Australian Culture
AUSTRALIAN CULTURE AND FACTS
Fast Facts
- Approximately the size of the USA (not including Alaska or Hawaii)
- 24 times the size of the UK
- 21 times the size of Germany
- 7.7 million square kilometres
- The name Australia comes from the Latin "Australis" meaning 'southern land'
- Is the driest continent on Earth
- The temperature can hit 53 degrees Centigrade in certain parts of the country
- Population: 19 million
- Close to 90% of the population live in capital cities or towns
- Per capita density; 2 persons per square kilometer
| Average Temperatures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | January Max | January Min | July Max | July Min |
| Adelaide | 29.5 | 16.4 | 15 | 7.3 |
| Brisbane | 29.4 | 20.8 | 20.4 | 9.6 |
| Canberra | 27.7 | 12.9 | 11.1 | -0.3 |
| Darwin | 31.7 | 24.8 | 30.3 | 19.2 |
| Hobart | 21.5 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 4.4 |
| Melbourne | 25.8 | 14 | 13.3 | 5.7 |
| Perth | 29.6 | 17.7 | 17.3 | 9.0 |
| Sydney | 25.8 | 18.4 | 15.9 | 7.9 |
Language
You may find your first experience of "Aussie English" surprising. Although English is the main language spoken in Australia, the accent is distinctly different from British and American English. If you are from a non-English speaking country and you have learned either British or American English, you will probably find it quite difficult to understand Australians initially. Across the country there is not a great deal of variation in the accents, the main difference being the speed at which people speak.
Australian Currency
The currency in Australia is the Australian Dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of A$1 and A$2 (gold coloured coins), 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents (silver coloured); notes come in denominations
of A$5, A$10, A$20, A$50 and A$100. The notes are of different colours
and increase marginally in size according to increasing value.
Business Hours
Office hours in Australia are generally 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
Shopping hours vary from state to state and from store to store. In Sydney,
several supermarkets have extended shopping hours, however general shopping hours are from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday. Most cities have one late trading night a week, usually Thursday or Friday.
Cost of living
Depending on where you come from in the world, you will probably find Australia's cost of living to be relatively affordable or even cheaper than home. However it is important to consider before you leave home how much you will need to support your travels and living expenses. Some participants live in Australia on A$40 a day, although A$55 - A$70 would be a more realistic figure and would mean that you could be a lot more flexible in what you do. Beds in hostel type accommodations range from A$20 to A$30, while hotels at the cheaper end of the scale, range in price from A$45 to A$80 for a double room.
As in all larger cities the cost of living is higher, so if you plan to spend most of your time in Australian cities your living costs will be higher.
| Weekly Living Costs for a Single Person | |
|---|---|
| Item | AU$ |
| Rent | 150 - 200 |
| Food | 50 - 90 |
| Travel | 14 - 35 |
| Utilities (gas, electricity) | 10 - 15 |
| Other (entertainment, books, clothes, etc...) | 100 - 150 |
| Total costs per week | 324 - 490 |
Banking
There are many banks in Australia and their fees and services vary greatly.
AIFS' preferred bank is NAB. National Australia Bank (NAB) allows you to apply for a bank account before coming into Australia. You will be able to pick up your bankcard and pin numbers from their branch opposite to our office during your arrival orientation. But please remember to bring your passport and another form of ID such as your bank card or drivers license.
If you decide to open a bank account after you arrive, your bank will need your passport and another form of identification such as a credit card or overseas drivers license. You will have to supply a permanent address when opening an account, so we suggest you use AIFS Sydney address for this purpose.