The Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, or ACT as it is commonly known, is located in the south-eastern region of New South Wales. Canberra is the ACT’s capital city as well as Australia’s federal capital. The city and Territory were formed to provide a site for Australia’s capital. The city was designed by architect Walter Burley Griffin, and has many impressive buildings housing government and national centres.
Parliament House, built on the rise of Capital Hill, is the focal point of the entire city. It is open for viewing by the public so you can take the opportunity to observe Australian politics in action, and appreciate the Australian art which is featured throughout the building.
As well as the major federal government departments, Canberra is also home to significant cultural centres such as the National Gallery of Australia, which has the largest collection of modern art in the southern hemisphere. There is also the National Library, and the Australian Film and Television Archives, which shows the history of Australia's film, television and radio industries, dating from 1890.
The National Science and Technology Centre, Questacon, is also based in Canberra and is Australia’s leading interactive science and technology centre. The centre aims to promote a better understanding and awareness of science and technology within the community and does so through over 200 exhibits and various live shows on a broad range of fascinating topics.
Natural attractions are also close by. The Snowy Mountains are located within two hours drive and offer a range of skiing, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding and horse riding activities. The beautiful coastline of New South Wales is an easy drive away, along with the bigger city offerings of Sydney.
New South Wales
Sydney is the capital of New South Wales. It is the largest as well as the oldest city in Australia, since it was here that the pioneers first settled. You can even visit Captain Cook’s landing place at Botany Bay, where the first boats arrived.
Take one of the ferries across Sydney Harbour and enjoy the spectacular views. There are lots of interesting places to get off and explore. One such place is Manly a popular beach town with a relaxed atmosphere, clear swimming water, shops, cafés and accommodation.
You can also get off and visit Taronga Zoo, which is open every day of the year. See animals from Australia and around the world against breathtaking views of the harbour and a scenic landscape. Another attraction is the Sydney Opera House, famous for its unique architecture and beautiful location. Crossing the harbour and linking the two sides of the city is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which offers exciting walking and climbing opportunities and fantastic sights of the city. You can take amazing photos to send home to show friends and family what they are missing!
As you would expect from Australia’s largest and oldest city, Sydney offers plenty of entertainment options. You will find markets to explore, along with bars, clubs, restaurants, karaoke bars, and many other exciting places. Sydney also hosts a world-famous mardi gras each year—this is a city that knows how to party!
Once you leave Sydney, country New South Wales has much to offer. The Blue Mountains is a popular day trip, offering spectacular mountain views, bushland and native wildlife. You will also find cafés, restaurants, art galleries, craft shops and many other stores, along with a wide range of outdoor activities such as horse riding, golf, bushwalking and fishing. If you wish to stay in the mountains there are plenty of accommodation options available, ranging from backpacker hostels to five-star resorts.
The Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s major wine-producing regions, offers wonderful scenery, gourmet foods and distinctive wines. Close by is Newcastle, which is the state’s second largest city, and, like Sydney, is built around a large harbour. Newcastle is a popular destination for both visitors and students. Close to Sydney, it offers an attractive lifestyle with its large port, beautiful beaches, surfing, fishing, and entertainment opportunities.
A short drive south of Sydney is the thriving city of Wollongong, surrounded by lush green valleys and beautiful ocean beaches. Further south is prime dairy country such as the Bega Valley, with lots of opportunities for cheese tasting.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory can be divided into two regions: the tropical Top End and the desert Red Centre. The two regions have completely different landscapes and climates, but both offer unique attractions which you won’t find anywhere else.
Darwin is the Northern Territory’s capital city and is situated in the Top End. It is the entry point to the attractions of the Top End and offers plenty of entertainment such as outdoor markets, pubs, bars, shops and restaurants.
Around Darwin and in various other locations in the Territory are natural outdoor hot springs where you can enjoy the luxury of soaking in the warm water for as long as you want—there’s no risk of the water going cold here! The Northern Territory is home to Australia’s largest ‘bathtub’, the Mataranka Thermal Pool. Surrounded by beautiful palm and paperbark trees, a soak in this bathtub is a very relaxing experience.
Within two hours drive of Darwin is Litchfield National Park, a popular area offering scenic walks, swimming holes, picnic areas, and other natural attractions. There are also camping grounds so you can enjoy a longer stay and explore the whole park.
Another famous feature of the Northern Territory is the world heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. Covering around 20 000 km2 this park is world famous for the almost unbelievable beauty of its scenery, and the amazing variety of wildlife it supports.
Heading down towards Central Australia you pass through Katherine, the gateway to Katherine Gorge, a spectacular setting featuring a large river with rugged cliff walls on each side. You can walk alongside the river and enjoy the diverse plant and animal life, or paddle a canoe to enjoy the views from the river itself.
In the Red Centre the main town is Alice Springs, a good base from which to explore the unique scenery of Central Australia. In the middle of the desert, surrounded by red sand, this town is an oasis, with great shopping, entertainment and accommodation. For access to the natural wonders in the area there are many tour operators, or you can hire a car. Attractions include Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) which is world famous for its size and majesty and for the spectacular Olgas and Kings Canyon, both of which offer landscapes and sights that make the travel worthwhile.
Queensland
Known as the 'Sunshine State', Queensland is Australia's second largest state. Its capital city, Brisbane, has a population of around 1.8 million people and is located in the sub-tropical south-eastern corner of the state. The city is situated about 30 km from the coast, on the bank of the Brisbane River, and has experienced significant growth and development in the past ten years.
Recent city expansion means that there are now even more shopping, eating and entertainment options available. There is a wide range of markets to explore each weekend, all of which are outdoors due to the warm climate. There is also a thriving arts scene. This is a city with a lot to offer.
For fun in the sun, there are a number of islands close by where you can relax and enjoy some water activities. These include Moreton Island, North and South Stradbroke Islands, Bribie Island and St Helena Island.
Just an hour south-east of Brisbane is one of the most famous stretches of beach in the world—the Gold Coast. This area, which includes Surfers Paradise, takes advantage of what nature has so generously provided, which is miles of golden sand, surf beaches and warm water. It is now one of the world’s major tourist destinations and attracts countless visitors—both domestic and international—for the scenery and the party atmosphere.
Still on the Queensland coast, but around 1500 km north of the Gold Coast is Cairns, now one of Australia's busiest international centres, and the main destination from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef. This world heritage-listed natural wonder stretches over 2500 km and is the largest coral reef in the world.
South Australia
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia, and is known for its relaxed lifestyle and beautiful park surroundings. The small city is situated beside the Torrens River. It offers lots of attractions with a large food-lovers market (called Central Market), beautiful city beaches, museums, art galleries, shopping and much more. To help you explore, there is the ‘Hip Guide to Adelaide’, a pocket sized publication of the most popular places to go out, eat, and shop.
South Australia is known as the Festival State. It hosts festivals for arts, wine, food and music throughout the year. The music festival WOMADelaide is held in Adelaide each year. Featuring musicians from around the world it is a not-to-be-missed event. South Australia also hosts international car races, golf tournaments, cycling tours, and more.
Just 20 minutes from the city are the Adelaide Hills an excellent destination for a day or weekend trip. The hills are known as ‘Adelaide’s pantry’ due to the extensive variety of fresh produce, such as fresh fruit and cheeses, which come from the region. You can visit the market gardens nestled between areas of scenic Australian bushland.
North of Adelaide is the Barossa Valley which produces over half of Australia’s wine. A large number of German immigrants settled in this area in the 1840s and their fascinating history can be explored through the local museum, the architecture, and the food on offer.
Another famous export from South Australia is its opals. The largest opal supply town is Coober Pedy, which is a fascinating place to visit, not just for the insight it provides into opal mining and the opportunity to buy opals direct from the source, but for its surprising living arrangements. Due to the heat of the area many residents have built their homes underground. There are examples of this interesting form of architecture open for display. You can even choose to stay in the underground accommodation available.
Another outback attraction of South Australia is the Flinders Ranges. Apart from the large numbers of native animals that can be seen here, the ranges also provide a unique example of the rugged beauty that defines outback Australia. There are three national parks in the area making it easily accessible.
Tasmania
Tasmania, the Island State, is located south of Victoria and is separated from mainland Australia by the Bass Strait. Tasmania is easily accessible from the mainland with daily flights and ferry services. Those who choose to travel by ferry even have the option of taking a car.
Tasmania’s capital city, Hobart, has a population of just over 200 000 people. The whole of Tasmania is renowned for the beauty of its surrounds and Hobart is no exception. The beautiful Derwent River surrounds the city, which is overlooked by the stunning peak of Mount Wellington. Historic Hobart has the atmosphere and charm of a small town whilst still offering all the conveniences of a capital city. It also marks the finish line of the internationally famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
The Tasmanian landscape is famous for its natural beauty, much of which is protected by law. Across the state visitors can enjoy stunning scenery from tall granite peaks, to lush fertile valleys, untouched beaches and coastal dunes. Due to the island’s size, the many attractions are easily accessible without days of travel making the state very popular for pushbike tours and bushwalking treks.
Victoria
Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and is Australia’s second largest city with a population of over 3.6 million people. It is a vibrant city regarded as Australia’s cultural centre. Melbourne is also famous for its café culture, public gardens, architecture, and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Getting to and around the city is easy with Melbourne’s modern transport system that includes trams, trains, buses, and taxis.
Many people are attracted to this bustling city for its sporting events, such as the Australian Open international tennis tournament, the Australian Grand Prix and Australian Rules football. In addition, throughout the year there are a variety of cultural events featuring a wide assortment of music, food, and performance activities. During summer there are outdoor street festivals where visitors can enjoy local entertainers, foods and crafts. Melbourne also has many theatres and galleries, as well as many markets to explore, both in the city and throughout rural Victoria.
Melbourne has a wide variety of entertainment options and is famous for its restaurants, cafés, pubs, and the diversity of live music that can be enjoyed. There are bars, nightclubs, karaoke bars, cinemas, and bowling alleys, and all the forms of entertainment that you would expect from a large cosmopolitan city.
Victoria is one of the smaller states, which means that it is easy to explore. Only an hour away from Melbourne is the popular waterfront city of Geelong. Within a day trip of Melbourne are the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, which both feature popular beaches and picturesque towns. Further afield is the spectacular scenery of the Great Ocean Road. Stretching for over 300 km, the Great Ocean Road boasts beautiful snaking coastline and stunning beaches including the world-famous Bells Beach surf beach.
Still on the coast but in the opposite direction from Melbourne is Phillip Island, where visitors can see the very popular fairy penguins (officially called little penguins). Further along the coast is Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia’s largest marine national park popular with hikers and famous for its beautiful natural scenery.
Western Australia
Western Australia’s capital city is Perth, which has a population approaching 1.5 million. It boasts more hours of sunshine than any other Australian city and is also known for the beauty of its beaches and the large number of outdoor activities on offer.
The city itself has an extensive range of shops, restaurants, accommodation, cinemas, and other entertainment opportunities. Kings Park and Botanic Gardens offer residents and visitors beautiful gardens and native bushland, and breathtaking views over Perth. Running through the city is the Swan River, adding to the number of water-based and outdoor activities that are available at the city’s beaches.
Just south of Perth is Fremantle, renowned for its exciting yet easy and relaxed lifestyle. This multicultural city is famous for its markets, shopping, food and dining, bars, entertainment, and art galleries. It is easily accessible by train from Perth and is a very popular New Years Eve location.
A short ferry ride away is Rottnest Island. This beautiful island boasts not only stunning beaches but also one of Australia’s many amazing animals. The quokka is a small marsupial found nowhere else in the world! Adding to the peaceful atmosphere on Rottnest is the fact that no cars are allowed on the island so, whether it is for a day trip or a longer stay, visitors explore the island by pushbike or tour bus.
Also nearby is Penguin Island which, as the name suggests, is home to a colony of fairy penguins. The island is situated in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, about 44 km south of Perth.
One of Western Australia’s most popular destinations is the renowned Margaret River region. Famous for its world-class wineries and gourmet restaurants, the region also boasts boutique beer breweries, olive groves, and freshwater crayfish farms, not to mention chocolate and fudge factories! The area also has a number of great art and craft galleries, and amazing natural attractions including caves, stunning beaches, and beautiful natural forest.
For those willing to explore further, there are many other great places to discover in Western Australia. Depending on the time of year, visitors can view whales, seals, sea lions, dolphins and turtles from various locations on the coastline. Western Australia is also known as the Wildflower State due to its spectacular display of wildflowers from July to November. The Western Australian outback (remote, country areas) also offers numerous gorges visited for their natural rugged beauty and wonderful swimming holes.
