Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Banks
9.30am-4pm Mon-Thu, to 5pm Fri
Post offices
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat
Tourist offices
9am-5pm daily
Shopping centres
9am-5.30pm, often to 9pm Thu & Fri
Restaurants
lunch noon-3pm, dinner 6-10pm
Cafes
breakfast 8-11am (later on weekends), all-day lunch
Pubs
11am-1am
Bars & clubs
4pm-late (between 2am and 5am)
Customs Regulations
For detailed information on customs and quarantine regulations, contact the
Australian Customs & Border Protection
Service
( 02-6275 6666, 1300 363 263;
www.customs.gov.au
)
and the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries &
Forestry
( 02-6272 3933;
www.daff.gov.au
) .
When entering Australia you can bring in most articles free of duty provided that customs is satisfied they are for per-
sonal use and that you'll be taking them with you when you leave. Duty-free quotas per person (note the unusually low
figure for cigarettes):
»
Alcohol
2.25L (over the age of 18)
»
Cigarettes
50 cigarettes (over the age of 18)
»
Dutiable goods
Up to the value of $900 ($450 for people under 18)
Narcotics, of course, are illegal, and customs inspectors and their highly trained hounds are diligent in sniffing them out.
Quarantine regulations are strict, so you
must
declare all goods of animal or vegetable origin - wooden spoons, straw
hats, the lot. Fresh food (meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables etc) and flowers are prohibited. There are disposal bins located
in airports where you can dump any questionable items if you don't want to bother with an inspection. You must declare
currency in excess of $10,000 (including foreign currency).
