Page 554 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

552  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Communication and Media the White Pages and the
Yellow Pages, both of which
Communications systems in Australia are fast, modern and are easily accessed online. The
efficient. Most Australians have mobile phones and home White Pages lists private and
Internet connections, and Internet cafés and Wi-Fi areas are business numbers in alpha-
also widely available in cities and large towns. betical order. It also has a
guide to emergency services
Postal services within Australia have a two- to three-day and government departments.
delivery time in the same city, with next-day delivery for The Yellow Pages lists
an extra fee. International mail takes about 10 days to two businesses under relevant
weeks, but express options are available. Online versions headings such as Dentists,
of Australian national newspapers are regularly updated Car Hire and so on.
with domestic and international news, while the standard of
Australia’s television and radio broadcasting is generally high. Mobile Phones
Short-term mobile phone
display instructions and numbers rentals are available for visitors,
to call for assistance. Telstra also but if your phone is compatible
has an online payphone locator it may be cheaper to bring it
tool (envinsaonline.mapinfo. with you and buy a local Sim
com.au/ppol). card once you have arrived.
This way you can also avoid
paying the high cost of inter-
Payphone Charges
national fees on incoming calls
Local calls are untimed and cost to your mobile.
50 cents. Depending on where Optus, Telstra, Virgin and
you are, “local” means the city Vodafone are the main mobile
and its suburbs, or outside the phone service providers. They
Telstra public telephone booths at Bondi city, a defined country region. differ in the coverage and plans
Junction, Sydney Credit card phones have a they offer, so it is worth looking
A$1.20 minimum fee. Long- into each one to find the best
Public Telephones
distance calls are less expensive deal. All have good coverage in
There are about 17,000 Telstra- if you dial without the help of major cities. Telstra has the best
operated public payphones an operator. The cheapest network coverage in smaller
across Australia in city and method of calling long distance regional and country areas.
regional areas. Payment options is by using a prepaid phonecard. While international texting is
include coins, prepaid Check which of the available relatively cheap, international
phonecards (available at kinds suits your needs. Prepaid calls are very expensive from
newsagents, convenience stores phonecards can be bought at mobile phones in Australia, so
and some chemists) and the newsagents, local shops, post using a prepaid phonecard or a
more expensive operator- offices and other retail outlets. plan that includes international
assisted calls. Newer Smart minutes to specific countries
Payphones include SMS text may be a better option if
messaging and a hearing-aid Telephone Directories you need to make a lot of
coupler to assist the hearing Each city and region in Australia international calls. Making
impaired. The phone booths has two telephone directories: calls while driving is illegal
Reaching the Right Number • Directory information with automatic connection
(incurs an additional charge) to local and national
• To ring Australia from the UK dial 0061, then
the area code, then the local number. destinations: dial 12455.
• To ring Australia from the USA or Canada dial 011 • Local and national directory enquiries: dial 1223.
• Reverse-charge calls to national and mobile
61, then the area code, then the local number.
numbers: dial 1800 662 274.
• For long-distance direct-dial calls outside • National and international operator assisted calls:
your local area code, but within Australia dial 1225.
(STD calls), dial the appropriate area code, • National and international call costs: go online to
then the number. telstra.com.
• For international direct-dial calls (IDD calls) from • Numbers beginning with 1 800 are toll-free
a fixed phone line in Australia: dial 0011, followed numbers.
by the country code (USA and Canada: 1; UK: 44; • Numbers beginning with 13 are charged at the
Republic of Ireland: 353; New Zealand: 64, South local call rate from anywhere in Australia.
Africa: 27), then the city or area code (omit initial 0) • Ten-digit numbers beginning with 04 are mobiles.
and then the local number. • See also Emergency Services, p549.