Life In Australia

Credit: Aussie Money 3 by Kiel Latham, Royalty free

The currency of Australia is the Australian Dollar, consisting of one hundred Australian cents. As shown above, the Australian bank notes are:

• 5 dollars - purple in colour

• 10 dollars - blue

• 20 dollars - red

• 50 dollars - yellow

• 100 dollars - green

The Australian coins are:

• 5 cents - the smallest round silver coin

• 10 cents - the second smallest round silver coin

• 20 cents - the largest round silver coin

• 50 cents - large, 12-sided silver coin

• 1 dollar - largest round gold coin

• 2 dollars - smallest round gold coin

Yes, you read it right. The 2 dollar coin is smaller than the 1 dollar coin. When I first arrived here, I was surprised that I kept getting change when I didn’t think I needed change, then I realised that I was giving a 2 dollar coin instead of a 1 dollar coin! In the UK, the 2 pound coin is much larger than the 1 pound coin, so that is what I was used to!

You may have noticed that the smallest unit of cash is the five cent coin. The one and two cent coins have been discontinued. However, many prices are still in terms of less than five cents - for example, you will see $5.99 or $2.56. If you buy just one thing, the amount will be rounded up or down to the nearest five cents, so, in these cases, you would pay $6 or $2.55 respectively. If you buy more than one thing, the actual prices of all the items are added together and the total is rounded up or down to the nearest five cents.

However, if you are paying electronically with a bank or credit card, you pay the actual total amount, so if the total came to $45.23, you would pay $45.23 if you paid electronically, or $45.25 if you paid in cash! Due to the rounding up or down, you either win or lose a few cents each time you pay in cash!