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Discover Australia Independently
with Anderson Vacations – from $5300
Choose your hotel level for 15 nights total
in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs,
Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Cairns! You’ll
go on 10 tours and two cruises, including
one at the Great Barrier Reef. Airfare and
air transfers included. Purchase before December
31 and get a bonus tour… |
Sydney to Cairns Coastal
Explorer with Anderson Vacations – from
$4199
You’ll get 14 nights of accommodations,
a rental car for 15 days with detailed driving
itinerary, plus a wine tour, cruises to Fraser
Island, Daydream Island and the Great Barrier
Reef, plus all airfare and a Fraser Island
eco tour! |
Learn
more |
Learn
more |
Australia is one of the world's most exciting
destinations. Whilst it is famous for its sunshine,
blue skies, great beaches and the Great Barrier
Reef, there is much more for you to see and do,
as you will discover during through our website.
Australians are known as a friendly and open bunch
of people, who generally love a chat. Say hello,
and experience the warmth of an Australian handshake,
a cold beer, and an invitation to return. Australia
is land of rich and rare treasures, a place of
truly amazing contrasts and unforgettable experiences.
The urban sophistication of its cities is enjoyable
yet unpretentious; while its outback is vast and
often mysterious. Its endless miles of beaches
deliver year-round fun, while the country's quirky
wildlife - including its kangaroos and cuddly
koalas - never fail to intrigue.
Flying to Australia
Many airlines who offer competitive fares fly
to Australia on a regular basis, and getting to
this island continent has never been easier. You
can fly direct or island-hop across the Pacific
or Asia to a number of international gateways,
with Sydney and Melbourne being the most popular.
Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Cairns and
Hobart also have international terminals. A range
of flying and ticket options are available.
Getting About
If you're visiting on a short trip, you may prefer
to travel around Australia by air. Australia's
domestic airlines provide extensive coverage allowing
you to hop quickly between cities and sights.
Or if you prefer a more leisurely pace, travel
by rail or road. Australia has a vast network
of well-maintained roads and highways with some
of the most beautiful road touring in the world.
And all major cities, except Hobart, are linked
by a rail network.
Visa
A valid passport is required of all people wishing
to enter Australia. Everyone, except holders of
Australian and New Zealand passports, requires
a visa. All other passport holders must hold a
visa before travelling to Australia. The visa
options are:
* short stay visitor visa, for stays of three
months or less;
* long stay visitor visa, for stays between three
and six months. There are a number of ways to
obtain a visa:
* Internet applications (for the Electronic Travel
Authority (ETA), which is an electronic record
rather than a stamp in your passport) www.immi.gov.au
;
* asking your travel agent to arrange an ETA;
* making a written application.
Visit the Department of Immigration and Multicultural
and Indigenous Affairs' website at www.immi.gov.
au for information on visas and other useful contacts.
For the location of your nearest Australian consulate
go to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's
website at www.dfat.gov.au.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations are not required unless you have
come from, or visited a yellow fever infected
country or zone within six days before arrival.
Currency
The Australian Dollar is the standard unit of
currency. The most commonly accepted credit cards
are American Express, Bankcard, Diners Club, MasterCard
and Visa. Banks and various locations have ATMs
(Automated Teller Machines), and currency exchange
facilities are available at international airports.
Changing foreign currency or traveller's cheques
can be done at most banks.
Seasons to visit
The seasons in Australia are the reverse of the
northern hemisphere. Summer runs from December
to February, and is warm to hot. Winter runs from
June to August, and can be cool to cold. In the
Australian winter you can ski in the southern
states one day and be diving in the balmy waters
of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland the next.
So keep clothing light, layered and comfortable
to cater for whatever you want to do. Protect
yourself against the sun - don't forget to pack
sunhat, sunglasses and suntan lotion.
Spring: September to November Summer: December
to February Autumn: March to May Winter: June
to August
Australia's cities offer the visitor new experiences
in urban living. Some are known for their outdoor
lifestyle, others for fabulous dining, fashion
or art. Each has its own sense of history and
charm. Sydney is the shining star of the southern
hemisphere: it's sunny, sophisticated and sexy.
The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge
are the city's pride and joy, but there's much
more to discover in this harbour city of fine
restaurants, relaxed beaches, and shopping emporiums.
Brisbane's easy-going, subtropical ambience is
a perennial delight, while Melbourne is a cultural
hub which excels in the good things in life -
fashion, food and sport. Canberra, the nation's
capital, is home to many of Australia's most important
public buildings and art works, while visitors
to the west coast discover Perth as a scenic city
with plenty to do. In South Australia, Adelaide
nestles between sea and hills. It is a graceful
city of wide streets and elegant buildings, where
cultural pursuits are high on the agenda. In the
Top End, Darwin is a vibrant, tropical capital
city perched on a deepwater port, offering a blend
of cosmopolitan and city pleasures. It also acts
as a gateway to key natural and cultural attractions.
And not to be forgotten is Hobart, island Tasmania's
capital, with its stunning harbour and historic
buildings.
Wildlife
Australia is a land full of powerful experiences.
Our incredible wildlife is truly unique, and definitely
worth seeking out. Animals such as the kangaroo
and the platypus exist nowhere else on earth,
and one of the most memorable experiences you
can have is to see a koala. Lone Pine Sanctuary,
south of Brisbane, is home to one of Australia's
best-known collections of native animals, including
about 130 koalas. Visitors to Koala Park Sanctuary,
on the outskirts of Sydney, can hand-feed koalas
and get a close-up view of some of the majestic
wildlife species unique to Australia. At Cohunu
Koala Park, a natural bushland park just a 30
minute drive from Perth, visitors can have their
photo taken with one of 25 resident koalas and
hand-feed many of the free-ranging animals. With
just a little effort, visitors can also see Australian
native animals in the wild. Beyond the cities,
in rural and outback Australia, it's not unusual
to see mobs of kangaroo grazing in the late afternoon
sun and see the flightless emu going about its
business. Just remember to tread softly within
Australia's pristine rainforests, its marine environment
and desert ecosystems. Australians and visitors
value the unique qualities of this country and
over the past decade, Australians have become
increasingly aware of the value and uniqueness
of their natural environment.
Food and Wine
Fine wines and dining are now as Australian as
warm sun and booming surf. Visitors to Australia
are often dazzled by the sheer quality and variety
of Australia's food, and the local food markets
in every major city are a great place to sample
the harvest. Glance in the window of one of the
gourmet food stores scattered throughout Australia's
capital cities and you'll get a surprise. Chevre
and prosciutto from Western Australia, brie and
cold-pressed olive oil from South Australia, balsamic
vinegars and snails from Victoria, milk-fed lamb
from New South Wales, wood-fired bread from just
about everywhere - the line-up is as startling
as it is sophisticated. Then there are the bush
foods that are native to Australia - lemon aspen,
bush tomatoes, Illawarra plums, lemon myrtle,
lilli pillies, and muntari berries - ingredients
that allow chefs with skill and imagination to
create truly Australian dishes. What Australia
eats now is often described as fusion food - a
collage of culinary influences that uses a splash
of olive oil with one hand while tossing in a
handful of chopped coriander and chillies with
the other. This rich diversity of ingredients
has wrought a revolution in the kitchens of Australia's
restaurant and homes, sparked by successive waves
of immigration from Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean,
and Asia. This cultural intermingling shows in
the national diet, and today Australia is fuelled
by croissants, espresso coffee, octopus salads
and stir-fry meals.
Aboriginal Heritage
The Aboriginal people are Australia's original
inhabitants, and have lived here for over 50,000
years. It is an ancient culture that is deeply
connected to the land. At the heart of the continent
is Uluru (named Ayer's Rock by the colonial settlers),
a monolith of great spiritual significance. This
great rock reaches 348 metres tall and measures
nine kilometres at its base. Take a guided walk
around Uluru or visit the Aboriginal Cultural
Centre to find out more about the history of the
area. More than 3000 Aboriginal items are on display
at the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery
in the South Australian Museum. Visitors can also
drive along the Aboriginal Dreaming Trail in the
Flinders Ranges. Burrinja, located forty minutes
east of Melbourne, Victoria, provides a distinctive
view of contemporary and traditional Aboriginal
art. Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park in Cairns
offers a stunning theatrical interpretation of
Aboriginal culture from the beginning of time
into the future. Traditional Aboriginal food,
now called bush tucker, has gone mainstream. These
new tastes can be sampled at specialist restaurants
throughout Australia.
Adventure
Swim among the largest sharks in existence. Sail
the challenging seas off Tasmania's rugged coast.
Abseil down a cliff and descend into awesome rainforest.
If you are after adventure, your choices are many
and varied. Australia's 36,735-kilometre coastline,
bordering two oceans and four seas, is basically
one big, long beach - punctuated by spectacular
cliffs, headlands, inlets, rivers and waterways.
Aquatic activities range from swimming, diving
and surfing to underwater hockey. Australia's
vast coastline provides enough beaches, coves
and ports to keep surfers and marine enthusiasts
happy all year round. Diversions include whitewater
river rafting along the rivers that run through
tropical rainforests and canoeing through the
Northern Territory's tranquil and majestic Nitmiluk
(Katherine) Gorge. Australia is tailor-made for
adventure travel. Vast tracts of wilderness and
dozens of national parks offer bushwalking, rock
climbing, mountain biking and abseiling to satisfy
even the most energetic outdoors junkie.
Relax
Bliss out in a rainforest? Stretch on a tropical
beach? Watch the snow fall from a spa? Relaxation
comes naturally in Australia, a country which
locals sometimes refer to as 'the land of the
long weekend.' Within the protective breakwater
of the Great Barrier Reef outer reef is a 250,000
square kilometre maritime province, a vast labyrinth
of smaller reefs, coral cays, lagoons, rocky inshore
islands, deep channels and underwater caverns.
As well as a habitat for an amazing treasury of
marine life, this area is also home to an astonishing
variety of tropical island resorts. They cater
to just about every taste - from families to singles
to well-heeled sophisticates who demand fine dining
and a beauty parlour from their island paradise.
Some resorts are on the small coral islands of
the outer reef. These include Heron Island Resort
off Gladstone, a 19 hectare, egg-shaped island
ringed by sand. It is everything a coral island
should be, surrounded by luscious swirls of opal
colours crowded with marine life - a paradise
for divers and snorkelers. Another resort surrounded
by the Great Barrier Reef is Lizard Island, the
most northerly of the Queensland resort islands.
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