Emergencies in Sydney

Good to Know

• Save 000 as your go-to emergency number in Sydney and Australia generally — 911 will NOT connect you to help here.
• The Emergency+ app is genuinely worth installing before you arrive: it auto-shares your GPS/what3words location with call-takers, which is a lifesaver if you don't know your exact street address in an unfamiliar city.
• If your issue is non-urgent (e.g. reporting a theft after the fact, not an in-progress crime), use the Police Assistance Line 131 444 instead of tying up the 000 line.
• Older phones that only support 3G will not be able to call Triple Zero, as Australia's carriers have been shutting down 3G networks — make sure your phone supports 4G/VoLTE.
• For any life-threatening emergency in Sydney, call 000 for ambulance, police or fire — this is Australia's single emergency number.
• Emergency Department treatment in NSW public hospitals is free if you have a Medicare card; Australia has reciprocal Medicare agreements with several countries (e.g. UK, Ireland, New Zealand, several EU countries), but most digital nomads on other visas will need travel/health insurance to cover ED and hospital costs.
• Sydney Hospital's ED (in the CBD on Macquarie Street) only treats patients 16 and over — families with children should head to Royal Prince Alfred, or the dedicated Sydney Children's Hospital / Children's Hospital at Westmead for paediatric emergencies.
• St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst is the main trauma receiving hospital for the CBD and inner-east, even though Sydney Hospital is geographically closer to the city centre — ambulances will generally bypass Sydney Hospital for serious trauma.