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Global Sourcebook for International Data Management
by Graham Rhind
For supplementary information, see links to post office home pages here , to postal code pages here and to other personal name and addressing issues pages here .
26 648 878 (2021 estimate) [1]
1,234.45
(where . indicates the decimal separator and , the thousands separator)
Note: This section last updated 25th March 2021
dd/mm/yyyy dd.mm.yyyy
Both the 12-hour and 24-hour clock notation are used.
14:32
The official language is English (15 682 000 speakers). 233 other languages are spoken, most by only a handful of people. The most widespread of these are: Kala Lagaw Ya (3-4 000 speakers); Kriol (10 000 speakers); Pitjantjatjara (2 500 speakers) and Torres Strait Creole (23 400 speakers).
Mrsand Miss are not commonly used in Australia any more – use Ms as the female honorific instead.
Tables of forms of address can be acquired
Note: This section last updated 8th October 2023
Australian law provides a number of restrictions in how babies may be named. These include:
Tables of names can be acquired: given names , surnames/family names , family name prefixes , forms of address , job titles
These company types are commonly found in Australia:
Incorporated (Inc.) Limited (Ltd) No Liability (NL) P/L or Pty. Ltd. – Proprietary limited company PC Ltd – Public company limited by shares Proprietary (Unlimited Proprietary)
Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http://www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm
Note: This section last updated 3rd May 2020
Addresses are formatted as follows:
NAME or COMPANY NAME {Any other information, such as “Attention: ” etc.} NUMBER[ ]THOROUGHFARE NAME[ ]THOROUGHFARE TYPE SUBURB[ ]STATE CODE[ ]POSTAL CODE
For example:
Two spaces may be left between the state code and the postal code.
Sub-building information is shown before the building number, followed by a slash in this way:
2/21 RAMSEY STREET
The Australian post office prefers that the address is written in upper-case only, that it contain no punctuation, and that it should be on no more than 3 lines.
The state codes, with their postal code ranges, are:
State/Territory | Code | Postal code range |
Australian Antarctic Territory | AAT | |
Australian Capital Territory | ACT | 0200-0299 (post office boxes and large users); 2600-2618, 2900-2920 (street addresses) |
New South Wales (includes Norfolk Island) | NSW | 1000-1999 (post office boxes and large users); 2000-2599, 2619-2898, 2921-2999 (street addresses) |
Northern Territory | NT | 0900-0999 (post office boxes and large users); 0800-0899 (street addresses) |
Queensland | QLD | 9000-9999 (post office boxes and large users); 4000-4999 (street addresses) |
South Australia | SA | 5800-5999 (post office boxes and large users); 5000-5799 (street addresses) |
Tasmania (includes Heard and McDonald Islands) | TAS | 7800-7999 (post office boxes and large users); 7000-7499 (street addresses) |
Victoria | VIC | 8000-8999 (post office boxes and large users); 3000-3999 (street addresses) |
Western Australia (includes Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands) | WA | 6800-6999 (post office boxes and large users); 6000-6799 (street addresses) |
Note that some postal code zones cross state and territory borders.
This regions/postal code data can be acquired as a data file
A table containing information about the relevant position of elements within address blocks can be acquired
The postal delivery types, and their standard abbreviations, are:
Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http://www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm
The following standard abbreviations are preferred by Australia Post.
String | Abbreviation |
APARTMENT | APT |
BASEMENT | B |
COTTAGE | CTGE |
DUPLEX | DUP |
FACTORY | FY |
FLAT | F |
FLOOR | FL |
GROUND FLOOR | G |
HOUSE | HSE |
KIOSK | KSK |
LEVEL | L |
LOWER GROUND FLOOR | LG |
MAISONETTE | MSNT |
MARINE BERTH | MB |
MEZZANINE | M |
OFFICE | OFF |
PENTHOUSE | PTHS |
ROOM | RM |
STALL | SL |
STUDIO | STU |
SUITE | SE |
TOWNHOUSE | TNHS |
UNIT | U |
UPPER GROUND FLOOR | UG |
VILLA | VLLA |
WAREHOUSE | WE |
Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http://www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm
The following standard abbreviations are preferred by Australia Post.
Directionals are abbreviated in this way:
String | Abbreviation |
CENTRAL | CN |
EAST | E |
EXTENSION | EX |
LOWER | LR |
NORTH | N |
NORTH EAST | NE |
NORTH WEST | NW |
SOUTH | S |
SOUTH EAST | SE |
SOUTH WEST | SW |
UPPER | UP |
WEST | W |
Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http://www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm
Note: This section last updated 3rd May 2020
Postal codes (known locally as postcode) consist of a block of 4 digits. The first two digits indicate (in most cases) the state or territory and a postal zone; and the final two the delivery office. Most municipalities, settlements or suburbs have a single own code. Post office boxes have different postal codes to street addresses, and large users may also have a unique code. A company can therefore possibly have two codes. The mailing address (post office box/large user) should in these cases be used in preference to the street address.
Metadata containing postal code formatting rules, exceptions and regular expressions can be acquired
\A\d{4,4}\Z
Note: This section last updated 18th November 2020
Australia Post now supports the use of Aboriginal place names in addresses. These place names would not replace the “European” versions but would be written above the street address line within the address block. Aboriginal versions of place names include:
Aboriginal | |
Adelaide | Kaurna |
Brisbane | Yuggera |
Canberra | Ngunawal |
Melbourne | Woiworung |
Perth | Wajuk |
Sydney | Eora |
Refer to Exonyms in Australia for full lists of place names in Australia in other languages.
Note: This section last updated 19th March 2011
Australia consists of 6 states and 2 territories (3 if Jervis Bay Territory is regarded as separate from Australia Capital Territory). Their codes (see above, section “Address Format”) are used in addresses.
Australia administers the populated external territories of Christmas Island (postal code WA 6798), Cocos (Keeling) Islands (postal code WA 6799) and Norfolk Island (postal code NSW 2899), and the unpopulated external territories of The Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory, Coral Sea Island and Heard and McDonald Islands.
Australian telephone numbers, including area codes, when called from abroad, have a length of 9. Mobile numbers commence with a 4.
Every effort is made to keep this resource updated. If you find any errors, or have any questions or requests, please don't hesitate to contact the author.
All information copyright Graham Rhind 2024. Any information used should be acknowledged and referenced.