Prepare for your trip down under with Visas4oz’s practical tips. After you’ve prepared and you’ve got all of your important documents together, you’re good to go!
Money & Tax
As you may already know, Australia’s currency is Australian Dollars (AUD). The current exchange rate from British Pound Sterling (£) to Australia Dollars (AUD) is as follows:
1 GBP = 1.48092 AUD
Currency exchange is available at banks, international airports and hotels, in addition to UK travel agents and UK post offices. If you’re planning on taking your credit/debit card to Australia then don’t forget to notify you bank that you are travelling abroad. All major credit cards including MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club and Bankcard are all accepted in Australia.
In terms of tax, Australia has a Goods and Service Tax of 10%, which can in fact be refunded when you spent over AUD$300 in Australia. Read about the Tourist Refund Scheme for more information.
Tipping
Service charges aren’t added to bills, however it’s polite to tip up to ten per cent of the bill total in up market restaurants or when you’ve received great service.
Emergency services
If you need to ring the emergency services whilst in Australia, dial 000.
Phones & Network coverage
Made a local call from a public pay phone in Australia will cost AUD$.050. However, mobile and long distance calls are timed and usually cost a lot more.
If you’re taking your phone abroad, you must be aware that mobile phone network coverage may not be available everywhere in Australia and could prove to be quite costly if you have ‘data roaming’ enabled. Take advantage of Internet cafes or free Wi-Fi spots in order to avoid hefty mobile phone charges.
Power points
Australian electrical power points are different from some other countries including the UK, so remember to pack a couple of adaptors so that you can plug in all of your appliances!
Water safety
If you’re planning on taking a dip in the sea then remember to stick to ‘flagged’ areas; popular beaches are usually marked with red and yellow flags which identify the safest swimming spots. Lifesavers also patrol popular Australian beaches during October through to April.
Don’t forget your Australian Visa!
Before embarking on your trip to Australia you need to make sure you’ve got the correct Australian visa. Visit our Australian visas page to find out which visa you’ll need.
We won't charge you if you need to amend your Visa, or if Embassy referral is required.
Visas are issued within 24 hours or less with a straight forward and secure payment system.
We’ve been doing this for a while and with over 200,000 happy customers, you know you’re in safe hands.
We pride ourselves on our high levels of customer service. In fact, we receive most of our business from referrals.
