Australia
A country in Oceania
Australia, or, as its official name, is the continent of the Commonwealth of the Americas. It stretches between the Indian Ocean and the Great Ocean. It is located on the continent of Oceania and occupies a very large part of the continent. Neighbors are Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Capital of Canberrais the largest city in Sydney. Australia was established on a total area of 8.698.850 km², with an area of 8.617.930 km² on land, and 80.920 km². There is no land border with any country. This area makes him the 6th largest country in the world. It has a coastline of 25,760 kilometers. Europeans are home to the local Aboriginal ring for about 50,000 years before arriving in the 18th century. The languages spoken by the aborigines were divided into approximately 250 different groups according to the modern survey results. The forced migration initiated by the United Kingdom through criminal transfer continued from 1788 to 1868 and concentrated around New South Wales. Wikipedia
Things to do
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world, consisting of 2,900 reefs and 900 islands, with an area of 460,400 km² spreading 2,600 km wide. The reef is located in Coral Sea off the Queensland coast of north-eastern Australia. Wikipedia
Sydney Harbor Bridge
Steel arched bridge with observations
Sydney Harbor Bridge is an arch bridge located in Sydney, Australia. Construction started in 1923 and opened on 28 July 1932. The bridge carries rail, vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between Sydney city center and the North Shore. Wikipedia
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a symbol of Sydney and one of the most famous buildings of the 20th century. The famous Danish architect Jørn Utzon won the 2003 Pritzker Architecture Award for his work. It was added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 2007. Wikipedia
Whitsunday Island
Sailing, coral reef, beach and adventure
Whitsunday Islands, about 900 kilometers north of Brisbane in Queensland Australia is an island continent coastline, large and small collections. The northernmost islands near the coast by the town of Bowen and the most southern islands are close to the beach. Wikipedia
Darling Harbor
Celebration area and leisure complex
Seaside area with many of Sydney’s major attractions and major events.
Kakadu National Park
Park, crocodylinae, camping and wetland
Kakadu National Park is located 171 km southwest of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is a very rich region in terms of uranium. The reserves here are 10% of the world’s reserves.
Fraser Island
Rain forest, camping, coral reef and lake
Fraser Island is an island in the east of Australia’s Queensland region. The island is located 200 km north of Brisbane. At the same time, the island has a surface area of 1,840 km2.
Whitehaven beach
Beach, coral reef and snorkelling
Whitehaven Beach, Australia, is 7 km away along Whitsunday Island. The island can be reached by boat, seaplane and helicopter from Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island. It is opposite Stockyard Beach, known as Chalkie’s Beach on Haslewood Island. Wikipedia
Daintree Rainforest
Rain forest, coral reef and river
Daintree Rainforest, Australia’s north eastern coast of Queensland, is a region in the north of Mossman and Cairns. Approximately 1,200 square kilometers, Daintree is part of the largest continuous tropical rainforest on the Australian continent.
Phillip Island
Penguin, koala, motogp, fjers and surfing
Phillip Island, Melbourne, Australia is an island about 140 km south-southeast Victoria. On January 5, 1798, the island was named Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by George Bass, an explorer and sailor who sailed on an open whale boat from Sydney. Wikipedia
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Rain forest, koala and coral reef
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Queensland’s Wet Tropikleri of World Heritage Sites, passing over the Barron Gorge National Park is a scenic cable car 7.5 km long. He won more than 25 awards north of Cairns. Wikipedia
Royal Botanic Gardens
Garden, opera hall and waterways
The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, is a large hectare botanical garden on the local heritage list in New South Sydney, located in Farm Cove in the east of Sydney’s central business district, Sydney, at Farm Cove in Sydney’s central business district. Wales, Australia. Wikipedia
Hamilton Island
Coral reef, koala, marina, beach and golf
Hamilton Island is a small island located in the Queensland region, northeast of Australia. It is located 887 kilometers from Australia. The island is a very touristic place. The island’s population is 12 January 2010, the population of the island is 4.996. Wikipedia
Grampians National Park
Park, kangaroo, camping and rock climbing
Often referred to as the Grampians Grampians National Park, Australia’s state of Victoria is a national park, in the Grampians. Wikipedia
Sea World
Comprehensive amusement park with water theme
Ocean theme park with sea animals, polar bears, shows, tours and interactive tours.
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium
Aquarium, penguin and opera hall
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, more than 13,000 individual fish than most of its water habitats in Australia and other marine and showing more than 700 species consisting of water creatures include a wide variety of Australian aquatic life. Wikipedia
Warner Bros. Movie World
Amusement park, roller coaster and koala
Warner Bros. Film World is a film studio theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Theme Warner Bros. based on the film studio and related DC Comics features. Since WarnerMedia, it is owned and operated by Village Roadshow through Village Roadshow Theme Parks. Wikipedia
Dreamworld
Amusement park, koala and roller coaster
Dreamworld is a theme park and zoo on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is Australia’s largest theme park with more than 40 driving and attractions, including five roller coaps. Wikipedia
Litchfield national park
Park, crocodylinae, camping, adventure and safari
covering about 1500 square kilometers of Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia, 100 km south-west of Darwin it is close to the town of Batchelor. The park attracts more than 260,000 visitors every year. In 1986 he proclaimed a national park, the name of Frederick Henry Litchfield, an area pioneer. Wikipedia
Kings Park and Botanic Garden
Park, war memorial and garden
Kings Park, Perth and Perth Water is a 400.6-hectare park overlooking the central commercial district of Western Australia. The park is a mixture of grassland parkland, botanical gardens and natural shrubs at Mount Eliza, and two-thirds of the land is protected as natural shrubs. Wikipedia
Great Otway National Park
Park, rain forest, koala, forest and camping
The 103.185 hectare national park is approximately 162 kilometers southwest of Melbourne. It includes a wide variety of landscapes and vegetation types and is located in Otway Ranges. Wikipedia
Australia Zoo
Zoo, crocodylinae and koala
Australia Zoo, Beerwah / Glass House Mountains near by, in the Sunshine Coast, 1,000 acres located in the Australian state of Queensland is a zoo. Wikipedia
Queen Victoria Market
Oyster, shopping and market
the Queen Victoria Market is an important milestone in Melbourne, Australia and is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere in about seven hectares. Queen Victoria Market is the largest and strongest market in the 19th century. Wikipedia
Adelaide
A city in AustraliaAdelaide is the capital of the South Australian state of Australia and is the fifth most populous city in the country with a population of approximately 1.28 million. Adelaide shared the first place in terms of social conditions such as cultural quality, climate, living wages, and health, crime rate in the World’s Most Livable Cities survey organized by The Economist magazine in 2002 and 2004 .
Darwin
A city in AustraliaDarwin is the capital of the Northern Territory in Australia. It was built on the shore of the Timor Sea. Its population is 120,652. Darwin was once a small town with only a small port. Today, it has evolved into one of Australia’s most contemporary cities. Wikipedia
Surfers Paradise
Get in
Visa policy of Australia
Entry requirements
All visitors – apart from citizens of New Zealand – require a visa in advance of travel.
If you are visiting for a holiday of less than 90 days, there are three types of visas you may apply for, depending on your nationality.
Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) subclass 601 is available on-line to nationals of Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea (ROK) and the United States. In addition, citizens of Taiwan are also eligible for an ETA, but must apply through an approved Taiwanese travel agent, or by e-mail through the relevant Australian diplomatic mission if living abroad. A service fee of $20 applies. This fee can sometimes be avoided if you obtain your ETA through a travel agent when booking your travel with them. Some online agents may also sell ETAs.
Travelling on a United Kingdom passport
Despite the strong historic links between the UK and Australia, there are actually no differences in visa requirements for citizens of the United Kingdom and the rest of the European Union. This is also applicable to working visas. It is unclear if there will be any changes after the UK’s anticipated departure from the EU in March 2019.
eVisitor (subclass 651) for citizens of the European Union, EEA, Switzerland and a few European microstates. These visas are free, but otherwise effectively identical to the ETA. You must apply on-line.
Visitor Visa (subclass 600). Passport holders of 55 countries, including all the ETA and eVisitor eligible countries and Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE can make applications on-line. Other nationalities must apply using the paper form, and may need to visit an embassy or visa processing centre.
Like the ETA and eVisitor, a Visitor 600 is by default issued for a three month stay. Unlike the other options however, a 600 visa can be issued for a longer stay of up to one year. For more than a three month stay, you will likely be asked for supporting documentation about the reason for your visit and your ties to your country of origin and may need to attend an interview. Depending on your nationality, the embassy or visa processing centre may also require you to have an Australian sponsor before issuing the visa. The fee is $140. ETAs and eVisitors are valid for multiple entries within a 12-month period. If you’re eligible for either, it may be easier to stay the three months you’re allowed, go to New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand or some other country reachable by a low cost airline for a few days and come back – restarting the 90-day clock. Doing this more than once, however, may cause immigration authorities to become suspicious, so proceed with caution if you pursue this route.
There is a special arrangement for parents of Australians, including Australian permanent residents. The 600 visa can be valid for 18 months, three years, or five years and allow a maximum stay of 12 months during an 18-month period, depending on the circumstances.
In most cases, ETAs and eVisitors are approved instantly and the visa will be issued and available for use immediately. If further enquiries are needed you may be asked to return to the application system later to see if you’ve been approved. Over 90% are processed the same day. In the worst-case scenario your application can be diverted for manual checks that can take months. if you have a complex national history, or any criminal record (including minor offences) you should allow plenty of time for the application.
If you are visiting Australia to work, study or for medical treatment, check to make sure you have the right kind of visa, as a tourist visa may not be sufficient. Breaching the conditions or planning to breach the conditions of your visa will result in visa cancellation, deportation, and/or a period of exclusion.
For all tourist visa classes you must be able to demonstrate your ability to support yourself financially for the time you intend to spend in Australia and meet character requirements. If you have a criminal conviction, contact an Australian Embassy or visa processing centre before applying or making travel arrangements.
Inorganic powder limitation
Passengers on transit through Australia are prohibited to carry more than 350 ml or 350 grams of inorganic powder into aircraft’s cabins.
If you are transiting through Australia, remain airside for a maximum of 8 hours, have a confirmed onward booking, have the correct entry documentation for the onward destination and are a citizen of New Zealand, the European Union, Andorra, Argentina, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nauru, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea (ROK), Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom (regardless of nationality status), the United States, Vanuatu or Vatican City, you do not need to apply for any advance visa. All other passengers who transit through Australia must apply for a free-of-charge Transit Visa (subclass 771) before travel.
New Zealand citizens may travel to and work in Australia for any length of time without a pre-arranged visa – a Special Category New Zealand Citizen visa (subclass 444) will be granted to them on arrival. Non-citizen permanent residents of New Zealand are not eligible for visa-free entry. New Zealand citizens may still be denied entry on the basis of criminal convictions and should seek advice from an Australian diplomatic mission before travel.
At selected airports, visitors who are citizens of Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States may make use of the SmartGate for automated immigration clearance when entering Australia. Being able to use SmartGate does not exempt you from visa requirements.
There is no paperwork to complete when leaving Australia, just a simple passport check.
Customs and quarantine
Australia has strict quarantine requirements regarding importing animal and plant derived products (any food, wooden products, seeds, etc.) You must declare all such material, even if the items are permitted. Baggage is frequently scanned and may be examined by dogs. You may be fined $220 on-the-spot if you accidentally fail to declare, or even prosecuted in serious cases. Declared material will be examined and, depending on the circumstances, may be retained, disposed of, returned to you, or treated by quarantine at your expense. (You may have to pick the item up at a later time.) Processed and sealed chocolates and other confectionery are usually permitted after being declared and examined, as are reasonable quantities of infant formula with an accompanying infant. Different rules apply depending on the origin country of foods, and the state in which you are entering Australia. Check with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources for more details.
Travellers who are 18 years old or older are allowed to bring up to 2.25 litres of alcoholic beverages and up to 25 cigarettes or 25 grams of other tobacco products (including cigars) into Australia duty-free. These items may not be imported by anybody under the age of 18, and travellers who exceed their duty free allowance are liable to tax on all goods of that category, not just the amount in excess of the limit.
Some shells, coral and items made from a protected species are also prohibited to discourage the trade in items that may originate from a threatened ecosystem or species.
While there are no restrictions on the amount of money that can be brought in or out, Australian customs also requires you to declare if you are travelling with $10,000 or more (AUD or its equivalent in foreign currency) and you will be asked to complete some paperwork. Not declaring may expose you to a fine, possible seizure of the cash, or in the worst case even arrest.
Respect
Unless you are actively trying to insult someone, a traveller is unlikely to insult or cause offence to an Australian through any kind of cultural ignorance.
Australian modes of address tend towards the familiar. It is acceptable and normal to use first names in all situations, even to people many years your senior. Many Australians are fond of using and giving nicknames – even to recent acquaintances. It is likely being called such a name is an indication that you are considered a friend and as such it would be rare they are being condescending.
It is generally acceptable to wear revealing clothing in Australia. Bikinis and swimming attire are okay on the beach, and usually at the kiosk across the road from the beach. It is normal to wear at least a shirt and footwear before venturing any further. Most beaches are effectively top optional (topless) while sunbathing. Just about all women wear a top while walking around or in the water. There are some clothing optional (nude) beaches, usually a little further removed from residential areas. Thong bikinis (more commonly called g-string bikinis in Australia as thongs refer to flip-flop footwear) are fine on all beaches and some outdoor pools for women and men, although they are not as common as conventional beachwear. Some outdoor pools have a “top required” policy for women.
Cover up a little more when visiting places of worship such as churches. In warm conditions casual “t-shirt and shorts” style clothing predominates except in formal situations. Business attire, however, is considered to be long sleeved shirt, tie, and long trousers for men, even in the hottest weather.
Using Australian stereotypical expressions may be viewed as an attempt to mock, rather than to communicate. If you pull it off well, you might raise a smile.
Australians are often self-deprecating; however, it is rude to ever agree with a self-deprecating remark. Boasting about achievements is rarely received well.
Social classes do not feature as prominently in Australia as they do in many other countries, and you will notice that tradespeople and manual labourers are very well paid and accorded a lot more respect in Australia than elsewhere. Be careful not to imply that you are looking down on people whose jobs may be considered menial by the standards of other countries. Service workers, including hotel staff, waiters, cleaners, taxi drivers and shop employees, expect that customers will treat them as equals.
Most Australians are happy to help out a lost traveller with directions, however many urban dwellers will assume that someone asking “excuse me”, is asking for money, and may brush past. Looking lost, holding a map, looking like a backpacker or getting to the point quickly helps.
Stay safe
Emergencies
The number 000 (called ‘triple zero’ or ‘triple oh’) can be dialled from any telephone in Australia free of charge. This number will connect you with the police, fire brigade, coastguard or ambulance service after you tell the emergency operator which service you need.
If you want to contact these services but the situation is not an emergency, don’t call 000: you can call the police assistance line on 131 444. This includes requesting a call out for noise complaints. Poisons information advice, which can also advise on snake, spider and insect bites, is available on 131 126. Information on locating the nearest medical services can be obtained by calling 1800 022 222 (except for Tasmania).
If you require assistance during a flood, storm, cyclone, tsunami, earthquake or other natural disaster you can contact the State Emergency Service in each state (except for Northern Territory) on 132 500. You will be connected with your local unit and help can be organised from there. If the emergency is life-threatening, call 000 instead.
You can dial 000 from all mobile phones. Mobile phones sold in Australia recognise it as the emergency number and will use any available network to place the call. However, if you have a phone obtained outside Australia, using the universal emergency number 112 is a better idea. Using 112 will use any available network, will work even if your phone is not roaming, and will work even if the phone does not have a SIM. 112 works from Australian purchased phones too.
Hearing or speech impaired people with TTY equipment can dial 106. Those with Internet connectivity can use the Internet Relay Service, via the website.
Calls from fixed line (landline) phones may be traced to assist the emergency services to reach you. The emergency services have limited ability to trace the origin of emergency calls from mobile phones, especially outside of urban areas, so be sure to calmly and clearly provide details of your location. Because of the number sequence for emergency calls, around 60% of calls to the emergency numbers are made in error.
Nobody will likely respond to your call unless you can effectively communicate to the operator that you need assistance. If you are in need of assistance, but cannot speak, you will be diverted to an IVR and asked to press 55 to confirm that you are in need of assistance and have not called by accident. Your call will then be connected to the police.
