Australia
Yes, it was built on the sheep's back, yes, it has gorgeous, sandy beaches, yes, it has critters like you wouldn't believe of both the soft and furry and seriously threatening kind, yes, its people have a reputation for being relaxed, straight talking, outdoors loving, sports fans who love a good drink and know how to party on New Years eve. Australia is definitely offering all those things, but what you don't get from the adverts is the sheer size of the place.
Australia is a photogenic country of wide open spaces and intense colours. Endless reefs, glittering harbours and long beaches lead into the bright dense emerald of tropical forests, the soft grey greens of the alpine bush, the thousand shades of dry of the farming plains, the oranges and ochres of the desert centre and the big red rock at the heart. Vast distances apart hugging the fertile coast, Australia's cities have got their own personalities, influenced not just by the varied environment but by the gradually blending cultures of the people who live in them, cosmopolitan upbringings showing through in arts, food and fashion. But in Australia pretty much everything is influenced by the landscape.
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Tropical Far North Queensland
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In contrast to the south, tropical north Queensland is a montage of rainforest, sugar cane plantations, mangrove swamps and river gorges. Explore the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree National Park
Top Australia attractions
We know a total of 274 attractions in Australia. See all Australia attractions.
Holiday ideas featuring Australia
Australian Reef and City
Photos of the Great Barrier Reef attract a lot of visitors to Australia, especially those with an eye for art and Melbourne makes an artistic pairing.
Australia: City and Outback
Australia: it's a big place. And there's just no way you're going to be able to see all of it on a flying visit. But two weeks is enough time to experience both.
Rock, Reef and Rainforest
Oz is the land of colour and the big colour destinations: the Red Rock, Blue Barrier Reef and Green Daintree can all be seen in one fantastic trip.
Sydney's best in Five Days
Sydney born Kat serves up this taster of Sydney to take you onto the harbour, into the bush and the mountains, to a couple of Sydney's best beaches, fill you up on top seafood and feed you a bit of local culture as well - and all in just five days.
A Full Week in Perth
Because it's so far away Perth has to have everything. It also has many natural charms: one of the world's most beautiful coastlines, a dramatic interior and it's neighbours with Australia's oldest wine region.
All regions and destinations in Australia
Comments, reviews and questions by other travellers
It is amazing to see the gorgeous, sandy beaches in Australia. And in Sydney the harbours and long beaches look stunning. The Victorian Attractions are Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula, Macedon Ranges Spa Country, Yarra Valley & Dandenongs, Goldfields and much more.
Go for the outback & wildlife, not citylife. AND: Only go if you've money to burn
Australia, as of 2011, is a destination for the wealthy traveller - or those with large holes in their pockets - through which your Euro or Dollar will quickly disappear due to the current exchange rates, combined with the Aussies as-yet-unburst bubble of economic boom (it will burst soon - trust me, and those Aussies will be shocked when it hits).
But the country - it's vastness, it's wildlife - WOW!
Personnally I wasn't taken by the cities (especially their policy to burn the office lights all night for the sake of prettiness. I preconceived this was an environmentally friendly country! It ain't.) And local welcoming attitudes towards visitors is much more open in the outback & smaller towns.