Telephone numbers in Oceania

Country Code: +61
International Call Prefix: 0011
Trunk Prefix: 0

Telephone numbers in Australia consist of a single-digit area code (prefixed with a '0' when dialing within Australia) and eight-digit local numbers, the first four, five or six of which specify the exchange, and the remaining four, three or two a line at that exchange. (Most exchanges though have several exchange codes.) Within Australia, the area code is only required to call from one area code to another.

Australia is divided geographically into a small number of large area codes, some of which cover more than one state and territory. Prior to the introduction of eight-digit numbers in the early-to-mid-1990's, telephone numbers were seven digits in the major capital cities, with a double - digit area code, and six digits in other areas with a three - digit area code. There were more than sixty such codes by 1990, with numbers running out, thus spurring the reorganization.

Following reorganization of the numbering plan between 1994 and 1998, the following numbering ranges are now used:

National numbers have no geographic significance. Other numbers relate to a particular telephone service area.

However, allowances are made for regional variations; sometimes the codes do not strictly follow state borders. For example, Broken Hill in New South Wales uses the 08 area code, due to its closer proximity to Adelaide than the state capital Sydney, and Broken Hill area's inclusion in the Australian Central Standard Time zone. The previous area code for Broken Hill was (080). Other examples include towns in Southern New South Wales close to the border with Victoria that use the 03 (Victoria and Tasmania) prefix, including: Balranald, Wentworth and Deniliquin). Some parts of the Tweed Coast of New South Wales have an area code of 07 followed by a subscriber number of 55xx xxxx (and new numbers 56xx xxxx). This means it is the cost of a local call to phone the Gold Coast in neighbouring Queensland, since the metropolis covers both sides of the NSW/Qld border. It is also a local call to adjoining NSW 02 667x xxxx numbers from these areas, and other southern Gold Coast exchanges (07 prefix numbers must dial the 02 to access these).

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