Australia travel and visitor guide with hotel, airport, airline and vacation information. Australia boasts over 7,000 beaches - more than any other nation. Australia is a land full of powerful experiences just waiting to be discovered. Encounters with our incredible wildlife on land and in the water will truly open your eyes wide in astonishment.
Airlines serving Australia include Qantas, American, United, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Japan, China, Hawaiian and many others. Visit our Airports & Airlines section for more information.
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It's about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA and 50 per cent larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometre. Australia boasts over 7,000 beaches - more than any other nation. Visit the Official Australia Tourism web site for all there is to see and do in Australia.
Immigration, Visa & Passport Information
Travellers to Australia need a valid passport or similar certificate of identification. Everyone, except travellers with Australian or New Zealand passports, requires a visa or an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to enter Australia. New Zealand passport holders apply for a visa upon arrival in Australia. All other passport holders must hold a visa or ETA before travelling to Australia.
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 is issued electronically by a computer system operated for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) of Australia.
For further information on tourist visas, working holidays, business visits, students, immigration, Electronic Travel Authority (ETAs), visas and other useful contacts visit the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs’ website. For the location of your nearest Australian consulate go to www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas.htm
Australia maintains an embassy in the United States at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 (tel. 202-797-3000), and consulates general in New York (212-408-8400), San Francisco (415-362-6160), Honolulu (808-524-5050), Los Angeles (310-229-4800), Chicago (312-419-1480) and Atlanta (404-880-1700).
The U.S. Embassy in Australia is located at Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (tel. (02) 6-214-5600; fax 6-214-5970). Consulates General are in Sydney (tel. 2-9373-9200; fax 2-9373-9107); Melbourne (tel. 3-9526-5900; fax 3-9510-4646; and Perth (tel. 9-231-9400; fax. 9-231-9444).
Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are on the Internet and hard copies can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries.
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their passports. This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency.
