Discover Australia

This is Australia

Island, country, continentAustralia is a big un whichever way you spin it. The essence of the place is diversity: deserts, coral reefs, tall forests, snow-cloaked mountains and multicultural melting-pot cities.

Most Australians live along the coast, and most of these folks live in cities. In fact, Australia is the 18th-most urbanised country in the world, with around 70% of Australians living in the 10 largest towns. It follows that cities here are a whole lotta fun! Sydney, the sun-kissed Harbour City, is a glamorous collusion of beaches, boutiques and bars. Melbourne is all arts, alleyways and Australian Rules football. Brisbane is a subtropical town on the way up; boomtown Perth breathes west-coast optimism. But whichever city youre wheeling into, youll never go wanting for a decent coffee, a live band, art-gallery opening or music festival mosh-pit.

Hungry? Australias multicultural chefs fuse together European techniques and fresh Pacific Rim ingredients. Mod Oz (or Modern Australian) is what the locals call it. Seafood plays a starring role: from succulent Moreton Bay bugs to delicate King George whiting, theres a lot of variety in the oceans bounty. And of course, beer in hand, youll still find beef, lamb and chicken at traditional Aussie barbecues. Dont drink beer? From Barossa Valley Shiraz to Hunter Valley Semillon, Australian wines are world-beaters. Need a caffeine hit? These days there are coffee machines in pubs and petrol stations, and baristas stationed at downtown coffee carts youre never far from a double-shot, day or night.

Theres a heckuva lot of tarmac across this wide brown land. The temptation is to Get your motor runninHead out on the highway, as Steppenwolf cry in Born To Be Wild. But remember that Australia is really big! An intrepid outback road trip will require some serious planning. On the other hand, state capitals and regional centres are well connected by airlines: with a little groundwork you can cover a good chunk of the country in just a few weeks.

Sydney Opera House ()
PHOTOGRAPHER: GLENN VAN DER KNIJFF/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Australias Top Experiences

Sydney Opera House

The magnificent opera house ( ) on Sydney Harbour is a headline act in itself. An exercise in architectural lyricism, Jrn Utzons building on Bennelong Point holds its own amid the visual feast of the harbours attention-grabbing bridge, shimmering blue waters and jaunty green ferries. Best of all is the fact that everyone can attend its restaurant, bars, daily tours and regular performance schedule make sure of that.

RICHARD I'ANSON/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Great Barrier Reef

Stretching more than 2000km up Queensland's coast, the Great Barrier Reef ( ) is one of the worlds great wonders. Among the best ways to experience it: donning a mask and fins and delving into the undersea kingdom for a close-up view of coral, sharks and tropical fishor exploring the reef by sailboat, taking a scenic flight, gazing at marine life through a glass-bottomed semisubmersible and lingering in a resort (or camp) on a coral-fringed island.

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Fab espresso and sexy staff: Rome aint so far away ( )

Melbournes original (and still the best) espresso bar has serious cred. ( )