Australia From Wikitravel Capital

Canberra, ACT

Government Parliamentary democracy (federal constitutional monarchy) Currency

Australian Dollar (AUD$)

Area 7,686,850 km2 Population

21,234,176 (July 2007 est.)

Language

English

Australia is the only country that has a whole continent itself. World famous for its natural wonders and wide open spaces, its beaches, deserts, "the bush", and "the Outback", Australia is actually one of the world's most highly urbanised countries. It is also well known for the cosmopolitan attractions of its large cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. [edit] Understand [edit] Geography

Australia is the world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; it's slightly smaller than the 48 contiguous United States. The highly urbanised population is heavily concentrated along the eastern and south-eastern coasts. Australia is bordered on the northwest, west, and southwest by the Indian Ocean, and on the east by the South Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea lies to the southeast, separating it from New Zealand, while the Great Barrier Reef lies to the northeast. Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Indonesia are Australia's northern neighbours, separated from Australia by the Arafura Sea and the Timor Sea.

Australia is mostly arid and semi-arid: the centre is desert and much agricultural land is poor quality by the standards of continents with richer soil. The south east is temperate and the north tropical. Australia was massively deforested for agricultural purposes: forest areas survive in extensive national parks and some other areas.

Australia is prone to severe drought and water restrictions are currently in place in some areas, however these shouldn't affect travellers as they mostly relate to watering gardens and washing cars.

As a large continent a wide variation of climates are found across Australia. The north is hot and tropical, while the south east corner has a much cooler Mediterranean temperate climate. Western Tasmania has a climate similar to England, although Tasmania's capital Hobart is the second driest Australian capital. Temperatures in some southern regions can drop below freezing in winter.

As Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the timing of the seasons is reversed with respect to Europe and North America. In other words, June-August is winter in Australia while December-February is summer, the seasons start at the beginning of the months rather than on the solstices. So Christmas actually falls in the summer in Australia, instead of in winter like in North America or Europe.

Australia has an area of 7,682,300 square kilometres (2,966,152 sq mi) and most Australians live on the coast. Many travellers underestimate the enormous distances between cities and towns. [edit] History

The continent of Australia was first settled more than 40,000 years ago with successive waves of immigration of Aboriginal peoples from south and south-east Asia. With rising sea levels after the last Ice Age, Australia became largely isolated from the rest of the world and the Aboriginal tribes developed a variety of cultures, based on a close (spiritual) relationship with the land and nature, and extended kinship. Australian aborigines maintained a hunter/gatherer culture for thousands of years in association with a complex artistic and cultural life - including a very rich 'story-telling' tradition. While the 'modern impression' of Australian Aborigines 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), Australia provided a 'comfortable living' for the bulk of aborigines amongst the bountiful flora and fauna on the Australian coast until the arrival of Europeans.

Although a lucrative Chinese market for shells and beche de mere had encouraged Indonesian fishermen to visit Northern Australia for centuries it was unknown to Europeans until the 1600's, when Dutch traders to Asia began to 'bump' into the Western Coast. Early Dutch impressions of this extremely harsh, dry country were unfavourable, and Australia remained for them something simply a road sign pointing north to the much richer (and lucrative) East Indies (modern Indonesia). Deliberate exploration of the Australian coast was then largely taken over by the French and the British. Consequently place names of bays, headlands and rivers around the coastline reflect a range of Dutch, French, British, and Aboriginal languages.

In 1770, the expedition of the Endeavour under the command of Captain James Cook navigated and charted the east coast of Australia, making first landfall at Botany Bay on 29 Apr 1770. Cook continued northwards, and before leaving put ashore on Possession Island in the Torres Strait off Cape York on 22 Aug 1770. Here he formally claimed the eastern coastline he had discovered for the British Crown, naming it New South Wales. Given that Cook's discoveries would lead to the first European settlement of Australia, he is often popularly conceived as its European discoverer, although he had been preceded by more than 160 years.

Following the exploration period, the first wave of British settlers came to Australia in 1788, starting a process of colonization that almost entirely displaced the Aboriginal people who inhabited the land. This reduced indigenous populations drastically and marginalized them to the fringes of society.

While Australia began its modern history as a British penal colony, the vast majority of people who came to Australia after 1788 were free settlers, mainly from Britain and Ireland, but also from other European countries. Convict settlements were along the east coast, Adelaide (settled in 1836) and Perth being settled by free settlers. Many Asian and Eastern European people also came to Australia in the 1850s, during the Gold Rush that started Australia's first resource boom. Although such diverse immigration diminished greatly during the xenophobic years of the White Australia policy, Australia welcomed a successive series of immigration from Europe, the Mediterranean and later Asia to formulate a highly diverse and multicultural society by the late 20th century.

The system of separate colonies federated to form an independent country in 1901, each colony now becoming a state of Australia. The new country was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and made a proportionally huge contribution (considering its small size of population) to the Allied war effort in World Wars I and II. Australian troops also made a valuable, if sometimes controversial, contribution to the wars in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. Australian Diggers retain a reputation as some of the hardest fighting troops along with a great social spirit.

Long-term Australian concerns include salinity, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Government in Australia is based on a federal system (with States and a National Governments) similar to the USA, but these Governments follow a British model, with two elected houses (similar to the US House and Senate) with an unelected representative of the Queen of The United Kingdom in the (notionally powerless) executive position 'above' the parliament. A referendum to change Australia's status to a republic was narrowly defeated in 1999, largely due to a split between those seeking a directly elected President (the majority) and those who believed the President should be elected by the Government. Demand for another vote was discouraged by the then conservative Government, but it is likely to resurface following a change of government in late 2007.

Most of the population is concentrated in the south-east of the country, to the east of the Great Dividing Range. This is because the inland and western areas of the country are at best semi-habitable desert, known as the Outback. The most-inhabited states are Victoria and New South Wales, but by far the largest in land area is Western Australia. [edit] Culture

Modern culture of Australia largely reflects its British origins; Anglo Australians are very protective of their culture and country. Australia has a large multicultural population from various nations and practicing almost every religion and lifestyle. Over one-fifth of Australians were born to immigrant parents, and there are approximately half a million Australians of Aboriginal descent.

Broadly speaking, Australian culture closely resembles that of the United Kingdom. Notwithstanding increased migration from all corners of the globe, 93% of the population is of Anglo-Saxon origin (or rather, Anglo-Celt, there was substantial Irish migration during the early years of white settlement). Contrary to popular mythology, white Australians are descended just as much from free settlers rather than convicts,

who even during the years of transportation outnumbered convict migrants by at least five to one.

Australian English was once known for its colour and colloquialisms but has lost a great deal of this to outside influence, although people in rural areas still tend to speak in a broader accent, using many of the slang words that have become outmoded in metropolitan areas. There is very little provincialism in Australia and although there are a few subtle regional accents.

Australians can be socially conservative compared to some European cultures, and most resemble Canadians or New Zealanders in their political outlook. They tend to be relaxed in their religious observance. While the mythic Australian sense egalitarianism has declined in economic terms, modes of address still tend to be casual and familiar compared to some other cultures. Most Australians irrespective of socioeconomic status will tend to address you by your first name and will expect that you do the same to them.

The most multicultural cities are Melbourne and Sydney. Both cities are renowned for the variety and quality of global foods available in their many restaurants, and Melbourne especially promotes itself as a centre for the arts. Smaller rural settlements might still reflect a majority Anglo-Celtic monoculture (often with a small Aboriginal population), however virtually every large Australian city and town reflects the immigration from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific that occurred after World War II and continued into the 1970s; in the half century after the war, Australia's population boomed from roughly 7 million to just over 20 million people. Salaried Australians have four weeks of annual leave every year. There is no fixed time to take it, but many take the three working days between Christmas and New Year and the following week. Domestic tourism is strongest during January and the Easter school holidays. Services – tourism, education, financial services. The service industry accounts for the majority of the Australian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – about 69%. Within the service sector, tourism is one of the most important industries in Australia, as it provides employment, contributes $73 billion to the economy each year and accounts for at least 11% of total exports.

Agriculture is yet another significant part of the Australian economy, accounting for about 3% of the GDP, although historically it was far more important, representing 80% of the GDP as recently as the 1950s. [edit] Time around Australia

Australia has three different time zones during winter and five during summer due to some states observing the practice of daylight saving (summer time). New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia observe daylight saving from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April. While Western Australia observes daylight saving from the last Sunday of October to the last Sunday of March. Queensland and the Northern Territory do not observe the practice of daylight saving (summer time).

New South Wales is Australia's most populous state. The Harbour City of Sydney is Australia's largest, most international city. The coast of New South Wales is lined with beachside communities, each one offering experiences for the traveller. A little inland are the mountain ranges of the Blue Mountains, and the purpose built capital city of Canberra, excised from New South Wales. Futher inland still expect sweeping plains, turning from agriculture to desert the further inland you venture. Northern Territory (NT) From the red deserts surrounding Uluru and Alice Springs up to the tropics of Darwin and Kakadu the Northern Territory is stunning beautful, and easier to access then you might think. Queensland (QLD) Famous for its sunny warm weather, Queensland has offers coastal exploration from the vibe of the Gold Coast to the tropics of the Great Barrier Reef. It also is home to tropical rainforests of the Daintree National Park, and the island resorts of the Whitsundays. Inland lies the ranges of the hinterland, and further on the vast expanses and beauty of outback Australia. South Australia (SA) Renowned for the fine wines of the Barossa Valley, the beauty of the Flinders Ranges and the outback, and the beaches and events and culture of the City of Churches, Adelaide. Tasmania (TAS) Separated from the mainland by Bass Strait, Tasmania has rugged beauty of Cradle Mountain and the west, the beaches of the east, and the complete wilderness of the south. Hobart was the site of the second European settlment in Australia, and many historic sites are well preseved. The island has well developed facilities for travellers. Victoria (VIC) Small, vibrant and with something for everyone. With dramatic surf beaches along the southwest and central coast, green rolling farmland, and extensive national parks the diversity of rural Victoria is easy to access. Australia's and Victoria's shopping, fashion and food capital is Melbourne. Western Australia (WA) A vast state. The south-west contains state capital and major city of Perth closely surrounded by the wildflower, wine growing and scenic destinations of the Margaret River and Albany. North to the tropics and the beachside desination of Broome. Small townships, roadhouses, mining communities and national parks scattered around the long distances between.

Cities Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House

* Canberra - the purpose-built national capital of Australia

* Adelaide - the City of Churches, a relaxed South Australian alternative to the big eastern cities * Brisbane - sun-drenched capital of Queensland and gateway to beautiful sandy beaches. * Cairns - gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands, Daintree National Park, and many beautiful beaches and resorts. A great place for people to getaway to and relax. * Darwin - Australia's smallest and northern-most capital, at the top of the Northern Territory * Hobart - small and quiet capital of Tasmania * Melbourne - Australia's second largest city and the nation's first capital city. Melbourne is a large sporting and cultural capital, known as a shopping destination in Australia. Melbourne is regarded as Australia's most European city in style. * Perth - the most remote continental capital city on earth, on the south-western edge of Western Australia * Sydney - Australia's oldest and largest city, famous for its picturesque harbour. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales

Other cities can be found under their respective state articles. [edit] Other destinations

* The Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast are the beachside and national park playgrounds, north and south of Brisbane.

* The Great Barrier Reef is off the coast of Queensland, very accessible from Cairns.

* Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), rock formations located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory.

* Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.

The Great Ocean Road is a spectacular coastal drive in Victoria past many scenic icons including the 12 Apostles. Get around

Australia is huge but sparsely populated. By land area it is the world's sixth biggest country, but the population of the entire country is only comparable to that of the Seoul or Mexico City metropolitan area. This means that great distances separate its cities and after leaving one city, you can sometimes expect to travel for hours before finding the next trace of civilization.

It is almost impossible to predict your travel time just by knowing the distance. Seek local advice for the best route, and how much time to allow. Averaging 100km/h or more is possible on some realatively minor highways when they are straight and there are few towns. On other national highways that traverse mountain ranges and constantly travel through small towns, averaging 60km/h can be a challenge.

While major highways are well serviced, anyone leaving sealed roads anywhere in inland Australia is advised to take advice from locals, carry sufficient spare fuel, spare parts, spare tires, matches, food and water (minimum 4-5 litres per person per day). Some of these roads might see one car per month (or less). It is common to hire a satellite phone (cellular coverage does not extend to many remote areas) in case of emergency. The carrying of an EPIRB is also advised when travelling in rural and remote areas. Local police stations would prefer that you call in and say hello and give them your itinerary, but they will not automatically start looking for you if you don't report in. It is the best idea to advise a friend or relative of your itinerary and let them know to alert authorities if you do not contact them within a reasonable amount of time after your scheduled arrival at your destination. It is not unusual for people stranded in remote areas to wait for a week or more before being rescued (if they are lucky enough that anyone notices they are missing). Heat and dehydration at any time of year can kill you rapidly. If stranded, stay with your vehicle and do what you can to improve your visibility from the air. Do not take this advice lightly, even Australians die out there. If you do have to abandon your car (say you breakdown and then get a lift), call in quickly to the local police station, to avoid the embarrassment and cost of a search being started for you.

The long-distance rail services that do exist are mainly used to link regional townships with the state capital, such as Bendigo to Melbourne, or Cairns to Brisbane. In Queensland, a high speed train operates between Brisbane to Rockhampton and Brisbane to Cairns. Queensland also has passenger services to inland centres including Longreach (The Spirit of the Outback), Mount Isa (The Inlander), Charleville (The Westlander) and Forsayth (The Savannahlander). There are also inter-city train services operated by Great Southern Railways on the routes Melbourne-Adelaide (The Overland), Sydney-Adelaide-Perth (Indian Pacific), Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin (The Ghan) however as noted above, these are not "high speed" services, so if you do not enjoy train travel as part of your holiday in its own right then this is probably not for you.

Tasmania has no passenger rail services. The Northern Territory has the rail line linking Darwin to Adelaide through Alice Springs only, and the Australian Capital Territory has only a single railway station close to the centre of Canberra. [edit] Long distance train operators

[edit] Wildlife Australian flora and fauna is essentially 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.

* Wildlife parks and zoos are in every capital city, but also check out the animal parks if you are passing through smaller towns, like Mildura or Mogo, or staying on Hamilton Island. See the Warrawong Fauna Sanctuary if you are in South Australia, or visit the koalas with best view in the world, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

* In the wild. You can see the emus, kangaroos and wallabies in many of Australia's national parks. Wombats and Echidna are also common, but harder to find. You won't see any Kangaroos hopping down the street in Central Sydney, but you will see some not too far from the centre of the nation's capital

* One of the best places to see koalas in the wild is the Otway Coast, on the Great Ocean Road, in southern Australia, in the state of Victoria. The Otway Coast is abut 2 hours drive from Melbourne and the large wild koala population is visible in all the small townships and national parks along the coast. The koala habitat in this region is protected thus making it an ideal environment for growth of the koala population, unlike many other parts of Australia where koala populations are dwindling.

* There are tour companies around Australia that offer tours to see many of these unique creatures in their natural habitat such as NatureTour Australia [33]

[edit] Landmarks

Australia has many landmarks, famous the world over. From Uluru in the red centre, to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in Sydney. [edit] The unusual

[edit] Sports

Weekend sport is an integral part of the Australian culture from the capital cities to country towns.

* In the winter in Victoria Aussie Rules is more than just a sport, it is a way of life. Catch a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. * The Australian Open, one of the tennis Grand Slams, is played annually in Melbourne. Or the Medibank International in Sydney Olympic Park in January.

* Catch a rugby union Super-14 game, with teams playing from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in Brisbane, during winter.

* Soccer is a small event by European standards, but there is still an Australia and New Zealand competition, with games played weekly during the summer.

[edit][add listing] Do * in the surf. Australia has seemingly endless sandy beaches. Follow the crowds to the world famous Bondi Beach in Sydney, or Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. Or find a stretch all for yourself. The surf is smaller and warmer in the Tropical North, where the reef breaks the swell, and larger are colder in the south with waves rolling in from the Southern Ocean. (And yes, in the middle it is just right). * in calm tropical oceans. Cable Beach in Broome is swept pristine daily by the tide, has perfect sand, and warm water - go in winter. * in thermal pools. South of Darwin there are many natural thermal pools, surrounded by palms and tropical foliage. The most expensive resort in the world couldn't dream of making a pool this good. * in freshwater lakes. Inland Australia tends to be dry, but there freshwater lakes where you would least expect them. Explore inland of Cairns at the Atherton Tablelands, or head outback to the Currawinya National Park. * in rivers. If its hot, and there is water, there will be a place to swim. Wherever you are, just ask around for the favourite swimming spot, with a waterhole and rope to swing on. * in man-made pools. The local swimming pool is often the hub of community life on a summer Sunday in the country towns of New South Wales and Victoria. Many of the beachside suburbs of Sydney have man made rock pools for swimming by the ocean beaches.

* just Sun Baking. Find your spot by the water, and get out the towel. Tropical north in the winter, down south in the summer.

[edit] Diving

* Snorkelling take a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef, or to the rocks off Byron Bay, or just dive in off the beach to see the tropical fish in Bundaberg. * Scuba Diving

[edit] Sports

* Golf

* Rock Climbing

* Mountain Biking. Try the trails in the Snowy Mountains or black mountain in Canberra, or cycle for days along the Munda Biddi Mountain Bike trail in Western Australia.

[edit] Ski

* Skiing. 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.

See Winter sports in Australia [edit] Thrill Activities

* Sky Diving, all around Australia * Hot Air Ballooning, in Canberra or in the Red Centre.

[edit] Gamble

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.

* Casinos. Crown Casino in Melbourne is Australia's largest, nicely located at Southbank, but there are others scattered in every capital city. * Day at the races. All capital cities have horse racing every weekend, with on-track and off-track betting available, they are usually family occasions, and fashion and being seen are part of the event. Just about every pub in New South Wales will have a TAB, where you can place a bet without leaving your chair. Greyhound racing and trotting happens in the evenings, usually with smaller crowds, more beer, and less fashion. Smaller country towns have race meetings every few months or even annually. These are real events for the local communities, and see the smaller towns come to life. Head outback to the Birdsville races, or if you find the streets deserted it is probably ten past three on the first Tuesday in November (the running of the Melbourne cup). * The unusual. The lizard races, cane toad races, camel races, crab races. Betting on these races is totally illegal, and at you will find the TIB (Totally Illegal Betting) around the back of the shed in at the annual guinea pig races at Grenfell. * Two up. If you are around for Anzac Day (25th April), then betting on coins thrown into the air will be happening at your local RSL club, wherever you are.

[edit] Talk

Expect everyone in the tourist industries, hotels and retail industries, and almost every other Australian, to speak English. English is by far the dominant language spoken by Australians and British English spellings are used generally. It is the only language used in the school curriculum, and generally the only Australians who are not fluent English speakers are older people who immigrated as adults.

There is no single commonly used second language. Australians commonly do not have a fluent second language unless they are educated or part of a family who immigrated recently. It is fairly rare to find signs in a second language, except in urban areas with a high population of Asian immigrants and students, where signs and restaurant menus in Vietnamese and Chinese are a common sight; and also around Cairns in tropical Queensland where some signs (but not road signs) are written in Japanese, due to the large number of Japanese tourists. Some warning signs at beaches are written in several foreign languages. As Australia has a large number of immigrants, there are a number of minority languages spoken by a sizable number of Australians including (but not limited to) Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian and Greek.

Travellers accustomed to North American accents may have a little trouble understanding some Australians. Australian slang should not present a problem for tourists except possibly in some isolated outback areas. As with other regional accents a few words and euphemisms that are considered offensive in the US are common vernacular in Australian speech.

Visitors who do not speak basic English will find communicating in Australia difficult, and should do some advance planning. There are some tour companies who specialize in offering package deals for Australian tours complete with guides who speak particular languages, and non-English speaking travellers might find this easier. [edit][add listing] Buy

Australian prices are equivalent to other first world countries in North America, Western Europe or Japan. A basic meal would cost anywhere from $5-15 and prices can easily rocket up to hundreds of dollars in the most expensive restaurants. Backpackers should budget around $100 a day to be safe and the cheapest accommodation available in large cities would be in the region of $30-50 per night, though you would have to share a bathroom and bedroom with other people. [edit] Currency

Australian currency is known as the dollar, and the currency symbol is $. There are 100 cents in every dollar. The dollar is called 'the Australian dollar' usually written as 'AUD' when it is necessary to distinguish it from the currencies of other countries that call their currency 'the dollar'.

The dollar is not pegged to any other currency, and is a highly traded currency on world foreign exchange markets, particularly by currency speculators. Its exchange

value to other currencies can be quite volatile, and 1-2% changes in a day are reasonably regular occurances.

No other currency is commonly accepted for transactions in Australia. Some businesses in international terminals of some airports may accept some other currencies (US dollars, British pounds, Euros, and possibly NZ dollars).

The coin denominations are 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2. The note denominations are $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. Australian notes are produced in plastic polymer rather than paper.

If the total of a transaction is not a multiple of 5 cents the amount will be rounded to the nearest five cents if you are paying in cash. The exact amount will be charged if paying by credit or debit card.

Moneychangers in most Australian airports and banks charge a fee of anywhere from $5-$10 depending on the amount. A no-commission moneychanger can be found in most Australian capital cities. [edit] Cash

Cash dispensing Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are available in almost every Australian town. Australian ATMs are deregulated and may impose a surcharge over what is charged by your bank or card issuer. The fees can very between institutions and between locations. The ATM must display the charges either on-screen or on a visible sticker by the ATM. The charges will be displayed and you will have the option to stop the transaction before you are charged. Check with your bank as to what additional fees they apply to withdrawals in Australia.

Dedicated currency exchange outlets are widely available in major cities, and banks can also exchange most non-restricted currencies. These exchange outlets - especially the ones at the airport - can charge 10% over the best exchange that can be obtained from shopping around. Australian banks usually offer an exchange rate around 2.5% from the current exchange midpoint. A flat commission of $5-8 can be charged on top. Some outlets advertise commission free exchange, usually accompanied by a worse rate of exchange. Don't assume every bank will offer the same exchange. A simple calculation will let you know what offers the best deal for amount you wish to exchange. There are vouchers for commission free exchange at American Express available in the tourist brochure at Sydney Airport.

There is also no need to arrive in Australia with cash if you have a Cirrus, Maestro, MasterCard or Visa card: international airport terminals will have multiple teller machines that can dispense Australian currency without the hefty commissions of the exchanges.