Money
Australian Coins
5 Cents (2p)
10 Cents (4p)
20 Cents (7p)
50 Cents (20p)
$1 (40p)
$2 (80p)
Australian Notes
$5 (�2)
$10 (�4)
$20 (�8)
$50 (�20)
$100 (�40)
If planning on spending a fair amount of time in Australia its recommended you open an Australian Bank account. If planning on working in Australia then you will definatly need an account.
There are 4 large banks in Australia they all have brances all over the country and in places you wouldn't expect! You will find ATM's in all towns and citites but watch out for fraud at cash points never use a cashpoint that looks suspious.
ANZ (www.anz.com.au)
Commonwealth Bank (www.commbank.com.au)
National Australia Bank (www.national.com.au)
Westpac (www.westpac.com.au)
Using credit and debit cards is becoming the mostly used type of payment across the world and Australia is no different. All shops and petrol stations across Australia will accept Mastercard and/or Visa so make sure before you leave for Australia you have a card with either a Mastercard or a Visa logo on it.
A credit card is usually used for emergencies when travelling and are useful if you run out of money and have no other type of payment. But becareful that you don't spend too much as you could be paying back for years to come. I recommend you get a credit card if travelling for 3/6 months a credit card that has 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers this could save you some money in the long run.
If you are travelling around Australia then discount cards can save you a lot of money. All the major hostels companies have their own cards which can save you money on hostels, attractions and in shops.
I recommend 3 types of discount cards:
YHA - Youth Hostels Association - Save money at all large tourist attractions, transport and all their hostels (www.yha.com.au)
VIP - Many independent hostels accept this card or YHA (www.vipbackpackers.com)
ISIC - Internation Student Identity Card (www.isiccard.com)