you'll pass through Warrnambool from the Grampians, but that is the only large town in the area.

The road moves away from coast just after the Apostles and Gibson's Steps, and heads into the forest, and there are some nice waterfall walks here if you're willing to drive down a dirt road! Hopetoun and Beauchamp Falls are gorgeous, but the roads are quite bumpy and you have to look out for logging trucks, so that's one that you'll need to decide for yourself.

Between Laver's Hill and Apollo Bay you'll be in Otway National Park, and there is a short rainforest walk at Melba Gully if that's of interest. There is also a turn-off around there somewhere for the Cape Otway Lighthouse. There is a charge to get in, something like $10, but it might be worth a look, it's a very interesting place. Bit windy though! Apollo Bay is a nice little town too, and also has plenty of walking. If you can get to Marriner's Lookout then I recommend that, and also try Marriner's Falls if you can find it!

I definitely recommend stopping in Lorne to have a look around. If you like walking there are quite a few in and around the town. There is a tourist center where you can pick up some maps or whatever. I recommend a look at Erskine Falls. Along the rest of the way to Geelong you'll go through Anglesea, which has a funny little golf course that grey Kangaroos frequent in large numbers, and if you didn't stop by the lighthouse at Cape Otway then the one at Airey's Inlet would be a nice stopping point, as you can walk right up to it (though not sure if you can go in it). Torquay has Bell's Beach, which might be nice for a surf that time of year!

If anything else comes to mind I may post again but this is all for now. I can't help you on Thrifty codes - I don't really know what that is!

 

[LittleMermaidsMom]

Have you tried Orbitz? I'm not sure if they have rentals in Australia, but I booked our rental through them for Ireland last May... their rate was about $300 cheaper than anywhere else I could find.. even beat out AutoEurope. We got a van for 10 days for $400 USD through Enterprise.

Good luck!

 

[monty]

I am using my RACV membership to get a car rental discount in U.S. so you should be able to do the same, assuming you have AAA membership.Your rates did not sound too bad actuallly, I think AAA and Entertainment Book discounts would be much the same. The only place you can really expect to get some worthwhile discounts for car rental is on the Gold Coast, but it is not clear from your itinery if you are flying into Brisbane or Surfers Paradise (Coolangatta).I agree with Roger Ramjet in regards to Halls Gap and The Great Ocean Road.There are some beautiful places to stop at, and lunch or morning/afternoon tea in Lorne is a must! One of the Apostles fell down a few months ago, and there were never actually 12 to begin with , so I think we're down to about 7 now....better hurry, while they're still there! I don't think you could drive from Adelaide to Halls Gap in under 5 hours,though.It's about 500kms, but keep in mind it's not via freeways and there are a lot of windy roads to navigate as you near Halls Gap. Have you arranged accomodation for your overnight stay?If not I would recommend that you do so as there are limited places to stay and they book out months ahead.Halls Gap to The Great Ocean Road should take you about 2 hours. Depending on your timing I would drive into Melbourne and spend the night there , rather than Geelong.I could get some brochures for you and mail them to you if you would like.
Alice Springs as will Queensland will be EXTREMELY hot and humid. You can expect to have all your days over 100 degrees there.If you would like to PM me your itinery I would be more than happy to offer any suggestions, etc.
All the capitol cities, Adelaide included, tend to have some sort of fireworks display on New Years Eve.I'm not sure where exactly The Hilton is in Adelaide, but I know Hilton Hotels as a rule are generally a bit out of "the centre" of things. Definatley, in Melbourne I would choose another hotel over The Hilton.Please feel free to email or PM me. I would be more than happy to mail you out any further info. I've had so much friendly heplful advice from DIS that I would be very happy to be able to return the favour!

 

[chris1gill]

Hi Roger, Thanks so much for all those recommendations, I have printed them out!

Monty, we do have reservations that I made just a few weeks ago... The original places I was looking to stay along the Great Ocean Road all booked up, so I grabbed a few Best Western's along the way, they look reasonable & we won't be in them other than to sleep!

I'm not sure where the Hilton in Adelaide is either, but it seems to me it was along a river & was smack dab downtown, I could be wrong though...

I think I would prefer to stay in Melbourne for the night, perhaps I will look for something on Priceline... Can you recommend a good day trip that would get us back to the Melbourne airport by 5? We are flying into and out of Brisbane by the way....

We were in Brisbane/Surfer's/Noosa 18 months ago during January vacation & it was hot, but on the coast it was still wonderful with the breeze... when you get inland it does get to be a bit stifling... We'll have to suffer through Alice and Ayer's... I suspect we will only come out in the mornings and the evenings & I'm planning to bring plenty of bug spray!

Thanks for any and all information!

 

[monty]

Is your flight to Brisbane already booked? I believe most of the full day tours bring you back to your hotel at around 5.30pm. I believe there are day tours that combine Puffing Billy with Yarra Glen wineries or Healsville Sanctuary. Puffing Billy (a steam train) is great fun, it travels through some beautiful fern gullys and children can even sit on the window ledges of the train as it travels through the bush.(or at least they used to be able to). The Dandenong Ranges, where the train travels thru,are usually a lovely cool haven on a hot Melbourne day.Mind you Melbourne is known for having four seasons in one day and summer days can be anything from 70 to over 100 degrees. Healsville Sanctuary is a great place for seeing some of our Australian wildlife, but if you are doing that on the Gold Coast or Brisbane, I would skip that and do Yarra Glen instead.Then again, perhaps when you are in Adelaide you may already be going to Barossa Valley, so you may want to give this a miss.If you were at all flexible with your flights I would do the Fairy Penguin tour to Philip Island. The problem is...that the penguins only come out of the ocean at dusk, so in summer that means about 9pm.The tours don't usually get back into Melbourne till after midnight probably as Philip Island is about 1.5 or so hours from Melbourne.If you have never witnessed them all wadling out in their 100's from the ocean before, it certainly is very worthwile and lots of visitors to Australia come to Melbourne just for the day to witness this spectacle.If all this sounds too much there is a very good zoo in Melbourne, the best in Australia, which is a 30 minute tram ride from the city. The city of Melbourne also has some beautiful gardens, The Botanical or Fitzroy Gardens which are both within the city itself. There is also the Aquarium and Crown Casino in the city, and if you are at all into a little gambling I believe our odds are a lot better than Vegas!!! (our roulette wheel only has one zero). I would recommend The Langham Hotel (formerly Sheraton Southgate) if you can good rate as somewhere to stay.It is within walking distance to The aquarium, Casino, Botanical Gardens, city shops and is in the Southgate precint, where there are many wonderful restaurants and cafes. My cricket loving DH strongly recommends that you go to the cricket, but he has just looked up the schedules and there won't be any matches in Melbourne when your here. However, Australia will be playing South Africa at The Gabba (Brisbane) on the 9th and he reckons that would be a great match to see. I personally compare watching cricket to be just about as exciting as watching grass grow...oh well each to their own!

 

[chris1gill]

you have a PM Monty!

 

[CheshireVal]

Is your flight to Brisbane already booked? I believe most of the full day tours bring you back to your hotel at around 5.30pm. I believe there are day tours that combine Puffing Billy with Yarra Glen wineries or Healsville Sanctuary. Puffing Billy (a steam train) is great fun, it travels through some beautiful fern gullys and children can even sit on the window ledges of the train as it travels through the bush.(or at least they used to be able to). The Dandenong Ranges, where the train travels thru,are usually a lovely cool haven on a hot Melbourne day.Mind you Melbourne is known for having four seasons in one day and summer days can be anything from 70 to over 100 degrees. Healsville Sanctuary is a great place for seeing some of our Australian wildlife, but if you are doing that on the Gold Coast or Brisbane, I would skip that and do Yarra Glen instead.Then again, perhaps when you are in Adelaide you may already be going to Barossa Valley, so you may want to give this a miss.If you were at all flexible with your flights I would do the Fairy Penguin tour to Philip Island. The problem is...that the penguins only come out of the ocean at dusk, so in summer that means about 9pm.The tours don't usually get back into Melbourne till after midnight probably as Philip Island is about 1.5 or so hours from Melbourne.If you have never witnessed them all wadling out in their 100's from the ocean before, it certainly is very worthwile and lots of visitors to Australia come to Melbourne just for the day to witness this spectacle.If all this sounds too much there is a very good zoo in Melbourne, the best in Australia, which is a 30 minute tram ride from the city. The city of Melbourne also has some beautiful gardens, The Botanical or Fitzroy Gardens which are both within the city itself. There is also the Aquarium and Crown Casino in the city, and if you are at all into a little gambling I believe our odds are a lot better than Vegas!!! (our roulette wheel only has one zero). I would recommend The Langham Hotel (formerly Sheraton Southgate) if you can good rate as somewhere to stay.It is within walking distance to The aquarium, Casino, Botanical Gardens, city shops and is in the Southgate precint, where there are many wonderful restaurants and cafes. My cricket loving DH strongly recommends that you go to the cricket, but he has just looked up the schedules and there won't be any matches in Melbourne when your here. However, Australia will be playing South Africa at The Gabba (Brisbane) on the 9th and he reckons that would be a great match to see. I personally compare watching cricket to be just about as exciting as watching grass grow...oh well each to their own!

Wow! I did just about all that stuff when I was in Australia a few summers ago (dead of winter down there of course). I can recommend all of it, and couldn't choose between them if I had to. I loved Puffing Billy-- I loved the wineries, especially Yarra Valley. Healesville Sanctuary was awesome for seeing the native wildlife. Philip Island was also really neat but when I was there just terribly, terribly cold. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

(My cricket-loving DH would also recommend the cricket, but I find it to be the most boring sport ever. )

 

[roger_ramjet]

Hi Roger, Thanks so much for all those recommendations, I have printed them out!

Monty, we do have reservations that I made just a few weeks ago... The original places I was looking to stay along the Great Ocean Road all booked up, so I grabbed a few Best Western's along the way, they look reasonable & we won't be in them other than to sleep!

I'm not sure where the Hilton in Adelaide is either, but it seems to me it was along a river & was smack dab downtown, I could be wrong though...

I think I would prefer to stay in Melbourne for the night, perhaps I will look for something on Priceline... Can you recommend a good day trip that would get us back to the Melbourne airport by 5? We are flying into and out of Brisbane by the way....

We were in Brisbane/Surfer's/Noosa 18 months ago during January vacation & it was hot, but on the coast it was still wonderful with the breeze... when you get inland it does get to be a bit stifling... We'll have to suffer through Alice and Ayer's... I suspect we will only come out in the mornings and the evenings & I'm planning to bring plenty of bug spray!

Thanks for any and all information!

No problem, it can be a bit daunting driving around in an unfamiliar place so I'm sure you can do with all the hints you can get!

So, how many days were you staying in Melbourne again? There is tons to do there, the problem is some of it is a little bit of a drive. As others have mentioned, there is the Yarra Valley. That area is fantastic if you like wine, as there are plenty of good wineries within striking distance of each other. Healesville Sanctuary is nice and Healesville itself is a charming town and great for some lunch or morning tea. The Dandenong Ranges are nice too, and not just for the Puffing Billy train, though that will be a lot of fun too. There are lots of lovely tea rooms and interesting antique stores and stuff like that in the hills and they're pretty easy to get to. A day trip to Hanging Rock and the wineries around Macedon may well be worth your while, too, and it helps that that area is out in the same direction as the airport is (would make it easier to get to after the day trip).

Let us know what else you have planned for Melbourne and perhaps we can offer some more hints for you