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Day to day living in Australia

What's the television like?

In the cities you will find a wide choice of television services. The more remote areas have more limited choice. In general, Australia has a wide choice and variety of television. There are 54 licensed commercial television services in Australia.

There are 3 national networks. There is also a lot of focus on regional areas. Imparja Television features some indigenous programming. SBS Television features programmes in 60 languages. There are 3 main paying television providers; the largest is Foxtel, with more than 100 channels.

Current affairs/news will be found on the various channels, generally between 5-8pm depending on the channel.

Another interesting point to note is that the 'Australia Network' broadcasts to 41 countries in the Pacific and Asia, with 6.5 million viewers per month.

And radio?

SBS also has a national radio network - with programmes in 68 languages.

There are 274 commercial radio licences in Australia. Major networks are: OMG Radio, Macquarie Regional Radioworks, Southern Cross Broadcasting, the Australian Radio Network, and Austereo.

The newspapers?

Australia has one of the highest newspaper and magazine circulations per capita. The Australian Consolidated Press alone has 65 titles across a wide range of interests.

A few newspapers to look out for:

• National - Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review
• Adelaide - The Advertiser
• Brisbane - Courier Mail
• Canberra - Canberra City News
• Hobart - The Mercury
• Melbourne - Age, HeraldSun
• Perth - West Australia, Post
• Sydney - Daily Telegraph, SunHerald, Sydney Morning Herald

Will my English appliances work in Australia?

The electricity supply is 240 volts AC. Plugs have 3 prongs, so you will need a few adaptors.

How about internet and phones?

The international code for Australia is 0061.

Australia's telecommunications network is very comprehensive and very competitive. As in the UK, you can get cost-effective packages including telephone, mobile telephone and internet services.

Mobile use is one of the highest around, and this has been a very fast-growing industry.

Computer use is high, and a large percentage of Australians have either dial-up or broadband internet.

What are the hours of shops and businesses?

Business hours are pretty standard, and shopping hours are good:

• Businesses are generally open between 9am and 5-5.30pm weekdays
• Banks are generally open between 9.30-4pm Monday-Thursday, and 9.30-5pm on Fridays. Some banks in shopping malls may have extended hours
• Shops are generally open from 8.30am to 5-6pm on weekdays. And depending on what sort of shop it is they can also be open on Saturdays 8.30am until either 12pm or 4/5pm, and sometimes Sundays 9-10am until about 4pm.
• Shopping malls have longer hours. They are generally open until about 6-7pm, some shut a little earlier on a Sunday. Often they will also have a 'late night' once a week, when they are open until about 9-10pm.

How do I get around?

You're most likely to fly into Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane airport.

Sydney has the 'Airport link' train service from Terminals 1, 2, and 3 into the central station - you can get off on one of the stops, or change at the central station to another train.

• Melbourne has the 'skybus' - the shuttle which works with the airport. It operates a service between the airport and hotels in the CBD. There are also buses from the airport to other destinations.
• Brisbane's official shuttle is called 'coachtrans'. It operates a service between the airport and the hotels and CBD, but it also has services to the Gold Coast.

You can also try other shuttle operators and taxis to get to your destination.

As for transport while you're in Australia, it will depend on the place you're living. A few of the major centres have monorails, and you will also find trains and buses in the cities. When travelling within Australia, there are several options:

Planes are a popular way to travel between the major centres, especially as Australia is such a large country and distances between cities can be huge. Try Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Blue. You can very often find specials / reduced prices in the internet.

Trains run between the major centres, but it isn't a comprehensive network. It is not the most popular way of travel as they can be quite expensive and it can take quite a while to get to your destination. However, it could be an option if you're travelling overnight.

Buses. There are several long-distance companies; however, Greyhound Australia is the only 'national' service. It services 1100 destinations, with many options as far as ticketing and stops are concerned.

Cars are probably your best bet. Have a shop around for car rentals, and because of the distance between towns, most of them cater for people who want to pick up a car in one town and leave it in another. The other option if you're staying, is buying a car. The 'Red Book Australia' can give you guideline prices for different models of cars - it gives you an idea what the price of car should be if it is being traded or sold in a private sale. You have several options for buying a car; through a dealership, newspaper classified advertisements, a car auction house, or an internet site such as 'Car markets Australia'.

How do I get to Australia?

It's going to be a long trip; usually about 23 hours - longer or shorter depending on stop-overs, directions etc. You will have a stop-over, normally in Los Angeles, Dubai or Asia. You might have a higher baggage allowance via LA. If you have the time, these stop-overs are a great opportunity to see another country all within the price of your ticket.

The major international airports in Australia are; Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. The smaller international airports are Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Cairns.

The following airlines are some of the many who fly to Australia from the UK:

• Qantas
• Virgin Atlantic
• British Airways
• Malaysia Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Thai Air
• Emirates
• Singapore Airlines
• Air China
• Etihad Airways
• Air New Zealand

How do I move myself and my belongings to Australia?

There are several companies which specialise in moving belongings from the UK to Australia, from a few boxes to a household. Please see the relocation section.

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