Practical Information for visiting Victoria

Coverage is excellent in Melbourne, the regional cities and along the main highways.

It thins in the High Country valleys, parts of the Grampians and the far northwest — assume none on alpine walking tracks.

Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafés, libraries and accommodation, and the central city has public Wi-Fi along the main streets.

Victoria is safe. Ordinary city precautions at night are sufficient.

The coast is the hazard. Southern Ocean beaches have powerful rips and many are unpatrolled — the Great Ocean Road surf is not a swimming beach. Swim between the flags and nowhere else.

Cliff edges along the limestone coast are undercut and collapse without warning. The fences exist for a reason.

Bushfire from December to March is the most serious risk in the state. On a declared Catastrophic day the official advice is to leave the area the night before, not to shelter — take it literally.

Alpine weather turns fast; people are caught out on day walks in the High Country every season.

No vaccinations are required and tap water is safe.

UV is extreme even on cool days — Victoria's changeable weather makes this easy to forget, and burns happen under cloud.

Thunderstorm asthma is a genuine local phenomenon: a 2016 event in Melbourne killed ten people and overwhelmed the ambulance service. Spring grass-pollen days carry public warnings, and anyone with asthma or hay fever should take them seriously.

Snakes are present in summer and mostly avoid people; boots and attention are enough.

Healthcare is excellent, concentrated in Melbourne and the regional centres. Ambulance is not free for visitors — insurance matters.

Tipping is not expected. Wages are legally set and service is included; rounding up is optional generosity.

Alcohol comes from licensed bottle shops rather than supermarkets. The drinking age is 18 and identification is checked routinely.

Total fire bans are legally binding and cover barbecues and camp stoves.

Drink-driving limits are low with random breath testing anywhere. Speed enforcement in Victoria is unusually strict, cameras are widespread and often unsignposted, and tolerance above the limit is minimal.

Give way to trams, and never pass a stationary tram with its doors open — passengers step straight into the traffic lane.

000 reaches police, fire and ambulance; 112 also works from mobiles.

Major hospitals are in Melbourne, with regional base hospitals at Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Traralgon. Air ambulance covers the alpine and far northwest areas.

Ambulance is not free for visitors and costs are substantial — travel insurance is the practical answer.

For fire, the VicEmergency app and the state emergency broadcaster carry live warnings. Understand the scale before you travel in summer: Watch and Act means prepare to leave; Emergency Warning means it is already too late to leave safely.