It is important to have a basic understanding of a country’s money before you get there, if for no other reason than that you accidentally did not tip the waiter $ 100 for your meal when you intended to deliver a crisp note of $ 10.
Australian money is easy to work with as it comes in a variety of different colors and sizes for easy identification.
The basics
Money in Australia consists of banknotes and coins, and the value of the denominations increases from 5 ¢ to $ 100. While the banknotes and coins of the Australian currency are generally easier to differentiate from each other than those of other countries, such as the US currency, it is still a good idea to familiarize yourself with the denominations beforehand. Learning to associate different values with color and size is a practical way to avoid confusion.
Within the Australian currency, there is 100 ¢ in every dollar, as is the case with any decimal currency. Compared to the US dollar, the value of the Australian dollar has ranged from being worth around 50 cents on the dollar in the mid-2000s to rising above the US dollar in the last five years, which was good news for! who travel to Australia!
Colorful banknotes of Australia
Australian banknotes, which may be called banknotes in other countries, have a higher value than coins.
In order of denomination, they are as follows:
- $ 5 – pink / purple
- $ 10 – blue
- $ 20 – orange
- $ 50 – mustard yellow
- $ 100 – green.
As mentioned, each banknote is a different color, which reduces the possibility of confusing values.
The $ 5 bill is light pink in color and features various types of native Australian wildlife, a photo of Parliament House in Australia’s capital Canberra, and the face of Queen Elizabeth II, highlighting the remaining Australian site. in the British Commonwealth. In September 2016, a new $ 5 bill with braille features was launched for the visually impaired.
The $ 10 bill is blue in color, and currently features Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson, Bush’s Australian poet, and on the reverse, Dame Mary Gilmore, another Australian poet.
The $ 20 bill is burnt orange and depicts the first businesswoman Mary Reibey on the front, and the founder of the world’s first air ambulance, John Flynn, is on the back.
The $ 50 note is yellow in color and features Australian indigenous author David Unaipon, and on the reverse, the first Australian MP, Edith Cowan.
The green $ 100 note represents soprano singer Dame Nellie Melba, and on the reverse, engineer Sir John Monash.
Sizes and shapes
Australian banknotes are all of different sizes horizontally, although vertically they are identical. The smallest note is the $ 5, and they increase in size with the value, ending in the largest note and the highest value of $ 100.
While USD banknotes are currently made of cotton fiber paper, Australian banknotes are made of plastic. The plastic currency banknote production process was established in Australia.
Currency
Australian coins are gold and silver, although these terms refer to their color rather than the metals they contain.
The denominations of the coins are 5 ¢, 10 ¢, 20 ¢, 50 ¢, $ 1, and $ 2.
The 5 ¢ coin is silver, quite small in size and round in shape.
The 10 ¢ coin is also silver and round in shape, although larger than the 5 ¢. The 20 ¢ coin is equally silver and round, and larger than the previous two.
The 50 ¢ coin is the largest of all coins, silver in color, and is shaped like a 12-sided polygon.
The $ 1 and $ 2 coins are gold, round in shape, and smaller than the 20 ¢ and 50 ¢ coins. The $ 2 is similar in size to the 5 ¢, and the $ 1 is similar to the 10 ¢.
Practical advice
When preparing for your Australian vacation, you should keep in mind that the coin used to include 1 ¢ and 2 ¢ copper coins, however they are no longer in circulation. Therefore, the price of goods and services in Australia is generally rounded to the nearest 5c.
You will often see items advertised for an amount ending in 99c, however this will be rounded up on record – for example, $ 7.99 would become $ 8.00 if paying in cash, or would be charged at $ 7.99 if using a debit or credit card.
Some automatic change booths and other similar coin-operated facilities do not accept 5 ¢ coins. As a general rule, it is advisable to always carry $ 1 and $ 2 denominations for such situations.
Edited by Sarah Megginson .
