AUSTRALIA
Australia is a country and continent surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Its major cities – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide – are coastal. Its capital, Canberra, is inland. The country is known for its Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, a vast interior desert wilderness called the Outback, and unique animal species like kangaroos and duck-billed platypuses.
Culture
The culture of Australia is a Western culture, derived primarily from Britain but also influenced by the unique geography of Australia, the diverse input of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Oceanian people. The British colonization of Australia began in 1788, and waves of multi-ethnic migration followed.
Nature
Australia’s Nature and wildlife. Australia has some of the world’s most distinctive and diverse natural environments. You’ll find unique wildlife and spectacular landscapes, including many national parks and World Heritage Areas. … Here are just a few of Australia’s natural experiences you won’t want to miss.
Climate
Due to the huge size of the country, Australia has serveral different climate zones. The northern section of Australia has a more tropical influenced climate, hot and humid in the summer, and quite warm and dry in the winter, while the southern parts are cooler with mild summers and cool, sometimes rainy winters.
Time & Date : GMT from +11 to +9
Currency:
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including its external territories Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Within Australia, it is almost always abbreviated with the dollar sign ($), with A$ or AU$ sometimes used to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdivided into 100 cents.
Languages:
Although Australia has no official languages, English has always been entrenched as the de facto national language. Australian English is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon, and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.[3] General Australian serves as the standard dialect.
Travel Insurance:
When buying your travel insurance, always check the small print – some policies specifically exclude ‘dangerous activities’, which could be anything from scuba diving to horse riding. You should check whether the medical coverage is on a pay first, claim later basis and, more importantly, ensure that your medical coverage includes the cost of medical evacuation.
Visa:
The visa policy of Australia deals with the requirements which a foreign national wishing to enter Australia must meet to obtain a visa, which is a permit to travel, to enter and remain in the country. Visa rules are set out in the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations, which are administered by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Australia maintains a universal visa regime, meaning that every non-citizen in Australia must have a visa, either as a result of an application, or one granted automatically by law. As of 2015 there is no intention to provide visa free access for any country, however Australia gives a visitor visa exemption to:
• citizens of one of the 36 eVisitor or 9 Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) eligible countries,
• citizens of New Zealand, under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, or
• visitors eligible for visa-free travel under other laws such as Special purpose visa.
In addition to the citizens of 45 eVisitor and ETA eligible countries and the citizens of New Zealand who may need to apply for a Visitor visa, the citizens of all other countries may apply for the Visitor visa online, except citizens of 2 ineligible countries. Citizens of 34 countries are officially considered low risk.
Since 1 September 2015, Australia ceased to issue visa labels on visa holders’ passports, and all visas are issued and recorded on a central database. Visa records can only be accessed through Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO), a digital verification service provided by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
International Airports:
Sydney Airport
Broome International Airport
Port Hedland International Airport
Virgin Australia Brisbane International
Brisbane Airport
Gold Coast Airport
Darwin International Airport
Adelaide Airport
Cairns Airport
Melbourne Airport
Hobart International Airport
Capital: Canberra
Currency: Australian Dollar
Population: 24.13 million
Official languages: English