There are seven major Designated International Airports in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Adelaide and Darwin. You are going to arrive at one of these, probably Sydney or Melbourne.
Immigration and Quarantine
You will be required to go through immigration and quarantine at the airport of your first arrival, even if you have a domestic connecting flight. The chances are there will be a long queue, you will be jet-lagged and everyone else will also be tired. Australia is a long way from everywhere so you are likely to have been in the air for many hours and crossed multiple time zones.
Because Sydney airport has a noise curfew between 11 p.m and 6 am, many international flights arrive around the same time in the morning. Bear in mind that a Qantas A380 carries 484 passengers while a 747 can carry 364. If you touch down with a couple of other large planes the sheer volume of arriving passengers puts a strain on resources. Allow yourself plenty of time for transfers and be patient; the lines usually move a lot more quickly than you think they are going to.
Don't mess with the immigration and quarantine guys. They are usually polite but break the rules and you may find yourself on the wrong end of a very unpleasant encounter. Australia is an island (no surprises there I hope - if you were planning on driving here you better think again!). Bio-security is taken very seriously and as a general rule you can't bring in food or plant materials.
If you are not sure whether something is allowed - declare it. The quarantine officers will check what you have and if it is not on the banned list the item will be returned to you - trust me on this one. I once begged them to confiscate a particularly hideous wooden souvenir David bought in Sth America, but they wouldn't do it. The Department of Agriculture has an excellent web page explaining what you can and can't bring in - http://www.agriculture.gov.au/travelling/to-australia/cant-take.
If you look out of the plane window and see this you're about to land in Sydney.
Getting to and from the airport
Australia is one of the most highly urbanised countries in the world. Sydney has almost 5,000,000 people and Melbourne 4,000,000. In cities this large you need a plan.
And you thought Oz was all outback and kangaroos. (Circular Quay, Sydney)
Sydney Airport is about 12 km (7 miles) from the city centre while Melbourne Airport is 23.5km (14.6 miles). Sadly, taxis are universally expensive. In Sydney, a taxi to the city centre costs about $50 AUD (US$39) while the fare from Melbourne Airport is about $64 AUD (US$50). Fortunately, there are other options:
Sydney : -
Train - Both the domestic and international terminals are serviced by Airport Link trains. These are generally fast, and efficient. They are part of the wider Sydney Trains transport network and connect with all stations in the Sydney metropolitan area. There is an airport station surcharge in addition to the ordinary fare which makes them an expensive option if you are travelling with a large group. An adult one-way ticket from the International Terminal to the city costs $17 AUD. However, a family group only pays for the first child. Click here for information on prices.
If you intend to arrive on a weekend check the Service Updates section of the Sydney Trains web site for trackwork. If trackwork is being done on the line you want buses will replace the trains between some stations. This is a real hassle if you have a lot of luggage.
Bus - Sydney Buses operate a public bus route No. 400 from Bondi Junction to Burwood which stops at both the International and the Domestic Terminals. This route does not go through the city centre. For a map of the route click - here. For a timetable click - here.
A number of private shuttle bus companies offer transfers to and from Sydney airport. Click here for a list or Google 'Sydney Airport Shuttle Services'.
Transferring to the Domestic Airport - Sydney's International and domestic airports are next to each other, but it is impractical to walk between them. The TBus shuttle service operates half hourly, more frequently in the morning peak period, takes about ten minutes and costs $5.50 AUD one way. The Airport Link train service takes two minutes and costs $5.80 AUD. A taxi between the terminals will cost about $22.00 AUD. Both Qantas and Virgin have special arrangements for transferring passengers.
Melbourne : -
Bus - SkyBus runs express services between Melbourne Airport and the city centre. The service runs every ten minutes, takes approximately twenty minutes and costs $18 AUD one way. SkyBus also operates a hotel transfer service from its city terminal at Southern Cross Railway station to a many of the city's hotels. For information on the SkyBus Hotel Transfer Service click - here
For information on public bus routes to Melbourne Airport click - here
There is no train station at Melbourne Airport. However, bus route 901 connects the airport with Broadmeadows Railway Station.
For information on Shuttle Bus services to and from the airport click - here
Or, for those for whom money is no object Air Melbourne offer a helicopter shuttle service.
Avalon Airport is situated further from the city centre than Melbourne Airport. It does not handle international flights, however, many budget domestic carriers fly to Avalon rather than Melbourne Airport.
Brisbane : -
Train - Brisbane's Airtrain runs every 15-30 minutes between the airport and the city centre. It costs $17 AUD, or $15.30 AUD if you buy your ticket online. The train takes about twenty minutes.
Private bus transfers are available through Con-x-ion Airport Transfers.
Transferring to the Domestic Airport - A complimentary Airport Transfer Bus operates between the International and Domestic terminals. Airtrain has transfers for $5 AUD.
Perth : -
The Perth Airport Shuttle runs between the airport (Terminal 3) and the city centre for $15 AUD.
Transferring to the Domestic Airport - A free shuttle service operates between the terminals.
Adelaide : -
JetBus public bus and private shuttle buses operate between the airport and the city. Click here and here for information.
Qualia, Hamilton Island, Qld. It's not all about the outback.
When to visit
Because of its vast size and, at times, harsh climate there is no single best time of year to visit. The best months in Nth Queensland. for example are the worst in Tasmania. Accuweather is a helpful tool to find out what the weather will be like when you visit. Don't just rely on average temperatures. They can be misleading. When we are planning a trip, we also go back and look at last year's weather on the equivalent days.
The best time to visit some of Australia's major attractions are: -
Sydney - Jan/Feb can be hot and humid while July/August is cold. Avoid those months if you can but Sydney has a mild Mediterranean climate and is fairly pleasant during most of the year. My personal favourite is spring and early summer, Oct/Nov/Dec. For average daily temperatures and rainfall click - here
Melbourne - Melbourne gets very hot in mid-summer (Jan/Feb) and much too cold for me in winter (June/July/Aug). Stick to Autumn and Spring if you can but be prepared for significant temperature variations during the course of a single day. For average daily temperatures and rainfall click - here
Brisbane - Unless you really love heat and humidity, avoid summer. Rainfall is also highest in summer. Spring, Autumn and winter are all pleasant. For average daily temperatures and rainfall click - here
Perth - Perth gets very hot in summer. Avoid summer if you can, but the rest of the year is quite mild. Sally-Ann, a fellow travel blogger from Toddlers on Tour was born in Perth and she tells me to avoid winter unless you like wet and windy. Of course, winter is the perfect time to go to the north-west of Western Australia. For average daily temperatures and rainfall click - here
Adelaide - Winter in Adelaide can be cold and wet. Avoid June and July if you can. I have it on good authority from an Adelaide based acquaintance that March and April are the best months to visit.
Alice-Springs/Uluru - Don't even think about visiting in summer. Australia's red centre is a place you want to visit in the cooler months only. For average daily temperatures and rainfall click - here
Cairns/The Great Barrier Reef - Another destination best visited in winter. Summers are hot and tropical. The wet season runs from December to the end of February - unless you are a fan of torrential rain then forget summer. For average daily temperature and rainfall click - here
Tasmania - Tasmania is a long way south, consequently it gets cold and miserable in winter. We once got snow at Lake St Clair in November (spring). February is my favourite month and probably the most predictable weather-wise. For average daily temperatures and rainfall click - here
Lake St Clair, Cradle Mountain - Tasmania
Getting around
Australia is a vast country. If you want to see it all you are going to have to stay for a long time or do a lot of flying. I have listed a few random distances to give you an idea of Austalia's size.
Melbourne to Sydney is 877 km. Non-stop that is almost 9 hours driving,
Melbourne to Cairns is almost 3,000 km, 32 hours driving,
Sydney to Adelaide is 1,370 km, 14 hours driving,
Adelaide to Darwin is 3,000 km, 34 hours driving, and
Sydney to Perth is a whopping 4,000 km, 40 hours driving.
The Great Ocean Road - Vic
The south coast of Victoria
Driving
Unless you are on a tour, pretty much the only way to see Australia outside the capital cities is to hire a car and drive.
Australians drive on the left-hand side of the road. The best way to remember this is to position your car with the driver in the centre of the road. Be careful turning out of one-way streets. It is easy to go on auto-pilot and find yourself on the wrong side.
Australians find these signs amusing .
Stick to the speed limit. Australia uses kilometres not miles. All speed limits are posted in km per hour. The Highway Patrol is everywhere, as are fixed and mobile speed cameras. If you routinely drive above the limit you will get caught eventually and the fines are steep.
Beware of School Zones. Speed limits are lower at certain times of day in these zones and the fines are much higher. Many school zones in Sydney have fixed speed cameras.
Be aware of fatigue caused by driving long distances. Even if you fly into an area first and then pick up a car chances are you will end up doing a lot of driving. Try to alternate driving with another person. Two hours on and two hours off works well for us. If you are the only driver, don't be too ambitious about how far you can safely drive in a day.
Don't drink and drive. Legal blood alcohol limits are .05 in all states. It doesn't take much to tip you over this. Driving above the prescribed alcohol limit is viewed very seriously, particularly if you register above .08. The Highway Patrol conduct frequent random roadside breathtesting.
Slow down and be careful driving in the countryside at night and around dawn and dusk. Kangaroos are beautiful animals, but they are not street smart. They have a disarming habit of bounding in front of cars without warning. You don't want to hurt one and they are big enough to do serious damage to a vehicle. The same goes for emus. You don't see them as often, but they are really stupid when it comes to crossing the road.
Mother kangaroo and her joey.
Australia is a perfect place for road trips, but there are large parts of the country, where you should not attempt a road trip without adequate preparation. Don't risk getting stranded in the outback. Eastern and south-eastern Australia are populated densely enough that you will never be too far from the nearest town however there are vast tracts of country in north-west Queensland, The Northern Territory and the far north-west of Western Australia which are desolate, empty, hot and dry. Get advice, plan ahead and don't get caught without enough water.
The state-based motorist associations are great places to get advice on planning a road trip. Click here for the website of the association for each state. Bring you home association membership card with you. There used to be limited reciprocal rights, for example, for AAA (US) members.
Do I look street-smart to you?
Crossing the road
When you cross the road, don't forget Australians drive on the left. That means the cars closest to you will be coming from the right. If you live in a country which drives on the right, it is very easy to look the wrong way and step out in front of a car you didn't realise was there. Don't try to remember which way to look, make it a habit to look both ways every time.
Money
The Australian dollar is one of the most traded currencies in the world. I have no idea why, but it does mean that the Aussie tends to bounce around a lot. If you don't like the exchange rate, hang around for a while - it might get better, or a lot worse. Be grateful you are only here for a short time and have pity on us. We plan a trip when the Aussie is strong only to see our purchasing power slashed by the time we actually arrive in a foreign country. - okay, whinge over.
There is a flat rate of 10% GST charged on almost all goods and services. It is always built in to the price so you won't notice it.
Large hotels and, increasingly other businesses, frequently charge a 1.5% surcharge if you use a credit charge. The use of American Express cards, in particular, attracts surcharges.
If a business gives you the opportunity to pay for a purchase in your local currency - don't. Otherwise, you risk being a victim of dynamic currency conversion where you pay an extra, undisclosed, fee for the privilege of using your own currency. Sadly this is not a problem specific to Australia. For an explanation of how dynamic currency conversion works click - here
Mobile Phones
Telstra has the most extensive mobile network in the country. If you don't want to pay international roaming charges and you do want decent mobile coverage outside the major cities buy a Telstra sim card when you arrive. For a map of Telstra's mobile coverage click - here
Snakes, spiders, sharks and crocodiles.
Don't believe the hype. Yes, Australia has poisonous snakes, spiders and jellyfish and man-eating sharks and crocodiles but you are extremely unlikely to come across them. Most Australians don't see a dangerous animal from one year to the next. Respect warning signs, don't be an idiot and you will be as safe in this country as anywhere in the world.
The Australian Sun
I am reasonably sure that we have the same sun as you get in the northern hemisphere, but it is stronger down here - a lot stronger. Don't underestimate your chances of getting sunburnt. Lay on the beach for a couple of hours or walk around in the midday sun and you probably won't know you are burnt for a few hours but the next day you will regret it - trust me on this one. Wear a hat, apply sunscreen (frequently) and seek out shade when you can.
Lastly
Welcome to Australia! I hope you have a fantastic time.
Have you visited Australia, or do you live here? Do you have any advice for fellow travellers?
For all my blog posts on Australia click - here