Endless sunbaked horizons, dense tropical rainforests, chilly southern beaches.
Summer (December to February) can get uncomfortably hot just about anywhere, even in Tasmania. If you're in the southern states during these months it's great beach weather and great melanoma weather. Up north, this is the wet season, and it's very, very humid (you'll need to check for jellyfish before jumping into the water). On the upside, the Top End is beautifully green and free of tourists at this time.
From June until August things in the north have cooled down a little and dried up a lot. This is a good time to visit Queensland or the outback. If you're here for the skiing, now's the time to head for the snowfields of NSW and Victoria. Overall, spring and autumn are probably the safest bets - the weather is reasonably mild wherever you are, and spring brings out the wildflowers in the outback, while autumn is particularly beautiful around Canberra and in the Victorian Alps.
The main players are Telstra and Optus. Both are also major players in the mobile market, along with a number of other companies.
190 numbers are usually recorded information and 1800 numbers are toll-free. Dial 1800-REVERSE (738 3773), or 12 550 to reverse charges. Numbers with the prefixes 04xx belong to mobile phones.
Most payphones allow international and STD calls. Local calls cost AUD 0.40 with unlimited talk time while calls to mobile phones attract timed, higher rates.
A wide range of phonecards is available from newsagents and post offices for a fixed dollar value. Some public phones also accept credit cards.
The standard Australian plug has a flat body, three male parallel blades and a male grounding pin. Many now include an RJ-11 socket.
Australia's digital network is compatible with GSM 900 and 1800 (used in Europe), but generally not with the systems used in the USA or Japan. Reception can be haphazard outside of major towns. Short-term connection is pretty cheap and easy as most service providers have prepaid mobile systems with the recharge cards.
Notes come in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.
Coins come in denominations of 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, and gold $1 and $2 coins.
A tip of between 10-15% has become the expectation in many cafes and restaurants. However, you won't cause offence if you don't tip. Taxi drivers are always grateful if you leave the change.
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