AUSTRALIA

CREST & FLAG

National Day 26 January

CURRENCY

Currency Australian Dollar

VISA

Most travelers need a visa. Check with the nearest Australian Embassy or Immigration office. If you are elegiable you might go for the Electronic Travel Authority. Don't forget to check what the immigration officer stamps in your passport.

ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORITY

The Electronic Travel Authority is a very easy way to get your entry permit to Australia via the Internet. On arrival the immigration officer types your name into the computer and their you are. Bravo, fast and efficient. The USA should follow.

DID-INTERNET-GMT

DID (depending operator and service)

Country Code (61 )

Internet (au)

GMT + 9/10

ELECTRICITY

240/250 V 50 HZ

HOTELS

More on Australia

by (Encyclopedia.com)

FACTS & DATA

State: Commonwealth of Australia

Head of State: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II

Head of Government: Prime Minister

Currency: Australian Dollar

Location: Oceania

Area: 7,686,850 sq km

Capital: Canberra
Population: 20.1 m

People: Caucasian 91%, Asian 8%, aboriginal 1%
Language: English

Religion: Anglican 26%, Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.4%, other 23.6%

GDP: 620 US$ billion

GNP per capita: 31.000 US$

Annual growth: 3%

Inflation: 2.3 %
Major industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, agriculture, meat, food, wine, chemicals, steel
Major trading partners: Japan, USA, EU, Asia

Health risks: Good healthcare
Time: GMT +

Weights & measures: Metric

Road traffic: Left side

Public transport: Very good

Electricity: 220-240V

PUBLICATIONS

NEWSPAPERS

English

The Advertisor

The Australian

The Australian Times

NEWS

Australia news

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITIES

The Australian Government welcomes foreign students to study further in Australia. Visit the Government here

Australian National University

AIR, Australia has international airports covering most of the country. Sydney has by far the largest international airport connecting it to many destinations worldwide. SEA, if you like the sea breeze Australia and definitely Sydney is a popular cruise destination. It's a long way if you come from the Americas or Europe.

Information	Currency Language Population Ports Phone Book Facts Religion Yellow Pages Holidays
Official	Duty Free Immigration Australian Electronic Travel Authority Holidays Your Embassy in Australia Australian Missions Government
Reference	Post Tourism Weather Currency Converter
Transport	Rail Australia

Sport

Rugby AFL Tennis

Travel

Advise Car Rental Hotels Tours Travel Travel Warning

Ambulance 000 | Fire 000 | Police 13 14 44

It is believed that the Aboriginal people of Australia who have been living there for over 40.000 years are the oldest civilization on earth. Australia is a quite young nation. Captain James Cook was the first European to arrive in Australia. In 1779 it was decided to make New South Wales to the penalty colony of the British. A god or terrible example is a museum today in Fremantle in Western Australia. Due to the immigration, you'll find people from all over the world.

Just to give you an impression how huge Australia is, you need 4 hours flying time from Sydney to Perth or just 4.025 km by road, which means several days. With few exceptions Australian cities are all built along it's long coastal line. Unless you have a month holiday or more pick an area and drive around. The country is famous for it's so called outback which means basically the nature and you got plenty of it.

Sydney with its famous Opera House is an all-time favorite. It's probably the only real cosmopolitan city in Australia. It offers all what a big city should do. For some reason it is not the capital of Australia as Canberra carries this title.

A must in Australia as one of the leading wine nations is to travel to one of the many vineyards and sample the wine. If you buy a bottle for AU$ 30-50 in the vineyard you can save up to 50-65 % of the price you normally pay in a supermarket and 100% or more in a restaurant.

Perth and the port city of Fremantle could be called the most lonely cities in the world. Thousands of miles away from all other major settlements in Australia. Perth was founded mid 1850's and is the capital of the mining area and Western Australia.

Melbourne, Australia's second largest city is the capital of Victoria. it was founded by settlers in 1835 and is today a vibrant cosmopolitan economic centre. Melbourne is as well the the most southern city in the world.

This famous rock is full of history, 350 km south of Alice Spring in the Northern Territories in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Its a monolith, the second largest after Mount Augustus (Australia) in the world.

If you are a beach lover or a surfer freak the Gold Coast in Queensland is your destination. Surfers Paradise is world known for it's pristine beaches, great waves and high security by the first class life guards.

The food is as full of varieties as the population itself. In general the food is rustic. Barbequing is the favorite cooking style in Australia. Immigrants who arrived in Australia during the 80 and 90's have brought a more refined cuisine to the country. Due to strict import rules most products you'll find are Australian made. Portions are normally huge.

Wine and beer are the two most popular beverages and they consume plenty of it. The big areas for wine are in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and north of Sydney.

Australia is a western style country with all it's nightlife activities you are locking for. The Australians are friendly people but can get noisy and tuff after their loved drinks.

Animal & Plant Restrictions

Due to its unique animal and plant life, Australia prohibits the importation of animal and plants and products therof. you can get heavily fines if you try to smuggle.