Everyday info

Here are some important general facts to get you acquainted with Australia before you go!

The Australian population is around 20 million and most of them live around the big coastal cities – Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. With a coastline of about 23,000 miles that boasts around 10,000 beaches, it’s not hard to see why this country is so popular with backpackers!

Australia is split up into three time zones which can get quite complicated whilst driving through the country! They are:
Eastern Standard Time (EST) – New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory (Canberra), Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland.
Central Standard Time (CST) – South Australia and the Northern Territories
Western Standard Time (WST) – Western Australia

WST is 8 hours ahead of the UK, CST is 9 ½ hours ahead of the UK and EST is 10 hours ahead of the UK.

You will need to acquire a plug adapter to use your phone/camera charger etc. as the plug sockets are different to those in the UK. The country runs on the same electricity system as England, so goods purchased in either country will work in the other with a socket adapter.

You’ll have to be at least 18 years old to drink alcohol over there. It’s also illegal to drink and drive, so don’t do it!

Most pubs and clubs (particularly in the cities) are fairly strict on identification, even if you look old enough. So make sure you take ID out with you such as a driving license.

You need to be 18 years old to buy cigarettes in Australia; there is a smoking ban, restricting you to not being allowed to smoke inside in public places. Yippee! No more smokey clothes!

Phone Numbers:

000- Emergency services - Police, Ambulance, Fire services
112- International emergency number
12550- Reverse charges

The country dialing code is +61
Each state has a different area code at the start, these are:
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory - 02
Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia- 08
Queensland- 07
Tasmania and Victoria- 03

For example, to call my best friend in Sydney I would dial 00 61 2 1234 5678 from England or 02 1234 5678 from Melbourne.