Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING AN AFFORDABLE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
beginning with 1900 (or 1901 or 1902, and so on) are pay-for-service lines,
and you will be charged as much as A$5 (US$3.25) a minute.
Time Zone Eastern Standard Time (EST, also written as AEST sometimes)
covers Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory,
Victoria, and Tasmania. Central Standard Time is used in the Northern Territory
and South Australia, and Western Standard Time (WST) is the standard
in Western Australia. When it’s noon in New South Wales, the ACT,
Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania, it’s 11:30am in South Australia and
the Northern Territory and 10am in Western Australia. All states except
Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia observe daylight
savings time, usually from the last Sunday in October (the 1st Sun in
Oct in Tasmania) to the last Sunday in March. However, not all states
switch over to daylight savings time on the same day or in the same week.
The east coast of Australia is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) plus 10
hours. When it is noon on the east coast, it is 2am in London that morning,
and 6pm in Los Angeles and 9pm in New York the previous night.
These times are based on standard time, so allow for daylight savings
time in the Australian summer, or in the country you are calling. New
Zealand is 2 hours ahead of the east coast of Australia, except during daylight
savings time, when it is 3 hours ahead of Queensland.
Tipping Tipping is not expected in Australia. It is usual to tip around 5%
or round up to the nearest A$10 (US$6.50) for a substantial meal in a
restaurant. Some passengers round up to the nearest dollar in a cab, but
it’s okay to insist on every bit of change back. Tipping bellboys and
porters is sometimes done, but no one tips bar staff, barbers, or hairdressers.
Useful Phone Numbers U.S. Dept. of State Travel Advisory: & 202-647-
5225 (manned 24 hr.); U.S. Passport Agency: & 202-647-0518; U.S. Centers
for Disease Control International Traveler’s Hotline: &404-332-4559.
Water Water is fine to drink everywhere. In the Outback, the taps may
carry warm brackish water from underground called “bore water” for
showers and laundry, while drinking water is collected in rainwater tanks.