Time Zones
Three different time zones stretch across this vast country.
Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST (UTC +10)) covers New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Victoria (VIC), the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Tasmania (TAS).
Australian Central Standard Time (ACST (UTC +9.5)) covers South Australia (SA) and the Northern Territory (NT).
Australian Western Standard Time (AWST (UTC +8)) covers Australia’s largest state, Western Australia (WA).
Daylight saving (moving clocks forward one hour) occurs during summer months (Oct-Apr) in the ACT, SA, NSW, TAS and VIC.
Climate
Australia is an extremely large and diverse country with no singular climate. It is, however, predominantly warm, particularly in the main population bases along the country’s east coast.
There are four distinct seasons in most of Australia; a warm to hot Summer, varying Spring, cool to cold Winter and mild Autumn.
In the tropical northern cities of Darwin, Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton, there are two seasons: hot, wet summers and warm, dry winters.
Electricity
Australia uses a 240AC power supply with three flat pin plugs on appliances.
Students from most of Asia, Africa, Europe and South America should have appliances that work on the same voltage as Australia. Students from these countries will only need a power adaptor for their appliances to work.
Students from North America and Japan will need to use a voltage converter as their appliances use a different voltage.
New Zealand uses the same plugs and voltage as Australia so no adaptors are required for their appliances.
Currency
Australian currency uses the decimal system of dollar and cents.
The Australian dollar ($) is a national currency and accepted across all states and territories.
If you plan to transfer funds to Australia, then make sure to take notice of exchange rates and any associated fees.
To check your current exchange rate see XE.
Academic Standards
On the whole, Australia demonstrates high educational standards leading to well-qualified graduates who are aware of modern challenges.
For generations, Australian researchers have had a profound impact in various fields and contributed significantly on the world stage.
Check out: Education Standards.
