1. All  Australian citizens must obtain a visa or travel authority before travelling to Harbin, China.

Where to Apply for China Visa? 

◎The Chinese Embassy processes applications from Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Northern Territory. 

Consular Section Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9am-12:00noon (Except public holiday)

TEL: 02-6273 4783, 62737443

◎Applications from New South Wales are advised to be forwarded to the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Sydney;

Business Hours:
Monday-Friday(Except Australia and Chinese Public Holidays);
Application Submission: 9:00AM--3:00PM(rush application should be submitted before 12:00 noon);
Payment and Collection: 9:00AM-3:00PM;
The Center is closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Office address: Level 5, 299 Elizabeth Street (the Opposite of Museum Station), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Call: +61-2-94758800       Fax: +61-2-92612088      E-mail:sydcenter@visaforchina.org
PO Box:20516 World Square, Sydney, NSW 2002 (mail application only)

Websites: http://www.visaforchina.org/SYD_EN/;  http://www.visaforchina.com.au/SYD_EN/

◎Applications from Victoria and Tasmania are advised to be forwarded to Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Melbourne;

Business Hours:
Monday-Friday (Except Australia and Chinese Public Holiday)
Application Submission: 9:00AM to 3:00PM      
Payment and Passport Collection: 9:00AM-3:00PM      
The Center is closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Office address: GROUND FLOOR, 570 ST KILDA RD., MELBOURNE, VIC 3004, Australia
Call: +61-03-9937-2308     Fax: +61-03-9937-2337     E-mail: melcenter@visaforchina.org
Websites: http://www.visaforchina.org/MEL_EN/;  http://www.visaforchina.com.au/MEL_EN/

◎Applications from Queensland are advised to be forwarded to Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Brisbane;

Business Hours:
Monday-Friday (Except Australia and Chinese Public Holiday)
Application Submission: 9:00AM to 3:00PM       
Payment and Passport Collection: 9:00AM-3:00PM
The Center is closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Office address: Part Level 4, 140 Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Call: +61-7-3031-6300     Fax: +61-7-3221-9388     E-mail: bnecenter@visaforchina.org

Websites: http://www.visaforchina.org/BNE_EN/; http://www.visaforchina.com.au/BNE_EN/

◎Applications from Western Australia are advised to be forwarded to the Chinese Consulate-General in Perth.

http://perth.chineseconsulate.org/eng/lszj/

TEL:08-92220333(Voice recording instructions);

08-92220321(2:30pm--4:00pm every weekday)

2. How to Get Harbin from Australia?

Step A: Take International Flight to the Major China Cities which have flights connecting to Harbin.

Step B: Take domestic flight to Harbin. (If you arrive in Beijing or Shanghai, you can also choose taking train to Harbin, see train schedule here)

At present, the international airlines only launch direct flights from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth to some of these China cities: Beijing, Shanghai,  Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming, Hong Kong, Macao and Sanya. Most of the Australians seem to prefer the indirect flight to the direct flight though this may take up their extra hours. They usually fly to China via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur for the favorable price offered by some airlines there. Most important among them is probably they can reach more inland Chinese inland cities by their flights.

◎Booking International Air Tickets
http://airchina.com.au/en/index.html
http://www.jetlo.com.au/flights/China
www.Expedia.com
www.Orbitz.com
www.travelocity.com
www.unitedairlines.com.au/core/english/index.html

 http://www.kayak.com/r/JQZ2oe
http://www.bookingbuddy.com/
http://www.expedia.com/
http://travel.travelocity.com/flights/AirSearch.do?SEQ=12694854675062242010
http://www.tripmama.com
http://www.farecompare.com/

◎Booking Domestic Air Tickets
http://en.ceair.com/
http://global.hnair.com/en/index.php?start=9&language=1
http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/index.shtml
http://www.csair.com/en/index.shtml?country=China

◎Recommended Routes
Popular routes:
Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Perth--Beijing/Shanghai--Harbin

Cheap routes
Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Perth--Singapore/Kuala Lumpur--Guangzhou/Shenzhen/Sanya/Hong Kong/Xiamen--Harbin