Passports and Visas
Anyone wanting to enter Australia must carry a valid passport or similar certificate of identification and everyone, except holders of Australian and New Zealand passports, requires a visa to enter Australia. The Australian visitor visa can be obtained from Oz Flights by way of  the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). The ETA does not require visitors to complete an application form and no visa label or stamp is placed in the passport. For those applying for an ETA with us we will require a photocopy of the travellers passport with all relevant details. Tourists and visitors from all other countries are expected to apply for a visa that covers the full period of your intended stay and you are not allowed to work or take formal study in Australia.

Vaccinations
Vaccinations are not required unless you have come from or visited a yellow fever infected country or zone within six days prior to arrival. You do not need any other health certificate to enter Australia.

Entry Customs
There are strict laws prohibiting or restricting the entry of drugs, steroids, weapons, firearms, protected wildlife and associated products. All animals, animal products, foodstuffs, plants and plant products are subject to quarantine control, and must be declared on arrival. The penalties for breaking these laws are severe. If you are uncertain about anything in your baggage, declare it and bring it to the attention of a customs officer. There is no limit on the amount of Australian and/or foreign cash that may be brought into or taken out of Australia. However, amounts of more than $A10,000, or equivalent in foreign currency, must be reported on arrival. Failure to do so is an offence under the law. Currency means notes and coins of legal tender but does not include travellers' cheques or other monetary instruments. Forms for reporting currency transfers are available from customs officers at ports or airports. Every traveller over 18 years of age may bring into Australia 1125ml of alcoholic liquor and 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco products duty/tax free. Duty/tax-free allowances of $A400 per person aged 18 or over and $A200 per person under 18 are granted for other goods intended as gifts. These articles must accompany you through Customs and must not be intended for commercial purposes. In addition to these concessions, tourists visiting Australia for a limited period may bring most articles into the country duty/tax free, provided Customs is satisfied that they are for their personal use and that they will be taken out of Australia on departure.

Clothing
Lightweight clothes are suitable for daytime, but keep a jacket or sweater handy as nights may be cool. For the southern winters (June August), sweaters, a jacket or light coat and generally warmer clothes are advisable. Australians are informal dressers, but for special occasions, such as business meetings, theatres and dining at good restaurants, men may need a jacket and tie or suit and women a more formal dress. Most of the time just keep clothing light and comfortable. Bring a sunhat, sunglasses and suntan lotion if you expect hot weather.

Sun Protection
Enjoy outdoor activities such as sightseeing, bushwalking, boating and camping without the risk of harmful exposure to the sun by using simple skin protection. Wear a broad-brimmed hat, a shirt with a collar and sleeves, and pH 15+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen on exposed areas of skin.Try to avoid the sun during the middle of the day, between 10am and 2pm (11am and 3pm in daylight saving time) when the ultraviolet rays are at their strongest.

Currency
Australian Dollars ($A). Current exchange rate is approximately £1GBP =($A)2.39. Please check with  your bank for current exchange rates. Travellers cheques and most major international credit cards are  accepted.  currency is decimal with the dollar as the basic unit (100 cents equals one dollar). Notes come in $100, $50, $20, $10, and $5 denominations. Coins come in 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, and $2 denominations.

Banking and Business Hours
Banks generally open from 9.30am - 4pm Monday Thursday and from 9.30am - 5pm Friday. In some states, selected banking facilities are available on Saturday morning. General office hours are 9am 5pm, Monday Friday. Post offices open from 9am 5pm Monday Friday. Stamps are often available at front desks of hotels and motels and at selected retail outlets.

Shopping
Big department stores, arcades, malls, gift shops, fashion boutiques and specialty stores abound in Australia. Good buys include quality Australian opals and other precious or semi-precious stones, sheepskins and leather goods,Australian fashion, Aboriginal artefacts and paintings. Philatelic desks at main post offices sell sets of souvenir stamps. Duty free shops are located in city centres and at international airports. Shops attached to galleries, museums and many other tourist attractions are stocked with an excellent range of interesting souvenirs. Shopping hours vary from state to state but generally big department stores open from 9am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday with late night shopping either on Thursday or Friday until 9pm; and 9am - 5 pm on Saturday. Some states have Sunday trading and major stores open from 10am - 4pm. Please refer to the shopping factsheet in Special Interest for shopping details for every state.

GST
None at the moment but GST will be intrduced on 1 July 2000. (approx 10%).

Tipping
Tipping is not the general custom in Australia and service charges are not added to accounts by hotels and restaurants. Porters at airports, taxi drivers and hairdressers do not expect to be tipped although you may do so if you wish. Porters have set charges at railway terminals, but not at hotels. In better-class restaurants, it is usual to tip food and drink waiters up to 10 per cent of the bill for good service. At any time, tipping is your choice.

Taxis
Metered taxicabs operate in all major cities and towns. You will find taxi ranks at transport terminals, major hotels or shopping centres or you can hail taxis in the street. A light and sign on the roof shows when a cab is vacant. The Yellow Pages of the telephone directory list taxi companies that will send a radio-controlled cab to pick you up (for a small charge). There is a minimum "flagfall" charge, then a charge for the distance travelled. Small additional charges are made for luggage and telephone reservations, otherwise the account shows on the meter. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped, but will accept gratuities.

Electricity
The electrical current in Australia is 220-240 volts, AC 50Hz. The Australian three pin power outlet is different from that in some countries so you will need an adaptor. Universal outlets for 240V or 110V shavers are usually found in leading hotels.

Time Zones
Australia spans three time zones:

Northeast/southeast: GMT + 10 (GMT + 11 October to March, except Queensland).

Central: GMT + 9.5 (GMT + 10.5 October to March, except Northern Territory).

West: GMT + 8.

Some States operate daylight saving time during the Australian summer. Clocks in these States are put forward by one hour in October and put back again in March.

Driving Laws
Australians drive on the left hand side of the road. The steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. The maximum speed limit in cities and towns is 60 km/h (35 mph) and on country roads and highways, 100 km/h (62mph) to 110km/h (68 mph) unless signs indicate otherwise. Strict drink-driving laws apply. Seat belts must be worn by drivers and passengers at all times. Driving Licences A bona-fide tourist may drive in Australia on a valid overseas drivers licence for the same class of vehicle. Licences must be carried when driving. If the drivers licence is not in the English language, the visitor must carry a translation with the permit. An International Drivers Permit is not sufficient by itself and must be accompanied by a valid drivers permit. For further information contact the relevant state Road Transport Authority on arrival.

Medical and Emergency Facilities
Medical and emergency services are available free to visitors. It is advisable to arrange for insurance coverage before your departure. Comprehensive travel insurance is recommended.

Communications
Telephone: There are full facilities for national and international telecommunications. Full IDD is available. Country code: 61. Outgoing international code: 0011. Payphones are red, green, gold or blue. Only local calls can be made from red phones. Green, gold and blue phones also have International Direct Dialling (IDD) and Subscriber Trunk Dial (STD). The minimum cost of a local phone call is 40c. Phonecards are available at newsagents, supermarkets and chemists and can be bought in denominations of A$2, 5, 10 and 20 and used for local, STD or international calls. Creditphones, which take most major credit cards, can be found at airports, city-centre locations and many hotels.
Fax: The Overseas Telecommunications Commission accepts documents over the counter for transmission. Free collection by courier is availabl e in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Fax number guides are available at post offices, and prices vary.
Telegram: Services are run by the Overseas Telecommunications Commission and local offices. Cables can be sent Urgent (2-4 hours delivery), Ordinary (4-6 hours) or Letter rate (24 hours). Telegrams may be sent through the telephone operator. Hotels usually add a surcharge.
Post: There are post offices in all the main towns of every State. Opening hours are 0900-1700 Monday to Friday. Some post offices are also open Saturday 0900-1200. Stamps are often available at hotel and motel reception areas and selected newsagents. Poste Restante facilities are available throughout the country; mail should be addressed to the nearest post office.
Press: The main daily newspapers are The Australian and the Australian Financial Review. The weekly newspapers with the largest circulation are The Bulletin, the Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday Mail. Newspapers have a generally high circulation throughout the continent.

BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.

BBC:

MHz 15.36 11.96 9.740 5.975

Voice of America:

MHz 17.73 11.72 9.645 6.160