Phones
The two major phone operators in Australia are Telstra and Optus, though all public phones are Telstra-operated and their rates, on a day-to-day basis, are pretty similar. Post offices (but not agencies) always have a bank of telephones outside; otherwise head for the nearest bar or service station - you'll even find solar-powered, satellite-connected booths in the Outback. Public telephones take coins or Telstra phonecards , which are sold through newsagents and other stores for $5, $10, $20 or $50. You can make international calls from virtually any of them as from a private phone. Many bars, shops and restaurants have orange or blue payphones , but these cost more than a regular call box, and international dialling is not advised because they'll start to gobble money the moment you're connected, even if the call goes unanswered. Whatever their type, payphones do not accept incoming calls. Crediphones accept most major credit cards such as Amex, Visa and Diners International, and can be found at international and domestic airports, central locations in major cities, and many hotels. You can make reverse charge calls through the operator, but it's easier with Country Direct which, for the price of a local call, will connect you directly to an operator in the country you're calling. Cash is not needed, as the call is charged to the receiving number or to your own phone credit card. Country Direct calling cards are available through hotels, travel agents and tour operators. Rates for calls within Australia are cheapest in the evenings from Monday to Saturday, and all day Sunday. Local calls are untimed, allowing you to talk for as long as you like; this costs around 17c on a domestic phone, though public phones may charge 50c. Many businesses and services operate free call numbers , prefixed tel 1800, while others have six-digit numbers beginning tel 13 that are charged at the local-call rate. Numbers starting tel 0055 are private information services (often recorded), costing between 35c and 70c a minute, but with a minimum charge of 40c from public phones. International calls are charged at a flat per minute rate depending on the country called, whatever the hour or day of the week that the call is made. All incur a connection fee of 22c, then it costs 37.4c per minute to the UK; 31c to the US; 44c for Canada; and 31c for New Zealand. If you plan to speak for a while, you can save money by buying half-hour blocks to all the above countries for $6.60 by dialling tel 0018 (instead of tel 0011), then the country code and number. Hang up within the first minute and you only pay a $2 connection fee, otherwise you'll be charged for the full half hour; speak for over thirty minutes and you'll pay double.
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Your Tip for Australia
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