Capital: Canberra

Currency: Australian Dollar – AUD

Country Code: 61

Do I need a Visa? Yes, if you don’t hail from Australia or New Zealand than one is required.  Visit http://www.immi.gov.au/Visit/Pages/Visit.aspx to check the requirements from your country.

How will I charge my devices? Australia’s electrical current is 220 – 240 volts, AC 50Hz.

How do I get there?  Well, if you’re heading to Sydney and flying from…
New York: 21.5 hours
Los Angeles: 14.5 hours
Toronto: 21 hours
Sao Paulo: 22 hours
London: 22 hours
Most flights require at least 1 connection.

NB: Crossing the International Dateline changes the date by one day. Moving east, you lose a day but don’t worry, when you cross back west you’ll gain it back.

Geography: This is the largest island in the world, covering an area of 7.69 million sq. KM, leaving a whole veritable world to explore across this diverse continent. Australia also boasts the 3rd largest ocean territory in the world.

Time Zones: Australia’s got 3.  AEST in the East (GMT + 10), ACST for Central states (GMT + 9 ½) and AWST  covering Western Australia (GMT + 8)

How's the weather? In a word, beautiful. Australia’s fortunate to enjoy a rather temperate year-round climate, generally warmer in the north and cooler during the winters in the south.  NB to all of you Northern Hemisphere dwellers, Australia’s seasons are the opposite- with winter June – August, spring September to November, summer December to February and fall March to May