Australia

Overview

There is nowhere else quite like Australia , nicknamed the Land Down Under , the only country that has a whole continent to itself. With Indigenous cultures that go back over 65,000 years and truly global immigration in modern times, the country is famous for its natural wonders, wide open spaces, beaches, deserts, "the bush", and "the Outback ". However, it is also highly urbanised, with an array of cosmopolitan cities – the largest and most famous being Sydney , situated on one of the most famous harbours in the world.

Aboriginal people have been living in Australia for at least 65,000 years. They arrived in successive waves from South and Southeast Asia . With rising sea levels after the last Ice Age, Australia became largely isolated from the rest of the world and the Aboriginal groups developed a variety of cultures, based on a close spiritual relationship with the land and nature, and extended kinship. For thousands of years Australian Aboriginal people maintained a hunter-gatherer culture, or (in some areas) a semi-sedentary culture, in association with a complex artistic and cultural life, including a very rich tradition of story and song.

The modern impression of Australian Aboriginal people is largely built around an image of the "desert people" who have adapted to some of the harshest conditions on the planet (equivalent to the bushmen of the Kalahari), but many others lived in forested and well-watered regions. Australia provided a comfortable living for the bulk of the Aboriginal people among the bountiful flora and fauna on the Australian coast – until the arrival of Europeans.

Places to explore

Australia is composed of six states and nine territories. Visiting all at once would be nearly impossible, as the states in Australia are much much larger than the states in the United States and are more comparable in size to provinces in Canada – with almost 5,000 km (3,100 mi) separating Brisbane and Shark Bay, the country is vast, about the distance from Madrid to Murmansk, Cairo to Nairobi or Maine to California.

There are many uninhabited islands including the Coral Sea Islands , some islands of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , the Ashmore and Cartier Islands as well as the remote Antarctic islands of Heard Island and McDonald Islands and Macquarie Island .

Sights and landscapes

Australian flora and fauna is unique to the island continent, the result of having been isolated from the rest of the world for millions of years. Amongst Australian animals are a large group of marsupials (mammals with a pouch) and monotremes (mammals that lay eggs). Just some of the animal icons of Australia are the kangaroo (national symbol) and the koala. A visit to Australia would not be complete without taking the chance to see some of these animals in their natural environment.

Much of Australia's modern history was as a penal colony for convicts from the United Kingdom, and there are many historical sites that still stand as a reminder of the days of convict transportation. Perhaps the most famous of these sites are Port Arthur in Tasmania and Fremantle Prison in Fremantle , located near Perth , Western Australia . There are also many other sites scattered throughout the country.

Small Australian towns have a tradition of making big sculptures as landmarks. See Big things in Australia . Australia has thousands of heritage-registered sites, with 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites . Australia may not be a very religious country, but there are some churches that are well-known architectural landmarks. Some examples include St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney and St. Peter's Cathedral in Adelaide .

Experiences

Bushwalking is a popular Australian activity. You can go bushwalking in the many national parks and rainforests. Some areas also have guided bush walks by the local Aboriginal people, and these are an excellent opportunity to learn about their history and culture.

Australia is not a premier worldwide destination for skiing, and its relatively low mountains mean that snow can be unpredictable. Nevertheless, if you are there during (southern) winter months then New South Wales and Victoria have well developed ski facilities. Tasmania can also have skiing for a few months of the year, given the right weather.

If you think Australia is the most unpopulated and most remote place on earth where you can go to escape any trace of human contact, just find a good surf break in the most remote corner of Australia and you will be guaranteed to find someone surfing it. Australians love to surf and wherever there is surf there are Aussie surfers, any time and under any conditions. Virtually every coastline, except along the top end from Cairns across to Karatha has surf and surfers there to ride it.

It has been said that if there are two flies crawling up a wall, then you just need to look around to find the Aussie who will be running a book.

Culture and food

Australian cuisine is hard to pin down: in this nation of immigrants, restaurants claiming to offer it are few and far between, and the word tends to either evoke meat-and-three-veg British stodge or tourist-trap restaurants hawking kangaroo burgers and crocodile kebabs. Yet with amazing local produce, influences from cuisines from all over the world, and an exciting Modern Australian food scene awaiting those not afraid to experiment, there are plenty of incredible eats and drinks to be found.

There is no shortage of places to eat out in the cities and towns. In addition to good restaurants offering cuisine from around the world, there are also the following:

Planning your route

Australia is huge but sparsely populated over much of its area and is larger than the contiguous U.S. You can sometimes travel many hours before finding the next trace of civilization, especially once you leave the south-eastern coastal fringe.

There are restrictions on carrying fruit and vegetables (including honey) between states, and special agricultural quarantine zones within states that have additional restrictions. If you are driving over 100-150 km outside large metropolitan areas or interstate, or flying between states, don't stock up on fruit and vegetables. Check the Australian Interstate Quarantine website for details.

Australia has a generally well-maintained system of roads and highways, and cars are a commonly used method of transport. While public transportation is fairly reliable in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and SE Queensland, having a car is preferable, or in some cases essential, to get around anywhere else.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.