April 3, 2012 
7 Comments 
YOURLifeChoices subscriber Rob is taking six months to drive around Australia but to give him a break, he enjoys travelling by public transport now and again. Thanks to interstate travel concessions, this is now more affordable, but how can he find out how much he can save?
Q. Rob
I will be driving around Australia over the next six months and when I get to each different state, I like to make a journey or two on the local Train/Bus/Ferry system. What I need to know is what price a pensioner would have to pay in each state? I know Queensland is half price, but what about the other States? Where would I find out such information?
A. Travelling around Australia is a terrific way to see the best of this great country and thanks to the Nationwide Seniors Transport Concession, accessing public transport at concession fares is possible wherever you go. To find out what discounts are offered by each state and territory, click the link below to our article on the Nationwide Seniors Transport Concession.
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Rob, I know last year when I was in Sydney I was able to travel anywhere in the greater Sydney area for $2.50 per day. This area is from Newcastle to South Coast down past Sydney and up to Lithgow as fas as I remember. I had a great ole time and also went on the Zigzag Railway steam train with my exs cousin who is a retired train driver. If you look at the websites for each state you will find the revelent information.
Yes that deal is NSW is brilliant we went as far as Mittagong in the Southern Highlands on the train and also to Katoomba for our $2.50 a day, In Katoomba, there is an old Brisbane Trolley bus that does a scenic circuit, hop on hop off throught Leura and Katoomba, very cheap and great value, good way to see the area, but set out early in the day, lots of spots to see.
NSW HAS THE BEST TRAVEL DISCOUNTS QLD MORE EXPENSIVE UNLESS YOU PURCHASE A GO CARD,BUT THEY ARE $5 THEN YOU NEED TO TOP THEM UP
You also need to always remember to log off at the destination with the Qld Go Card otherwise you are charged LOTS of money and getting a refund by ringing them is a hassle and takes awhile.
This has been discontinued, see below for info from the Interstate Rail Service Website:
The Federal Government has provided funding for eligible concession travellers since 1997. This has traditionally passed directly onto eligible customers in the form of a travel discount. As outlined in the 2014/15 Federal Budget, the Government has decided to discontinue funding for eligible concession travellers using Great Southern Rail services. The current funding arrangement ends on 30 June 2016. As a result of this funding withdrawal, Great Southern Rail advises that current discounts provided to Commonwealth Seniors, Pensioners and Veterans can no longer be offered. From 1 July 2016, Great Southern Rail will provide a 20 per cent discount for the 2016/17 travel year. This is in order to provide transitional support to our concession customers. – See more at: http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/fares_and_timetables/concessions_2015_2016/#sthash.O0g5Tlnl.dpuf
NSW have a ticket similar to our Smart Card that we have in WA. It’s simple to get one .ust contact the NSW transport dept and you put in as much as you may need.It’s called an Opal card.
Does it have a “use by date” or can you use the balance in a year or two?