With incredible unspoilt natural beauty, Australia is possibly one of the most popular holiday destinations. However, tourists should be heedful of all the essential entry requirements, safety tips and local laws before catching flights to Australia.
Quenched by sunshine and glistering with jovial charisma, Australia is one of the most impressive island countries in the world. Abundance of sun-kissed beaches, emerald-blue waters, to die for adventure activities, delectable list of mouth-watering cuisines, panoramic natural vistas, innumerable man-made marvels, pulsating nightlife and extravagant shopping – this thriving nation rewards its visitors manifold.
Unsurprisingly, UK tourists constitute a substantial portion of the overwhelming tourist influx in the famous Aussie cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, Adelaide, Brisbane, etc. Therefore, it is sensible to be well acquainted with the Australia’s entry requirements for UK citizens and essential safety tips as well as flight information to ensure unperturbed holidays.
Visa
It is essential for British citizens to obtain a visa before catching flights to Australia. There are two types of electronic visitor visas available to the Britons for visiting anywhere in Australia – eVisitor Visa and Electronic Travel Authority (ETA).
- eVisitor Visa involves no application charges or service fees, and can be obtained directly from the Department of Immigration & Citizenship. ETA can be applied through the travel agents or airlines with a service fee of A$20.
- Those looking for exhaustive information on all other types of visas and other entry requirements to Australia can contact the Department of Immigration & Citizenship or the Australian High Commission in London.
Medical prerequisites
- Visa applicants planning trips to Australian cities can sometimes be required to undergo a health examination before being granted a visa. In fact, applicants aged 75 or above are required to undergo a medical examination or an Aged Visitors Health Check when applying for visitor visa.
Passport Requisites
Britons planning Australian tour must hold a valid passport to enter the country. Those buying tickets on cheap flights to Australia must ensure that their passport is valid for duration of intended stay in the country. However, those planning an onward travel or transiting some countries en route to/from Australia to other countries in the region should check the passport validity policies of the intended destinations.
- It is sensible to ensure a short period of extra validity on the passport in case of any unforeseen delays to the scheduled departure.
- Tourists do not need to wait until the expiry of the old passport for getting it renewed. Any time left on the old passport, up to a maximum of nine months, is added to the new passport upon renewal.
General Safety Tips
Incidents of harassment, robberies and attacks on out-of-state visitors is not unheard of in Australia, which makes it prudent for travellers to heed appropriate safety measures to ensure an unperturbed vacation here.
- Tourists should be careful with important personal possessions and significant travel documents in popular tourist spots. It is sensible to keep such possessions in hotel’s room safe.
- Be careful of not leaving luggage and other personal items in unattended vehicles.
- Tourists should practise extra caution while withdrawing cash from cash machines. Ensure that a card-reading device has not been attached and be alert to keep the PIN number safe.
- Budget conscious tourists should be mindful of pre-researching about their choice of accommodation before hopping on one of the cheap flights as theft from safe deposit boxes is quite common in Australia’s cheaper hotels, dorms and hostels.
Beach Safety Tips
Scintillating, bright and breezy, Australia is one of the most spectacular surfing destinations. However, strong rip currents are the foremost surf hazard for beach goers here. Surfers and beach birds must adhere to the following precautions to score unruffled vacations in Australia.
- Saltwater crocodiles abound in the salt waters of some Australian cities. While attacks on humans are uncommon, they aren’t unheard of. Beachgoers should always heed posted warning signs.
- Beach birds planning languid lounging on Australian beaches must always carry sunscreen as sun remains acutely hot here.
- Jellyfish stings are fairly common here. Visitors should avoid entering the ocean during the wet months except for the posted locations with netted jellyfish-free enclosures.
- One should always swim between red and yellow flags on a patrolled beach. Additionally, it is important to avoid consumption of alcohol or drugs before swimming.
Local Laws and Customs
- The act of trafficking illegal substances to Australia may attract strict punishments including long jail sentence and deportation after the sentence.
- Although, Australians are usually liberal towards homosexuality, gay and lesbian travellers should be mindful of not hurting local sentiments in rural areas.
Flight Information
- Owing to the massive distance that cannot be traversed in a single stint, airlines do not offer direct flights between UK and Australia. However, Britons can find a number of indirect flights to Australian cities.
- Airlines like Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airline and Emirates offer indirect flights to different Aussie cities, several times a week.
