With a population of 23.5 million (2014 census) Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent, and is the sixth largest country in the world in land area. The majority of Australians live on the coast and in major cities, and around 75 percent of Australia’s population lives in urban areas.
English is the major language of Australia. With Australia’s diverse population, Southern World has access to Driver/Guides and Guides who speak Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian and several other languages.
If you are planning a holiday visit or a short business trip to Australia, you will need to apply for either a visa or an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority). For more information please visit Australian Visa Information
A Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 10% applies to all services, and all rates quoted are inclusive of this tax in Australia. The prices displayed in Australia on retail items will already include this tax.
Australia’s East Coast is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) during Standard Time, the months of April to September each year. During Standard Time there are 3 time zones within Australia.The Eastern Coast of Australia (Tasmania, Victoria, ACT, New South Wales, Queensland) is 30 minutes ahead of middle Australia (South Australia, Northern Territory) and 2 hours ahead of Western Australia.
Daylight Savings operates between early October and early April each year, but doesn’t operate is every State and Territory in Australia. Instead of 3 time zones, there becomes 5. The East Coast excluding Queensland, is 11 hours ahead of GMT, still 30 minutes ahead of South Australia, 1 hour ahead of Queensland, 1.5 hours ahead of the Northern Territory and 3 hours ahead of Western Australia. Confused yet? So are we!!
During public and bank holidays, most restaurants and cafes add a 10-15% surcharge on top of your total bill. This does not apply to pre-booked meals organised by Southern World.
To see what the public holidays are in each State and Territory in Australia please go to the website www.australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/public-holidays
Here’s some helpful links to assist you and your clients in planning their vacation to Australia
Tourism Australia for Industry
Tourism Australia Industry Event Information
Tourism Australia for Consumers
Events in Australia
Event Calendars throughout Brisbane, Cairns and Queensland
Events in Queensland
Sydney and New South Wales
Events in New South Wales
Melbourne and Victoria
Events in Victoria
Hobart and Tasmania
Events in Tasmania
Adelaide and South Australia
Events in South Australia
Darwin, Uluru, Alice Springs and the Northern Territory
Events in the Northern Territory
Perth, Broome and Western Australia
Events in Western Australia
