Keeping in Touch

Postal Services

Australia Post manages postal services in Australia. Examples of postage prices:

Small letter within Australia: $0.50
Airmail letter up to 50g Asia/Pacific Zone: $1.25 Rest of World Zone: $1.85

Telephones

Australia's country code is +61 and the area code for Victoria (and Melbourne) is 03.

Australia has many mobile phone and home phone service providers. They usually offer a range phone plans with different fees depending on the kind of phone calls you make. Some companies offer discounts if you have both a home and mobile phone or broadband internet account with them. Shop around to get the best deal.

All costs in this section are approximate. They will vary depending on the telephone company and the contract you choose.

Mobile Phones

There are many mobile phone service providers in Australia , offering pre-paid accounts and/or periodical bills. You will normally pay a connection fee plus a rate per minute for phone calls and a flat rate for SMS. Shop around for a deal which suits the way you use your phone.

If you want to bring your mobile phone from overseas to Australia, check if it is compatible with Australian networks first.

Home Phones

If you decide to have a telephone line in your home, you will normally pay a one-off connection fee and a monthly line rental fee ($20-$30). Local calls from residential telephones cost around 15-30 cents per call. Calls to mobile phones vary.

For long-distance calls within Australia, charges vary. For international calls you will normally pay a connection fee and a rate per minute.

It may be cheaper to use a pre-paid phone card to call mobiles, long distance, and/or overseas from your home phone. There are many different phone cards available, offering different rates for different countries. You might like to ask other students which phone cards they use.

You can buy phone cards at convenience stores, some supermarkets and cafés, and online.

Payphones

Local calls from most payphones cost 50 cents. It may be cheaper to use a phone card for long-distance and international calls.

Telephone Directories

Melbourne has two main telephone directories: the Yellow Pages and the White Pages. There are also phone directories for some local areas. The directories are usually available for free at Australia Post offices, or can be ordered online.

Yellow Pages is suitable if you are looking for a business by category (e.g. searching for supermarkets in Hawthorn). White Pages is suitable if you know the name of the business (e.g. searching for Super Cheap Supermarket in Hawthorn) or if you are looking for a residential phone number or address.

Directory Assistance

These numbers are for directory assistance from your home phone or from a payphone. You may need to dial a different number from your mobile. Check with your provider.

Local and National: 1223

International: 1225

Email and Internet

The best and cheapest way to keep in touch with family and friends from your own country is via email. It is free and easy to use. Swinburne allocates every student with their own email linked to their student number; however there are other free and easy to use email services also available including Hotmail and Gmail.

There are open access computer laboratories on Croydon, Hawthorn, Lilydale, Prahran and Wantirna campuses, and wireless laptops can be borrowed from the Hawthorn library.

Wireless internet access is available across the whole Hawthorn campus and within selected parts of Lilydale, Wantirna, Croydon and Prahran campuses.

Internet cafés are easy to find in the city, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Prahran and Windsor. The cost is around $5 per hour.

You will find wireless internet available in some cafés, restaurants and shopping centres.

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)

Phone: 131 450

TIS offers a range of services including telephone interpreting. TIS is available 24 hours a day. Some services have to be arranged in advance.

Refer to the TIS website for a list of services and costs.