Australia:

Sydney boasts one of the finest natural harbours in the world, comprising sandstone headlands, white sandy beaches and endless surf. Melbourne's Victorian grace and easygoing charm belies a dynamic city that hosts the nation's premier sporting and cultural events. Brisbane, the river city, is gateway to the tropical northeast; Adelaide is an impossibly well laid-out city oozing grandeur, while Perth is young, brash and alluring.

The most memorable scenery is in the Outback, the vast desert in the interior of the country west of the Great Dividing Range. Here, vivid blue skies, cinnamon-red earth, deserted gorges comprise a unique ecology. Experiencing the culture of Australia's indigenous population is one of the great highlights of a visit.

The two-thousand-kilometre-long Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast, with its complex of islands and underwater splendour is one of the biggest natural attractions (other than Uluru).

Isolated from other continents, Australia has an abundance of unique plant and animal life recognizable by cuddly koalas, bounding kangaroos and ungainly emus. Sure it's got deadly spiders, snakes and sharks, but they don't stop people from coming here.

So yep, it's a tough life down under. But only if you're averse to wide open skies, dramatic landscapes, countless activities, fine wining and dining, and friendly locals.

Did you know?

• Australia has the world’s largest population of wild camels with one hump.
• The Tasmania Devil does exist, and it has the jaw strength of a crocodile.
• Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
• The Great Barrier Reef has a mailbox. You can ferry out there and send a postcard, stamped with the only Great Barrier Reef stamp.
• Melbourne has the second largest Greek population in the world, after Athens.
• Termite mounds are the tallest non-human constructions on earth.
• In 1954 Bob Hawke made it into the Guinness Record Book: he sculled 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob Hawke went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia.
• There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia, and only some 20 million people.
• The Blue Mountains just west of Sydney got their name from the blue mist of the Eucalyptus oil hanging in the air all year round.
• The Snowy Mountains (NSW) have the best skiing in Australia.

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