Top 10 essential Apps for Australia Day

You’ve got your essential BBQ tools ready for the weekend. Now you need to plan, prepare and get the atmosphere right for a cracking Australia Day 2013. To start, download these 10 apps straight away to make your Australia Day a great one.

1. Australia Day 2013

The Australia Day Council has created the “Australia Day 2013” app on both iOS and Android, which gives you up to date information on all the events going on around the nation on Australia Day. Whether it’s for pre-planning or last minute shenanigans, it’s definitely worth the free download.

Price: $Free
Link: iTunes; Google Play

2. Pocket Weather AU

This year’s Summer has been erratic, jumping from record highs to coolish lows. It’s especially important to take care on Aussie Day weekend, knowing what to wear and how hot is it going to be, so EFTM can’t recommend highly enough the Pocket Weather AU app from the crazy people at Adelaide based development firm Shifty Jelly.

Price: $1.99
Link: iTunes; Google Play

3. Public Transport

When it comes to getting around on Australia Day, parking is a downright pain, so public transport could be your best bet. Unfortunately there isn’t a “one size fits all” app out there for the whole country, but here are some of the ones we can recommend for different cities around the country:

• Perth Transport Timetable (Free; Google Play)
• Go Perth ($1.99; iTunes)
• Go Brisbane ($2.99; iTunes; or $3.29; Google Play)
• Melbourne Transport Alarm ($Free; Google Play)
• Tram Hunter ($Free; Google Play)
• Metlink ($Free; iTunes; Android)
• TripView Sydney ($2.99; iTunes; or $3.29; Google Play)

4. Shopping

If you are planning the traditional Aussie Day BBQ (with your new barbecue tools), check out the Coles and Woolworths apps to help plan your menus and prepare your shopping list.

• Coles ($Free; iTunes; Google Play)
• Woolworths ($Free; iTunes; Google Play)

5. WhatWine

When it comes to matching a bottle of plonk with a great Aussie Day steak, some of us just don’t know which goes with what (generally you can tell these people by their use of the word “plonk”). WhatWine takes the difficulty out of the decision making process, which is a win for all Australians, really.
Price: $Free
Link: iTunes; Google Play

6. Park Australia

If you haven’t yet found a place to go on Australia Day, consider a National Park. Not only do you get to discover a big chunk of what makes this country so amazing (its flora and fauna), but you can also avoid some of the crowds that will undoubtedly take over the coastline around the capital cities.

Price: $0.99
Link: iTunes

7. Beachsafe

If you are heading for the beach, Surf Life Saving Australia has an app for the iPhone which gives amazing coverage of the tide, water temps, patrol periods and weather on our beaches. Not only does it help keep you safe, but it also offers access to some real time cameras at beaches so you can see just how hard it will be to carve out enough space for beach cricket.

Price: $Free
Link: iTunes

8. Sunsmart

Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap is the message for anyone hitting the beach, but thanks to the app revolution you can now check the UV level and sun protection times across Australia with the SunSmart app for both iOS and Android. It can handily set a reminder to reapply the sunscreen as well, which is essential for keeping safe in the sun in summer.

Price: $Free
Link: iTunes; Google Play

9. Australian Open

As the Boxing Day Test is to Christmas, the Australian Open is to Australia day, so keep up to date with the official Australian Open apps for iOS and Android. With live scoring updates, plus plenty of video and a live radio stream, it’s got everything to keep a tennis fan happy, no matter where they are in the country.

Price: $Free
Link: iTunes; Google Play

10. Cricket Live Australia

If tennis isn’t your thing, the Cricket Live Australia app should help keep the sports obsessed satisfied, with up to the minute scoring, live match video streaming, match highlights and social media integration, it’s a perfect companion for watching everything from test matches, one dayers or the Big Bash League.

Price: $Free
Link: iTunes; Google Play.

Bonus: Music!

To get you and the family in the mood for Australia Day shenanigans, check out a couple of compilation CDs on iTunes:

• Australia Day is “The ultimate tune compilation for Australia Day celebrations everywhere!” ($39.30 on iTunes)
• 101 Ultimate Beer Songs… Well, the title says it all, really ($22.99 on iTunes)

And don’t forget…

The Australia Day council have official Facebook and Twitter accounts with information and conversation about the big day so be sure to “like” and “follow” them first up.

Have a great Australia Day! Stay safe on the roads and remember to keep you and your family sun safe!