About Us

About Australia

Land Mass
Australia is the smallest continent and the largest island in the World, and is believed to be the oldest landmass of the planet. Its coastline measures 36,739 km. About 35-40 percent of Australia is tropical. Australia has a unique flora and fauna. This continent has a range of plants and animals that are found nowhere else on eat.

States and Territories
Australia is made up of Six States; Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Island State of Tasmania, and Two Territories; Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory. Time Zone: Australia has three time zones. Eastern Standard Time for the east coast states (Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland), 10 hours ahead of GMT; Central Standard Time (covering Northern Territory and South Australia), 9.5 hours ahead of GMT; and Western Standard Time (Western Australia), 8 hours ahead of GMT.
Currency: Australian dollar ($AUD)
Electricity: 240 volts and 50 hertz, three-pin plug
International Dialing Code: 61
Weights and Measures: Metric

Climate
The seasons in Australia are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere's. September to November is spring, December to February summer, March to May autumn, and June to August winter. Since fine, mild weather occurs during all seasons, any time can be recommended for a visit to Australia - although some months are warmer and drier than others.
In central Australia, summer temperatures are generally too high for comfort. Temperatures can regularly hit 40°C and higher . In winter, the nights may be cool, with clear warm days.

Wet Tropics Rainforest
Stretching from Mossman through to Cairns, Cape Tribulation and Cook town is tropical rainforest. Known to be 5 times older then the Amazon's. North Queensland's rainforest (now protected as part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area and a patchwork of national parks) has the highest diversity of local endemic species in the world. Fully one-fifth of Australia's bird species, a quarter of its reptiles, a third of its marsupials, a third of its frogs and two-fifths of its plants are here in a mere thousandth of the Australian landmass.

Population
Population (2008 estimate): 21.26 million
Population (2006 Census): 19.85 million
Density: 2.6sq. km
Area: 7,741,220sq. km / 2,988,888sq.mi
Capital: Canberra
Government: Australia operates as an independent federal commonwealth with a British-style parliamentary system. Australia is a member of the British Commonwealth.
Religion: Anglican; Roman Catholic; Uniting Church in Australia; Aboriginal and Jewish minorities.

People
Truth to tell, Australia is the most urbanized country on earth, with 80 percent of the population living in cities. More precisely, it's the most suburbanized country on earth. Despite the massive intrusion of European culture, tribal Aboriginal people still practice traditional lifestyles and maintain direct links with their past. The past can be seen in one of the myriad Aboriginal sites around the country, such as in the rock formations and paintings at Mootwingee and Ku-ring-gai Chase in New South Wales. Aboriginal guides now lead tours on their land from Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine, lasting anywhere from a few hours to week-long hikes.

Brisbane City
Population: 1.76 million
Country: Australia
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +10 (Eastern Standard Time)
Telephone Area Code: 07
Brisbane has shucked its reputation as a backwater and emerged as one of the country's most progressive centers. It has several interesting districts, a good street cafe scene, a great riverside park, a busy cultural calendar and a thriving nightlife. Brisbane city is renowned for its sun and the brash, glitzy hordes that follow it, but it's also the arts capital of Queensland, with dozens of theatres, cinemas, concert halls, galleries and museums. A climate this good and culture too? It is just 40 minutes drive from the Gold Coast, one of the top 5 beaches around the world. It has a beach as far as the eye can see and shopping malls the hug the beach front. There are fun parks such as Movie World, Sea World, Dream World and Australia Zoo all within two hours radius. It must be paradise.

Money Matters
Australia's currency is in dollars and cents. The coins come in 5, 10, 20 and 50-cent silver pieces and 1 and 2 dollar gold coins. Notes are $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. Amounts of over A$5,000 must be declared on entering and leaving Australia.
Travelers' cheques in any currency can be readily cashed at international airports and banks. Bureau de change offices are open seven days a week and are located throughout major cities - but they usually charge a significant fee, so try to change money at banks when you can, despite the limited opening hours.

What to Eat
Not so long ago, the term "Australian cuisine" conjured grisly images of meat pies, boiled beef, Vegemite sandwiches and sausage rolls. Then, almost out of the blue, Australia transformed itself into a paradise for foodies (antipodean gourmands). Few places in the world have restaurants that can compare with the variety, quality and sheer inventiveness of Australian ones. From formal dining rooms to tiny beachside cafés, creations such as "seared kangaroo fillet with wilted beetroot greens and roasted onion" pop up on menus; even the most basic corner diners, which once served up hamburgers and chips, dish up focaccias with fresh King Island cheeses and exotic fruits. In fact, the culinary art in Australia has emerged as possibly the most adventurous in the world.

Health
Australian doctors, dentists and hospitals all have modern equipment, high-level training and extensive facilities. They are also expensive. Visitors from New Zealand are covered by the Australian national health plan, Medicare. Residents of all other countries should invest in a travel health and accident insurance policy before traveling to Australia.

Vaccinations are not required if you are flying directly to Australia and have not passed through an epidemic zone or a smallpox, yellow fever, cholera or typhoid-infected area in the 14 days prior to your arrival.

The Australian sun has extremely strong ultraviolet rays, so extended exposure is not recommended, especially when the sun is at its fiercest between 11am and 4pm. A wide-brimmed hat and adequate-strength sunscreen are essential.

Do's and Don'ts
Generally, Australians are informal dressers. For special occasions or dining in fine restaurants, formal attire or neat casual dress is required. Note that, once inside Australia, there are a number of restrictions on taking fruit or vegetables between states.

For you Americans, tipping is not the general custom in Australia, waiters are given a decent hourly wage. Most Australians "round up" the amount in restaurants, or leave the change. Porters at airports and taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped, but will hardly throw the money back if you do.

Things You Probably Didn't Know About Australia:
The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, is actually made up of more than 2,500 separate, inter-connected reefs stretching over 2,900 km (1,800 miles) from the northern tip of Australia's continental shelf to Bundaberg in the south.

Painted flute moth, hump-headed Maori wrasse and cornflower sergeant-major - not Australian rhyming slang but names of some of the more exotic tropical fish you might be lucky to spot on the Reef.

On the Ningaloo Reef, off the coast of Western Australia, you can swim with the world's largest fish - the whale shark. It's quite safe, because these giants feed only on plankton.

The Wollemi pine, discovered in New South Wales as recently as 1994, is the world's oldest-known species of tree. Estimated to date from 160-170 million years ago, the tree is a relic of a time when the landscape was covered with the wet forests of the ancient super-continent Gondwanaland.

Saltwater Crocodiles live in the northern mangrove waters of Australia and have a wide frame and snout. They are the largest reptile predator in the world and generally bask along the riverbanks, although are always ready to attack. The largest one in captivity is over 5metres long...the largest one ever caught was around 8 metres long in the 1950s.

The most deadly snakes found in Australia include King Brown Snake, Copperheads, Death Adders, Tiger Snakes, Red-Bellied Black Snakes, and the most venomous snake in the world, the Taipan.

Australians and their Sport
Rugby is a game that is played in over 120 countries throughout the world. Australia is rated one of the best alongside the New Zealand All Blacks. Much of its value comes from its rich history, traditions, camaraderie and community involvement with the sport.

Rugby league, though it is played throughout the year. The State of Origin match between the state of New South Wales and Queensland is one of, if the most exciting of all. As these two states battle it out with thumping tackles and high quality game skill.

Cricket is very popular as well. Especially the games played against England, as the old rivalry between Australia and England runs deep. It always provides an entertaining and some what pride to bet the English at their own game. Australians all round love their sport, perhaps even to the point of idolization. It is often the leading topic of conversation between Aussies in any venue.

Please note that the following information is a general overview of Australia and not exclusive to the state of Queensland or Brisbane area. The hope here, is that this page gives you a basic understanding of different topics.