Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Island, where thousands of convicts
brought in to settle the new British
colony were imprisoned and died. All
of Tasmania is spectacular, but you
haven't seen anything until you've
experienced Freycinet National Park,
with its pink granite outcrops set
against an emerald-green sea.
2 Visitor Information
The
Australian Tourist Commission
(ATC) is the best source of informa-
tion on traveling Down Under. Its
website, www.australia.com, has more
than 10,000 pages of listings of tour
operators, hotels, car-rental compa-
nies, specialist travel outfitters, holi-
days, maps, distance charts, suggested
itineraries, and much more. The site
provides you with information tai-
lored to travelers from your country of
origin, including packages and deals.
By signing up for the free online
Travel Club, you will be e-mailed
news of hot deals, events, and the like
on a regular basis, and you can also
order brochures online. The ATC
operates a website only, no telephone
lines. Other good sources are the web-
sites of Australia's state tourism mar-
keting offices. They are as follows:
•
Canberra Tourism:
www.canberra
tourism.com.au.
•
Northern Territory Tourist Com-
mission:
www.Ntholidays.com or
www.australiasoutback.com, the
latter written for international vis-
itors.
•
South Australian Tourism Com-
mission:
www.southaustralia.com.
•
Tourism New South Wales:
www.
visitnsw.com.au or www.sydney
australia.com.
•
Tourism Queensland:
www.
queenslandholidays.com.au or
www.destinationqueensland.com,
the latter geared for North Ameri-
cans.
•
Tourism Tasmania:
www.discover
tasmania.com.au.
•
Tourism Victoria:
www.visit
victoria.com.
•
Western Australian Tourism
Commission:
www.western
australia.net.
3 Entry Requirements & Customs
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Along with a current passport valid for
the duration of your stay, the Aus-
tralian government requires a visa
from visitors of every nation, except
New Zealand, to be issued before you
arrive. If you are short-term visitor or
business traveler, the process is easy
and can be done in a few minutes on
the Internet, using the Australian gov-
ernment's Electronic Travel Authority
(ETA). This is an electronic visa that
takes the place of a stamp in your
passport.
You can apply for an ETA yourself,
or have your travel agent or airline do
it for you when you book your plane
ticket. (They may charge you extra to
Get Help from the ATC
The ATC maintains a network of “Aussie Specialist” travel agents in hun-
dreds of cities across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New
Zealand, and other countries. The agents are trained on the best destina-
tions, hotels, deals, and tours Down Under. Get a referral to the nearest
two Aussie Specialists by clicking the “Certified Aussie Specialist” button
on the home page on the ATC's website, www.australia.com.
Tips
