Sydney, Australia 2014 - The Preparation

Hi guys,

So here is, my preparation before going to Sydney! Usually before going to any places most important things to do is make some research! So i did.

First thing to do is to apply a visa. Malaysian can apply visa through online application. It's called as ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) as of October 2014. The charge fee is AUD 20.00 (RM 52.00)

So how to apply? 

First you need to make sure your passport is valid. (06 months validity). Click this link Australia Immigration. Oh on later post i will update about things that you can and cannot bring to Australia. As you know Australia is one of the strictest country in the world in terms of immigration.

So once you clicked the link. It will shows a screenshot like this:

Please check carefully on which sites you enter to apply visa. Since there is a lot of scamming and make sure to apply the correct visa. 

Once its done it will send a confirmation to you email and please make a copy and bring it together to airport ya?

Few things that i found about Australia:

Accessibility

Access for people with a disability in the City has improved significantly in recent years.

Business hours

General business hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm except on public holidays.

Banks

Monday–Thursday: 9.30am–4pm

Friday: 9.30am–5pm

Post offices

Monday–Friday: 9am–5pm.

Some branches are open on Saturday mornings .

Retail shops

Monday to Wednesday and Friday: 9am–6pm

Thursday: 9am–9pm

Saturday: 9am–4pm

Sunday: 10am–4pm

Currency

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

Foreign currency exchange facilities are available at Sydney International Airport and at most banks and bureau de change outlets throughout the City.

Language

Australia's official language is English.

Public toilets

Sydney has a large network of public toilets, some of which are coin-operated.

Time zones

Sydney is located within Eastern Standard Time (EST), one of 3 time zones in Australia. EST operates in New South Wales (NSW), the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. Central Standard Time (CST) operates in South Australia (SA) and Northern Territory (NT), which is 30 minutes behind EST. Western Standard Time (WST) operates in Western Australia (WA) and is 2 hours behind EST.

Daylight saving time starts in NSW, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania (EDT) and South Australia (CDT) in early October when clocks are moved forward by 1 hour until early April, when they are wound back 1 hour. Daylight saving does not operate in Queensland, NT or WA which remain on standard time, effectively creating 5 time zones across Australia from October until April.

Sydney is west of the International Date Line making it ahead in time with most other international destinations, for example:

1.New York is 15 hours behind

2. London is 10 hours behind

3. Paris is 9 hours behind

4. Moscow is 7 hours behind

5. Kuala Lumpur is 3 hours behind

6. Beijing is 2 hours behind

7. Hong Kong is 2 hours behind

8. Tokyo is 1 hour behind

9. Auckland is 2 hours ahead.

Tipping

Tipping is not the general custom in Australia, with the exception of fine-dining restaurants where it is usual to tip waiters up to 10% of the bill for good service. At any time, however, tipping is your choice.