Australian National

For your next vacation, you may be considering a visit to “the land down under,” even though you know very little about the country, save for what you’ve seen in the movie “Crocodile Dundee,” the animals you’ve seen at the zoo, or the delicious “chicken on the barbie” dinner you’ve had at The Outback Steakhouse. Your limited knowledge of Australia shouldn’t worry you, though. Almost everyone who comes to Australia wants to stay indefinitely! The large country attracts tourists with a spirit of adventure who love a little bit of everything, such as sports, shopping, hiking, wildlife, arts and theatre, eating local cuisine, drinking wine, learning about history and lying out on the beach. Once you know a little more about the cities in north or south Australia and eastern or western Australia, you’ll be better equipped for vacation planning.

Queensland Australia is a territory in the southeast corner of Australia that encompasses destinations like Brisbane, Cairns, Port Douglas, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine coast, the Great Barrier Reef and the outback region. The 70 kilometer stretch of Gold Coast City is sometimes called “the theme park capital of Australia,” housing Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, WhiteWater World and the Wet N’ Wild Water Park. Additionally, you can hang at Surfers Paradise, visit the behemoth Q1 tower, shop the bohemian markets, visit Australian wineries and eat delicious fresh seafood.

In the welcoming city of Cairns, you can snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, relax on the beach, shop duty-free, hike through lush tropical rainforests, see national parks of Green and Fitzroy Islands, ride on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or Kuranda Scenic Railway, experience flora and fauna at the Flecker Botanic Gardens, or take a stroll along the Esplanade, which is bordered by cafes and the Coral Sea. In Port Douglas, you can get a great view of the Great Barrier Reef, shop at Macrossan Street and the Sunday Markets in Anzac Park, visit the sugar cane farms of Mossman, or hike through the Daintree Rainforest, where impressive flora and fauna prosper.

While in Australia, you’ll want to see Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland. Here, you’ll want to catch some local music, since Brisbane was hailed by Billboard as one of the “Top 5 International Music Hotspots” in 2007. If art and culture are your cup o’ tea, then you can also visit The Queensland Museum, The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), The Queensland Performing Arts Complex, The Brisbane Powerhouse, the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and the war memorials in Anzac Square.

Sydney is one of the most popular cities in the New South Wales region of Australia. Famous for its recognizable Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, Sydney attracts more than 7.8 million domestic visitors and 2.5 million international visitors each year. In Sydney, you can shop opulent boutiques like Versace, Gucci and Chanel along Castlereagh Street, Oxford Street or Crown Street; or you can find alternative artsy items on Newtown Street and Enmore Street. Big malls and shopping centers make Sydney a consumer epicenter. Additionally, Sydney is a “must” for art-lovers! Some of the biggest attractions are the Australian Museum (natural history and anthropology), the Powerhouse Museum (science, technology and design), the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Australian National Maritime Museum. Depending on the time of year you visit Australia, you may be lucky enough to catch “The Big Day Out” rock festival, the Sydney Film Festival, Australian Idol or the Australian Fashion Week celebrations.

The attractions in Australia may vary, but you can find memorable restaurants and shops in every metropolitan city. For a more off-the-beaten-path experience, Australians recommend a visit to the outback. Tourist attractions include national parks like Mount Augustus and Kakadu, as well as Alice Springs, Birdsville, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Coober Pedy, Devils Marbles, Katherine River Gorge, Kings Canyon (Watarrka), The Olgas (Kata Tjuta), the MacDonnell Ranges, Mount Isa, Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Monkey Mia and the town of Broome. In the outback, geographical wonders are everywhere and roaming kangaroos, camel and dingos can sometimes be spotted, which is sure to make your trip one-of-a-kind.

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