Australia - overview
The Commonwealth of Australia is the largest
island on earth and the smallest continent.
It also boasts to being one of the most progressive
nations in the world with one of the oldest
civilizations This island nation is a fascinating,
challenging country that can shock the senses
and will almost certainly broaden a visitor's
palate. It is made up of a variety of landscapes,
including tropical rain forests, the deserts
of the outback, snow-capped mountains, rolling
expanses of pastoral land and magnificent
beaches.
Many visitors would be surprised to find
that Sydney, it’s largest city, is not the
capital of Australia. Built on the shores
of the stunning Port Jackson, Sydney is one
of the world's landmark cities, and is also
Australia's oldest city. Sydney, the nation's
premier metropolis, mixes a flare for groundbreaking
architecture, a love of the arts and high-powered
commerce. The must-do’s on every visitors
list include the Harbour Bridge, Opera House,
Centrepoint Tower, The Rocks, Bondi Beach,
Olympic Park Homebush better known as the
site of the 2000 Olympic Games, and Darling
Harbour. Multicultural Melbourne is the capital
of Victoria and the second largest city in
Australia behind Sydney. Located on the Yarra
River at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne
is a city of style, of Victorian architecture,
of trams, of fashion, food, theatres, art
galleries, and leafy gardens. It is a sport-mad
city, which hosts events such as the Australian
Tennis Open, the Australian Formula One Grand
Prix, and the premier horse race, the race
that ‘stops a nation,’ the Melbourne Cup.
The “Great Ocean Road” is a popular drive
for tourists and locals alike, acknowledged
as one of the world's most spectacular coastal
drives, visitors can view the spectacular
site of the Twelve Apostles.
Cairns is the Far North's tourist capital
and an ideal place from which to explore
northern Queensland with trips to the superb
Great Barrier Reef, Green and Fitzroy Islands,
the Atherton Table land, the market town
of Kuranda and miles of superb beaches that
stretch all the way to Port Douglas. Built
on the banks of the Torrens River, Adelaide
is the capital of South Australia. Adelaide
is an elegant city noted for its festivals
and concerts, filled with galleries, parks,
historic churches and buildings, and home
to one of the world's most dazzling Festival
of Arts. It is the ideal place to relax and
enjoy some of the finer things of life, including
gourmet restaurants and wines from the nearby
Barossa and Clare Valleys and from the Coonawarra
area. Central Australia, also known as the
Outback, is the heart of Australia. There's
the famous Ayers Rock/Uluru, Kings Canyon,
and the East and West MacDonnell Ranges.
There are also other parks and reserves with
plentiful bird and animal life. Not too far
from these natural attractions is the pioneering
town of Alice Springs, built on the banks
of the frequently dry Todd River. |
