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Interesting facts about Australia: The Lucky Country

Australian minerals

Just something of interest about one of the nations Transfercar operates out of…..

The Lucky Country
Australia has long been known as the lucky country. This is not surprising when you learn it is the world’s largest iron ore exporter and largest producer of bauxite and alumina. Australia also has the world’s largest deposits of silver, zinc, zircon and easily extracted uranium (over 40% of world resources). It also has about 10 percent of the world’s gold resources.

How Big is Australia?
Australia is the word’s smallest continent and the world’s sixth largest country. Australia covers an area of 7,686,900 square kilometres. That’s slightly smaller than the United States mainland which is 7,827,848 square kilometres (does not include Hawaii and Alaska).

Natural Hazards
Australia’s main natural hazards are cyclones (hurricanes), drought and forest fires. The biggest killer of all has been heatwaves.

World’s Biggest Crocodiles

The tropical north of Australia is home to the world’s largest species of crocodile, the salt water crocodile. These creatures are protected in Australia. Males can occasionally grow to lengths of over 6 metres (20 feet). Each year one or two people are eaten by crocodiles in Australia.aligator

Temperatures

Australia’s highest temperature, 51 degrees C (123 degrees F), was recorded at Oodnadatta, South Australia in 1960. The lowest temperature was minus 23 degrees C (minus 9 degrees F) measured high in the mountains at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales.

Biggest State

Western Australia is the biggest Australian state and covers one third of the continent. Its total area is over 2.5 million square kilometers. That makes it 3.6 times bigger than Texas, 4.6 times bigger than France and 11 times bigger than the UK. It’s an interesting fact that, despite its large size, Western Australia is home to only around two million people.

Information retrieved from australiafacts.org

Tourism NZ tells Aussies “what’s ours is yours”

aereoinsilouette“What’s ours is yours” is the latest advertising campaign currently running across the ditch in a bid to entice Australian holiday makers.

It is a joint campaign between Tourism New Zealand and Pacific Blue will see Australians offered discounted airfares and travel packages through television and print advertising.

Read the full story: TV3 News

Your guide to travelling on a budget

Even on a limited budget, you can still have a great holiday with your friends or family. You just need to put a little bbqbeachextra thought into every dollar you plan to spend.

Here’s some tips that can guide you while planning a vacation without breaking the bank.

Go on a local holiday

Why not check out some of the local attractions. Sometimes some of the most beautiful places are right in your back yard. You don’t always need to go and book expensive plane tickets. Instead have a ‘staycation’. Go hiking, have a movie night or a barbeque with family and friends. Another great idea is to have night-time picnics: something that’s great on hot summer nights.

Take a road trip

Another example of an inexpensive family vacation is taking a campervan or car and going on a road trip. Here is where relocation vehicles such as Transfercar’s free rental car listings come in handy. They are free and often come with a tank of gas, insurance and ferry crossing if relevant.

sandyfeetAvoid peak seasons

If you’re set on going overseas you can still make vacationing on a budget possible by avoiding peak seasons. Most airlines usually have very high rates during particular months of the year, so you should refrain from booking flights during those times.

Book Early

You’re more likely to save money by booking flights and accommodation early.

Book Online

Often discounts and the best deals will be offered for booking online.

Subscribe

Subscribe to travel related newsletters or websites so that you know about sales before they happen. Often, you can sign up for promotional emails as well. If you sign up for these, the companies will email you with discounts and deals.

Package deals

Book your flights and hotels together. Package deals will save you money.

Fees

Make sure you keep an eye on extra fees when making bookings. More times than not, cheap deals will be compensated with extra fees.

Buy food at the supermarket

Avoid spending large amounts of money on takeaway food and use the best weight loss pills which help as natural appetite suppressants to avoid cravings and save money on food. Buying at the supermarket will not only save you money but will be much better for your health.

Happy and safe travelling!

New Zealand Interislander Ferry Times

Here’s a basic Interislander timetable for those needing to cross the Cook Strait (between Picton and Wellington) in their Transfercar relocation cars and campervans!

Wellington to Picton

Cook Strait

Timetable for Wellington to Picton
Depart Wellington Arrive Picton

2:25am – 5:35am
8:25am – 11:35am
10:25am* – 1:35pm*
2:05pm – 5:15pm
6:25pm – 9:25pm

Picton to Wellington

Timetable for Picton to Wellington
Depart Picton Arrive Wellington

6:25am – 9:35am
10:05am – 1:15pm
1:10pm – 4:20pm
2:25pm* – 5:35pm*
6:05pm – 9:15pm
10:25pm – 1:35am

0800 802 802
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Car Rental Company Invests $25M in Tourism Growth

Apex Car Rentals, one of New Zealand’s largest rental car companies has recently announced a $25 million fleet expansion.

Part of the fleet growth for this season with include the addition of an extra 1200 cars. 700 of these will be new 2010 model Toyota Corollas and Toyota Previas. The new cars started arriving from 28 September.

Apex has had a stellar growth path over the last 20 years, growing from a solely Christchurch based company with six cars in 1992, to a nationwide company with over 4000 cars.

Read the full article at fourcorners.co.nz

Toyota Prius proves a gas guzzler in a race with the BMW 520d

The Toyota Hybrid is hailed as an eco-paragon. It is a very responsible car and classified by the US government as the “most fuel-efficient car sold in the US” discover more  features about this car below.

Celebs like Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio drive it. Not because it is a typical jet-set car, not because it is pretty or the flashest set of wheels around. No, you drive this car because you make a statement with this car: Your conscientious and aspiring a better way of life.

The New Zealand bound ‘green’ traveller rents a Hybrid. Because is the right car to rent when you’re environment friendly. It is the right car for your budget too. The rental companies confrim you’re doing -again- the right thing: “…fuel efficient Hybrid” “…eco friendly green car…” “…saving on fuel costs..” “…minimising the impact of car travel on the environment..”.

And with New Zealand’s green and clean image, surely you are not going to rent or buy anything other than nature’s friend, the Hybrid? And, if relocating rental cars, you sure as hell are not going to relocate any car but a Hybrid car. Right?

Right. So, bearing all this in mind, how would a responsible eco and budget friendly car like this fare against a big bad polluting BMW?

Let’s find out.

Last Sunday Top Gear screened on Prime. And in this episode the Top Gear Team drove a Toyota Prius and a BMW 3 series around the track. The outcome was…different.

In March this year two correspondents from the English newspaper The Sunday Times took the Toyota Prius and a BMW 520d for a spin. Not a lap around the track like in Top Gear, but an 877 k’s spin to Geneva.

The result is, to say the least, interesting.

Toyota Prius versus BMW 520d

The moral of the story? It’s not what you drive; it’s how you drive it. So, if I was that ‘green’ traveller looking for a responsable way of cruising New Zealand, I’d be renting (or relocating!) the biggest baddest BMW that I can get my hands on. That’s all-‘right’ for me.