Australia Guide

* January 1: New Years' Day
* January 26: Australia Day, marking the anniversary of the First Fleet's landing in Sydney Cove in 1788.
* Easter weekend ("Good Friday", "Easter Saturday", "Easter Sunday" and "Easter Monday"): a four day long weekend in March or April set according to the Western Christian dates.
* April 25: ANZAC Day, honoring military veterans
* Second Monday in June: Queen's birthday holiday (celebrated in Western Australia in September)(WA observes Foundation Day a week earlier)
* December 25: Christmas Day
* December 26: Boxing Day

Queensland Australia is known for its beautiful clear beaches, warm tropical islands, lush rain forests, vibrant cities and the authentic Australian outback. Queensland is the ultimate holiday destination. Queensland offers an abundance of diverse experiences to create lasting memories.

Queensland is a state of Australia which occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south.

To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. The state is Australia's second largest by area, following Western Australia, and the country's third most populous after New South Wales and Victoria.

Queensland, Australia Wikipedia article

Wet 'n' Wild Water World
The park is Australia's largest waterpark and the third largest waterpark in the world. Wet 'n' Wild Water World combines all the fun and excitement of the world's latest water slides and leisure pools with a shaded twenty acre sub-tropical garden.

Sunshine Coast
There's so much to do on the Sunshine Coast; relax on beautiful beaches; unwind in the hinterland; walk through rainforests; or visit the areas numerous nature and produce based attractions, such as the Big Pineapple and Australia Zoo.

New South Wales Australia is a most diverse State, home to the country's largest and most cosmopolitan city, Sydney. New South Wales has more than 780 national parks and reserves covering more than 8% of the state. These parks range from rainforests, spectacular waterfalls, rugged bush to marine wonderlands and outback deserts, including World Heritage areas.
The National Parks Association was formed in 1957 to create a system of national parks all over New South Wales. This government agency is responsible for developing and maintaining the parks and reserve system, and conserving natural and cultural heritage, in the state of New South Wales. These parks preserve special habitats, plants and wildlife, such as the Wollemi National Park where the Wollemi Pine grows and areas sacred to Australian Aboriginals such as Mutawintji National Park in western New South Wales.

New South Wales, Australia Wikipedia article

Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most famous beaches and among the world's most well-known beaches. The beach is located in the Municipality of Waverley in east Sydney.

Sydney
There's so much to do in Sydney: climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, visit the The Opera House and the historic The Rocks district; see the animals at Taronga Park Zoo, and Oceanworld Manly; enjoy amazing views of the city from the Sydney Tower.

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.

It is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory to the north-east by Queensland, to the east by New South Wales and Victoria, and along the south by the Great Australian Bight and the Southern Ocean.[2] With nearly 1.6 million people, the state comprises less than 10% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the states and territories. The majority of its people reside in the state capital, Adelaide, with most of the remainder settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray. The state's origins were unique in Australia as a freely-settled, planned British province rather than a convict settlement. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836, when the state was proclaimed at The Old Gum Tree by Governor John Hindmarsh.

South Australia Wikipedia

Kangaroo Island
Separated from the Australian mainland about 9000 years ago, Kangaroo Island remains one of the most unspoiled natural wonders of the world. You'll find seals basking on quiet beaches; koalas munching on gum trees; echidnas wandering in search of insects; and kangaroos, goannas, wallabies, penguins and birds at just about every turn.

Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name. It is located 150 miles south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait. The state of Tasmania includes the island of Tasmania, which is the 26th largest island in the world, and other surrounding islands. The state has an estimated population of 500,000 (as of December 2008 with almost half located in the greater Hobart area, and an area of 26,410 sq miles, of which the main island covers 24,096 sq miles.

Tasmania, Australia Wikipedia article

Rafting
With its mountainous terrain combined with a heavy rainfall, Tasmania boasts rugged whitewater rivers just waiting to host adventurous paddlers all year round. The best action is to be had on the wild Franklin River, but only the very fit and adventurous should take on the full multi-day descent.

Port Arthur
In the far south of Tasmania, on the Tasman Peninsula, is Port Arthur, which in the early 1800s was originally a timber station. In 1833 it became a prison settlement for male convicts, and quickly established a reputation as being 'hell on earth'. Today Port Arthur lies among 40 hectares of English Oaks and magnificent gardens as a memorial to Australia's convict past.

Victoria is a state located in the southeastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area but the most densely populated and urbanised. Prior to European settlement, some 30,000 Indigenous Australians are estimated to have lived in the area now occupied by the state. By contrast, over five million people now inhabit the region. European settlement in Victoria began in the 1830s as a farming community. The discovery of gold in 1851 transformed it into a leading industrial and commercial centre. Victoria is the second most populous Australian state, after New South Wales, with an estimated population of 5,205,200 as of June 2007.[4] Melbourne is Victoria's capital and largest city, with more than 70% of all Victorians living there.

Victoria, Australia Wikipedia article

Royal Botanic Gardens
Established in 1846 by the first Governor of Victoria, Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens are considered one of the worlds finest. They contain extensive landscaped gardens covering 35 hectares (86 acres) and are home to more than 51,000 individual plants, representing over 12,000 different species.

Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park
This park is unique and picturesque, offering lakes, wetlands, marine and terrestrial environments. It is a narrow coastal reserve covering 17,584 hectares along a portion of Victoria's Ninety Mile Beach, from Seaspray to Lakes Entrance.

Agnes Falls Reserve
Agnes Falls, at 194ft (59m), are the highest single span falls in Victoria. The falls are situated 100 miles (160km) southeast of Melbourne near Toora on the South Gippsland Highway. The Agnes Falls Reserve protects a small remnant of the forests that once covered the Stzrelecki Ranges.

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest sub national entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants (10% of the national total), 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.

The state's capital city is Perth. The people of Western Australia are often colloquially referred to as sandgropers, the common name of an insect found on sand dunes around Perth.

Western, Australia Wikipedia article

Ningaloo Marine Park
The Ningaloo 'Point of Land' Reef is smaller than the Great Barrier Reef - a fraction of the size. Whale Sharks and Greenback Turtles can be seen clearly.

Marapana Wildlife World
See a Koala in the beautiful bushlands of one of Western Australia's finest Wildlife Parks. Marapana has been specially designed to let people get close to the animals and appreciate how important our environment really is. There are kangaroos, deer , emus, rabbits, peacocks, camels, pheasants, horses, water buffalo and koalas.

Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort
Visitors at The Monkey Mia Resort can enjoy beaches, fishing, sailing, tours, cruises and excursions. The resort is also famous for its Bottle Nosed Dolphins.

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions. It shares borders with Western Australia to the west, South Australia to the south, and Queensland to the east.

To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Despite its large area - over 1,349,129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third largest Australian federal division - it is sparsely populated. With a population of 221,100 it is the least populous division on the mainland.

Northern Territory, Australia Wikipedia article

Kakadu National Park
No visit to the Top End of the Northern Territory can ever be complete unless you experience the magnificent Kakadu National Park. It is supremely beautiful and immensely important for its Aboriginal history and unique ecology.

Territory Wildlife Park
The Territory Wildlife Park is an excellent introduction to the wildlife of the Northern Territory. About 60 kilometres south of Darwin, the park covers 400 hectares (about 1000 acres) in natural bushland.

Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon is one of the most beautiful sights in the Territory. The canyon is about 230 kilometres south west of Alice Springs off the Stuart Highway. Watarrka National Park holds its secret tightly, revealing little to the traveller arriving at its gates.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'.

The need for a National Territory was flagged by colonial delegates during the Federation conventions of the late 19th century. Section 125 of the Australian Constitution provided that following Federation in 1901, land would be ceded freely to the new Federal Government. The territory was transferred to the Commonwealth by the state of New South Wales in 1911, two years prior to the naming of Canberra as the National Capital in 1913.

The floral emblem of the ACT is the Royal Bluebell and the faunal emblem is the Gang-gang Cockatoo.

Australian Capital Territory Wikipedia article

Canberra Museum and Gallery
The Canberra Museum and Gallery integrates visual arts and social history in a range of exciting exhibitions, projects and education programs that explore Canberra's cultural and social issues and possibilities.

National Gallery of Australia
Australia's national Art Gallery provides access to and information about Australian Art, Aboriginal Art, Asian Art and International art including paintings, prints, barks, sculpture, photography, posters, textiles, illustrated books and decorative arts.