Australia’s seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere * Spring is September - November * Summer is December - February * Fall is March - May * Winter is June – August. Australia's climate is generally pleasant without extremes in temperature. Broadly, there are two climatic zones in Australia. About 40% of Australia is in the Tropical Zone - that is north, above the Tropic of Capricorn. The cities of Cairns and Darwin lie in this zone. The remaining areas of Australia lie in the Temperate Zone, including Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth.

To enter Australia, a passport valid for at least 6 months after the completion of your trip and a pre-arranged entry authority known as an 'ETA' (Electronic Travel Authority) is required. An ETA is equivalent to a visa, but there is no stamp or label in your passport and there is no need for you to visit an Australian diplomatic office to submit an application. If you are eligible, the ETA can be issued electronically by your Aspire Down Under consultant for a fee of $25 per visa. The tourist ETA is valid for multiple entries into Australia (each entry to a maximum of three months) over a period of one year. A business ETA can be obtained, allowing multiple entries into Australia for the life of your passport. Restrictions apply. ETA’s should be obtained at least ten days prior to your trip. Visitors not eligible for an ETA and those wishing to stay for longer than three months, or to work, must obtain a visa to enter. Further advice and application forms may be obtained from the Australian consulate in Washington DC.

We recommend you contact your cell plan provider prior to departure to discuss international calling/texts/data plans. Once in Australia for any data usage check for wifi connections at your accommdation. We highly recommend you switch off your data roaming option at all times except when you deem it necessary to download data when not connected to wifi.

English is the common language of Australia. However, as Australia is a multicultural society, you may hear other languages spoken.

The east coast of Australia is 15 hours ahead of the east coast of the US, and 18 hours ahead of the west coast of the US. Both countries operate daylight savings time during their summer months, from April to October eastern Australia is 14 hours ahead of the east coast of the US, and 17 hours ahead of the west cost of the US. Not all Australian states observe daylight saving, so times in the country can vary by one hour.

Australian currency ($A) is decimal with the dollar as the basic unit (100 cents = A$1). Notes come in $100, $50, $20, $10 and $5 denominations. Coins come in $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c denominations.