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Cars 4 Rental Information on Australia

General

Area: 7,692,030 sq km (2,969,909 sq miles).

Population: 19,546,792 (official estimate 2002).

Population Density: 2.54 per sq km.

Capital: Canberra. Population: 309,900 (official estimate 1999).

GEOGRAPHY: Australia is bounded by the Arafura Sea and Timor Seas to the north, the Coral and Tasman Seas of the South Pacific to the east, the Southern Ocean to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the west. Its coastline covers 36,738km (22,814 miles). Most of the population has settled along the eastern and south-eastern coastal strip. Australia is the smallest continent (or the largest island) in the world. About 40 per cent of the continent is within the tropics and Australia is almost the same size as the mainland of the United States of America. The terrain is extremely varied, ranging from tortured red desert to lush green rainforest. Australia’s beaches and surfing are world renowned, while the country is also rich in reminders of its mysterious past. These range from prehistoric Aboriginal art to Victorian colonial architecture. The landscape consists mainly of a low plateau mottled with lakes and rivers and skirted with coastal mountain ranges, highest in the east with the Great Dividing Range. There are rainforests in the far northeast (Cape York Peninsula). The southeast is a huge fertile plain. Further to the north lies the enormous Great Barrier Reef, a 2000km (1200 mile) strip of coral that covers a total area of 345,000 sq km. Although Australia is the driest land on Earth, it nevertheless has enormous snowfields the size of Switzerland. There are vast mineral deposits. More detailed geographical descriptions of each State can be found in the individual State entries.

Government: Constitutional Monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1901. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor-General Guy Stephen Montague Green since 2003. Head of Government: Prime Minister John Winston Howard since 1996. All individual States and Territories have their own autonomous legislative, executive and judicial systems (though certain powers remain under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government).

Language: The official language is English. Many other languages are retained by minorities, including Italian, German, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese dialects and Aboriginal languages.

Religion: 26 per cent Roman Catholic, 24 per cent Protestant and smaller minorities of all other major religions.

Time: Australia spans three time zones:

Northeast/southeast: 1. GMT + 10 (GMT + 11 October to March, except Queensland).

Central: 2. GMT + 9.5 (GMT + 10.5 October to March, except Northern Territory).

West: 3. GMT + 8.
Some States operate daylight saving time during the Australian summer. Clocks in these States are put forward by 1 hour in October and put back again in March.

Electricity: 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Three-pin plugs are in use, however sockets are different from those found in most countries and an adaptor socket may be needed. Outlets for 110 volts for small appliances are found in most hotels.

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 cost of a local phone call is 40c. Telstra Smart 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. Multimedia payphones are available in parts of Sydney. A touch screen allows visitors to gain access to information services including tourist information which can be printed off for future reference. Phonecards for these telephones can be purchased from nearby shops.

Mobile telephone

GSM 900 and 1800 networks in use. Network operators include Vodafone (website: www.vodafone.com.au), Telstra (website: www.telstra.com) and Optus (website: www.optus.net.au). Coverage extends to all major cities including good coverage in Tasmania; access in some of the more isolated, outback and rural areas is limited. US handsets are not compatible.

Fax

Services are widely available from various retail outlets. Free collection by courier is available in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Fax number guides are available at post offices, and prices vary. Services are hard to find in the outback.

Internet

Internet cafes are prevalent in all capital cities including over 24 outlets in Tasmania, and individual hotels may also provide facilities. ISPs include Telstra BigPond (website: www.bigpond.com), Hunterlink (website: www.hunterlink.net.au) and Tassienet for Tasmania (website: www.tassie.net.au).

Post

There are post offices in all the main towns of every State. Opening hours are Mon-Fri 0900-1700. Some post office are also open Sat 0900-1200 . Stamps are often available at hotel and motel reception areas and selected newsagents. Poste Restante facilities are available at selected post offices throughout the country; mail is held for 30 days free of charge.

Press

The main daily newspapers are The Australian and the Australian Financial Review. The weekly newspapers with the largest circulation are the Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday Mail. Newspapers generally have a high circulation throughout the continent.

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

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Money

Currency: Australian Dollar (A$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of A$100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of A$2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.

Currency exchange: Exchange facilities are available for all incoming and outgoing flights at all international airports in Australia. International-class hotels will exchange major currencies for guests. It is recommended that visitors change money at the airport or at city banks.

Credit & debit cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Use may be restricted in small towns and outback areas. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques: These are accepted in major currencies at banks or large hotels. However, some banks may charge a fee for cashing travellers cheques. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in a major currency.

Currency restrictions: Export and import of coins/notes in Australian or foreign currency above A$10,000 must be declared to customs at the port of entry or departure. Export of local currency above A$2000 must have reserve bank approval.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Australian Dollar against Sterling and the US Dollar:

Date Nov ’03 Feb ’04 May ’04 Aug ’04
£1.00= 2.36 2.39 2.53 2.57
$1.00= 1.41 1.31 1.42 1.39

Banking hours: Mon-Thurs 0930-1600, Fri 0930-1700. These hours may vary slightly throughout the country.

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Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required
Yellow Fever No 1
Cholera No No
Typhoid and Polio No N/A
Malaria No N/A

1: A yellow fever certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving within 6 days of leaving or transiting countries with infected areas.

Food & drink: Standards of hygiene in food preparation are very high. Milk is pasteurised and meat and vegetables are considered safe to eat. Care should be taken, however, when sampling ’bush tucker’ in outback areas as some insects and fauna are highly poisonous unless properly cooked.

Other risks: Occasional outbreaks of dengue fever and Ross River fever have occurred in rural areas in northern Australia in recent years. There have been reports of Murray Valley encephalitis in the Northern Territory. Corals, jellyfish and fresh water crocodiles may prove a hazard to the bather, and heat is a hazard in the northern and central parts of Australia. Insectivorous and fruit-eating bats have been found to harbour a virus related to the rabies virus and should be avoided. Venomous snakes and spiders exist throughout Australia and can be extremely dangerous. Medical assistance should be sought immediately if bitten.

Note: There are strict customs and health controls on entering and leaving the country, and Australian law can inflict severe penalties on health infringements. Australia reserves the right to isolate any person who arrives without the required certificates. Carriers are responsible for expenses of isolation of all travellers arriving by air who are not in possession of the required vaccination certificates. All arriving aircraft are sprayed before disembarkation to prevent the spread of disease-carrying insects.

Health care: Doctors and dentists are highly trained and hospitals are well equipped. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK, in emergencies only, which allows residents from the UK free hospital treatment. Passport or proof of UK residence, such as an NHS medical card or a UK driving licence, must be shown. Prescribed medicines, ambulances and treatment at some doctors’ surgeries must be paid for. Personal insurance for illness and accidents is highly recommended for all visitors. Those wishing to benefit from the agreement should enrol at a Medicare office; this can be done after treatment.

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Climate

Australia is in the southern hemisphere and the seasons are opposite to those in Europe and North America. There are two climatic zones: the tropical zone (in the north above the Tropic of Capricorn) and the temperate zone. The tropical zone (consisting of 40 per cent of Australia) has two seasons, summer (’wet’) and winter (’dry’) while the temperate zone has all four seasons.

November-March: (spring-summer): Warm or hot everywhere, tropical in the north, and warm to hot with mild nights in the south.

April-September: (autumn-winter): Northern and central Australia have clear warm days, cool nights; the south has cool days with occasional rain but still plenty of sun. Snow is totally confined to mountainous regions of the southeast.

Note: For further details, including climate statistics, see under individual State entries.

Required clothing: Lightweights during summer months with warmer clothes needed during the cooler winter period throughout most of the southern States. Lightweight cottons and linens all year in the central/northern States with warm clothes only for cooler winter evenings and early mornings. Sunglasses, sunhats and sunblock lotion are recommended year round in the north and during the summer months in the south.

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Passport

Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required
British Yes Yes No
Australian N/A N/A N/A
Canadian Yes Yes No
USA Yes Yes No
OtherEU Yes Yes No
Japanese Yes Yes No

Note: Australian visa regulations (including visa application charges) change from time to time. The information provided below is valid at the time of publication, but visitors should check that this information is still current by visiting the Department of Immigration online (website: www.immi.gov.au) or by calling the Australian Immigration and Citizenship 24-hour Information Service (tel: (09065) 508 900; calls cost £1 per minute).

PASSPORTS: Valid passport required by all.

VISAS: Required by all except the following:
(a) nationals of New Zealand;
(b) nationals of the following countries do not need to obtain a transit visa before travel if they are continuing their journey to a third country within 8 hours of arriving in Australia: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, The Netherlands, Norway, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Portugal, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UK (and its colonies), USA, Vanuatu, Vatican City and Zimbabwe.
All other nationals must obtain a transit visa before travel, irrespective of the period of transit in Australia. Transit visas are free of charge.
Note: Not all airports remain open all night; travellers should check with the airline.

Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visas: The ETA is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia that allows people from certain countries (see below) to visit Australia for up to 3 months for tourism, short-term business or elective study purposes. An ETA is invisible and therefore will not show up in your passport.
ETAs (Visitor and Business – Short Validity ETAs only) may, for some nationals, be obtained online from the main Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA; website: www.eta.immi.gov.au) or from over 10,000 travel agents and airline offices throughout the UK.
Please note, the Australian High Commission in London does not offer an automatic ETA service.
Only nationals of the following countries are eligible for an ETA: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, British Overseas Territories*, UK, USA and Vatican City.
*Holders of UK passports which indicate their nationality to be British National (Overseas) passports can only be processed for an ETA by external service providers if resident in, and applying in, Hong Kong.

Types of ETA and cost: Tourist Visit/Business Visit (short-term): Free of charge; Business Visit (long-term): £25.
Note: A service fee of A$20 is charged when applying for an ETA online through the DIMIA ETA website. Some travel agents and airlines issuing ETAs also charge a processing fee.

Validity of ETAs: Tourist Visit ETAs are valid for 12 months from date of issue (or until the passport expires, whichever comes first) and permit multiple entries into Australia for a stay of up to 3 months on each visit. Short-term Business Visit ETAs are valid for 12 months from date of issue (or until the passport expires, whichever comes first) for a single entry of up to 3 months. Long-term Business Visit ETAs are valid for 10 years (or the life of the passport) and permit multiple entries for a stay of up to 3 months for each visit.

Other types of visa and cost: Visitors not eligible for an ETA, or seeking a longer stay than an ETA offers, may apply for Tourist Visit (Non ETA) and Temporary Business Short-stay and Temporary Business Long-stay (Non ETA) visas. Tourist Visit and Business Short-stay visas cost £25; Business Long-stay visas cost £70.

Validity of non-ETA visas: For non-ETA visas, the validity varies according to the type of visa, the purpose of the trip and the validity of the passport. The validity will be stated on the visa label in your passport.

Application to: ETA: Authorised travel agents or airlines, by telephone or, in some cases, online through Australian Visas Ltd (see above). Non-ETA: Australian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates; see Contact Addresses section.

Application requirements: ETA: (a) Valid passport. (b) Fee (if applicable). (c) Completed application form giving details of passport number and expiry date, airline, names of travellers etc (if applying by post). Tourist Visitor (Non ETA): (a) Completed application form. Application forms for tourist and business visitor visas can be downloaded from the Department of Immigration (website: www.immi.gov.au). (b) An A4 stamped, self-addressed, registered envelope for return of passport. (c) Valid passport with two unused visa pages. (d) Fee (payable by credit card, cheque or postal order and made out to the Australian High Commission). (e) One or more recent passport photos as required. (f) Tourists over the age of 70 require a medical certificate. Business Visitor (Non ETA): (a)-(e) and, (f) Applicant must provide proof of sponsorship and business interest. Business visa forms are also available from Australian Outlook, 3 Buckhurst Road, Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex TN40 1QF, UK.
Note: (a) Prior to lodging an application, visitors should confirm the current visa fees at www.immi.gov.au. (b) All travellers to Australia, except Australian citizens and permanent residents, must satisfy health and character requirements. (c) All travellers, including minors travelling on a parent’s passport, require their own visa or ETA.

Working days required: ETA: When issued through DIMIA’s ETA website (website: www.eta.immi.gov.au), or through travel agents or airline offices, ETAs are usually processed and valid immediately or within 3 working days. Non-ETA: 24 hours to 3 weeks. Processing may take even longer in busy periods.

Temporary residence: Applicants for temporary residence, working holidays and long-stay business visits to Australia should contact DIMIA online (website: www.immi.gov.au) or the High Commission online (website: www.australia.org.uk).

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