Australia has high standards of hygiene, and there are few exceptional health hazards - at least in terms of disease. No vaccination certificates are required unless you've come from a yellow-fever zone within the past week. Standards in Australia's hospitals are also very high, and medical costs are reasonable by world standards. For general health information while in Australia, check out the website www.travmed.com.au .

The national healthcare scheme, Medicare , offers a reciprocal arrangement - free essential healthcare - for citizens of the UK, New Zealand, Italy, Malta, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden. This free treatment is limited to public hospitals and casualty departments (though the ambulance ride to get you there isn't covered); at GPs you pay up front (about $40 minimum) with two-thirds of your fee reimbursed by Medicare.