There is a vast fund of information about travelling in Australia available from a variety of sources. The Australian Tourist Commission provides good material free of charge and is located in major cities abroad, such as London, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London, Auckland, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Singapore, as well as Sydney.
Each state and territory also has a Tourism Board with its headquarters in the state capital as well as regional and interstate offices. These will supply maps, brochures and other information on accommodation, transport, restaurants and tours. Usually open 09:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and on Saturday mornings their capital-city addresses are:
Queensland
The Queensland Government Travel Centre, cnr Adelaide and Edward Sts, Brisbane, QLD 4000 tel. 07-221 6111.
New South Wales The Rocks Visitor Information Centre, 106 George St, Sydney, NSW 2000 tel: 02-9255 1788. fax: 02-9931 1490 Website: http://www.tourism.nsw.gov.au
Australian Capital Territory The Canberra Tourist Bureau, Jolimont Centre, Northbourne Ave, Canberra City, ACT 2601 tel. 06-254 6464.
Victoria RACV Travel Centre, 230 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 tel. 03-9650 1522. Website: http://www.tourism.vic.gov.au
Tasmania Tasmanian Travel Centre, 80 Elizabeth St, Hobart, TAS 7000 tel. 002-30 0250.
South Australia South Australian Government Travel Centre, 18 King William St, Adelaide, SA 5000 tel. 08-8363 4500, 1300 655 276 Overseas visitors may wish to use the South Australian Travel Centres in the following countries: Asia - 0011 65 333 1885 Japan - 0011 81 3 5214 0693 USA - 0011 1 949 476 4081 UK - 0011 44 171 4314045 Germany - 0011 49 89 236 62116 New Zealand - 0011 64 9 914 9848
Western Australia Western Australian Tourist Centre, Forrest Place, Perth, WA 6000, tel. 09-483 1111.
Northern Territory Northern Territory Government Tourist Bureau, 31 Smith St, Darwin, NT 0800 tel. 089-81 6611 Web site: www.nttc.com.au
Most cities and towns have at least one information centre with details of local sites and booking facilities for accommodation and local tours.
Remember however that many Tourist Information Offices have links with the services they advocate and may not be strictly impartial.
The visitor centres and offices of the National Parks and Wildlife Service provide useful material for areas under their jurisdiction and the National Trust offer free walking tour guides from their offices or, often, from local tourist centres.
Another useful source are the motoring organisations which provide excellent free maps for members of affiliated organisations abroad.
Their addresses are:
Queensland RACQ, 300 St Paul’s Terrace, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006 tel: 07-3361 2444 toll free: 131 905
New South Wales NRMA, 151 Clarence St, Sydney, NSW 2000 tel: toll free 13 11 22 fax: 02-9502 7329 Internet Address: www.nrma.com.au
