A country that is located far from everyone, but no less desirable to visit. Millions of tourists have already visited Australia, and just as many wish to do so. Of course, it takes a long time to get to it, there may be various obstacles in your way, but it’s worth it.
Incredible beauty hides the mysterious Australia. This is a country where wildlife exists alongside and even together with large metropolitan areas. Traveling around Australia is a series of fantastic discoveries, when wet forests give way to snow-capped mountains, dry deserts to the cleanest water bodies, and the coastline of the continent itself is worthy of separate admiration. Australia is in many ways a rich country: while praising its landscapes, it is impossible to forget about the diversity of the animal world. Here you will find many animals that live only on the territory of this country. The Australian Zoo holds the title of the most important attraction, and this title is fully justified. Kangaroos, ostriches, koalas are just a small part of the huge variety of the unique animal world of Australia.
Seeing this country with your own eyes is an incredible fortune. In addition, the combination of a beach holiday on the most beautiful shores and active travel within the continent will make your vacation truly unforgettable. If you love incredible and exciting travel, then you must visit Australia.
Capital, major cities
Canberra; Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth.
The time difference with Moscow is 7 hours ahead in summer, 9 hours ahead in winter
Telephone code – 61
Monetary unit – Australian dollar / AUD (1 AUD = 100 cents), 1 USD = ~ 1.3 AUD
A visa is needed – the cost of a visa is 120 USD
The cost of a “typical” dinner is 30-40 USD
Tips – 5-10% of the bill
Car rental per day – from 50 USD
State language – English
Population – about 20.26 million people.
Individual tours
A rare tourist will fly to the opposite point of the globe only to lie on the beach for two weeks. At least 90% of tours to Australia on the Russian market are “combo”: excursions plus seaside holidays. In the country, to put it in the language of marketers, goes “Middle Plus” and “Middle Plus-Plus”, almost all ages. The Gold Coast is more often chosen by partygoers and surfers, while the islands are chosen by couples. Divers and eco-tourists go to the Great Barrier Reef.
Main resorts
The main resorts of Australia are located on the east coast, the most popular among them are the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
It is better to go to the Gold Coast in the Australian summer (our winter), and it is better to swim and sunbathe on the GBR in the Australian winter (summer). On the Gold Coast in June-August, a big wave rises, strong winds blow, it rains. The GBR is closer to the equator, so the temperature there practically does not change during the year. But in the Australian summer there is a large influx of jellyfish, the climate is generally more humid, so it is recommended to go there in the Australian winter.
On the west coast of Australia there is no such developed resort infrastructure as on the east, but there are also beaches and their own reef – Ningaloo. But there are few tourists there, as there is no sufficient hotel base, and hotels are not of such a high level as on the east coast.
Flight
Option one: flight Moscow – Sydney in transit through Tokyo, a joint flight of Aeroflot and Qantas (Australian Airlines) or JAL (Japanese Airlines). In addition, the aircraft of the same airlines fly to Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns.
Option two: convenient flight with Air Emirates to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth or Melbourne via Dubai
Option three: Korean Air flight to Sydney or Brisbane with a stop in Seoul
Option four: Thai Airways flies to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne with a stop in Seoul Bangkok
In any case, tourists need to be prepared for the fact that they will have to spend about 20 hours in
the air.Other flight options: Austrian Airlines via Vienna, British Airways via London, Cathay Pacific with Aeroflot via Hong Kong.
Visa
Getting an Australian visa is quite difficult. Embassy statistics – about 10% of refusals. At the same time, this is one of the few embassies that provide a written explanation of the reasons for the refusal. Therefore, we warn tourists in advance about the possibility of refusal to obtain a visa and offer them to take out travel insurance. The period of stay in the country is up to 90 days, the period for issuing a visa is from 3 weeks to several months. Required documents: a copy of an internal passport, a foreign passport (it is desirable to have visas in it, for example, a Schengen one), one photo, a certificate from the place of work indicating the position and length of service at this enterprise, monthly salary or income, duration of vacation and its nature (paid or unpaid), a copy of the document confirming the availability of funds for this trip (certificate from the bank on the availability of an account, etc.).
A tourist who owns his own business will need to provide documents confirming its legal nature (for example, certificates of registration with the tax authorities and business registration), information on income received from the business, documents confirming the presence of any significant assets on the balance sheet of the enterprise.
Customs
The import of food, drugs, materials of animal and vegetable origin, firearms, weapons and ammunition, wildlife or items made from protected animals, certain medical preparations (including substances containing sports stimulants) is prohibited. Without paying customs duties and taxes, you can import goods worth AUD 400 into Australia (or AUD 200 for children under 18). This rule applies only in the case of the carriage of goods in personal baggage. In addition, persons over the age of 18 may import into Australia duty-free 1 liter of alcoholic beverages (regardless of their strength), 250 cigarettes or 250 g of other tobacco products. Family members traveling together can add up their duty-free allowance.
It is forbidden to export from the country animals and plants, wildlife items (corals, shells, reptiles), without a permit – items of historical value, as well as products made of wood and bamboo, leather, bone, bird feathers, shells and corals.
Desired phones
Embassy of Australia in Moscow: Podkolokolny per. 10A/2, tel.: (495) 956-6070, 956-6075
Russian Embassy in Sydney: (2) 93-261-866, 93-261-702 Toll-
free helpline throughout Australia – 013, in Sydney (“Visitors Center”) – 923-524-24 or 925-517-88
Police, fire department, ambulance and other emergency calls – 000 (from any phone, free of charge); from mobile phones – 000 or 112
Codes of major cities: Sydney – 2, Brisbane – 7, Melbourne – 3, Perth – 8.
Transport
Airplanes are the main type of long-distance transport within the country. An extensive network of air routes covers the whole of Australia. Prices for different airlines vary markedly, but in general they are quite low (by local standards).
Rail transport in Australia is relatively underdeveloped, and tickets are very expensive. Only suburban transportation and tourist routes in the Sydney area are well established. The cheapest, but also the longest way to travel between cities is buses.
City buses run from 5:00 to 23:00. The fare is paid by cards, which can be bought at kiosks and stations. It is most advantageous to purchase weekly cards (green, worth 17.5 AUD), suitable for all modes of transport and valid from 9:00. Sydney has an extensive metro network, a monorail in the city center and passenger ferries plying the bay.
Taxis are easy to hail on the street or order by phone even late at night. The journey is relatively inexpensive – 2.5 AUD per km.
Transport rental
You need an international driver’s license in English (or with a certified translation) and a credit card of any of the most common systems in the world (in rare cases, it is possible to rent without a credit card against a cash deposit), the tenant’s driving experience must be at least a year, age – at least 21 of the year.
Movement in the country is left-handed. The use of seat belts is mandatory, and special seats are required for children. The roads are modern and well maintained. It is better to move around the center of Sydney on foot or by taxi: it is almost impossible to park there.
Safety
The Australian sun is very active, so sunburn is a serious danger. It is recommended that during the first days of your stay in the country avoid direct sunlight, use protective creams and use light white cotton clothing (this, by the way, will help to avoid hypothermia in heavily air-conditioned rooms that are typical for Australia). It is recommended to wear sunglasses at any time of the year. You should swim only in the calmest areas of the coast in terms of currents and waves, marked with green or yellow-red flags. Single-color yellow or red flags mean an increased danger for bathers – it is better for inexperienced swimmers not to get into the water there. It is not recommended to walk barefoot on the grass and walk in the parks in the evening, as in Australia there are poisonous insects and snakes that are active at night.
When traveling to Queensland and the Northern Territory, it is recommended to use mosquito repellent and protective nets: mosquitoes can be carriers of dangerous diseases such as dengue fever and Ross River fever.
Petty theft flourishes in large cities – you need to behave more carefully there.
RESORTS OF AUSTRALIA
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef on the planet. Numerous islands and islets, scattered in the ocean along the coast for 2,000 km, provide an opportunity to enjoy the water, the sun and the beach, diving, diving in seclusion from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Resort “Gold Coast”, description
Gold Coast (Gold Coast), or the Gold Coast (Queensland) is the fastest growing area of modern Australia, it is 300 sunny days a year in the most beautiful subtropical climate, it is 42 km of endless golden beaches with turquoise blue water, bordered by green subtropical forest, it is the largest entertainment center with a huge selection of spectacles and attractions. In the Gold Coast area, many Australians and foreigners are currently willing to buy property.
There are three main groups of beaches on the coast. Main Beach is the most popular and fashionable area with many restaurants, boutiques and cafes for every taste. Here are the two best hotels on the coast – Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast and the newest hotel – Palazzo Versace.
Surfers Paradise is the main resort of the Gold Coast, where most of the hotels (ANA, Novotel and others) are located. Here everything is provided for recreation, active sports, mass entertainment. This is where the best golf courses are located.
The third beach part of the coast is Broadbeach with Grand Mercure, Conrad Jupiters hotels.
The largest shopping centers on the Gold Coast are Marina Mirage and Pacific Fair. Their visit will require more than one day for a complete inspection.
There are over 30 nightclubs and discos around Surfers Paradise. Jupiters Casino, the largest casino, is open around the clock.
Your attention will be offered a variety of excursions: safaris in the rainforest, helicopter flights, hot air balloons, cruises, amusement parks.
Cairns Resort
Cairns is located on the northeast coast of Australia and is one of the most vibrant tourist destinations in Queensland. Its location in the tropical part of the country next to the Great Barrier Reef makes it especially popular with tourists. The surroundings of Cairns are a real treasure trove of virgin tropical flora and fauna, which is carefully protected by the state.
The most popular places for recreation and swimming are the Northern Beaches (Palm Cove) and Port Douglas (70 km from Cairns). Here the Great Barrier Reef comes closest to the mainland.
VISA – AUSTRALIA
Required documents: passport (preferably the presence of visas in it, for example, Schengen), photo, certificate from the place of work indicating the position and length of service at this enterprise, monthly salary or income, duration of vacation and its nature (paid or unpaid), document, confirming the availability of funds for this trip (certificate from the bank on the availability of an account, etc.).
A tourist who owns his own business will need to provide documents confirming its legal nature (for example, certificates of registration with the tax authorities and business registration), information on income received from the business, documents confirming the presence of any significant assets on the balance sheet of the enterprise. All documents must be translated into English by a translation agency.
The term for issuing a visa is from 3 weeks to 2 months.
