Bus travel in Australia is a big step up from the low-rent affair it can be in the United States. Terminals are centrally located and well lit, the buses -- called "coaches" Down Under -- are clean and air-conditioned, you sit in adjustable seats, videos play on board, and the drivers are polite and sometimes even point out places of interest along the way. Some buses have restrooms. Unlike Australia's train service, the extensive bus network will take you almost everywhere. Buses are all nonsmoking.

Australia has one national coach operators: Greyhound Australia (tel. 13 14 99 in Australia, or 07/4690 9888; www.greyhound.com.au; no relation to Greyhound in the U.S.). The company does not operate within Tasmania, which is serviced by Redline Coaches (tel. 1300/360 000 in Australia; www.redlinecoaches.com.au). In addition to point-to-point services, Greyhound Australia also offers a limited range of tours at popular locations on its networks, including Uluru, Kakadu, Monkey Mia in Western Australia, and the Great Ocean Road in Victoria.

Note: Fares and some passes are considerably cheaper for seniors, students, backpacker cardholders, and Hostelling International/YHA members.

Bus Passes -- Bus passes are a great value. There are several kinds -- Day passes, Pre-set Itinerary passes, and Kilometre passes. Look into the one that suits you best. Note that even with a pass, you may still need to book the next leg of your trip 12 or 24 hours ahead as a condition of the pass; during school vacation periods, which are always busy, booking as much as 7 days ahead may be smart.

If you know where you are going and are willing to obey a "no backtracking" rule, consider Greyhound Australia's Aussie Explorer predetermined itinerary pass. These passes allow unlimited stops in a generous time frame on a preset one-way route (you are permitted to travel the route in either direction). There is a huge range of itineraries to choose from. As an example, the Aussie Reef and Rock pass takes in Alice Springs, Katherine, Darwin, Mount Isa, Cairns, and the whole east coast down to Sydney. The pass is valid for 6 months and costs A$1,131 (US$905) from Sydney, including tours to Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kakadu National Park, and Kings Canyon. You don't have to start in Sydney; you can start at any point along any of the pass routes, in which case the pass may be cheaper. In the case of the Reef and Rock pass, that means you could start farther up the track, at Brisbane (in which case the pass costs A$1,046/US$837) or Cairns (from where the pass costs A$698/US$558). The All Australian Pass costs A$2,458 (US$1,966) and is valid for a year.

The Aussie Kilometre Pass allows unlimited stops in any direction within the mileage you buy. Passes are available in increments of 1,000km (620 miles). Prices range from A$328 (US$262) for 2,000km (1,240 miles) -- enough to get you from Cairns to Brisbane -- to A$2,310 (US$1,848) for a whopping 20,000km (6,200 miles).