03 at a glance
- Type
- Geographic (landline area code)
- Region
- Victoria and Tasmania
- Country
- Australia (+61)
- Number format
- 03 XXXX XXXX (area code + 8-digit local number); +61 3 XXXX XXXX from overseas
- From abroad
- +61 3
- Cost to call
- Charged as a standard national call. Most mobile and home phone plans include calls to 03 numbers.
The 03 area code serves Victoria and Tasmania, covering Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Hobart and Launceston, plus some towns along the southern New South Wales border. Numbers follow the national ten-digit pattern: 03 and then an eight-digit local number. Because geographic numbers can also be assigned to internet phone (VoIP) services, an 03 number is not proof that the caller is physically in Victoria or Tasmania. Calls from 03 numbers are usually from households, businesses, councils and government offices. If a call is unexpected, look the number up before calling back, and if the caller claims to be from a bank, utility or agency, contact that organisation on a number from its official website.
Callers can fake (spoof) an 03 number. If someone pressures you for payment or personal details, hang up and report it to Scamwatch.
Who called me from 03?
The prefix tells you where the line was originally registered (Victoria & Tasmania), but not who is behind it. Numbers can be ported between networks and caller ID can be spoofed, so a familiar code is no guarantee. Search the full number to see its current carrier, line type and whether other people have reported it. Read our Australian phone number guide for mobile prefixes, networks and the scams currently doing the rounds.