G’day! I’m your local Premier Aussie Specialist, Certified by Tourism Australia. You can find my bio on their website at www.Australia.com. Whether you want to escape into the Outback, cuddle a koala, or climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we have the expertise to help you plan your Down Under adventure.
If you look at the map to the right, you’ll get an idea of how large the country is (basically, the size of the US) and see that it’s divided into seven states.
NEW SOUTH WALES When Captain Cook first saw the eastern coastline of Australia it reminded him of Wales; so he named it New South Wales — which is twice the size of California; its capital city is Sydney, with a population of over 4 million.
VICTORIA Because of its small size, most attractions are never more than a half day, or day’s drive or train ride away, and they include Melbourne, Ballarat, a historic gold rush area, and a lush mountainous region called the Grampians. The Southwestern area is famous for giant limestone pinnacles called the “12 Apostles”. In addition you have premier wine country, fairy penguins and some great national parks to explore!
QUEENSLAND. An area of contrasts & colors — the red soil of the outback, lush, green rainforests, golden beaches and the largest living organism on earth – the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland has all that and more! It’s known as “the Sunshine State” – as the locals say, “beautiful one day, perfect the next.”
It contains so many of the amazing attractions that Australia’s famous for: partly because it’s a huge area — it’s the second largest state, covering more than a quarter of the total country, and is also the fastest growing state.
Highlights: 11 World Heritage areas; the world’s largest sand island, the biggest expanse of virgin rainforest in all of Australia, see wild dolphins that come to the shore for their nightly feeding, and the home to Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter”. Come hold a koala, or snorkel /dive the Great Barrier Reef; Queensland offers all this and much much more!
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. There are two distinct climates: Mediterranean, featuring gorgeous coastal areas, and then, the rugged Outback. There are only about 2 million Aussies populating an area that’s 1.5 times the size of Texas. The capital, Adelaide, is known for lovely parks and gardens, beautiful old buildings throughout the city, while surrounded by hills and two popular wine growing regions.
Just off the coast of Southern Australia is Kangaroo Island, a natural habitat for seals, sea lions, kangaroos, koalas and birds.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. The largest state – big enough to fit in Alaska, Texas and Minnesota and have room left over! Flanked by the Indian and Great Southern Oceans. Its capital is Perth; and another diverse Australian region — spectacular coastal scenery; surfing beaches; limestone caves, wineries, beaches, excellent diving and snorkelling, and to the Northwest, the rugged ranges of the Kimberly region.
NORTHERN TERRITORY. Vast regions of red-gold desert contrasting with large areas of rare rainforest plants, wetlands filled with wildlife, spectacular waterfalls and amazing rock formations. To give you an idea of the distance, two main areas would be Darwin and Alice Springs and they’re nearly 1,000 miles apart.
The Territory holds two of Australia’s great natural treasures – Ayers Rock and Kakadu National Park, and it’s one of the best places to experience Aboriginal Australia.
TASMANIA. I love Tasmania so much that I devoted a whole section to it on the website.
Reasons to Visit
Australia’s not as far as you may think – it takes about as long to get there as it does to fly to Rome from the West Coast. An Aussie vacation is truly a great value – an Aussie holiday is less expensive than traveling in Europe. In fact, you can have a great two week Aussie vacation for less than $2000 (US). That rate would include:
International airfare from San Francisco or Los Angeles
- Domestic airfare within Australia
- Hotel accommodations at a 3-star hotel
Hotels, touring and dining are all significantly less expensive and the exchange rate works in your favor. While we all wish we had unlimited travel time, it is possible to experience Australia in two weeks. There’s lots to see & do, but we’ll help you plan on visiting the highlights that you want to see.
And, they speak the same language you do (well, except for the accent).
Air Time
Los Angeles to Rome 14 hr, 20 min
Los Angeles to Hong Kong 14 hr, 20 min
Los Angeles to Sydney 14 hr, 45 min
Average Night’s Stay in 4 Star Paris Hotel $500
Average Night’s Stay in 4 Star Sydney Hotel $170
Dinner for Two with wine at a Three Star Restaurant in Paris $415
Dinner for Two with wine at a Three Star Restaurant in Sydney $75
10 km Taxi Ride in London $100
10 km Taxi Ride in Rome $75
10 km Taxi Ride in Sydney $50
