MAIN Travel Destination Guides Oceania Australia

A whole continent unto itself, Australia is compared to America in some respects for the pioneer spirit that first brought English and Irish settlers here in the 18th century.

Today, Australia remains a vibrant, expansive and sometimes tempestuous place for which its citizens are rightly proud.

It's wide open expanses are what also attracts millions of foreign travelers a year offering adventure, sheer beauty, unique wildlife, and miles of sunny coastal beaches.

Along with natural attractions, Australia also boasts some of the world's most modern progressive cities, starting from it's unofficial capital, Sydney to other numberless urban attractions in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

One of the largest countries in the southern hemisphere, the seasons in the land Down Under are directly opposite to that of the US and Europe. While the residents of the northern hemisphere may celebrate the holidays with snow, an Australian Christmas is usually spent with a backyard barbecue or a day at the beach on December 25, the height of summer.

In fact, November - February remains Australia's peak travel season when the Great Barrier Reef off the northern coast of Queensland annually attracts some 2 million visitors a year looking to dive or snorkel around the world's largest living organism.

More popular tourist attractions await at another famous Australian natural icon, Ayers Rock followed by the strangely beautiful flora and unique fauna found on the island of Tasmania. Rounding out the country's most popular travel destinations are the spectacular views and wild natural beauty found in a convenient day trip from Sydney to the spectacular and rugged Blue Mountains.

More about Australia travel & tourist attractions around the Web:

Travel Downunder - Quick hits to the entire continent in photos, links to attractions, festivals and lodging with travel highlights to help you get the best of Sydney and New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria.

Australia travel guide - Wikitravel - Get familiar with the entire continent in this sweeping overview including factoids on Australia weather, time zones, history, top tourist and natural attractions, travel safety tips, with photos and related resources.

Woop Woop - Also known as Never-Never, with the the Australian Outback as the subject for a feast of professional photos expertly served in a virtual tour of the the country's long stretch of central desert.

Australian Slang Dictionary - Get all the drum (information) you need in the unofficial Aussie phrasebook and you'll be stoked (very pleased) to learn colorful and off-color turns-of-phrase in what purports to be English. Go have a Captain Cook (a look).

also see -> Australian Open | Wines of Australia & NZ

New Zealand Tourist Attractions

South Pacific Ocean Beach Guide