Australia Travel Guide 2026: ETA vs eVisitor, AUD, Opal/Myki/Go, Drive-Left, Aussie Slang

Visa: ETA vs eVisitor vs SCV (which one is yours?)

Australia does not have a visa-free entry for tourists — every non-Australian needs something, even for a two-night stopover. The good news: the three tourist authorities cover almost every developed-country passport, they're cheap or free, and two of the three take minutes online.

All three of ETA/eVisitor/SCV allow multiple visits of up to 3 months each over 12 months. Both the ETA and eVisitor typically issue within minutes to a few days — apply at least a week before you fly to be safe.

Source: Australian Department of Home Affairs — Visit visas. Fees and eligibility change; verify at time of booking.

Money: cards everywhere, small surcharges, 10% GST included

Australia is one of the most card-friendly countries in the world. Contactless Visa/Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay work almost everywhere— cafés, buses, taxis, coin laundries, farmers' markets, pubs, coffee carts on hiking trails. American Express is patchy at small shops. Some merchants add a 1–2% surcharge on cards (they must disclose it, usually a sticker at the counter).

Cashis now genuinely rare. Withdraw AUD$50–100 for outback pubs, an honesty box on a hiking track, a country market. Use Big Four ATMs (Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ, NAB) to avoid the AUD$2–3 fee independent ATMs charge.

GST is 10% and included in the sticker price on almost everything. Menu prices are the price you pay. Restaurants add a public-holiday surcharge on Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Tipping is not customary.Wait staff are paid a living wage. Rounding up the taxi or leaving small change in a café tip jar is a nice gesture, nothing more. Fancy restaurants may add an optional 10% for large groups — ignore or pay as you feel.

Transit cards: Opal, Myki, Go, SmartRider, Metro — one per state

Each Australian state runs its own transit card. Contactless bank card and Apple/Google Pay increasingly work as well — especially on Sydney's Opal network, where you can tap your credit card directly. For most short trips, just tap the bank card and skip the top-up card entirely.

Buying tip:in Sydney or Brisbane, just tap your bank card — no Opal or Go card needed. In Melbourne, still worth buying a Myki (AUD$6 for full-fare, at any 7-Eleven or the airport SkyBus terminal) since bank-card rollout is patchy.

Airports and airport transfers

Driving: left side, home licence works, watch the roos

The Great Ocean Road, the East Coast (Sydney to Cairns), and outback loops out of Alice or Uluru all reward a self-drive. The rules that catch visitors out:

• Drive on the left. Steering wheel on the right, gear stick on your left. Automatic rentals are standard; specify if you can't drive manual.
• Licence: a valid overseas licence in English is accepted for tourist stays. If your licence is in another language, bring an International Driving Permit (IDP) or a certified NAATI translation.
• Speed limits: 100–110 km/h open highway (NT has some 130 km/h stretches), 50–60 km/h built-up, 40 km/h school zones. Cameras are everywhere, fines are steep.
• Fuel: unleaded (91/95/98) or diesel; card pumps everywhere.
• Kangaroos and wildlife are a real hazard at dawn and dusk on rural roads. Don't drive between sunset and sunrise if you can avoid it — if you hit one, you'll spend the rest of the night waiting for a tow.
• Distances are deceptive. Sydney to Melbourne is ~9 hours. Cairns to Brisbane is ~20. Plan flights, not drives, for the big legs.
• Outback fuel gaps: the Nullarbor, the Stuart Highway, and roads out of Broome have long stretches (300–400 km) with nothing. Fill up any time you see a servo.
• Roundabouts: give way to traffic already in the roundabout (from your right). Turn signal before you enter and again on the way out.

TRS refund: get your 10% GST back at the airport

The Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) refunds the 10% GST (and 14.5% Wine Equalisation Tax on wine) on goods you bought in Australia within the last 60 days of departure, if:

• You spent AUD$300 or more with a single ABN (business) on one or more tax invoices;
• The goods are with you as carry-on (unless bulky/liquid, then check in and get a stamp at the customs office before check-in);
• You leave Australia within 60 days of the purchase.

How:download the "TRS" app (Home Affairs, iOS/Android), enter your invoices before you go, generate a QR code, and present it with the goods, passport, and boarding pass at the TRS desk after security at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns, Gold Coast, or Darwin international departures. Refund goes to a card, PayPal, or Australian bank account.

Aussie slang and phrases: shorten every word

Australian English shortens everything (arvo = afternoon, brekkie = breakfast, servo = service station, bottle-o = bottle shop, ambo = ambulance, sunnies = sunglasses). You'll pick it up within a day. Here are the ones you'll actually use.

Cultural norms visitors get wrong

• Sit in the front of the taxi if you're one person. Sitting in the back like it's Uber can read as standoffish.
• Acknowledgement of Country: at events, meetings, and some public spaces, an Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the land is standard. Listen respectfully.
• Uluru: climbing is closed (permanently, since 2019) — the rock is sacred to the Anangu. Walk the base instead.
• Take shoes off at beach houses, sometimes at private homes. Not universal but common.
• Queueing: Aussies queue politely; jump the line and someone will call it out.
• Sun: UV in summer is brutal. Slip (a shirt), Slop (SPF 50), Slap (a hat), Seek (shade), Slide (sunglasses). Skin cancer is a national health issue.
• Bushfire and cyclone seasons are real — check emergency.gov.au and download the state emergency app (SES) for the state you're in.
• Snakes and spiders: real but overhyped for cities. Don't stick a hand into a woodpile in the bush. If bitten by a snake, don't suck the wound, just call 000, keep still, and pressure-bandage the limb.

Staying connected: Telstra / Optus / Vodafone

Three networks: Telstra (widest regional and outback reach), Optus (strong in cities and along the coasts), and Vodafone(competitive in metro areas). 5G is live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide; 4G LTE elsewhere. For anything outside the capital cities — East Coast touring, the Great Ocean Road, the Red Centre, Broome, Tasmania — prefer Telstra.

For most visitors, a travel eSIM is dramatically cheaper than home-carrier roaming (US$10–15/day) — a 10–20 GB plan runs around US$15–25 for a two-week trip. Install on Wi-Fi before you fly and land at Sydney or Melbourne already connected. Keep your home SIM in for calls and OTP codes over Wi-Fi Calling. See the Australia eSIM vs roaming breakdown for the maths, or the plan-picking buying guide.

Practical odds and ends

• Plugs: Type I (same as New Zealand), 230 V. Bring an adapter unless you're coming from NZ.
• Time zones: AEST/AEDT (east), ACST/ACDT (SA/NT), AWST (WA). Queensland does not observe daylight-saving; NSW/VIC/TAS/ACT/SA do. Book domestic flights carefully in October and April.
• Emergency number: 000 (police, fire, ambulance). Text-based 106 for hearing/speech impaired.
• Water: tap water is safe everywhere in cities and most rural towns.
• Biosecurity: declare food, wooden items, hiking boots, seeds, and outdoor gear at arrival. Failure to declare = on-the-spot AUD$2,664 fine or visa cancellation.
• Alcohol: legal drinking age 18. ID required everywhere — bring your passport if you look under 25.
• Smoking / vaping: heavily restricted in public places. Vaping is now prescription-only for tourists in practice; leave disposables at home.

FAQ

Bottom line

Sort the ETA (AUD$20) or eVisitor (free) before you fly, drop contactless card / Apple Pay as your default, tap your bank card straight onto the Opal or Go reader (buy Myki in Melbourne), drive on the left with a valid English licence, and skip roaming with a Telstra-backed travel eSIM. Claim your GST back at the TRS desk on the way home — that's often another few hundred dollars in the pocket.

Related guides

• Best eSIM for Australia 2026
• Australia eSIM vs roaming 2026
• Australian carriers & Wi-Fi Calling abroad
• New Zealand travel guide 2026
• Best eSIM for New Zealand 2026