Boomerang Australia Studies

INTRODUCTION

To help you settle down better in Australie, we have gathered important information and tips. Although Australia is an anglosaxon country, it has its owns values, particularities and vocabulary that differ from the USA, UK and Canada.

Find below all kind of information that will help you understand the Australian culture better!

- To know students' opinions on daily life in Australia as well as how to confront it, click here!

- To obtain general tourist information about Australia, click here!

- To become familiar with Australian slang, click here!

- To see unsual photos about Australia, click here!

PRE DEPARTURE INFORMATION

Get familiar with the Australian dollar!! Click here to convert it into your local currency! Have some cash handy in Australian dollars in case of emergency, at least AU$200 in small notes. Travellers cheques can be a good idea if you have limited withdrawals with your credit card!!

Phone cards:
Don’t bother bringing with you pre-paid phone cards or special accounts packages to call your country from Australia. There are plenty of phone card companies in Australia that sell excellent rates to call any country in the world for less than 10 cents a minute, which you can use from public or fixed phones or any mobile. We have negotiated a special price for our students of AU$9 per card instead of AU$10. You'll receive your access code as soon as you are sorted out with us. (Warning!!! no possible discount without this code!!). Infos.



Australian Climate:
Australia, from North to South and from East to West, gathers all types of possible climates from tropical to subalpine! If you will study in the North, it is warm not to say hot all year round but if you stay in the southern parts (Sydney, Perth, and especially Melbourne and Tasmania), you’d better bring warm clothes for the winter season. Temperatures are rarely below 0 degree Celsius but humidity is present all year round and you are more sensitive to the cold. You can ski in the Snowy Mountains (South of Sydney) or in the High Plains (North of Melbourne)!

Voltage:
It’s around 240 volts and we advise you to bring a universal adaptor for Australia if you are planning to bring your computer or electrical appliances (hairdryer, shaving machines….) You can buy it in any Australian department stores for around AU$ 12.00.

Drivers license:
The recognition of licences from certain countries was agreed nationally and as from 17 January 2005 customers are exempt both from the practical car driving test and the car driver knowledge test if they hold an acceptable car licence from one of the recognised countries. The exemption only applies to applicants for Class C (car) licences. However the RTA reserves the right to require customers to undertake a knowledge test or driving test, and may not issue a licence until it is satisfied that the overseas licence is valid.
The licensing authority in Victoria (VicRoads) is responsible for maintaining the national list of recognised countries. Click here to view the most up-to-date list of recognised countries.
Remember that Australia is a federation, and each State has their own rules!! Check below according to the State where you will stay:
NSW: To translate your overseas licence, contact The Community Relations Commission, Level 8, 175 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, Tel. 8255-6767 or the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), 26 Lee Street, Sydney, Tel. 131 881. In order to get an Australian driver's licence, please contact the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), located near the school at Centennial Plaza, 260 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. You will need to pass a 'Knowledge Test' and a driving test.
Victoria
Queensland
Australie Meridionale
Australie Occidentale
Canberra
Tasmanie
Territoires du Nord

ARRIVAL

Compulsory disinfecting session before landing!!
Don’t worry if just before landing in Australia, hostesses walk around the plane spraying passengers!! The purpose is to disinfect passengers against any pests or diseases or viruses!! Australia has been isolated for centuries and has a very fragile bio diversity, therefore the government is very vigilant to avoid any foreign contamination.

Australian customs:
The quarantine rules are very strict as far as perishables are concerned. In the plane, you have to fill in a form and inform the authorities about what you are bringing to Australia. If you plan to bring gifts such as food or handcraft made of natural fibres (wood, straw…), limit them to chocolate or candys or declare everything if in doubt!! It is impossible to bring fresh products (cheese, sausages….) but cans are OK!! Otherwise if you don’t declare, everything will be confiscated and you can be fined from AU$100 to $1000, depending of the gravity of the non declared products!!
If you need more details information, please consult the Australian government website about quarantine: www.aqis.gov.au

IN AUSTRALIA

Safety:
The only danger waiting for you is that Australians drive on the other side of the road! So you have to inverse all your automatisms: get used to look on the RIGHT before crossing the road, and take the right lanes at roundabouts!!!
Don’t forget to press the button at the pedestrian lights before crossing, otherwise the light will never turn green et you get stuck where you are standing for a while!!

Measures:
In Australia, this is not that easy to shop or cook (while following recipes) if you are not familiar with the British measures!! We have facilitated you the task below: read the conversation tables or consult: http://www.onlineconversion.com/
Temperature: sometimes still indicated not in degrees Celsius but in degrees Farenheit
Length and distance: in major cases still indicated in inches, feet and miles
Weight: in some cases, still indicated in ounces and pounds

Public Holidays:
At federal level:
New Year : 1 January
Australia Day : 26 January
Good Friday : in April, the Friday before Easter weekend; vary each year
Easter Monday : in April the Monday after Easter weekend; vary each year
ANZAC Day : 25 April
Queen’s Birthday: : the Monday following the 2nd weekend of June
Labour Day : the Monday following the 1st weekend of October
Christmas Day : 25 December
Boxing Day : 26 December

At States level:
Bank holidays : dates vary according the states
Other local festivals

How to make Australian friends:
Although Australians are very friendly, it is not easy to meet and befriend them, especially if you are an English learning student: your pals are all foreigners!! The best places are pubs or you have to practice one of the most popular sports: surf, cricket, rugby. Soccer is far from being the favourite Australian sport and it attracts more Europeans or South Americans!
The broad Australian accent can be daunting so don’t worry if you don’t understand and don’t be offended if they ask you to repeat several times, most Australians are not used to strong accents!!

Emergency:
The national emergency number is: 000. It will tranfer you directly to the national emergency center who according to the nature of the issue, will contact either the police, fire brigade or ambulances.

Opening and closing hours:
Most shops open from 9.00 am and close between 5 to 6 pm from Monday till Saturday, apart the Westfield shopping centres or others opened every day. Supermarkets and corner or general stores stay open till late every day of the week, especially downtown. If this is not enough, be aware that there is a late shopping night until 9.00pm every Thursday!!

Postage:
Costs to Europe:
Postcards: AU$1.00
Letters: AU$1.20

Dining out:
The first reflex to have is to get used to the BYO system or Bring Your Own!! In Australia, you can only drink alcohol in pubs or bars or nightclubs, you can only buy alcohol in bottle shops and you have to bring your own alcohol (wine, beer...) in restaurants (only if they have the sign BYO at the door). More and more restaurants are licenced so before you seat down, ask if the restaurant is BYO or not!!

Taxes:
On 1 July 2000, Australia introduced the Good and Services Tax (GST) that amount to 10%! More infos on www.ato.gov.au

Australian slang:
There is a proper dictionary of the Australian slang and it is 500 pages thick!! To tell you how rich the Australian vocabulary can be!! A lot of very common expressions not used anywhere else in the world are heard in everyday life and you should know the most important ones. See below the list we have compiled for you!!

Aussie, Ozzie, Oz = Australia
Barbie = barbecue
Bikkies, bickies= biscuits (not to be confused with Bikies = bikers riding powerful motorikes such as Harley Davidson, always dressed in black leather)
Brekkie = breakfast
Good day, mate!: hello!
Hozit going mate? = how are you?
Fair dinkum = the real one, the true onei
Fair enough! = OK
Good on you mate! = well done!
I reckon! = I agree
It’s on me! = I’ll pay for you!
Let’s have a cuppa!: let’s have a drink!
No worries mate! = no problem!
Pavlova: the most popular cake to be found at all parties or invitations, based on the ballarina’s name and made of egg-whites and very sweet
Stubby = any beer (not to be confused with Stubbies = workers shorts)
Tassie: Tasmania
I’ll give it a bash! : I’ll have a go at it!


Tax return:
At the end of the financial year (end of June), your employer should give you a Group Certificate that sums up your taxable income and allows you to apply for a Tax Return (form available from any ATO, Newsagent or employer). As you have been deducted income taxes and have not earned much, the Australian government usually give you back a big part of the taxes paid; however since the form to fill in is so complicated (it’s very easy to tick the wrong information!), we advise you to apply through Taxback.com to maximize your return! Click here to have a free quote! They shall guarantee you maximum refunds!!