The Australian government on Friday warned Australian travelers against possible volcano eruption in Indonesia's central Java island.

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has reviewed and reissued its travel advice to Indonesia. The new advice contains warning of increased volcanic activity at Mount Merapi.

"On 12 April 2006 the Indonesian Directorate of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised the alert status for Mt. Merapi volcano in Central Java warning that volcanic activity has increased and that an eruption might be imminent," the advice said.

DFAT told Australian travelers to follow the advice of local authorities in the event of a natural disaster.

Indonesia has raised the alert status of a massive volcano on Java Island to the second-highest level. Villagers living nearby have already been told to prepare for a possible evacuation.

Merapi, located in Central Java Province, is one of the most active of at least 129 volcanoes in Indonesia.

Merapi's last major eruption was in 1994, killing at least 43 people. It is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Jakarta.

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2006)