Australian Phone Prefixes Explained: The Definitive Guide

A phone prefix is a series of digits that precede the main phone number, indicating the geographic region or the type of service associated with the number. These prefixes help to route calls so that they reach the intended recipients.

In many countries, including Australia, phone prefixes help distinguish between different types of calls, such as local, national, mobile, and emergency services. In Australia, phone prefixes identify a phone number's region, state, or service type. For instance, 1800 is used for toll-free services, and 1300 is used for informational services.

Here is a detailed breakdown of Australian phone number prefixes:
 

Australian telephone prefix codes include a combination of the country code, trunk prefix, area codes for different regions, specific prefixes for mobile phones, and special numbers for services.

Australia uses a trunk prefix of 0. The Australian phone prefix is dialed before the area code when making long-distance calls within the country. For example, if you are in Sydney (02 area) and want to call Melbourne (03 area), you need to dial 03 followed by the local number. This ensures calls are correctly routed through the national network.

The mobile area code for Australia is 04 and 05. In 2015, the 05 Australian mobile prefix was reserved for digital mobile phones as part of the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2015 to meet the demand for numbers. By 2012, more than 60% of possible 04 number combinations had been used. 05 prefix for Australian mobile will be allotted when 04 combinations are exhausted. This system ensures that Australia can accommodate the growing number of phone users and the increasing demand for new cellphone numbers.

When dialing an Australian number from outside the country, you need to use the Australian country code or international phone prefix, which is 61. For international calls made from within Australia, the outgoing IDD (International Direct Dialing) access code is 0011. These codes are necessary for correctly routing international calls to and from Australia.

Australian Country Code (from outside Australia) - 61
Outgoing IDD access code (from within Australia) - 0011
 

Australia has a range of special service numbers with distinct prefixes indicating their purpose. Some key categories are emergency and helpline numbers, free call and toll-free numbers, premium rate and special services, shared cost services, and directory assistance and information services. Only area code is required when calling an emergency number. 
 

Australia is divided into several telephone area codes, which help identify the caller's geographical region. Each state and territory has its own designated phone codes.

Here is a breakdown of the major area codes and the regions they cover:
 

The 02 area code covers the Central East region of Australia. It includes the entire state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Major cities such as  Sydney, Newcastle, and Canberra fall under this code. Towns on the New South Wales border, like Deniliquin and Buronga, use the Victorian (03) area code. Tweed Heads, also on the NSW border, uses the Queensland (07) area code.

The 03 area code is designated for the southeast region, covering the states of Victoria and Tasmania. 03 phone code covers Melbourne and regional areas like Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo. Most public telephones in the state are operated by Telstra.

For landline phones in Victoria, most areas use the 03 telephone code. However, towns near the New South Wales border in the northeast, like Wodonga and Rutherglen, have the 02 code. In the south-west, near the border with South Australia, places like Nelson use the 08 code.

07 is the phone code for Queensland. It services the entire Northeast region, including the state capital, Brisbane, and other cities such as the Gold Coast, Townsville, and Cairns. The first telephone call in Queensland occurred on January 28, 1878, from Brisbane to Ipswich. By June 1880, the Brisbane exchange opened, becoming one of Australia’s first manual exchanges. The spread of telephony in the state is mostly due to the Brisbane exchange.

The telephone area code for South Australia is 08. It shares phone code 08 with Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Cities within this telephone code include Adelaide, Gladstone, Windsor, and Mount Gambier.

Western Australia shares area code 08 with South Australia and the Northern Territory. It comprises cities Albany, Boulder, Bunbury, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Mandurah, Perth, and Rockingham.

Tasmania is an island state off the southern coast of Australia. The phone code for Tasmania is 03. It shares the 03 area code with Victoria. Key cities within Tasmania include Hobart, Launceston, and Devonport.

The Northern Territory uses the 08 area code, which it shares with South Australia and Western Australia. The cities and towns under this phone code are Darwin, Palmerston, Alice Springs, Katherine, and Tennant Creek.

Prefix for Australian telephone numbers can denote specific regions, helping businesses target local markets more effectively. For instance, having a local prefix can enhance trust and accessibility for customers within that region. Additionally, toll-free and premium-rate prefixes offer businesses options for customer support and revenue generation through specialized services. 

For businesses looking to leverage these benefits, Calilio provides an efficient solution by providing an Australian online phone number. Calilio is a modern business phone system that offers phone numbers covering different Australian phone prefixes and numbers, including local numbers, toll-free numbers, and shared cost services. Whether you want to establish a local presence in multiple regions, offer free call services to enhance customer support, or set up premium-rate numbers for specialized services, Calilio ensures you have access to the right phone numbers with ease and flexibility.

The Australian mobile prefixes are 04 and 05. This prefix is followed by eight digits, making the standard format for Australian mobile numbers as 04XX XXX XXX or 05XX XXX XXX.

Australian mobile numbers start with 04 or 05. 04 and 05 are the mobile codes of Australia that help distinguish mobile numbers from landline numbers. Landlines use different telephone codes based on geographic regions. For example, the 07 area code is designated for Queensland, while the 03 area code in Australia is reserved for Tasmania and Victoria.