Australia Mate!! It's the land down under!!
Overview
Endless sunbaked horizons, dense tropical rainforests, chilly southern beaches.
Australia's biggest attraction is its natural beauty. The landscape varies from endless sunbaked horizons to dense tropical rainforest to chilly southern beaches. Scattered along the coasts, its cities blend a European enthusiasm for art and food with a laid-back love of sport and the outdoors.
Visitors expecting to see an opera in Sydney one night and meet Crocodile Dundee the next will have to re-think their grasp of geography in this huge country. It is this sheer vastness that gives Australia - and its diverse population - much of its character.
Travel Warning: Carry-on Baggage Requirements
As of March 31, 2007 all passengers flying to and from Australia on international flights will only be permitted to carry small quantities of liquids, gels or aerosols in their cabin or carry-on luggage. Small containers of 100 mls (3.5 fl oz) are permitted and must be sealed in a transparent plastic bag. Details of the new security measures can be found at the Department of Transport website.
Domestic travel is not affected by these regulations.
When to Go
Any time is a good time to be in Australia. Summer (December to February) can get uncomfortably hot but it's great beach weather. Up north, the summer wet season is very, very humid and the sea is swarming with box jellyfish. Winter (June to August) offers skiing in NSW, Victoria and sometimes Tasmania. In spring and autumn the weather is mild.
Weather
Summer (December to February) can get uncomfortably hot just about anywhere, even in Tasmania. If you're in the southern states during these months it's great beach weather and great melanoma weather. Up north, this is the wet season, and it's very, very humid (you'll need to check for jellyfish before jumping into the water). On the upside, the Top End is beautifully green and free of tourists at this time.
From June until August things in the north have cooled down a little and dried up a lot. This is a good time to visit Queensland or the outback. If you're here for the skiing, now's the time to head for the snowfields of NSW and Victoria. Overall, spring and autumn are probably the safest bets - the weather is reasonably mild wherever you are, and spring brings out the wildflowers in the outback, while autumn is particularly beautiful around Canberra and in the Victorian Alps.
Itineraries
A Handy Overview
First and foremost, Australia is massive. It is vast and varied with sometimes incomprehensible distances between locations. If you are used to countries where townships are a mere bus ride apart, then it's time to reset your sense of geography. While Australia's urban areas are sprawling and densely populated, towns in the outback can be many hours apart. With this in mind, it is important to be realistic when setting an itinerary. A month or two in Australia will give you a good look at the major sights, but a week would be more of a challenge - you're not going to see Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, the Outback and the Tasmanian wilderness in seven days (unless transit lounges are your bag). So tailor your trip to suit your time constraints and your interests and try to cluster what you wish to see. Remember that flying from the west coast to the east coast of Australia is almost identical to flying from Los Angeles to New York (and a lot more expensive). Here are a couple of sample itineraries for a week-long stay in the Lucky Country.
A Bit of Chillin'
Kick into Sydney and tear it up for 2 days of pure city living, shopping along Oxford St, posing in Bondi and sinking a few schooners in the many great old Sydney pubs. Then start heading north by flying to Byron Bay for a couple of days of beach-bumming and chakra-realigning. And to leave the sweetest taste in your mouth, push on even further up north and spend a couple of days diving on the sparkling Barrier Reef.
The Wingspan of a Culture Vulture
Fly into Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city situated in the southeast corner of the country. It's known for its love of the arts, so spend two days chowing down a steady diet of art, theatre, film and cafe-hopping. Then take an easy drive through the country for an overnight stay in Daylesford: spa-central. Unwind in the country environs and soak in the natural hot spas. Head back to Melbourne for a flight west to Adelaide where you can spend your final couple of days floating from winery to winery in the lush Barossa Valley with your nose firmly wedged into a wine glass.
Events
Christmas is part of the long summer school vacation and during December and January you can be forgiven for thinking that half of Australia is on holiday. This is when accommodation is almost always booked out.
Australia's arts festivals attract culture vultures from all over Australia to see mainstream and fringe drama, dance, music and visual arts. The jewel in Australia's touring rock festival crown is the annual Big Day Out, a day-long showcase of major local and international bands, which hits most major cities in late January. The huge Sydney Festival, which takes up most of January, is the umbrella for a number of events from open air concerts, to street theatre and fireworks. The Adelaide Festival of Arts takes place at the beginning of March in even-numbered years. In the second week of March in odd-numbered years there's Womadelaide, Adelaide's outdoor festival of world music and dance. Melbourne has the International Comedy Festival in April, the world's biggest Writers' Festival in August and the fabulous Melbourne International Arts Festival in October. A couple of festivals to celebrate Aboriginal arts and culture include the Stompen Ground Festival, which is held in Broome in September/October and the Barunga Festival, held 80km (50mi) east of Katherine in June.
Sporty fun includes Darwin's Beer Can Regatta in mid-July, when a series of boat races are held for craft constructed entirely of beer cans, and Alice Springs' Henley-on-Todd Regatta, a boat race 'run' in September on a dry river bed. Other mainstream events include the Sydney to Hobart yacht race (from Boxing Day); the Australian Open tennis championship (Melbourne in January); the Australian Formula One Grand Prix (Melbourne in March); Australian Rules Football (around the country from March to September); and the country-stopping Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November.
Gay festivals include Sydney's massive, outlandish Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, in February/March, and Melbourne's January Midsumma Festival.
Sights
Australia is vast, almost double the size of Europe. Although it is justly renowned for its natural beauties - its red core contains some of Earth's finest sculptures - its varied cities offer their fair share of art, architecture, formal gardens and historical interest.
Money & Costs
Perhaps the best way to carry most of your money is in the form of a plastic card, especially if that's the way you do it at home. Australia is well and truly a card-carrying society - it's becoming unusual to line up at a supermarket checkout, petrol station or department store in cities and see someone actually paying with cash these days. Credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted for everything from a hostel bed or a restaurant meal to an adventure tour, and a credit card is pretty much essential (in lieu of a large deposit) if you want to hire a car. They can also be used to get cash advances over the counter at banks and from many ATMs, depending on the card, but be aware that these incur immediate interest. Charge cards such as Diners Club and American Express (Amex) are not as widely accepted.
Australians love convenience, so debit cards are widely used here. You can draw money directly from your home bank account using ATMs, banks or Eftpos machines around the country. Any card connected to the international banking network - Cirrus, Maestro, Plus and Eurocard - should work, provided you know your PIN. Fees for using your card at a foreign bank or ATM vary depending on your home bank, so ask before your leave.
Travellers cheques generally enjoy a better exchange rate than foreign cash in Australia, plus they have the added bonus of being easily replaced if they are lost or stolen. There is, however, a fee for buying travellers cheques (usually 1% of the total amount) and there may be fees or commissions when you exchange them. Amex, Thomas Cook and other well-known international brands of travellers cheques are easily exchanged; you will need to present your passport for identification when cashing them.
Currency, Changing Your Money, Money Tips, Price Guide, Tipping
CurrencyName:
Australian Dollar
Symbol:
A$
Notes come in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.
Coins come in denominations of 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, and gold $1 and $2 coins.
Changing Your Money
You'll have no problems changing foreign currencies or cash at any bank or exchange bureau. Travellers cheques generally get a better rate than cash, though banks take out a commission.
Money Tips
If you're travelling from Europe or the USA, Australia is pretty easy on the wallet. Food, in particular, is great value. Accommodation is also reasonably priced, and if you're staying in hostels, on-site caravans (trailers) or camping, and making your own meals, you could conceivably get by on about A$45.00 a day. Travel will be your biggest expense - distances are huge - so if you're moving around a bit, eating out once or twice a day and staying in budget hotels, plan for upwards of A$90.00 a day. If you're only staying for a couple of weeks and plan to take a few internal flights, you'll be looking at more like A$170.00 a day.
Credit cards (particularly Visa and MasterCard) are widely accepted (and pretty much compulsory if you're going to rent a car), and ATMs all over the country accept credit and Cirrus cards.
Sample Price Guide
litre of petrol
A$ 1.45
small bottle of water
A$ 2.50
small bottle of beer
A$ 3.00
souvenir t-shirt
A$ 30.00
movie ticket
A$ 18.00
street treat (kebab)
A$ 7.00
car hire per day
A$ from 60.00-100.00
postcard
A$ 2.00
litre of milk
A$ 3.00
loaf of bread
A$ 3.80
cup of coffee
A$ 3.50
Average Room Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe
A$20-80 A$80-150 A$150-300 A$300+
Average Meal Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe
A$5-10 A$10-25 A$25-60 A$60+
Tipping
While Australia does not have a strong tipping culture, it's become increasingly common (but by no means obligatory) to tip in restaurants and upmarket cafes if the service warrants it - a gratuity of between 10% and 15% of the bill is the norm. Taxi drivers are always grateful if you leave the change.
Getting there & around
Air travel is Australia's best friend, with most visitors taking a long haul flight to get here.
plane
Virtually all visitors to Australia arrive by air. The main international airports are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, followed by Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Cairns. There are plenty of connections to Asia, Europe and the USA, but Australia's remoteness makes flights relatively expensive and long. Many flights are heavily booked, so make plans well in advance. Departure tax on international flights is US$27.00 . This tax is usually included in the price of your airline ticket.
With distances between cities so great, flying is the most favoured and speedy option, although buses and trains provide a more scenic, if lengthy alternative. Within the major cities, you will find thorough and convenient rail and bus systems.
bus
There are several long-distance bus companies but only one truly national service, Greyhound Australia. Buses are comfortable, but if you're travelling between major cities, be prepared for a long trip. Australia has a skeletal rail network linking all major cities.
car
Many visitors group together and hire or purchase a car. The latter can be an economical way of travelling around Australia, as long as you don't have too many mechanical failures. Highway 1 circumnavigates the continent, sticking close to the coast much of the way. Watch out for monstrous road trains (trucks with multiple trailers) on outback roads; naturally it's wise to give way to anything bigger than yourself.
train
Few people travel long distances by train because it's usually the slowest mode of overland transport and remains relatively expensive (though it is generally more comfortable for overnight trips).
plane
Australia is so vast (and so empty in places) that something like 80% of long-distance trips are made by air. Qantas is Australia's main domestic airline and has a budget subsidiary called Jetstar. A competing carrier that flies all over the country is Virgin Blue. Few people pay full fare for domestic air travel because the airlines offer a wide range of discounts, including random discounting and Internet fares.
Disabled Travellers
Disability awareness in Australia is high. Legislation requires that new accommodation meets accessibility standards, and discrimination by tourism operators is illegal. Many of Australia's key attractions provide access for those with limited mobility and a number of sites have also begun addressing the needs of visitors with visual or aural impairments; always contact attractions in advance to confirm the facilities. Tour operators with accessible vehicles operate from most capital cities.
National Information Communication and Awareness Network (TTY 02-6285 3713, TTY 1800 806 769; www.nican.com.au)is an Australia-wide directory providing information on access issues, accessible accommodation, sporting and recreational activities, transport and specialist tour operators. The website of Tourism Australia (www.australia.com) also has useful information. Easy Access Australia (www.easyaccessaustralia.com.au), available from bookstores, provides details on easily accessible transport, accommodation and attraction options. Visit www.toiletmap.gov.au. for over 14,000 public toilets nationwide with disability access.
Qantas accepts the Carers Concession Card, (13 13 13, TTY 1800 652 660; www.qantas.com.au), which entitles a disabled person and the carer travelling with them to a 50% discount on full economy fares; call Nican for details. All of Australia's major airports have dedicated parking spaces, wheelchair access to terminals, accessible toilets and skychairs to convey passengers onto planes via airbridges. Avis and Hertz offer hire cars with hand controls at no extra charge for pick-up at capital cities and major airports, but advance notice is required.
Most trains are equipped to cater for travellers with disabilities. Some rural services employ hoist-equipped accessible coaches; twenty-four hours advance booking is required; V/Line Disability Services (03-9619 2300) is at Southern Cross station in Melbourne. The Travellers' Aid Society (03-9670 2873), also at Southern Cross train station, provides a meet-and-greet service (arrange this in advance).
History
Pre-20th-Century History
Australia's original inhabitants, known as Australian Aborigines, have the longest continuous cultural history in the world, with origins dating back to the last Ice Age. Although mystery and debate shroud many aspects of Australian prehistory, it is generally accepted that the first humans travelled across the sea from Indonesia about 70,000 years ago. The first visitors, called 'Robust' by archaeologists because of their heavy-boned physique, were followed 20,000 years later by the more slender 'Gracile' people, the ancestors of Australian Aborigines.
Europeans began to encroach on Australia in the 16th century: Portuguese navigators were followed by Dutch explorers and the enterprising English pirate William Dampier. Captain James Cook sailed the entire length of the eastern coast in 1770, stopping at Botany Bay on the way. After rounding Cape York, he claimed the continent for the British and named it New South Wales.
In 1779, Joseph Banks (a naturalist on Cook's voyage) suggested that Britain could solve overcrowding problems in its prisons by transporting convicts to New South Wales. In 1787, the First Fleet set sail for Botany Bay under the command of Captain Arthur Philip, who was to become the colony's first governor. The fleet comprised 11 ships, 750 male and female convicts, four companies of marines and supplies for two years. Philip arrived in Botany Bay on 26 January 1788, but soon moved north to Sydney Cove, where there was better land and water. For the new arrivals, New South Wales was a harsh and horrible place, and the threat of starvation hung over the colony for at least 16 years.
Australia never experienced the systematic push westward that characterised the European settlement of America. Early exploration and expansion took place for one of three reasons: to find suitable places of secondary punishment, like the barbaric penal settlements at Port Arthur in Van Diemen's Land and on Norfolk Island; to occupy land before anyone else arrived; or in later years, because of the quest for gold.
Free settlers began to be attracted to Australia over the next decades, but it was the discovery of gold in the 1850s that changed the face of the colony. The huge influx of migrants and several large finds boosted the economy and irrevocably changed the colonial social structures. Aborigines were ruthlessly pushed off their tribal lands as new settlers took up land for farming or mining. The Industrial Revolution in England required plenty of raw materials, and Australia's agricultural and mineral resources expanded to meet the demand.
Modern History
Australia became a nation when federation of the separate colonies took place on 1 January 1901 (although many of the legal and cultural ties with England remained). Australian troops fought alongside the British in the Boer War and WWI. Interestingly, while Australians rallied to the aid of Britain during WWI, the majority of voters were prepared to support voluntary military service only. Efforts to introduce conscription during the war led to bitter debate, both in parliament and in the streets, and in referenda compulsory national service was rejected.
Australia was hard hit by the Depression; prices for wool and wheat - two mainstays of the economy - plunged. In 1931 almost a third of breadwinners were unemployed and poverty was widespread. Swagmen became a familiar sight, as they had been in the 1890s depression, as thousands of men took to the 'wallaby track' in search of work in the countryside. By 1933, however, Australia's economy was starting to recover, a result of rises in wool prices and a rapid revival of manufacturing.
When WWII broke out, Australian troops fought alongside the British in Europe but after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Australia's own national security finally began to take priority. Singapore fell, the northern Australian towns of Darwin and Broome and the New Guinean town of Port Moresby were bombed, the Japanese advanced southward. In appalling conditions, Australian soldiers confronted and defeated the Japanese at Milne Bay, east of Port Moresby, and began the long struggle to push them from the Pacific. Ultimately it was the USA that helped protect Australia from the Japanese, defeating them in the Battle of the Coral Sea. This event was to mark the beginning of a profound shift in Australia's allegiance away from Britain and towards the USA.
Post-WWII immigration brought a flood of European immigrants, many of them non-British. The immigrants have since made an enormous contribution to the country, enlivening its culture and broadening its vision. The post-war era was a boom time in Australia as its raw materials were once again in great demand.
In the 1950s Australia came to accept the American view that it was not so much Asia but communism in Asia that threatened the increasingly Americanised Australian way of life. Accordingly, Australia followed the USA into the Korean War, and in 1965, Australia committed troops to assist the USA in the Vietnam War, though support for involvement was far from absolute. Still more troubling for many young Australian men was the fact that conscription was introduced in 1964, and those undertaking national service could now be sent overseas. By 1967 as many as 40% of Australians serving in Vietnam were conscripts.
The civil unrest aroused by conscription was one factor that contributed to the 1972 rise to power of the Australian Labor Party, under the leadership of Gough Whitlam. The Whitlam government withdrew Australian troops from Vietnam, abolished national service and higher-education fees, instituted a system of free and universally available health care, and supported land rights for Aboriginal people.
The government, however, was hampered by a hostile Senate and by much talk of mismanagement. On 11 November 1975, the governor general (the British monarch's representative in Australia) took the unprecedented step of dismissing the parliament and installing a caretaker government led by the leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Malcolm Fraser. Labor supporters were appalled - the powers that the governor general had been able to invoke had long been regarded by many as an anachronistic vestige of Australia's now remote British past. Nevertheless, it was a conservative Liberal and National Country Party coalition that won the ensuing election. A Labor government was not returned until 1983, when a former trade union leader, Bob Hawke, led the party to victory.
Recent History
After a period of recession and high unemployment in the early 1990s, the electorate eventually lost faith in the Labor government, and in early 1996, Labor leader Paul Keating was defeated in a landslide victory to the conservative coalition, led by John Howard. Howard became the country's second-longest serving prime minister, serving until November 2007, when he was defeated by Labor's Kevin Rudd.
Under Howard's government, the prominent, divisive issues of refugees (and refugee camps) saw the majority of Australians hardening their hearts to asylum seekers. At the same time, Howard's stance on Aboriginal issues was marked more by confrontation than by sympathy.
On 13 February 2008, Prime Minister Rudd gave a historic apology speech to Australia's indigenous population for the discrimination and mistreatment they have suffered since white settlement. He also proposed practical strategies to overcome the longstanding inequality between Aboriginal and other Australians. Only time will tell if his stirring words translate into action, but the general feeling is optimistic.
Australia maintains a strong alliance with the USA, but its involvement in the war against Iraq (2003-) looks to be on the decline under the Rudd government.
The issue of republicanism - replacing Britain's queen with an Australian president as head of state - which dominated Australian politics in the late 1990s, remains on the agenda, but the Rudd government has not yet made any definitive statements on the matter.