HELPFUL INFORMATION

Working in Australia

Whether or not you've been here before, shooting in Australia is an exciting experience. Costs are a fraction of that in the USA, UK or Europe. Combine the very favourable exchange rate with lower costs of highly efficient crews, and you have one of the world's most economical places in which to work.

If you are shooting a few tapes we strongly suggest you work with PAL rather than NTSC. Conversion costs to alternative systems are minimal compared to hiring an NTSC camera.

Although our first language is English, we have some strange local expressions coupled with a dry and cynical style of humour. However, we are a friendly bunch and it won't take you long to tune in. And if it's ethnic diversity you're looking for, we can also offer a wide variety of actors who are familiar with other cultures and can speak languages other than English, as well as specialist facilities.

Photo: Bob Peters

Weather conditions

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is located on the east coast of Australia. Autumn is pleasant, colourful and crisp; Winter comparatively cold; Spring delightful but sometimes wet; and summer is usually hot and relatively humid. Inland, temperatures are generally more extreme. In the Snowy Mountain region, there are heavy snowfalls from late June to early October, providing excellent skiing conditions.

Please hit your browser's "Reload" or "Refresh" button to display the current time and weather in Sydney Australia, as displayed below:

Further information about Australian weather conditions is available using the following links:

The Australian weather page - an excellent online resource (provided by Asia Hotels) listing annual weather conditions throughout the whole of Australia.

MCW's online calculator - coverts Celsius to Fahrenheit temperatures, and vice versa.

Accommodation & Travel

ATC online accommodation - hotels, motels, resorts, backpacker and hostel accommodation, caravan and camping sites, self-contained units, home and farmstays, and bed-and-breakfasts throughout Australia.

Tourism NSW - accommodation, events, industry assistance, news, images and story ideas relating to Sydney and regional New South Wales.

Destinations - a handy online resource from BugAustralia to help plan and research Australian destinations.

Hotels - A list of Sydney hotels from the Asia Hotels website, with a navigation bar providing links to accommodation in other parts of Australia.

Qantas Airways - Domestic and international airline based in Australia. Flight schedules and online booking available.

Virgin Blue - Low fare airline linking most Australian capital cities and some regional centres. Flight schedules and bookings available online.

Airport Information - ATC information relating to Australian international and domestic air terminals.

Distances & travel times between cities - provided by the Australian Tourism Commission (ATC).

Public transport - ATC information about buses, trains, ferries, monorail and taxi cabs in Australia's major cities.

Australian Tourist Guides - a website designed to help you find experienced Australian tour guides, many of whom speak languages additional to English.

Currency conversion

BUG Australia Currency Converter - quickly coverts Aussie currency rates to yours, or vice versa.

BUG Australia Cheat Sheet - daily currency exchange rates for travelers, with printable "cheat sheet".

Industry links

Mandy's International Film & Television Production Directory - a web database of film and television producers, technicians and facilities throughout the world.

gtc.org.uk - UK TV Cameraman's Guild.

Helicopter Film Services - a specialised helicopter aerial photography, video and film business.