Australia is an amazing country, the size and the diversity is awe inspiring and when you have decided to take your vacation in Australia, there are a few things that you should know to make it trouble free.
There are only a few major cities and International flights to Australia land in them; Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin and Adelaide. As is now true in most countries, drugs are a no-no, upon arrival in Australia you must list every drug that you have with you on the landing card; and they mean every drug including vitamins, OTC medicine and prescription. To avoid any unpleasant scenes, it is recommended that you keep all the medicine in their original containers.
Although Australia is a continent, it is also an island and it is free from most agricultural diseases and the authorities want to keep it that way. There are very strict rules on bringing animal or plant products into the country. As the international flights to Australia approach the country, the flight attendants make repeated announcements about declaring everything that is edible on the arrival form. The authorities are so concerned that there are sniffer dogs in the arrival hall and luggage claim areas. In most cases you will be allowed to keep such things as chocolate, nuts and snacks that you had with you on the flight, but either declare them or throw them in the trash.
Getting into the country is the same regardless of what time of year you arrive. As a vacationer you have probably decided which part of this huge land you want to concentrate on. You have to remember that the seasons are reversed “down under” as the country is south of the equator so when its winter in North America, its summer in Oz.
If you are going to focus your trip on the north, say from Townsville to the top, the best time is during the Aussie winter; April right through to September. Conversely, if you are planning on spending your vacation in the south, the Aussie summer is the best time to go.
For those who know Australia, they swear the best time to be anywhere in the country is during September and October, its warm enough still to hit the beaches in the south and cool enough to head into the outback to see Ayers Rock and the humidity has not yet come to Queensland.
