Public Holidays:
At federal level:
New Year : 1 January
Australia Day : 26 January
Good Friday : in April, the Friday before Easter weekend; vary each year
Easter Monday : in April the Monday after Easter weekend; vary each year
ANZAC Day : 25 April
Queen's Birthday: : the Monday following the 2nd weekend of June
Labour Day : the Monday following the 1st weekend of October
Christmas Day : 25 December
Boxing Day : 26 December
At State level:
Bank holidays : dates vary according the state
Other local festivals
How to make Australian friends:
Although Australians are very friendly, it is not easy to meet and befriend them, especially if you are an English learning student: your pals are all foreigners!! The best places are pubs or you have to practice one of the most popular sports: surf, cricket, rugby. Soccer is far from being the favourite Australian sport and it attracts more Europeans or South Americans!
The broad Australian accent can be daunting so don't worry if you don't understand and don't be offended if they ask you to repeat several times, most Australians are not used to strong accents!!
Emergency:
The national emergency number is: 000. It will tranfer you directly to the national emergency centre who, according to the nature of the issue, will contact either the police, fire brigade or ambulances.
Opening Hours:
- Shops: opened 7 days a week from 9.30am to 5.00pm, except for Late Night Shopping until 9.00pm (depends on city; in Sydney it's on Thursday night) in cities only. In regional areas, shops close on Saturdays from 1.00pm and on Sundays all day.
- Banks: opened non stop from 9.30am to 4.00 pm except on Fridays until 5.00pm.
- Administration: mostly opened from 9.00am to 4.00pm