Telephone

The Australian system is one of the most efficient and easy to operate telephone systems in the world. There is an extensive network of public phones throughout the country, and phone booths are easy to recognize by the orange and blue Telstra logo. Local calls are inexpensive with most phones accepting coins and prepaid telephone cards. You can call long distance; however charges vary depending on time of day and distance. The best day to make interstate or international calls is Sunday, when all day discount rates apply. Prepaid Telephone cards of $2, $5, $20, $20 and $50 can be purchased from news-agencies and Post Offices (not open at weekends). Public phones also offer SMS services.

When contacting Australia from overseas you first must dial the country code (61), then the area code without the zero - for Sydney (2), followed by the residence number. When calling from Australia you need to dial 0011, followed by the country code of the country you are calling, area code and residence number to dial outside of Australia.

Mobile phones are very popular in Australia, and you will hardly meet anyone who doesn't have one (from children to mature adults). There are three main telecommunications companies that provide mobile phone services: Telstra http://www.telstra.com.au, Optus http://www.optus.com.au and Vodafone http://www.vodafone.com.au, with a number of small market players (3, Orange, Hutchison etc.). The digital network is very efficient and covers the entire country. Overseas mobile phones will also operate in Australia, but it is much more cost effective if you purchase an Australian SIM card, than if you call with your overseas one. Rates for mobile phone calls very considerably, and shopping around is essential. You can also purchase pre-paid mobile phone credit at newsagents, petrol stations and most supermarkets. Some people find that mobile phone calls are much more expensive in Australia than what they have been accustomed to.