Surf, wine or be charmed by landmarks of the old world, a legacy of the colonial rule or simply let Australiabe your destination if u missed it host the 2000 Olympic games.
In such vast nation-continent there is just about everything to entice a tourist, from glitzy nightlife to undiluted adventure under the open sky. But the first picture that the mind conjures about Australia is that of its unique outback region, one of the most remote areas of the world where the climate is extreme and distances, daunting.
The Outback
The outback is a fascinating and forbidding region - a region where small centres of population are separated by vast distances and the monotony of seemingly endless plains broken only here and there by low, rocky ranges and slow-flowing, meandering rivers. If intending to travel in the outback, it is essential to be prepared and well equipped. Many of the roads are unsealed with sandy patches, and heavy rain can cut access for several days. The outback region is spread almost over all the states, so you can begin your journey from any of these states and end in another.
Queensland
Called the sunshine state, Queensland is marked by its mild tropical climate. The reason why most of the beach resorts are located here. Attractions in the state include the famed Gold coast, small but spacious city of Brisbane, the Great Barrier Reef, the delightful Whit Sunday islands and the Great Dividing range.
The Gold Coast is the most intensively developed and highly publicised tourist region in Australia. Only one hour’s drive south from Brisbane, this international resort city offers a multitude of constructed and natural attractions, and of course superb surfing beaches - 42 kilometres of them. As well as its natural attractions, the Gold Coast offers an enormous variety of diversions, including a wide range of theme parks, excellent sporting facilities, restaurants, shops, nightlife and entertainment guaranteed to satisfy all tastes. With its towering skyline, beachfront esplanade, glitz and glamour, Surfers Paradise is the hub of the Gold Coast region. Another popular holiday destination the Sunshine Coast lies 96 kilometres north of Brisbane. Lamington National Park, 112 kilometres from Brisbane preserves areas of rainforest wilderness. A maze of walking tracks and elevated treetop walkways allow you to see the rich beauty of this region.
The Great Barrier Reef is a living phenomenon. Its coloured coral branches sit on banks of limestone polyps that have been built up slowly over thousands of years from the seabed. The banks of coral are separated by channels of water, shaded from the delicate green of the shallows to the deepest blue. These waters support a tremendous range of marine life. The coral presents an incredibly beautiful picture which visitors can see from semi-submersible vessels, glass-bottomed boats or by swimming. It is the place for snorkelling and diving.
North Australia
In this state the first priority for most visitors is to visit the Red Centre, where the world’s greatest monolith, Uluru (Ayers Rock) is located. About 450 kilometres from Alice Springs, this natural wonder is 9 kilometres in circumference, rises majestically 345 metres above a wide, sandy floodplain covered in spinifex and desert oak. And there is no better place to capture the essence of Darwin than the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. The market operates only during the dry season of a city that has the most differentiated wet-dry climate in Australia - which means that for six months of the year the population lives outdoors and for next six months it retreats indoors to batten its hatches against the winds and rains of the monsoon season. People from 70 different nationalities call Darwin home, and the sunset market, with its food stalls serving a wide range of different world cuisines, its air rich with the aroma of exotic spices and the calls of many different languages.
Australia’s largest city and without doubt one of the best holiday cities in the world, Sydney has the glamour and excitement of an international city, with its designer bars, restaurants, world-class galleries, superb colonial architecture and excellent shopping. But it also has an extraordinary range of natural features, so you never need feel constricted by the fast pace of city life. Magnificent native bushland rings the city on three fronts, and on the fourth front, there is the sparkling spectacle of the Pacific Ocean complete with some of the coast’s best surf beaches. The harbour has limitless options for entertainment such as cruising, sailing, swimming, dining and walking the foreshore. All activities are complemented by an almost perfect climate..
While most confuse Sydney to be the capital of Australia, Canberra in Alpine region is seat of the Federal Parliament. It is an incomparably comfortable city, with the highest standard of living in Australia. Some of the best examples of modern architecture in the country are to be found here, complementing the beauty - and efficiency - of its highly acclaimed, urban layout. The city is sited on a limestone plain at the foothills of the Australian Alps; rolling hills, native bushland and clear blue skies create a stunning natural backdrop that can be seen from wherever you are in the city.
Adelaide
South Australia’s capital city Adelaide is a gracious, well-planned city surrounded by parkland. One of Adelaide’s greatest assets is its proximity to a number of fascinating regions. Vineyards and wineries, rolling hills and quaint villages, seaside resorts and beautiful wildlife reserves are all within an easy drive from here. The Adelaide Hills, Hahndorf, township of first German immigrants and the Cleland Conservation park are among them. However, it is the wineries which are South Australia’s premier tourist attraction. The Barossa is the county’s best-known wine-producing region. Lying just 55 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, it is a warm and intimate place of charming old towns. Cellar-door tastings and sales, and excellent food and accommodation are all part of the Barossa experience. The McLaren region just south of Adelaide is noted for its intensely-flavoured reds and whites. There are more than fifty wineries in the region, many of them small, boutique operations. There are also some excellent restaurants, including the wine-makers’ favourite, the Salopian Inn, just outside the township of McLaren Vale. Victor Harbor is another popular coastal town lying 84 kilometres south of Adelaide. Established in the early days of whaling and sealing it has many historic buildings worth seeing.
West Coast
Perth is the only major city on Australia’s vast west coast. It lies in the south-west corner of the State of Western Australia. A laid-back city