Guide:

• Australia Travel Guide
• The Basics
• Attractions
• Events
• Public Holidays
• Health
• Contacts
• Climate
• Currency
• Visa & Passport
• Photos
• Phrases
• Flights to Australia
• Expat guide to Australia

Activities

• Surfing
• Wedding and Honeymoon

Australia Map

Directory

• Tour Operators
• Hostels
• DMCs
• Hotels

Breaking News

• World’s longest golf course opens in Australia
  22 October 2009 x Close
  The world’s longest golf course has officially opened in Australia. The Nullarbor Links stretches 850 miles (1368km) between Ceduna and Kalgoorlie and is sure to be a testing course, in every sense of the word. Golfers who like to play and perfectly manicured greens and fairways should not bother stopping to hit a few balls as this course features a lot of stones, dirt and very little grass, due to a lack of irrigation. Some putting surfaces are even made from sand mixed with diesel. But with over 1.7 million hits on their website, there seems to be a lot of interest in the new golf course. Read More at Sky
• Two Qantas pilots suspended after 'landing incident'
  05 November 2009 x Close
  Australia's national carrier Qantas has suspended two of its pilots after they failed to deploy the landing gear when an aircraft was approaching the runway to land in Sydney. The aircraft's warning systems alerted the crew to the dangerous oversight when the plane was just a mere 700 feet (471m) above the ground. Fortunately the plane was able to climb back to altitude and landed minutes later without any injuries. The incident sparked a safety review and the two pilots involved have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. How they came so close to trying to land the jet without being ready is now the subject of a serious incident investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Read More at UK Telegraph
• Australia on red alert for bush fires
  18 November 2009 x Close
  Parts of South Australia are on ‘red alert’ for bushfires as abnormally high November temperatures continue to soar. This marks the first time the new ‘catastrophic ‘ bushfire rating warning system has been used since it first came into effect after the so-called ‘Black Saturday’ disaster in nearby Victoria in February this year, when 173 people were killed in a series of blazes. Temperatures are expected to 104°F (40°C) in some areas. The current heatwave has lasted more than a week. Travellers in the area are urged to remain aware of the threat of bushfires and to monitor local advisories. Read More at Sky

Overview

Iconically Australia © Karl Blackwell

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world - more or less the same size as mainland USA. This vast land however also has the lowest population density in the world, with only two people per square kilometre.

Australia is politically divided into six states and two territories, each one offering a different experience for the traveller. There is the drama of the remote 'Outback', the colourful spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef and its coral islands, the excitement of the cosmopolitan cities, the sun and surf at some of the best beaches in the world, and the tropical rainforests of Western Australia. The list is endless in this diverse land of adventure, which boasts 2,000 national parks and 14 World Heritage-listed areas, along with more than 7,000 beaches.

Australia is a land of character too, with its melting pot of cultures. For more than 50,000 years the Aboriginal people lived and thrived in the continent's unique environment. It is believed the Aboriginals are the world's oldest civilisation, and in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in keeping the Aboriginal culture alive and flourishing.

The vast continent at the bottom of the world was the last landmass to be discovered by European explorers. Captain James Cook arrived in Botany Bay in 1770 and sparked off generations of emigration to Australia, which for some time served as a penal colony. It was not until 1860 that two explorers - Robert Burke and William Wills - became the first Europeans to cross Australia from south to north. The country remains a magnet for modern explorers and adventurers and has a great deal to offer tourists and holidaymakers.