Time Zones
There are three different times zones that stretch across this vast country. Australian 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 Tim (AWST (UTC +8)) covers Australia’s largest state, Western Australia (WA). Daylight saving (moving clocks forward one hour) occurs during summer months (October – April) in the ACT, SA, NSW, TAS and VIC.
Climate
Australia is an extremely large and diverse country with no one singular climate. It is however, predominantly warm, particularly in the main population bases on the country’s east coast. There are four distinct seasons in most of Australia; a warm to hot Summer, varying Spring, cool 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.
Academia
In general, 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.
Electricity
Australia uses a 240AC power supply with three flat pin plugs on electronic appliances. Students from most of Asia, Africa, Europe and South American 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 on the other hand will need to use a voltage converter as their appliances use a different voltage.
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 play to transfer funds to Australia make sure to take notice of exchange rates and any associated fees.
(Sources: Insider Guides)
