Hi, can an Australian passport holder flying from Australia use the 72-144 hour Visa Free transit

Yes, Australian citizen is eligible to use 144 hour visa free transit scheme that is valid for wider Chengdu area absolutely visa free and without any announcements or applications in advance.

If your itinerary is:

Australia - Chengdu - Kathmandu

And you do not have any additional landing within mainland China, you can enjoy 144 hour and no visa is needed.

Also, you are allowed to use the same scheme when flying back from Nepal to Australia via Chengdu. In reality, there is no limit on how many times you can use 144 hour visa free transit or better to say, you can use 144 hour visa free transit unlimited number of times within any period.

Before your landing in Chengdu, arrival/departure cards will be dispensed on board of the plane. You will fill out one of them and upon landing the first thing you will do is to approach 24/144 hour visa free transit where you will apply for a temporary entry permit by presenting your flight tickets and your accommodation booking confirmation for at least the first overnight in Chengdu. This application is free of any charge. After a permit is granted, you will proceed toward immigration and after that you will enjoy your time on your own.