# Telephone numbers in Australia

Telephone numbers in Australia are defined and administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under delegation by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, persuant to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2015, enacted under subsection 455(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

## Overview

For landline telephony, Australia is geographically divided into four areas, three of which cover more than one state or territory. All local telephone numbers within the four areas have eight digits, consisting (mainly) of a four-digit exchange code and a four-digit local line number. The national significant number consists of a single-digit area code followed by the local eight-digit number, a total of nine digits. Calling within Australia a landline telephone in an area other than that of the caller, the telephone number is preceded by the Australian trunk prefix 0 and the area code: 0x xxxx xxxx. In this context, the trunk code is typically incorporated into the area code domestically.
* 00 International and Emergency access (see below for details)
* 01 Alternative phone services
** 014 Satellite phones
** 0163 Pager numbers (Defunct Service. No longer available)
** 0198 Data numbers (e.g. 0198 308 888 is the dial-up PoP number for Telstra)
* 02 Geographic: Central East region (NSW, ACT, small parts of Victoria)
* 03 Geographic: South-east region (VIC, TAS)
* 04 Digital Mobile services (3G, 4G, 5G and GSM)
* 0550 Location Independent Communication Services
* 07 Geographic: North-east region (QLD)
* 08 Geographic: Central and West region (SA, NT, WA, small part of NSW)
* 1 Non-geographic numbers (mostly for domestic use; see below for details)
The current numbering plan would appear to be sufficient to cope with potential increase in demand for services for quite some time to come. Area codes 06 and 09 are unused. In addition, each other area code has large number ranges unallocated.
When dialling from outside Australia, after dialling the appropriate international access code, the country code for Australia is 61, which is followed by the nine-digit national significant number. Some numbers beginning with a 1 may be dialled without any replacement, after dialling the required international access code and the country code.
Australian local telephone numbers have eight digits, conventionally written in the form xxxx xxxx. Mobile numbers are written in the form of ten digits, when dialed within Australia, the 0 must be included, and 4, which indicates the service required is a mobile number. Mobile numbers are conventionally written 04xx xxx xxx. If a landline or mobile number is written where it may be viewed by an international audience (e.g. in an email signature or on a website) then the number is often written as +61 x xxxx xxxx or +61 4xx xxx xxx respectively.
The Australian national trunk access code, 0, is not used for calls originated from locations outside Australia.

### Fixed-line telephone numbers

Within Australia, dialing a number in another area requires dialing the trunk code 0, followed by the area code, and then the local number.
In major centres, the first four digits specify the CCA (Call Collection Area, also known as an exchange), and the remaining digits specify a number at that exchange, up to 10,000 of which may be connected. Smaller exchanges in more remote areas may have fewer than 100 connected numbers.
To access numbers in the same area, it is necessary to dial only the eight digits concerned. To access a number in another area it is first necessary to dial the trunk code of 0, followed by the area code (2, 3, 7 or 8) and then the specific local number.
Area codes are not allocated exactly according to state/territory boundaries. Notable are the part of New South Wales around Broken Hill (a large part of the state's area but less than 1% of its population), which uses 08) 80xx numbers, and Wodonga, which is in Victoria but is within the New South Wales area code (02). Similarly, New South Wales border towns including Deniliquin and Buronga are within the Southeast (Victorian) area code (03), and Tweed Heads, New South Wales Tweed Heads within the Northeast (Queensland) area code (07). Physical exchanges can be allocated one or more prefixes and modern technology allows sub-sets of these number ranges to be allocated to switching entities located at a distance from the exchange in which their controlling terminal is located.
Landlines use a variable, permissive dialing plan: if the caller's phone shares the same area code with the called phone, the area code may be omitted. For example, a call from the number 02 5551 5678, to the number '02 7010 1111, is connected if the caller dials only 7010 1111. Similarly, a person who dials 7010 5678 on a land-line or mobile phone in Melbourne (i.e., within area 03) is connected to 03 7010 5678. For this reason, landline numbers are often specified without the area code.
The complete international number is dialed if the caller is making a call to Australia from an overseas location. Australia uses the international country code 61. On digital devices the prefix symbol + automatically provides the correct instructions to the local network to dial an international number. To store an Australian telephone number in international format the number 02 1234 5678 has the representation +61 2 1234-5678. Spaces and hyphen are used for clarity only.

### Mobile phones

Within Australia, mobile phone numbers begin with 04 – the Australian national trunk code 0, plus the mobile indicator 4 – followed by eight digits. This is generally written as 04XX XXX XXX within Australia, or as +61 4XX XXX XXX for an international audience. This format is the result of mobile carriers advertising numbers in such a way so as to clearly identify the owning telco prior to mobile number portability, introduced on 25 September 2001. Prior to MNP, mobile operators generally reserved number ranges in blocks of 04 xy z.
The xy-digit codes (sometimes xy z) are allocated per network. Since the introduction of number portability, there is no longer a fixed relationship between the mobile phone number and the network it uses.
In 2015 the 05 prefix (other than 0550) was also reserved for digital mobile phones as a part of the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2015. However, as of 2024 no numbers have been allocated with this prefix.
Within Australia, mobile numbers must always be dialed with all 10 digits, regardless of the caller's location.

## Geographic numbers

Geographical areas are identified by the area code and the first few digits of the local number:

### Central-East region (02)

* 02 37 Armidale, Tamworth, Northern Tablelands
* 02 38 Bowral, Crookwell, Goulburn, Marulan
* 02 39 Griffith, Wagga Wagga, Riverina
* 02 40 Newcastle, Lower Hunter
* 02 41 Newcastle, Lower Hunter
* 02 42 Wollongong
* 02 43 Gosford, Central Coast
* 02 44 Batemans Bay, Moruya, Nowra
* 02 45 Windsor, Richmond
* 02 46 Campbelltown, Camden, Narellan, Picton, Appin and others
* 02 47 Penrith, Blue Mountains
* 02 48 Bowral, Crookwell, Goulburn, Marulan
* 02 49 Newcastle, Lower Hunter
* 02 50 Albury, Corryong, Wodonga
* 02 51 Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass
* 02 52 Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass
* 02 53 Bathurst, Orange
* 02 54 Bega, Merimbula, Tathra, Cooma
* 02 55 Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Taree, Lord Howe Island, Muswellbrook
* 02 56 Murwillumbah, Grafton, Lismore
* 02 57 Armidale, Tamworth, Northern Tablelands
* 02 58 Bourke, Dubbo, Far West
* 02 59 Griffith, Wagga Wagga, Riverina
* 02 60 Albury, Corryong, Wodonga
* 02 61 Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass
* 02 62 Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass
* 02 63 Bathurst, Orange, Cowra
* 02 64 Bega, Merimbula, Tathra, Cooma
* 02 65 Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Taree, Lord Howe Island, Muswellbrook
* 02 66 Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Lismore, Murwillumbah
* 02 67 Armidale, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri, Tamworth
* 02 68 Bourke, Dubbo, Cobar
* 02 69 Griffith, Wagga Wagga, Riverina
* 02 7 Sydney
* 02 8 Sydney
* 02 9 Sydney

### South-east region (03)

* 03 32 Geelong, Colac
* 03 33 Ballarat
* 03 34 Bendigo
* 03 40 Mildura, Balranald
* 03 41 Traralgon, Bairnsdale
* 03 42 Geelong, Colac
* 03 43 Ballarat
* 03 44 Bendigo
* 03 45 Warrnambool
* 03 47 Wangaratta
* 03 48 Deniliquin, Numurkah, Shepparton
* 03 49 Mornington
* 03 50 Mildura, Balranald
* 03 51 Traralgon, Bairnsdale
* 03 52 Colac, Geelong
* 03 53 Ballarat
* 03 54 Bendigo
* 03 55 Warrnambool, Casterton, Portland
* 03 56 Drouin, Foster, Warragul, Wonthaggi
* 03 57 Wangaratta
* 03 58 Deniliquin, Shepparton
* 03 59 Mornington, Pakenham, Rosebud, Warburton, Yarra Ranges
* 03 61 Hobart
* 03 62 Hobart
* 03 63 Launceston
* 03 64 Devonport, Burnie, Queenstown
* 03 65 Devonport, Burnie, Queenstown
* 03 67 Launceston
* 03 7 Melbourne
* 03 8 Melbourne
* 03 9 Melbourne

### North-east region (07)

* 07 2 Brisbane, Bribie Island
* 07 3 Brisbane, Bribie Island
* 07 40 Cairns, Far North Queensland
* 07 41 Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Maryborough
* 07 42 Cairns
* 07 43 Bundaberg, Kingaroy
* 07 44 Townsville, North Queensland
* 07 45 Toowoomba, Roma, south-west
* 07 46 Toowoomba, Roma, South West
* 07 47 Townsville, North Queensland
* 07 48 Rockhampton, Mackay
* 07 49 Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone
* 07 52 Sunshine Coast, Esk, Nambour, Gatton, Caboolture
* 07 53 Sunshine Coast, Esk, Nambour, Gatton, Caboolture
* 07 54 Sunshine Coast, Esk, Nambour, Gatton, Caboolture
* 07 55 Gold Coast, Tweed Heads (NSW), Beaudesert
* 07 56 Gold Coast, Beaudesert
* 07 57 Gold Coast, Beaudesert
* 07 70 Cairns, Far North Queensland
* 07 75 Inglewood, Toowoomba
* 07 76 Inglewood, Toowoomba
* 07 77 Townsville, North Queensland
* 07 79 Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone

### Central and West region (08)

* 08 25 Riverland, Murraylands
* 08 26 Ceduna
* 08 51 Port Hedland
* 08 52 Perth
* 08 53 Perth
* 08 54 Perth
* 08 55 Bullsbrook East, Northam, Pinjarra (Mandurah)
* 08 58 Albany
* 08 60 Kalgoorlie, Merredin, Goldfields-Esperance
* 08 61 Perth
* 08 62 Perth
* 08 63 Perth
* 08 64 Perth
* 08 65 Perth
* 08 66 Moora
* 08 67 Bridgetown, Bunbury
* 08 68 Albany
* 08 69 Geraldton
* 08 70 Adelaide
* 08 71 Adelaide
* 08 72 Adelaide
* 08 73 Adelaide
* 08 74 Adelaide
* 08 75 Riverland, Murraylands
* 08 76 Ceduna
* 08 77 South East
* 08 78 Mid North
* 08 79 Northern Territory (Alice Springs, Darwin)
* 08 80 Broken Hill (NSW)
* 08 81 Adelaide
* 08 82 Adelaide
* 08 83 Adelaide
* 08 84 Adelaide
* 08 85 Riverland, Murraylands, Barossa Valley
* 08 86 Ceduna
* 08 87 South East
* 08 88 Mid North
* 08 89 Northern Territory (Alice Springs, Darwin)
* 08 90 Kalgoorlie
* 08 91 Derby [inc. Cocos/Keeling & Christmas Islands.]
* 08 92 Perth
* 08 93 Perth
* 08 94 Perth
* 08 95 Bullsbrook East, Northam, Pinjarra (Mandurah)
* 08 96 Moora
* 08 97 Bunbury, Busselton, Bridgetown, Collie, Harvey
* 08 98 Albany
* 08 99 Geraldton