Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Phonecards can be purchased at newsagents and post offices for a fixed dollar value (usually $10, $20, $30 etc) and
can be used with any public or private phone by dialling a toll-free access number and then the PIN number on the card.
Call rates vary, so shop around. Some public phones also accept credit cards.
Mobile Phones
Australia's GSM and 3G mobile networks service more than 90% of the population but leave vast tracts of the country
uncovered, including much of inland WA. Perth and the larger centres get good reception, but outside these centres it's
haphazard or nonexistent, especially in the north. Of the mobile telcos, Telstra has the best coverage for both voice and
internet services.
Australia's digital network is compatible with GSM 900 and 1800 (used in Europe), but is generally not compatible
with the US or Japanese systems. All the main service providers offer prepaid mobile services for short-term access.
A BIT OF PERSPECTIVE
Despite the recent increase in fatal shark attacks in WA, statistically it's still very unlikely that visitors will be at-
tacked. Blue-ringed octopus deaths are even rarer - only two in the last century - and there's only ever been one
confirmed death from a cone shell. Jellyfish kill about two people annually, but you're stil 100 times more likely
to drown.
On land, snakes kill one or two people per year (about the same as bee stings, or less than a thousandth of those
killed on the roads). There hasn't been a recorded death from a tick bite for over 50 years, nor from spider bites in
the last 20.
Phone Codes
»
0011 International calling prefix (the equivalent of 00 in most other countries).
»
61 Australia's country code.
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08 Area code for all of WA. If calling from overseas, drop the initial zero.
»
04 All numbers starting with
04 (such as
0410,
0412) are mobile phone numbers. If calling from
overseas, drop the initial '0'.
»
190 Usually recorded information calls, costing from 35c to $5 or more per minute (more from mobiles and
payphones).
»
1800 Toll-free numbers; can be called free of charge from anywhere in the country, though they may not be ac-
cessible from certain areas or from mobile phones.
»
1800-REVERSE (738 3773) or
12 550 For reverse-charge (collect) calls from any public or private phone.
»
13 or 1300 Cost of a local call. The numbers can usually be dialled Australia-wide, but may be applicable
only to a specific state or STD district.
Note:
1800,
13 or
1300 numbers can't be dialled from outside Australia.
