Fast Facts

American Express -- The office at 645 Hay St. Mall (tel. 1300/139 060) is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 9am to noon.

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday through Thursday from 9:30am to 4pm and until 5pm Friday. Shopping hours are usually from 9am to 5:30pm Monday through Friday (until 9pm on Thurs in the suburbs and Fremantle, and until 9pm Fri in the city), and from 9am to 5pm on Saturday. On Sunday most (but not all) major stores open from noon to 4pm or later in the city, and from noon to 6pm in Fremantle.

Currency Exchange -- Go to the American Express office or Interforex, Shop 24, London Court, off Hay Street Mall (tel. 08/9325 7418; Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, until 8pm Fri, Sun 10am-5pm). Interforex has a Fremantle bureau at the corner of William and Adelaide streets (tel. 08/9431 7022; Mon-Sat 8am-5:30pm, until 6pm Fri, Sun 10am-5:30pm).

Dentist -- LifeCare Dental (tel. 08/9221 2777, or 08/9383 1620 after-hours) is on the Upper Walkway Level, Forrest Chase shopping complex, 425 Wellington St., opposite Perth Railway Station. Open daily from 8am to 8pm.

Doctor -- Central City Medical Centre is on the Perth Railway Station concourse, 420 Wellington St. (tel. 08/9221 4747). Open daily 8am to 6pm.

Embassies & Consulates -- The United States Consulate-General is at 16 St. Georges Terrace (tel. 08/9202 1224). The Canadian Consulate is at 267 St. Georges Terrace (tel. 08/9322 7930). The British Consular Agency is at 77 St. Georges Terrace (tel. 08/9224 4700).

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 000 for fire, ambulance, or police in an emergency. This is a free call; no coins are needed from a public phone.

Hospitals -- Royal Perth Hospital, in the city center, has a public emergency/casualty ward (tel. 08/9224 2244). Enter from Victoria Square, which is off Murray Street.

Luggage Storage & Lockers -- The Perth Tourist Lounge stores luggage, and there are baggage lockers at the international and domestic terminals at the airport.

Pharmacies -- Forrest Chase Pharmacy (tel. 08/9221 1691), on the upper level of the Forrest Chase shopping center, 425 Wellington St. (near the dentist's office listed above), is open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 7pm (and until 9pm Fri), Saturday from 8:30am to 6pm, and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Most pharmacies will make local deliveries -- try either Friendlies or Amcal Chemist branches, as defined in the telephone directory.

Police -- Dial tel. 000 in a life-threatening emergency. Otherwise call tel. 13 14 44 to be connected to the nearest station. Perth Police Station, 60 Beaufort St. (tel. 08/9223 3715), and Fremantle Police Station, 45 Henderson St. (tel. 08/9430 1222), are open 24 hours.

Safety -- Perth is safe, but steer clear of the back streets of Northbridge and the city center malls late at night -- where groups of teenagers tend to congregate -- even if you are not alone.

Time Zone -- Western Australian time (WST) is Greenwich Mean Time plus 8 hours and is on a 3-year trial of daylight saving (to 2009), so GMT plus 9 hours October through March. It is 2 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne. Call tel. 1194 for the exact local time.

Weather -- Call tel. 1196 for a recorded local weather forecast.