Australia Travel Wiki

Modern Australia was founded with the influx of European settlers just over two hundred years ago, but the Aborigines inhabited the island continent for tens of thousands of years before that. They numbered a few hundred thousand before the European influx. But two centuries of discrimination and expropriation followed, and at one point the indigenous population fell as low as 60,000. Australia's politicians at first looked to Europe and the US in foreign policy, but in the past 20 years or so they have made their near neighbors a priority.

See & Do

Australia is full of fabulous tourist destinations, especially for nature lovers. A few of these include:

Uluru - this majestic sandstone rock lies in the heart of the country, approximately 450km from Alice Springs. It is sacred to the local indigenous tribes, and was known as Ayers Rock until 2002.

The Great Barrier Reef - absolutely stunning! This is the world's largest reef system, located off the coast of Queensland. It is large enough to be seen from outer space, and is home to a number of endangered species.

The Blue Mountains - lying inland of Sydney, these one million hectares of forest are gorgeously serene. If you travel this way, make sure you check out The Three Sisters, a rock formation set beside an amazing lookout point, or explore the Jenolan Caves.

Kangaroo Island - want to see koalas in the wild? This is the place to go!

For those who prefer cities, Sydney and Melbourne are the most popular. Visitors to Sydney can relax on the world famous Bondi Beach, while those traveling to Melbourne can check out the fabulous food and art culture.

Food & Drink

While Aussies are most famous for "throwing shrimp on the barbie," their tastes run a wide range from traditional English roasts to fiery Thai food.

They are also fond of good coffee, and have a few java ordering idiosyncrasies in addition to the standard latte and cappuccino:
* Short black: a small cup of espresso
* Long black: a full sized cup of black coffee
* Flat white: a full sized cup of coffee with hot milk added (but less than a latte)
* Iced coffee/chocolate: a glass of cold coffee/chocolate mixed with milk and sweetened with sugar or vanilla ice cream

Australians are notoriously fond of their beer, and many regions have locally brewed favorites - for example, XXXX ("four ex") in Queensland or Cooper's in South Australia. They also produce excellent wines, and many liquor stores (aka bottle shops) stock offerings from local boutique vineyards as well as the major exporters.

Transportation

Public transportation - buses, trains and trams - are a popular and easy way to travel around a city.

For traveling between states, plane flights are by far the fastest, but also the most expensive - trains can be a cheaper alternative, as can buses.

If you're more interested in purchasing your own vehicle, backpackers often buy and sell cheap cars and vans - look for listings on the bulletin board at your local hostel.

Visa Information

Visit Australia's Department of Immigration & Citizenship website for more information on visas: http://www.immi.gov.au/

Health & Safety

Although Australian lifeguards are some of the best in the world, one of the most common causes of tourist deaths in Australia is from drowning. There are a lot of extremely strong rips along the coast, so if you go swimming in the ocean, make sure you stay between the red and yellow flags posted on the beach – those demarcate areas patrolled by lifeguards. If there are no flags up, that means no one is patrolling and you shouldn’t swim.

Australia is situated quite close to the hole in the ozone layer, which means it is also in the direct line of fire for UV rays. This means that sun safety is extremely important, so if you’re going to spend time outside, take a minute to “Slip, slop, slap” – slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat.

A stunning proportion of the world’s most venomous creatures live in Australia. Generally speaking, you won't come across them in an urban area other than spiders, but there's a risk of running across snakes and scorpions in more remote areas. Few are aggressive and will try to avoid human contact, but if you come across one, the best policy is to calmly retreat.

Sports

Australians are fanatical about sports, with favorites including cricket, swimming, tennis, netball, soccer, tennis and field hockey. The two major professional sports played are Australia Rules Football (AFL) and rubgy (both League and Union).

Australia is home to a number of major sporting competitions, including the Australian Open (tennis) and the Melbourne Cup (horse racing), and hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Editors

Andrew Dunkle

Andrew Dunkle from GO! OverseasAndrew studied Chinese and Art History at the University of Colorado, and is now the Senior Editor of GoOverseas.com. He loves to travel, and has so far called Colorado, Australia, Taiwan, and California home. He tweets at @AndrewOverseas.

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Map of Australia

Fast Facts

Flag: 
Australian flag
Capital: 
Canberra
Population: 
21.3 million (UN, 2009)
Current President/Prime Minister: 
Julia Gillard
Languages: 
English
Religions: 
Christianity
Currency: 
Austalian Dollar (AUD)
Drive on the left/right?: 
Left
Time-Zone: 
UTC +10
Calling Code: 
+61
Electricity: 
240V/50HZ
Emergency Numbers: 

Police: 000
Fire: 000
Ambulance: 000
Foreigner Assistance:

Embassies

UNITED STATES EMBASSY
Address: American Embassy, Moonah Place, Yarralumla ACT 2600, Canberra
Phone: +61-2-6214-5600
Fax: +61-2-6214-5970
Website: canberra.usembassy.gov

UNITED KINGDOM EMBASSY
Address: Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla, Canberra
Phone: +61-2-6270-6666
Fax: +61-2-6273-3236
Website: ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk

CANADIAN EMBASSY
Address: Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra
Phone: +61-2-6270-4000
Fax: +61-2-6270-4081
Website: www.australia.gc.ca

NEW ZEALAND EMBASSY
Address: Commonwealth Avenue, ACT 2600, Canberra
Phone +61-2-6270-4211
Fax: +61-2-6273-3194
Website: www.nzembassy.com/home

SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY
Address: Corner State Circle and Rhodes Place, 2600, Canberra
Phone +61-2-6272-7300
Fax: +61-2-6272-7364

IRISH EMBASSY
Address: 20 Arkana Street, Yarralumla, ACT 2600, Canberra
Phone +61-2-6273-3022
Fax: +61-2-6273-3741
Website: www.embassyofireland.au

Broken link? If any information here is out of date please email us and we will update our records.