Australian Tagging Guidelines/Australian features

Overview

Where possible, the Australian OpenStreetMap community follows the global guidelines and practices for tagging. However, there are some idiosyncratic tags and features in Australia that may differ from international practice. This page is intended to document some of these differences, and keep a common record of Australian features and their associated tagging.

Australian English-OSM Dictionary

There are many frequently used tags in OpenStreetMap that may not align with Australian English usage of particular words. Even Australians who are aware of these linguistic differences can be caught off-guard by differences in meaning.

Australian English—OSM Tag name misalignments

Australian English term	Tag(s)	Comments
Windmill	man_made=windpump		The steel structures found on rural Australian farms
	man_made=windmill		A "European" style windmill.
	generator:source=wind		A wind turbine.
Footpath	highway=footway footway=sidewalk		The pedestrian walkway adjacent to a road.
	highway=footway		A predominately pedestrian walkway: see Australian Tagging Guidelines/Cycling and Foot Paths.
Water Tower	man_made=reservoir_covered		Water storage at ground level, often at the top of a hill or peak.
	man_made=water_tower		A large tank elevated above ground level.
Bore	man_made=water_well
Showground	landuse=recreation_ground recreation_ground=showground sport=* if also used a sport ground tourism=camp_site if also used for camping.		A public space used for shows, exhibitions, recreation, and other community events
Cellar Door	tourism=attraction shop=wine		A local tourist attraction where vintners sell wine and offer tastings.
	tourism=winery shop=wine		A winery that offers tours of its facility.

Addresses

Australian street addresses and addressing standards are key priorities of numerous government agencies and departments. In most states and territories, addresses are allocated to properties by local government authorities. All Australian jurisdictions adhere to the joint standards for rural and urban addressing (AS/NZS-4819:201) and continue to cooperate through the Committee on Surveying and Mapping.

Tagging

Existing address tags can be used to correctly format an Australian address. At minimum, addr:housenumber=* and addr:street=* are needed. Details of suburb, state and postcode can generally be derived through geospatial analysis and aren't required on each address.

Where those details are included, Australian addresses do not use addr:city=* and instead use addr:suburb=*. The suburb/locality should be written in title case, rather than the capitalised format used for postage.

Australian Address Format
1/486 Waterworks Road Ashgrove QLD 4060	addr:unit=1 addr:housenumber=486 addr:street=Waterworks Road addr:suburb=Ashgrove (optional) addr:state=QLD (optional) addr:postcode=4060 (optional)
Example: Ashgrove Post Office Ashgrove Post Office

Address State Formats

The postal state or territory should be captured using addr:state=*, in an abbreviated format. For some locations, the postal state will be different from the actual state/territory the feature in located in. In these cases, the postal state/territory should be used.

Australian States Address Format
Australian Capital Territory	addr:state=ACT
New South Wales	addr:state=NSW
Northern Territory	addr:state=NT
Queensland	addr:state=QLD
South Australia	addr:state=SA
Tasmania	addr:state=TAS
Victoria	addr:state=VIC
Western Australia	addr:state=WA
Norfolk Island	Use addr:state=NSW
Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Use addr:state=WA
Australian Antarctic Territory	Use addr:state=TAS

Places

Western NSW at zoom level 8. Very few rural centres are visible at this zoom level.

A long-standing point of discussion is the appropriate usage of place=city, place=town, place=village, and other place=* values for Australian settlements, particularly in rural areas. The population of "important" or "prominent" settlements varies drastically across the country, and population centres of equivalent size may be tagged differently due to their proximity to larger centres. Population centres should be labelled according on popular perception rather than administrative designation or population. For example, despite having a similar population Yarragon Yarragon is tagged as a village, while Coober Pedy Coober Pedy is tagged as a town.

Public Services

Emergency Services

The operators of emergency services stations, branches and equipment differs between states and territories.

In addition to the emergency service-specific tags below, the branch=* and name=(operator) (ref) (branch) or name=(branch) (service) Station tags should be used to uniquely identify each location.

amenity=fire_station
operator=Fire and Rescue NSW
operator:wikidata=Q5451532
name=Blacktown Fire Station
branch=Blacktown
ref=063

addr:housenumber=222

addr:street=Richmond Road

Example of well tagged fire station in OpenStreetMap: Blacktown Fire Station Blacktown Fire Station.

amenity=police
operator=Victoria Police
name=Traralgon Police Station
branch=Traralgon

Example of well tagged police station in OpenStreetMap: Traralgon Police Station Traralgon Police Station.

Emergency services operator tagging by state/territory

S/T	Police amenity=police	Fire amenity=fire_station	Ambulance emergency=ambulance_station	SES emergency=disaster_response	Other
Nat'l	operator=Australian Federal Police operator:wikidata=Q781401				government=customs operator=Australian Border Force operator:wikidata=Q17000879
					government=marine_rescue operator=Australian Volunteer Coast Guard operator:wikidata=Q111654579
					emergency=lifeguard operator=City Council or Life Saving Organisation
ACT	operator=ACT Policing operator:wikidata=Q4650889	operator=ACT Fire and Rescue operator:wikidata=Q4650880	operator=ACT Ambulance Service operator:wikidata=Q4823922	operator=ACT State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q110247330
		operator=ACT Rural Fire Service operator:wikidata=Q4823928
NSW	operator=New South Wales Police Force operator:wikidata=Q7011763	operator=Fire and Rescue NSW operator:wikidata=Q5451532	operator=New South Wales Ambulance operator:wikidata=Q4741948	operator=NSW State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q7011790	emergency=water_rescue operator=Marine Rescue NSW operator:wikidata=Q111654572
		operator=NSW Rural Fire Service operator:wikidata=Q7011777			amenity=rescue_station operator=VRA Rescue NSW operator:wikidata=Q7941046
NT	operator=Northern Territory Police Force operator:wikidata=Q7059043	operator=NT Fire and Rescue Service operator:wikidata=Q17018175	operator=St John Ambulance (NT) operator:wikidata=Q104876452	operator=NT Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q111660761
QLD	operator=Queensland Police Service operator:wikidata=Q7270980	operator=Queensland Fire and Emergency Services operator:wikidata=Q7270940	operator=Queensland Ambulance Service operator:wikidata=Q7270899	operator=Queensland State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q17054236
SA	operator=South Australia Police operator:wikidata=Q7566092	operator=South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service operator:wikidata=Q7566124	operator=SA Ambulance Service operator:wikidata=Q7388884	operator=South Australian State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q56395948
		operator=South Australian Country Fire Service operator:wikidata=Q7566104
TAS	operator=Tasmania Police operator:wikidata=Q3313240	operator=Tasmania Fire Service operator:wikidata=Q7687412	operator=Ambulance Tasmania operator:wikidata=Q7687434	operator=Tasmania State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q111654255
VIC	operator=Victoria Police operator:wikidata=Q1406658	operator=Fire Rescue Victoria operator:wikidata=Q30640483	operator=Ambulance Victoria operator:wikidata=Q4741949	operator=Victoria State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q7927057	government=emergency operator=Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority operator:wikidata=Q111654544
		operator=Country Fire Authority operator:wikidata=Q13632973
WA	operator=Western Australia Police Force operator:wikidata=Q7987488	operator=Department of Fire and Emergency Services operator:wikidata=Q7270940	operator=St John Ambulance (WA) operator:wikidata=Q27958344	operator=DFES State Emergency Service operator:wikidata=Q111654262
NFK	operator=Australian Federal Police operator:wikidata=Q781401	operator=Norfolk Island Fire Service operator:wikidata=Q111654265	operator=St John Ambulance (NSW) operator:wikidata=Q7593642
CXR	operator=Australian Federal Police operator:wikidata=Q781401	operator=CI Volunteer Fire & Emergency Services operator:wikidata=Q111654273	operator=St John Ambulance (WA) operator:wikidata=Q27958344
CCK	operator=Australian Federal Police operator:wikidata=Q781401	operator=Cocos (Home) Island Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services Unit	operator=St John Ambulance (WA) operator:wikidata=Q27958344
		operator=Cocos West Island Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services Unit

Other emergency equipment

The operator=* tag can also be applied to other emergency services equipment.

Other emergency equipment and infrastructure

Community Fire Unit trailer		emergency=fire_equipment ref=* operator=see table above	emergency=fire_equipment $1% More details at taginfo
Bushfire Neighbourhood Safer Places		emergency=assembly_point assembly_point:fire=designated operator=see table above	assembly_point:fire=designated $1% More details at taginfo
Emergency markers		emergency=assembly_point (or) highway=emergency_access_point	emergency=assembly_point $1% More details at taginfo (or) highway=emergency_access_point $1% More details at taginfo

Education

Schools in Australia should be tagged with grades=*, and either version of the isced:level=*: isced:level:1997=*, or isced:level:2011=*, to help distinguish between different levels of schooling.

School Grades

While each school can offer different levels of schooling, most secondary schools can be tagged as grades=7-12, and most primary schools as grades=0-6. A notable inconsistency is the name given to the first year of primary school (pre-Grade 1), and the name given to pre-school programs, by different states and territories.

Early education levels in Australia

State/Territory	Pre-School Education amenity=preschool	First Year of Primary amenity=school grades=0
ACT	Preschool	Kindergarten
NSW	Preschool	Kindergarten
NT	Preschool	Transition
QLD	Kindergarten	Prep
SA	Preschool	Reception
TAS	Kindergarten	Prep
VIC	Kindergarten	Prep
WA	Kindergarten	Pre-Primary

ISCED Levels

Australian isced:level:1997=* equivalents.

0	1	2	3	4	5	6
Preschool	Years 0-6	Years 7-10	Years 11-12	Cert IV	Tertiary Education (Diploma—Master's)	PhD, Doctorates

Australian isced:level:2011=* equivalents.

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Preschool	Years 0-6	Years 7-10 Cert I & II	Years 11-12 Cert III	Cert IV	Vocational Education (Diplomas, Adv. Dip., Associate Degree)	Undergraduate Education (Bachelors, Grad. Cert., Grad. Dip.)	Postgraduate Education (Master's)	Doctorates and PhDs

School operators and private schooling

The operator=* tag should be used to set the state level agency or department which operates the school. Other useful tags include operator:wikidata=* operator:type=*, and fee=yes/no

Common Education Operators in Australia

State/Territory	Operator Name operator=*	Operator Type operator:type=*	Operator Wikidata operator:wikidata=*	Usage
ACT	ACT Education Directorate	public	Q110248228	operator=ACT Education Directorate $1% More details at taginfo
NSW	NSW Department of Education	public	Q5260271	operator=NSW Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo
NT	NT Department of Education	public	Q112954013	operator=NT Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo
QLD	Queensland Department of Education	public	Q5260277	operator=Queensland Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo
SA	SA Department for Education	public	Q56378228	operator=SA Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo
TAS	Tasmanian Department of Education	public	Q5260266	operator=Tasmanian Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo
VIC	Victorian Department of Education	public	Q5260272	operator=Victorian Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo
WA	WA Department of Education	public	Q5260265	operator=WA Department of Education $1% More details at taginfo

grades=7-12
isced:level=2-3
operator=NSW Department of Education
operator:wikidata=Q5260271
operator:type=public
school:gender=mixed

Example of a comprehensively tagged public school in OpenStreetMap: Katoomba High School Katoomba High School.

grades=0-6
isced:level=1
operator=Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools
operator:wikidata=Q100769882
operator:type=religious
religion=christian
denomination=catholic

Example of a comprehensively tagged religious school in OpenStreetMap: Christ the King Primary School Christ the King Primary School.

Government Offices

In conjunction with office=government, the following tags can be used to more accurately describe different types of government services.

Common Government Offices in Australia

Name	Recommended Tags	Example	Aust. Usage
Centrelink offices	office=government government=social_services admin_level=2 name=Centrelink branch=branch name brand:wikidata=Q5062688 operator:wikidata=Q4294705 operator=Services Australia	Centrelink Penrith Centrelink Penrith	brand:wikidata=Q5062688 $1% More details at taginfo

Post Offices

The Australia Post network consists of Australia Post operated post shops and independently run Licensed Post Offices (LPO) and Community Postal Agents (CPA).

If the facility uses Australia Post branding you should apply brand=Australia Post + brand:wikidata=Q1142936 for amenity=post_office and post_office:brand=Australia Post + post_office:brand:wikidata=Q1142936 for post_office=post_partner.

Only the Australia Post operated post shops should apply operator=Australia Post + operator:wikidata=Q1142936, Licensed Post Offices (LPO) and Community Postal Agents (CPA) are not operated by Australia Post.

Dedicated post offices that are a stand-alone building or post shop and not part of another business should use amenity=post_office. Some LPO's and CPA's are dedicated post offices, and some are not.

If the post office is located within or part of another business, eg. a general store or newsagency, you can add post_office=post_partner to the shop.

For tagging of Australia Post post-boxes, see Australian Tagging Guidelines/Utilities and infrastructure#Australia_Post

		Tagging
Post Shop	Dedicated Post Office	amenity=post_office		brand=Australia Post + brand:wikidata=Q1142936	operator=Australia Post + operator:wikidata=Q1142936	post_office:type:au=post_shop
Licensed Post Office (LPO)	Dedicated Post Office	amenity=post_office		brand=Australia Post + brand:wikidata=Q1142936		post_office:type:au=LPO
	Post Office services part of another business (eg. part of a general store / newsagency)		shop=* + post_office=post_partner	post_office:brand=Australia Post + post_office:brand:wikidata=Q1142936
Community Postal Agent (CPA)	Dedicated Post Office	amenity=post_office		brand=Australia Post + brand:wikidata=Q1142936		post_office:type:au=CPA
	Post Office services part of another business (eg. part of a general store / newsagency)		shop=* + post_office=post_partner	post_office:brand=Australia Post + post_office:brand:wikidata=Q1142936

Businesses and Brands

Example of the Name Suggestion Index in action

Most common large businesses or brands are documented in the Name Suggestion Index to help assist standardisation of tags. While the NSI is embedded into iD, users can refer to the list as a general reference for how common brands are tagged: Australian NSI entries, Global NSI entries.

Arts and culture

Social

Licenced Clubs

A licensed club is a community based club which has meeting rooms and a liquor license, and may also have additional services such as a bistro or poker machines. Archetypal examples of these clubs may include RSLs, bowls clubs and other sporting clubs, and workers clubs.

amenity=licensed_club
club=veterans

Example of a licensed club: Currumbin RSL Currumbin RSL

Community Groups

In addition to the below list, the Name Suggestion Index is used by the iD editor to offer suggestions for common brands and shops.

Non-exhaustive list of common community groups and organisations

Organisation	Suggested Tagging	Example	Usage
Men's Shed	amenity=community_centre community_centre:for=man brand=Men's Shed	C.Y. O'Connor Men's Shed C.Y. O'Connor Men's Shed	brand=Men's Shed $1% More details at taginfo
Country Women's Association	amenity=community_centre community_centre:for=woman brand=Country Women's Association wikidata=Q5177469 brand=Queensland Country Women's Association wikidata=Q60740240	QCWA Palmwoods QCWA Palmwoods	brand=Country Women's Association $1% More details at taginfo
Scouts	amenity=community_centre community_centre=club_home club=scout community_centre:for=scout	Renmark Scouts Renmark Scouts	club=scout $1% More details at taginfo
Australian Army Cadets	club=cadet cadet=military military_service=army operator=Australian Army Cadets operator:wikidata=Q4823829	AAC - 147 ACU Goondiwindi AAC - 147 ACU Goondiwindi	operator=Australian Army Cadets $1% More details at taginfo
Australian Air Force Cadets	club=cadet cadet=military military_service=air_force operator=Australian Air Force Cadets operator:wikidata=Q4823800	AAFC - No 323 (City of Blue Mountains) Squadron AAFC - No 323 (City of Blue Mountains) Squadron	operator=Australian Air Force Cadets $1% More details at taginfo
Australian Navy Cadets	club=cadet cadet=military military_service=navy operator=Australian Navy Cadets operator:wikidata=Q4824491	ANC - Training Ship Gladstone ANC - Training Ship Gladstone	operator=Australian Navy Cadets $1% More details at taginfo

Standards and regulations

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time is observed in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, and Norfolk Island. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2am on the first Sunday in October, and ends at 2am on the first Sunday in April.

Opening hours that vary during daylight savings time can be mapped using using the opening_hours=* date specification syntax.

opening_hours=Apr Su[1]-Oct Su[1] 08:00-14:00 || 06:00-17:00

Example of opening hours that vary during Daylight Saving Time: 8am-2pm normally; 6am - 5pm during DST

opening_hours=Apr Su[1]-Oct Su[1] 06:00-18:30 open "AEST"; Oct Su[1]-Apr Su[1] 06:00-19:30 open "AEDT"; Dec 25 off; easter -2 days off

Example of more complicated opening hours that vary with Daylight Saving Time: 06:00am-6:30pm normally; 6:00am-7:30pm during DST; closed on Christmas Day and Good Friday. With comments (the "open" is included because the opening_hours evaluation tool considers a bare "" statement as being a conditional and will assume that the rule is a maybe).

Phone Numbers

Phone numbers entered into OpenStreetMap should include the international dialing code and applicable local area code, consistent with the advice on the phone=* page.

phone=+61 2 8888 8888

Example of a landline number with a "02" local code (New South Wales).

phone=+61 412 345 678

Example of a mobile number.

Toll Free or Premium Phone Numbers

Phone numbers that cannot be dialed from outside of Australia (such as most toll free, premium, and '1800' numbers) should not be included in the phone=* field, and should instead be mapped using the phone:AU=* tag. When these numbers can be dialed from overseas, the numbers can be mapped as normal

phone:AU=1800 123 456
phone=+61 3 9999 9999

Example of a local-only number, in conjunction with a number for international calls.

phone=+61 13 45 67

Example of a '13' number that can be dialed from overseas.

Triple Zero

The emergency triple zero (000) phone number is not specific to an individual location and should not be included in OpenStreetMap.

Phonewords

See key:phone#Phonewords.

Businesses commonly use phonewords in posted phone numbers.

In addition to their normal phone number being listed as phone=*, the phoneword should be added as phone:mnemonic=* e.g. phone:mnemonic=+61 2 OUR PLACE. The word/s should always be in full capitals.

phone:mnemonic=+61 2 OUR PLACE

Example of a 'phoneword' number that can be dialed from overseas.

If you are adding a phoneword that can only be dialled from within Australia e.g. a free call number, it should be tagged as phone:AU:mnemonic=*, e.g. phone:AU:mnemonic=1300 THEIR NAME.

phone:AU:mnemonic=1300 THEIR NAME

Example of a 'phoneword' number that can only dialed from within Australia.

Total Fire Bans

Total Fire Bans are used across all states and territories to mitigate the risk of bushfire by restricting and prohibiting certain activities. Parks and amenities may also close on Total Fire Ban days to discourage people from accessing fire-prone areas. These closures can be tagged using the opening_hours=* comment syntax.

opening_hours=Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00 "closed Days of Total Fire Ban"

Example of a feature that is closed on Days of Total Fire Ban

Road Rules

For information about how Australian road rules should be mapped in OpenStreetMap, see the roads sub page.

Symbols

Australian Flags

National/State Flags

Flag	Image	Tag Suggestion	Aust. Usage
Flag of Australia		flag:type=national country=AU flag:wikidata=Q81676 flag:name=Australia (optional)
Flag of the ACT		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q252995 flag:name=Australian Capital Territory (optional)
Flag of NSW		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q1064042 flag:name=New South Wales (optional)
Flag of the NT		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q599323 flag:name=Northern Territory (optional)
Flag of QLD		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q383109 flag:name=Queensland (optional)
Flag of SA		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q912854 flag:name=South Australia (optional)
Flag of TAS		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q1074327 flag:name=Tasmania (optional)
Flag of VIC		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q34494 flag:name=Victoria (optional)
Flag of WA		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q1091279 flag:name=Western Australia (optional)
Flag of Cocos (Keeling) Islands		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q328895 flag:name=Cocos (Keeling) Islands (optional)
Flag of Christmas Island		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q336328 flag:name=Christmas Island (optional)
Flag of Norfolk Island		flag:type=regional flag:wikidata=Q235445 flag:name=Norfolk Island (optional)
Australian Aboriginal Flag		flag:type=indigenous flag:wikidata=Q1285625 flag:name=Australian Aboriginal (optional)
Torres Strait Islander Flag	Flag	flag:type=indigenous flag:wikidata=Q462621 flag:name=Torres Strait Islander (optional)

Other Minor Flags

Flags of Cities

Flag	Image	Tag Suggestion	Aust. Usage
Flag of Adelaide		flag:type=municipal flag:wikidata=Q24189944 flag:name=Adelaide (optional)
Flag of Brisbane		flag:type=municipal flag:wikidata=Q5456709 flag:name=Brisbane (optional)
Flag of Hobart		flag:type=municipal flag:wikidata=Q1621560 flag:name=Hobart (optional)
Flag of Melbourne		flag:type=municipal flag:wikidata=Q5456860 flag:name=Melbourne (optional)
Flag of Sydney		flag:type=municipal flag:wikidata=Q22271870 flag:name=Sydney (optional)
Flag of Perth		flag:type=municipal flag:wikidata=Q23198404 flag:name=Perth (optional)

 Miscellaneous Government Flags

Flag	Image	Tag Suggestion	Aust. Usage
Flag of the Governor-General		flag:type=governmental flag:wikidata=Q5456870 flag:name=Governor-General (optional)
Flag of the Governor of New South Wales		flag:type=governmental flag:name=Governor of New South Wales
Flag of the Governor of Queensland		flag:type=governmental flag:name=Governor of Queensland
Flag of the Governor of South Australia		flag:type=governmental flag:name=Governor of South Australia
Flag of the Governor of Tasmania		flag:type=governmental flag:name=Governor of Tasmania
Flag of the Governor of Victoria		flag:type=governmental flag:name=Governor of Victoria
Flag of the Governor of Western Australia		flag:type=governmental flag:name=Governor of Western Australia

Cultural Flags

Flag	Image	Tag Suggestion	Aust. Usage
Eureka Flag		flag:type=cultural flag:wikidata=Q2920201 flag:name=Eureka Flag (optional)
Boxing Kangaroo	Flag	flag:type=cultural flag:wikidata=Q895692 flag:name=Boxing Kangaroo (optional)
Flag of the South Sea Islanders		flag:type=cultural flag:wikidata=Q111718036 flag:name=Flag of the South Sea Islanders (optional)

Sports Flags

Flag	Image	Tag Suggestion	Aust. Usage
Australian Football League Flag		flag:type=athletic flag:name=Australian Football League flag:colour=white (optional)
Melbourne Cricket Club Flag		flag:type=athletic flag:name=Melbourne Cricket Club flag:colour=white (optional)
Sydney Cricket Club Flag		flag:type=athletic flag:name=Sydney Cricket Club flag:colour=blue (optional)
West Australian Cricket Club Flag		flag:type=athletic flag:name=West Australian Cricket Club flag:colour=white (optional)

Military Flags

Flag	Image	Tag Suggestion	Aust. Usage
Australian Defence Force Ensign	Flag	flag:type=military flag:wikidata=Q12409908 flag:name=Australian Defence Force Ensign (optional)
RAAF Ensign		flag:type=military flag:wikidata=Q2899131 flag:name=Royal Australian Air Force Ensign (optional)
RAN Ensign		flag:type=military flag:wikidata=Q782773 flag:name=Royal Australian Navy Ensign (optional)