- 0011 is the International Access (Dialing) Code from within Australia.
- 61 is the International Country Code for Australia.
- Browse the WhitePages Online Directory for Australia (All cities & major towns).
- Browse the YellowPages Online Directory for Australia (All cities & major towns).
- Browse the PostCode Finder for all your Australian address enquiries.
The best place to find a public phone in Australia is outside of a post office, at a bar or a service station. The country’s payphones are color-coded – red ones are strictly for local calls while green, gold and blue ones can also be used for international calls. Public phones accept coins or phonecards, which are available at most stores and newsagents. Creditphones, which are located at most hotels and airports, accept most major credit cards. Local calls from a public phone cost around $.50 and are untimed and Country Direct calling cards (available for purchase through hotels and travel agents) allow you to make international calls for the price of a local call.
The emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) number in Australia (equivalent to 911 in North America), is 000 (Zero-Zero-Zero). (See Emergencies for more information).
Phoning Australia
The international country code for Australia is 61 and phone numbers within Australia usually have 10 digits - 2 for the area code and 8 for the number. A typical Sydney number might be listed as (02) 9876 5432. If you were calling this number from outside Australia, you would add your international dialing code (usually 00), add 61, drop the 0, then the number. So calling the example number would be 00 61 2 9876 5432. In North America, the international dialing code is 011, so from North America, the example number would be 011 61 2 9876 5432.
The area codes for the main Australian cities are:
- Adelaide - 08
- Brisbane - 07
- Canberra - 02
- Darwin - 08
- Hobart - 03
- Melbourne - 03
- Perth - 08
- Sydney - 02
Phoning Overseas from Australia
The International dialing code from within Australia is 0011 (take care when dialing, as 000 is used as the emergency services number). In general, you would dial 0011 + Country Code + Area code + Telephone Number. For example, to call the United States or Canada, with a country code of 1, you would dail 0011 + 1 + Area Code + Tel #. To phone the United Kingdom, with a country code of 44, you would dial 0011 + 44 + Area Code + Tel #.
Mobile / Cell Phones
Will yours work?
Australia uses the 900MHz and 1800MHz GSM bands for mobile phones. Before you arrive in Australia check that your phone will work on these bands. Either look at the instruction booklet that came with your phone, or call the phone supplier. Many mobile phones used in North America are CDMA band phones only, and will not work in Australia. Still, you can rent or purchase an inexpensive handset and then get the appropriate SIM card. If your phone is marketed as "GSM", "tri-band" or "quad-band" it's a good bet your phone will work.
If your phone works on these bands, you have two options for making and receiving calls in Australia:
- Using your existing SIM card - bad ideal, very expensive
- Buying a new SIM card in or before going to Australia - good idea, very inexpensive
If you are using your existing SIM card, the only thing you need to check is if your service operator has enabled "roaming." This will allow you to use the networks in Australia with your SIM card. There are sometimes very high call charges for this service, averaging about $1.50 in and out - plus tax. Check with your service operator before you leave.
If you wish to buy a new SIM card once you get to Australia, your phone must be "unlocked." This service may be performed by your phone manufacturer or a local mobile phone shop. SIM cards can be purchased from service operators like Telstra, Vodafone, Optus and Virgin Mobile and cost around $20-30. For tourists, by far the best telecom operator is Lebara as they cater to tourists and locals who need to call internationally. In fact, calls to the USA cost less than $0.05 per minute and all incoming calls are free. Another option is to purchase a SIM card before you leave. The advantage of this is that you are ready to go when you land and don't waste or your time looking for a cell phone store. Plus, you will know your phone number before you leave. Cellular Abroad, an online retailer in Los Angeles, CA sells the Lebara SIM card and also rents and sells handsets. Their site is www.cellularabroad.com.
Note that in Australia, the person initiating a call involving a mobile phone pays for the airtime. You can identify a mobile phone as the phone number starts with 04. (This means that receiving calls on a mobile phone in Australia are free; if you call a mobile phone, you pay for the airtime).
Renting or buying a mobile phone
If you do not have a mobile phone of your own, or want to purchase one when you get here, there are many options. The main service operators have phone and SIM card packs to buy for as little as $59-99. This will get you a basic phone and around $10 in phone credit which you can top up at any time.
You can rent a mobile phone from such providers as Cellular Abroad ,RebelFone, Vodafone Rental and Landwide. Again, Cellular Abroad is based in the USA> In general, if you do not already have a GSM phone, it is less expensive to rent a phone for short stays, and purchase a prepaid (or pay-as-you-go) phone for longer stays. The provider should be able assist in making the correct choice.
Other options
If you don't have a mobile phone and don't want to pay too much for calling internationally, pick up an international calling card - you can find these at any newsagents and some supermarkets. They come in many different denominations and each will have its own rate for different countries. You buy a card, then use an existing phone (usually a payphone) to call a special number listed on the card. You can then dial the number you wish to call and you will be charged at the cheap rate.