Travel insurance for Australia will usually also protect you against theft of your credit cards, digital camera or other personal belongings.

There are some minor health concessions for certain passport holders when visiting Australia, but you’d still do well to take out a regular travel insurance policy.

Photo: WMY

For the record, the health concessions entail “limited subsidised health services for immediately necessary treatment while visiting Australia”.

This means if you have a serious accident requiring immediate medical attention, you may receive free treatment in an Australian public hospital. You may also receive subsidised medications as part of your care.

However, these concessions only apply to passport holders from the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy and Malta.

Passport holders from Italy or Malta are only eligible for these concessions for the first 6 months of their stay in Australia. (The others are covered for the full duration of their stay in Australia). Check the website of your national healthcare system for the full terms and conditions.

All visitors to Australia are strongly recommended to have an active travel insurance policy before arriving.

Bondi Beach Public Transport

There are frequent direct buses (e.g. the 333 or the 380) to Bondi Beach from the following locations: Bondi Junction, the city centre and North Bondi. There are connecting trains at Bondi Junction and the city centre.

There are no trains or ferries to Bondi Beach.

A Sydney ferry. Photo: Matt Ryall.

Coogee Beach Public Transport

There are frequent direct buses to Coogee Beach from the following locations: Randwick Junction, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Bondi Junction, the city centre and Glebe. There are connecting trains at both Bondi Junction and the city centre.

There are no trains or ferries to Coogee Beach.

Kings Cross Public Transport

The best way to get to King’s Cross by public transport is by train (although there are buses as well). King’s Cross station is the first station after the city (Martin Place station) and is also only two stations from Bondi Junction (where you can get connecting buses to Bondi Beach, Coogee Beach or UNSW).

Manly Beach Public Transport

The best way to get to Manly beach by public transport is by ferry. It’s a stunning ride across Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay (city centre) to Manly Beach. Be aware that the ferry does not operate that late at night so if you’re headed into the city for a night out, you’ll need to catch another form of public transport (this will usually mean a taxi) home.

City Centre Public Transport

The city centre is the best place to catch public transport. You can get a direct connection to pretty much any point in Sydney via bus, train or ferry.

Sydney has great weather for 9 months of the year, from August until April, although the best months are November until February inclusive. January and February are the best months for outdoor festivals and events (many of these are listed on the Free Things To Do In Sydney page).

How Hot Is A Sydney Summer?

In summer (December to February), the average temperatures are in the mid teens to the mid twenties if you measure in degrees Celsius. If you use Fahrenheit this equates to a range from the low sixties to the high seventies.

Another glorious Sydney day. Photo: Jimmy Harris.

How Cold Is A Sydney Winter?

The months of May, June and July can be cold (even though winter is officially June – August) – but not by European or Canadian standards! We’re talking high single digits to high teens when using degrees Celsius, or high forties to low sixties if you use the Fahrenheit system.

How To Protect Against Sunburn In Australia

The sun can burn you quite quickly in Australia. Because of the hole in the ozone layer above Australia, your skin can start to burn in as little as ten minutes. While this is no cause for alarm, a few sensible tips should help you stay sun-safe:

• Try and stay out of the sun for the 4 hour period when the sun is strongest.
• Be aware that your skin burns faster at the beach because of reflected UV rays.
• Wear a hat and use sunblock (SPF 30+). Reapply every 4 hours.
• If you feel your skin starting to burn, head indoors or move to the shade.

The great thing about Australian mobile phones is that you never pay to receive calls. You only pay to make calls.

Let’s look at the different carriers in Australia as well as their prepaid and post-paid offers.

Australian Mobile Phone Carriers

The big 4 Australian mobile phone carriers are “3 Network” (yes, sponsors of the Australian cricket team), Vodafone, Optus and Telstra (listed from my favourite to my least favourite).

Reception and Coverage

In the big cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, it doesn’t really matter which carrier you choose in terms of reception.

If you’re going out into remote country areas (ie you’re driving from Sydney to Perth or you’re going to the Outback) then Telstra has the best coverage out of all the carriers. But Telstra are over-priced ripoffs in my opinion and so if you’re sticking to the big cities, I would go with another carrier.

Prices and Customer Service

As mentioned previously, I think Telstra are over-priced ripoffs. I don’t recommend Optus either – I think their customer service is appalling.

So I think either the “3″ network or Vodafone are the way to go when choosing a mobile phone plan or prepaid package in Australia.

Prepaid Phones In Australia

Just like in many countries, prepaid phones are popular in Australia. All the carriers have prepaid offers in Australia.

Prepaid phones are ideal if you don’t want to be locked down to a plan. They’re also great if you don’t want to pay roaming rates in Australia for your U.S. or Canadian or English or French carrier.

You can get a prepaid Australian SIM card for about $30 AUD. As mentioned earlier, you don’t pay to receive calls so these are ideal if you want to be contactable by both people back at home or hostels and airlines confirming your reservations.

You can bring your tri-band, SIM-card cel phone or mobile from home, or alternatively you can buy an Australian Nokia or other similar phone here for about $100 AUD.

Postpaid Plans And Contracts In Australia

If you are going to be in Australia for 1 or 2 years, you can sign up to a contract. You’ll get a free mobile phone if you sign up for 2 years. You can even get an iPhone with Vodafone, Optus or Telstra plans.

Many people overpack for their holidays – whether they’re going to Sydney or anywhere else.

The underlying logic seems to be along these lines “I’m not sure if I’ll need this particular item – I’ll pack it just in case”.

However, in my opinion, the secret to packing light is to reverse this logic.

The logic thus becomes “I’m not sure if I’ll need this particular item – I’ll leave it behind and see what happens. I can always buy it over there if I necessary”.

This is where people usually get caught out. The fear of not having a particular item – even when it’s highly doubtful you’ll end up using it – causes you to pack the item, rather than leave it behind.

However, packing 10 or 15 items on a “just in case” basis results in quite a heavy bag for you.

Let me illustrate with a story. In the year 2000, I was travelling around Europe by train. I was changing trains in the Italian town of Pisa and had an hour to wait.

Of course, I did what every good traveller would do in this scenario – I hurried out of the train station to try and see the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the short time available.

Not wanting to spend the money on a locker for my bag for just the hour, I took it with me.

However, after just fifteen minutes of walking, my shoulders ached and my heavy bag seemed 10 times heavier. I turned back to the train station. I never saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa – and I still haven’t.

The point of this story is that you shouldn’t make the same mistake I made. You’ll see a lot more of Sydney with a light bag. Who knows when your “Leaning Tower of Pisa” moment might be?

What If You Need Something In Sydney?

Rest assured, Sydney is a world class city. There are many excellent shopping precincts in Sydney – you may even find yourself with a unique piece that your friends back home will envy!