Destination Guides & Maps - Australia

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Capital: Canberra. (Population 295,000)

Currency: Australian dollar

Population: 19 million.

Area: 1,842,675 sq miles (4,772,535 sq km)

Language: English and Aboriginal

Visa: All visitors other than New Zealanders must have a visa for Australia issued before they leave home. Apply at the Australian High Commission (check Useful Addresses and websites) where you will be asked for proof of your return ticket.

If you're an EU national just visiting as a tourist (and have no health problems or criminal conviction) you can apply for a Visitor ETA (Electronic Travel Authority), either online at www.eta.immi.gov.au, or through travel agents and airline offices, which entitles you to stay in Australia for up to three months (although it doesn't permit you to work while you're there).

There is a fee payable. One important condition for a visa is that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay.

Geography: Situated in the Southern Hemisphere between the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australasia is the world's oldest continent. It is as big as the mainland states of the USA and bigger than the entire European continent. Indonesia and Papua New Guinea lie to the north and New Zealand to the south east.

It is a land of enormous diversity, with sunny coastal cities, northern rain forests and coral reefs, and endless dry red Outback. The Great Dividing Range runs like a spine down the east of the continent, separating the popular cities of Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns from the arid interior.

The extreme north is tropical and is subject to the vagaries of the monsoon season while the centre's dusty plains are broken only by the strange and mystical attraction of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas).

There are thousands of islands off the Australian coast, from Tasmania, the seventh state in the south, to the 2,000-plus islands off the Great Barrier Reef. The west of the country is largely a plateau.

Australia is divided into six states and two territories: Western Australia (WA), Northern Territory (NT), South Australia (SA), Queensland, New South Wales (NSW), Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Victoria and Tasmania.

Religion: About 70 per cent of Australian people consider themselves Christian, of which a third are Catholic. Because of the diversity of nationalities now living in Australia, Buddhist, Jewish and Muslim communities are increasingly common.

Time: Australia is divided into three time zones: Eastern Standard Time (Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and Queensland) is GMT plus 10 hours, Central Standard Time (SA, NT) is GMT plus 9 1/2 hours, Western Standard Time (WA) is GMT plus 8 hours.

In summer this changes when daylight saving begins (dates are variable but usually October to March) and clocks are put forward an hour. However the clocks do not change in some states - WA, NT and SA.

Tasmania generally starts earlier and ends later than other states.

Electricity: Voltage: 240-250AC. Electrical plugs generally have three pins but they are smaller than British plugs. Some hotels will provide 110V shaver sockets but adapters for British plugs can be found in electrical stores or chemists.

Emergencies: Dial 000 toll-free from any phone, 24 hours a day and an operator will direct you through to police, fire or ambulance. The Poisons Information Centre can be contacted on 12 11 26.

Telephone: To call Australia from the UK dial 0061 (international code plus Australia country code) then area code (e.g. for Sydney - 2) and an eight figure number. Local and national directory enquiries is 1223.

Numbers beginning with 1 800 are toll free numbers while those beginning with 13 are service numbers charged at the local rate.

Payphones are generally in working order and are widely available. They accept coins or phone cards although some only operate on phone cards or credit cards. International phone cards are very good value and can be bought at travel outlets and newsagents in various denominations.

For mobile phones, Australia uses the GSM system but calls are expensive and many remote places do not have receivers and therefore no phone signal.

Post: Post offices are marked with a red and white "P" logo and are open between 9am and 5pm weekdays. Some branches are open at the weekend - check with Australia Post Customer Service on 13 13 18. Most offer poste restante.

It costs 45c to send a letter within Australia and $1.50 to send a letter to the UK and Europe. There are various speeds at which you can send mail internationally but delivery times are generally five to ten days.

Domestic mail can be sent first class or express post, for which you have to buy a special yellow and white envelope at the post office.

Business hours: Shops are generally open between 9.30am and 5/5.30pm Monday to Friday with shorter hours on Saturday and shorter again (perhaps 11am - 4pm) on Sundays. Big malls are usually open at the weekend and most shops have a late night, usually a Thursday or Friday.

Supermarkets are open long hours, some round-the-clock and many convenience stores are likewise 24 hours. January is generally the holiday month but unlike on the Continent shops generally stay open. Family-run businesses and restaurants may close for up to a month from Christmas.

Most big museums are open daily but some smaller ones can close on Monday and/or Tuesday. Some close on public holidays.

Banks generally open from 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and stay open to 5pm on Fridays. Some open until midday on Saturday.

Chemists are widespread and some have long hours. In the cities most areas have a 24-hour chemist - check on the door of your closest chemist or telephone the Chemist Emergency Prescription Referral Service on 9235 0333 for the location of your nearest after-hours chemist.

Internet and e-mail: Australians are enthusiastic internet users so most large towns and cities have several cybercafés. On-line prices vary. For a list of cybercafés world-wide, check www.netcafe.com.

Tipping: In restaurants a 10% tip is optional but increasingly customary. For taxi drivers round up the fare to the nearest dollar. A couple of dollar coins are suitable for helpful porters.

BBC World Service: BBC World Service broadcasts on different short wave frequencies throughout the day. Between 5am and 10.30am GMT it can be found on 15360kHz, between 10pm and midnight GMT it can be found on 11955kHz and between 11am and 4pm GMT it can be found on 9740kHz. Australia's main news and talk radio station is Radio National on 576AM.

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