Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Expert's guide to exploring Broome

Expert's guide to exploring Broome

THE young girl behind me is obviously terrified of heights. Like me, she's propped up 2m on the back of a safari camel waiting to be carried along Broome's famous Cable Beach.

Broome Cable Beach

With the pristine surroundings all I want is to feel relaxed but the girl's incessant screaming makes doing so impossible. Her mother tries calming her but only makes the shrieking worse.

"I want to get off! It's too high, I'm scared," the seven-year-old wails, tears streaming down her face.

The safari is a family outing for the girl's sister's fifth birthday.

"We'll be OK. This is fun," the five-year-old says among giggles. She's saddled up with her dad on the next camel back. But her older sister's panic conquers any reason and has obviously disabled her hearing.

The breezeless afternoon is hot and humid, making sitting still uncomfortable.

Broome Camel Safaris operator Alison Bird has worked with camels for more than 25 years and, with a single command, she has the girl and her mother off their camel. They decide to casually explore the white sands and red pindan cliffs on foot while the rest of the group take in Cable Beach's beauty on the hoof.

A trip to Broome wouldn't be complete without a camel ride along the 22km stretch of beach but there is much more to do in the Kimberley's most tourist-friendly town.

To start with, the only resort overlooking Cable Beach is Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa, and it is a prime location from which to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the area. Cocktails at the Sunset Bar and Grill during twilight are a must while you drink in the view as the sun sets over the water.

Exploring Broome
Broome is the pearling capital of the world, but just as an oyster's shell has contrasting features mother of pearl interior and a brown, slimy exterior so too, does this industry's history.

A tour of the Pearl Luggers Museum in Broome's Chinatown reveals this gruesome history involving danger, slavery and bereavement.

More than a century before Broome's exports of cultured pearls reached today's $200 million a year mark, men would go to extraordinary lengths, even risking their lives, to harvest pearls and oyster shells from the ocean floor.

Laura, a vibrant and friendly museum employee, takes our group of 13 tourists to a room full of old diving gear and pearling artefacts where she delves into the details.

My gaze falls on a large, copper helmet resembling an upside-down fish bowl with little viewing windows.

"These hard-hats were actually an English invention in the 1820s and used by firefighters before they were adapted into diving helmets in Broome during the 1870s," Laura tells us.

"This was the beginning of modern pearling in Broome and created a multicultural marine 'gold rush'. People from Japan, Malaya, China and Europe were lured here by the promise of finding their fortunes."

Laura goes on to tell us that pearling during the 1850s and 1880s, before the hard-hat, was done by Aboriginal slaves who were forced to dive naked with no oxygen, snorkel or mask.

This practice was tagged "blackbirding" and we learn with disgust that pregnant Aboriginal women were favourably used as their increased lung capacity meant they could stay under the water for longer.

"So many slaves died during this period and the most common cause of death was drowning because they misjudged the depth and stayed under the water for too long," Laura says.

"When the new equipment was introduced, two helmet divers were able to reach deeper shell beds and double the catch of 57 slaves."

However, there was still significant risk and one in three divers who were predominantly lightweight Japanese men dressed in 130kg to 160kg diving suits didn't survive their first dive.

Many of these divers lie buried within the 707 graves in the beautifully elegant Japanese Cemetery on Port Drive. It's a worthwhile visit and very informative if you go with Broome Sightseeing Tours.

"Eighty-five per cent of the world's supply of mother of pearl came from Broome in the 1800s and the main use was to make buttons," Laura says.

Apparently, the chance of discovering a natural pearl was one in 5000. Today there are many local cultured pearl farms and the variety and quality of pearls in Broome's jewellery stores is remarkable.

Broome's birds
The natural beauty and abundance of wildlife is another remarkable aspect of this town and one great way to appreciate it is by visiting Broome's Bird Observatory.

Along with another traveller, I take a private tour of the RAMSAR-listed site international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands at the Roebuck Bay shorebird viewing site.

Our guide is shorebird researcher for the Bird Observatory, Chris Hassell, and his passion for his work makes me want to take up birdwatching.

In contrast to humans' migratory history during the past 100 years, Chris tells us that shorebirds have been following migrating paths here for hundreds of thousands of years.

"Birdwatching is fantastic here all year round as all immature birds stay in the bay while most adults will fly 12,000km to lay eggs in the Arctic," he says.

We're standing on a cliff looking over exposed mudflats in the bay with thousands of birds picking in the ground for their food.

"Over a year about 150,000 shorebirds visit the mangroves along the shorelines of Roebuck Bay," Chris says.

"We have recorded 50 different species that come here, which is quite significant considering there are only 214 species of shorebirds in the world."

Chris has a love for the place and confesses to moving here from the UK after a six-week bird-catching program turned into a 15-year lifestyle.

"You don't need to be a birdwatcher to enjoy the bay," he says.

"You have the vibrant red, blue and green colours and stunning scenery."

Discover the Margaret River on a tour like no other

I HAVE never had much luck with canoes. It's a balance thing and my excuse is that I'm genetically challenged when it comes to this activity.

escape river


You see, I have short legs and a long body, which means the centre of gravity is all wrong and I tend to tip canoes over rather than successfully navigate them upstream, or downstream for that matter.

I confess this to our guide, Sean Blocksidge, who not so wisely opts to put me in his canoe along with Lorraine, or Not Quite Nigella as she is known in the food blogging world.

She can't swim. I can't keep a canoe upright.

I wonder at the wisdom of all this.

It is early morn and we are pushing off from the banks of Margaret River, in Western Australia's southwest.

The Margaret River region is known for three things: surfing, wine and food.

I have visited the area more than a dozen times but this is the first time I've ever dipped my fingers (hopefully not my toes) in the river from which the town gets its name.

Sean says 90 to 95 per cent of locals, let alone West Australians, would not have done this either.

Sean's business, The Margaret River Discovery Company, is something of an internet success story. After several different careers, including managing a 5-star hotel and a well-known local winery, he took the plunge and started his company.

To say he struggled is an understatement. He had ploughed about $100,000 and 18 months into the business and was at breaking point when someone reviewed his company on an internet travel site.

The next day his phone started ringing. He went from hardly working at all, to hardly ever being able to have a day off.

Tripadvisor now rates his company the No.1 tour experience in Australia.

The Margaret River Discovery Company takes small groups to some of the less travelled parts of the area. Don't worry, though it does include a winery, and a pretty good one at that.

"Initially it was a challenge for people to look beyond the traditional mini-van tour option," he says.

"It all takes place far away from the crowds and my clients really appreciate being able to get away from it all on tour."

The Margaret River is alive this morning.

Fish are jumping, birds serenade us, and the water is fine.

Thankfully it is not a wide river so I allay my canoeing fears by working out that even if I fall in I can make it to the water's edge.

As for NQN, it's a tough world and each travel writer has to fend for themselves, although I secretly think that Sean would save her if push came to shove.

Our trip is not too taxing, even though the weather conditions forecast for today are cyclonic. We paddle upstream for about 20 minutes, at times stopping in the tree line so Sean can point out the wildlife.

We then head back to shore, my feet dry for the first time ever in a canoe. You might think I was joking but I have tried and never achieved this about six times in the past.

We climb back into the four-wheel-drive and head to our next stop Cape Mentelle winery. Another confession I've sometimes fallen over at wineries, too, but that has nothing to do with genetics.

The winery is one of the region's success stories. This part of the trip is designed for the true wine connoisseur. It is an intense behind-the-scenes look at how Cape Mentelle goes about its business. The matching wine-food tasting in the barrel room is something that foodies would almost wet their pants over.

We are taken through the complexity of how food and wine interact. We sample nine wines with a variety of Margaret River foods. Our guide goes to great lengths to explain why certain foods taste better with specific wines. The only downside is at times it feels a little like being in a classroom. He is constantly asking questions. We are constantly getting the answers wrong. I'm now a little wiser when it comes to eating and drinking.

From there we boarded the 4WD again and this time headed to the coast to Cape Naturaliste to walk a section of the Cape to Cape track.

The WA coastline is a maze of contradictions. It is rugged. It is harsh, with plants fighting every day to survive. It is dangerous. And it is the most stunning outdoor cinema, with surround sounds.

We sat on the cliff's edge and watched the afternoon show. You could hear nothing but the crashing of the waves below and the setting sun created a sky filled with all the colours of a painter's palette. We sat and watched for 30 minutes and Sean fed us a tasting plate of local honey and confessed that he had finally found the best job in the world.

I wouldn't disagree.

Doing there
The Margaret River Discovery Company, see www.margaret riverdiscovery.com.au
The retreat is a 3 1/2-hour drive from Perth. I stayed in Villa 6, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, fully self-contained touch of paradise. The room was filled with local artwork and state-of-the-art appliances, including an EcoSmart ethanol-fuelled fire for the chilly winter months. The colour scheme takes its lead from the environment, with everything from the floors to the lounge suites in graduating shades of sand.

The breakfast hamper was fresh and plentiful, which is important because there aren't any in-house eating options. Guests are advised to visit the Smiths Beach resort, Bathers Cafe or Bouzy The Champagne Bar (which I recommend).

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Treasures of the wild west

IF I'd been awake long enough, I could have seen the moon and then the sun rise over Western Australia's Geographe Bay, but it seems I'm always late during the scenic drive from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin.


escape wa

Beaches, forests, wineries and photos all add up when you're stretching time.

I wake up late in Dunsborough and drive up to nearby Cape Naturaliste, stopping in at picturesque Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, and breakfast at Bunker Bay as the aqua sea creeps in.

Dropping in at the lighthouse for a last glimpse and stroll there's still so many coastal walks undone and at 135km the walk to Cape Leeuwin unfortunately isn't an option.

I branch off for a quick look at the huge honey-coloured Sugarloaf Rock before I rejoin Caves Rd and head to Yallingup.

Taken from an Aboriginal word for "place of love", it's easy to develop an instant attraction to the town.

It has houses on the hill, a surf school and beaches suitable for surfing and fishing plus nearby Ngilgi Cave.

Heading a little farther down the coast I get my first real "wow" moment at Canal Rocks.

The powerful Indian Ocean has worn at the faults in the volcanic rock, creating a series of islands separated by canals.

As I stand on the timber bridge linking the islands, the place seems to have a coastal Venice feel with waves breaking dramatically over the rocks and surging through the canal below.

The bridge also makes access to the islands possible for adventurous fishermen.

It's a scenic spot. I stand with the coast to the north covered in vegetation under heavy cloud and the sunlit coast to the south adorned with golden dunes among vegetation.

Back on the road, I'm soon on a bottle shop tour as I recognise the labels of the different wineries as I pass by.

If I ever needed a co-driver it's now. I play designated driver, imbibing nothing and counting more than 10 wineries sliding past with signs for others attempting to lure me even farther from the road.

Diverting from Caves Rd near Gracetown, I decide to check out the Margaret River region's surf breaks, starting with North Point.

Under the right conditions it's a daunting, long righthander and as a non-surfing albatross I can only watch with a twinge of envy as surfers make the drop.

Back on the road, I drive past the Margaret River Venison and am soon at the crossroads between Margaret River and Surfers Point.

It's a tough choice.

Australia's tallest hardwoods
If I go into Margaret River I won't have time to properly enjoy epicurean foods, the hemp shop or the fudge factory, and I'll be too late to take the coast road.

So I head towards Surfers Point instead and walk around to watch the Margaret River mouth carve a sandy channel into the ocean below.

I'm missing things again as I quickly drive past Calgardup, Mammoth, Lake and Giants caves.

Then I have to stop and pull over abruptly before someone runs into me.

It's my first glimpse of the giant karri trees.

They're Western Australia's tallest hardwoods, growing up to 75m - and there's a whole forest of them.

Picking up the pace again, I make a quick detour to Hamelin Bay, which is a haven for giant stingrays that feed off fishermen's scraps at the jetty and boat ramp when boats come in early morning or late afternoon.

Somebody told me the hungry stingrays will nibble on your toes like the exfoliating garra rufa fish but it's not advised. Fortunately I don't have to test that as I'm too early to be considered afternoon tea.

Passing Jewel Cave on the main road, I pull into Augusta and head straight to the base of Cape Leeuwin lighthouse just in time for the last tour.

They're strict on departing times and I should have been here at least five minutes earlier.

At 39m, the seven-storey still-operational lighthouse is mainland Australia's tallest.

It has an effective range of 100km and is set up with free powerful mounted binoculars at the bottom for whale watching.

On the way up its 186 steps our guide tells us facts of its 104-year history, such as the tough life of the keeper when the lighthouse ran manually, using a clockwork mechanism and kerosene burner.

In 1982, it was one of the last lighthouses in the world to be converted to electricity and automation followed in 1992.

The area surrounding the lighthouse is also interesting as it's the most southwesterly point of Australia and the swirling meeting point of the Southern and Indian oceans.

There's also a calcified waterwheel and flume which supplied the lighthouse and nearby buildings with spring water.

Glancing at the sinking sun I remember I need to reach my accommodation in Pemberton by dark.

I'm late again.

The writer was a guest of Tourism Western Australia

Go2 Dunsborough

Getting there: Dunsborough, the nearest town to Cape Naturaliste, is 250km south of Perth via the Kwinana Freeway. Augusta, the closest town to Cape Leeuwin, is 95km south of Dunsborough via Caves Rd. Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia fly to Perth.

Ningaloo world heritage listing praised

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners are celebrating the world heritage listing of a special stretch of Australia's coast.



The United Nations' cultural body, UNESCO, yesterday gave world heritage status to Western Australia's Ningaloo Coast.

Swimming with whale sharks, Ningaloo Reef

The remote environment is home to sea turtles and an annual gathering of white whales.

Conservation group WWF says the move comes after more than a decade of lobbying to protect Ningaloo reef.

Spokesman Paul Gamblin said the campaign to protect the area from over-development and neglect drew together a diverse group, determined to preserve it.

"World Heritage listing was always a faraway dream," he said.

"Ningaloo is a place loved by the people of the region, and now more than ever before, Ningaloo will inspire the citizens of the world."

Paris-based UNESCO also added Japan's remote Ogasawara Islands and the Kenya Lake System in the Rift Valley to its heritage list.

The 32,000-hectare Kenyan lake district is home to rhinos, giraffes and lions.

The Ogasawara Islands, known in English as the Bonin Islands, are a cluster in the Pacific a thousand kilometres southeast of the Japanese mainland.

They are home to numerous animal species including the Bonin Flying Fox, a critically endangered bat, and 195 endangered bird species.

UNESCO's world heritage committee is meeting until June 29.

It will consider bids by the tiny Pacific archipelagoes of Micronesia and Palau, Barbados, Jamaica, Congo and the United Arab Emirates for their first listings.

World heritage listing is considered an invaluable tool for both tourism and environmental protection.

The Ningaloo Coast is Australia's 19th listing. Other listed sites include the Wet Tropics of Queensland, the Tasmanian Wilderness and Kakadu National Park.

The Ningaloo world heritage area, on the easternmost point of the West Australian coast, covers more than 600,000ha and stretches for more than 200km.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke said the listing provided international recognition of the outstanding natural values of a truly spectacular Australian landscape.

"The Ningaloo Coast's striking land and seascape tells a dramatic story about the formation of oceans, movement of continents and changes in our climate,'' he said.

"With more than 200 kilometres of spectacular coral reef off a rugged limestone peninsula, the Ningaloo Coast is a stunning and unique contrast between reef and arid landscape."

Desperate bid for Australian icons Uluru, Great Barrier Reef to win New7Wonders campaign

TOURISM Australia is urging Aussies to get behind two national landmarks that are still in the running to be named among the world's new seven natural wonders.

Uluru


Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef fought off stiff competition from 440 top sites around the world to join the 28 finalists in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign.

The Australian icons face stiff competition from overseas - New Zealand's Milford Sound, the Maldives, Brazil's Iguazu Falls, America's Grand Canyon and South Africa's Table Mountain are all in the running.

With the end of the competition only two months away Tourism Australia is pulling out all the stops in a bid to win, with the hope that it will boost tourism.

“Being home to two of the world’s seven natural wonders would reinforce our message that ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ to the rest of the world,” Andrew McEvoy from Tourism Australia said.

“While many of the world’s most remarkable destinations are also in the running, we know that Australia’s candidates are truly phenomenal, highly worthy and stand a very strong chance - we just need the public to take action and vote.”

Tourism Australia has even launched a Facebook application to generate support for the landmarks, inviting Aussies to share stories and images as well as vote.

The competition will be fierce, with some of the world's most stunning locations making the cut.

“So many breathtakingly beautiful, natural places are still quite unknown to many," New7Wonders Founder and President Bernard Weber said. "From waterfalls to fjords, rainforests to mountain peaks, freshwater lakes to volcanoes, we are discovering together the incredible beauty and variety of our planet.”

There is already a list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Launched in 2007, the winners of the New7Wonders campaign will be announced on November 11.

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Australia's Beaches

Craving an Australian beach holiday?

Coastal 

Find out more about Australia’s 50,000 kilometres of spellbinding coastline.
Wherever you find them, our white, sandy beaches are just as you imagine - uncrowded, unspoilt and utterly enticing. You can marvel at World Heritage-listed wonders, chill out at a beach retreat or just enjoy fish and chips on the shore. However you experience our coastline, the crashing waves and gentle sea breeze are all part of a lifestyle that you won’t want to leave behind. 

Great Ocean Road 








 Take a ride through nature on the spectacular Great Ocean Road, which winds alongside the wild and windswept Southern Ocean from Geelong to Portland. This diverse and dramatic region takes in surf beaches, historic ports, whale lookouts, breathtaking mountain ranges, rainforests and national parks.See monster waves at Bells Beach and laze on the golden sands of Lorne. Visit an important Aboriginal site near Tower Hill or spot shipwrecks near the charming fishing village of Port Fairy. Of course, you can’t miss the Twelve Apostles - craggy limestone stacks rising majestically from the Southern Ocean.

Pacific Coast Touring Route, QLD

 Capture some of Queensland’s biggest coastal attractions– from the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef to the pristine islands and rainforest national parks. Four wheel drive Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island and see manta rays and turtles at Mon Repos, near Bundaberg. Stay in Rockhampton and visit Great Keppel Island and the Capricorn Caves. Snorkel or dive reefs and shipwrecks near Mackay and go sailing in the postcard-perfect Whitsundays. Walk the white sand of Magnetic Island, near Townsville and further north visit Hinchinbrook, Australia’s largest island national park. The vivid colours, smells and sounds of this splendid coastline will stay with you long after your journey ends in Cairns, at the gateway to Queensland’s tropical north.

Pacific Coast Touring Route, NSW

Explore the sparkling beaches and lush hinterland of the Central Coast, the wineries of the Hunter Valley and the picturesque inlets of Port Stephens. Work on your swing in a rainforest golf course on the Coffs Coast and your aura on the beach in Byron Bay. Dive with brightly coloured fish in Solitary Islands Marine Park or into the bright lights of the Gold Coast. This scenic drive takes you from Sydney to Brisbane, offering sweeping beaches, sleepy villages, mossy rainforests, adventure and relaxation along the way.

Great Southern Touring Route 


The Great Southern Touring Route turns the romance of the road trip into a grand love affair. Drive along the Great Ocean Road past the iconic surf spots of Torquay and Bells Beach, then onto the holiday haven of Lorne and the magnificent Twelve Apostles. Walk through waterfalls and lush forest in Otway National Park and watch whales from the historic town of Warrnambool. Stretch out your journey with a stay in any of the many scenic seaside towns, from Apollo Bay to Port Fairy. Away from the wild and windswept Southern Ocean, you can explore Aboriginal history in the Grampians and gold rush heritage in Ballarat.

South-West, Beaches and Goldfields, WA


Discover the diverse and theatrical landscapes of Australia’s south-west corner. Drive from Perth through the buzzing historic port of Fremantle and swim with dolphins in Mandurah and Bunbury. Explore wineries, surf beaches, ancient limestone caves and towering karri forests in the Margaret River region. Walk through a canopy of sky-scraping trees in the Valley of the Giants, near Walpole. Swim and surf from Esperance’s clean, empty white beaches and cruise to the pristine islands of the Recherche Archipelago. Soak up gold fever in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and trace the path of pioneers on historic gold trails. Watch golden sand morph to green valley as you drive back into Perth.

Broome, WA

Meet camels and characters in Broome, an exotic pearling town that sits at the gateway to the Kimberley. Buy pearls and soak up the melting pot of nationalities in Chinatown, once the bustling hub of billiard saloons and opium dens. Ride a camel along the white sand of Cable Beach, the place to watch a blazing sun sink into the Indian Ocean. Check out dinosaur footprints preserved in rock and birdwatch from Roebuck Bay. Between March and October, you can catch the romantic magic of ‘Staircase to the Moon’, a silvery illusion created by the reflection of a rising moon.

Bells, Waves and Winkipop

Soak up surf culture, sunshine and holiday fun on the surf beaches around Torquay.
You can have all kinds of seaside sun in Torquay, but this picturesque holiday town is most famous for the surf beaches that surround it. Sitting south-west of Melbourne at the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Torquay is fringed by some fantastic breaks with fairytale names.

Sydney’s beaches beckon


Discover some of Sydney’s 70 sparkling beaches, from secluded bays to world-famous strips of sand.
Sydney’s beaches will be beckoning before you even land in Botany. You might see them flying in – a long, golden chain split across both sides of the harbour and fringed by green bush and sea. Or the welcome video on the plane might start famous images of Bondi Beach repeating in your head. If you’re an avid surfer, sun-worshipper or just love the sea, you’ll be itching to get onto the waves, smelling the salt air or nestled nicely on the sand.

Bondi to Bronte, Sydney


Sydney in summertime is all about its coastline, and few stretches are as iconic as the sea-sculpted section from Bondi to Bronte. Learn to surf at Bondi, join the beautiful people in Tamarama and swim in Bronte’s family-friendly rock pool.  See all three beaches on the Bondi to Bronte walk - a short, spectacular coastal trail along epic sandstone cliffs.

The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive, South Australia

Experience life as a drover on part of a biennial cattle drive along the Oodnadatta Track, in South Australia’s outback. Every second August, you can trace the trail of Australian pioneers who forged their way through these raw, powerful landscapes. Meet modern-day droving legends and feel like one yourself, after a day herding 500 head of cattle from horseback. Ride through the expanse of an Australian cattle station and alongside the old Ghan railway line. At night, trade campfire tales, dine on delicious meals and sleep in luxury tents beneath a star-filled desert sky. The entire five week cattle drive follows the Oodnadatta Track, from Marree to Oodnadatta, overlapping with both the original Ghan rail line and an ancient Aboriginal trading route. It’s a big journey with a rich history.


You can join the cattle drive on a five day tour from Adelaide or the nearby opal mining town of Coober Pedy. The cattle drive campsite is set up on a remote spot near the tiny town of William Creek. This is a good place to forge some pre-campfire friendships and take in the epic outback scenery. After a welcome lunch at the campsite, you’ll be teamed with a horse right for your riding experience, even if you’ve never been in a saddle. You’ll also meet your precious cargo - the huge herd of cattle.

 

Each day after breakfast, you’ll steer cattle around 14km, past deep red dunes and sweeping plains, gum trees and stony tableland. Learn about the ‘boss drovers’ of old from your droving team, the hardy horsemen and women who continue their legacy. Listen to stories of the Aboriginal people who worked on cattle drives, and their sacred connection to these uncompromising landscapes. Trace the old Ghan rail line and see remnants of the Overland Telegraph Line, the single copper wire that once connected England with Australia.
The cattle drive showcases the outback’s true extremes. Meet all 10 residents of William Creek, one of Australia’s smallest towns, at the timber and corrugated iron pub. Then head through some of the 24,000 square km expanse of Anna Creek Station, still a working cattle station. You’ll discover more dramatic outback landscapes on one of the many optional tours. See the sun melt in fiery layers at the Breakaways, and visit an underground opal mine in nearby Coober Pedy. Take a scenic flight over vast, salt-crusted Lake Eyre, the Painted Hills or the natural artesian pools of Dalhousie Springs.

In the evening, compare notes with your fellow explorers over the roaring campfire, or over a buffet of bush tucker in the marquee. The stockmen of a century ago would have been in heaven in this luxurious campsite, with its modern bathrooms, kitchen of top caterers, bar and library. After a long and exhilarating day in the saddle, it’s hard to beat a hot shower, camp bed and carpeted tent.

At the end of your tour, return to Adelaide or swagger into another outback adventure. Stay in tiny pubs in classic outback towns such as Marree and Roxby Downs. Do a camel trek through Coongie Lakes National Park or camp near Dalhousie Springs in Witjira National Park. Hire a 4WD and set off on the challenging Birdsville, Oodnadatta or Strzelecki desert tracks. You can even drive through to Alice Springs and onward to Darwin in the Northern Territory on the epic Explorer’s Highway.

Your droving adventure will expand your horizons and show you how much more is possible.

About Australia - Infomation Australia

About Australia  - Infomation Australia

Learn all about Australia! Get interesting information about Australia and read up on our history, culture, movies, books and music.
Learn about Australian history, from the Aboriginal Dreamtime to British settlement, our convict history and the birth of a modern, multicultural nation.

Gain an insight into Australian culture, which is founded on notions of a ‘fair go’, love of the great outdoors and a dry sense of humour.  Learn more about Australians - our Aboriginal culture, our legendary folk heroes, modern day heroes and the diverse nationalities that make up modern Australian society.

Check out our quirky and interesting information about Australia, with facts across a range of areas, from our record-breakers to Australian flora and fauna.

Want to know more about Kylie Minogue or Nicole Kidman or find out which Australian authors have won the Man Booker Prize? Get an overview of our film credits, award-winning authors and talented musicians.

Australia's History 

Aboriginal people dream on a timeless continent
Australia’s Aboriginal people were thought to have arrived here by boat from South East Asia during the last Ice Age, at least 50,000 years ago. At the time of European  discovery and settlement, up to one million Aboriginal people lived across the continent as hunters and gatherers. They were scattered in 300 clans and spoke 250 languages and 700 dialects. Each clan had a spiritual connection with a specific piece of land. However, they also travelled widely to trade, find water and seasonal produce and for ritual and totemic gatherings.

Despite the diversity of their homelands - from outback deserts and tropical rainforests to snow-capped mountains – all Aboriginal people share a belief in the timeless, magical realm of the Dreamtime. According to Aboriginal myth, totemic spirit ancestors forged all aspects of life during the Dreamtime of the world’s creation. These spirit ancestors continue to connect natural phenomena, as well as past, present and future through every aspect of Aboriginal culture.

Britain arrives and brings its convicts
A number of European explorers sailed the coast of Australia, then known as New Holland, in the 17th century. However it wasn’t until 1770 that Captain James Cook chartered the east coast and claimed it for Britain. The new outpost was put to use as a penal colony and on 26 January 1788, the First Fleet of 11 ships carrying 1,500 people – half of them convicts – arrived in Sydney Harbour. Until penal transportation ended in 1868, 160,000 men and women came to Australia as convicts.

While free settlers began to flow in from the early 1790s, life for prisoners was harsh. Women were outnumbered five to one and lived under constant threat of sexual exploitation. Male re-offenders were brutally flogged and could be hung for crimes as petty as stealing. The Aboriginal people displaced by the new settlement suffered even more. The dispossession of land and illness and death from introduced diseases disrupted traditional lifestyles and practices.

Squatters push across the continent
By the 1820s, many soldiers, officers and emancipated convicts had turned land they received from the government into flourishing farms. News of Australia’s cheap land and bountiful work was bringing more and more boatloads of adventurous migrants from Britain. Settlers or ‘squatters’ began to move deeper into Aboriginal territories – often with a gun - in search of pasture and water for their stock.

In 1825, a party of soldiers and convicts settled in the territory of the Yuggera people, close to modern-day Brisbane. Perth was settled by English gentlemen in 1829, and 1835 a squatter sailed to Port Phillip Bay and chose the location for Melbourne. At the same time a private British company, proud to have no convict links, settled Adelaide in South Australia.

Gold fever brings wealth, migrants and rebellion
Gold was discovered in New South Wales and central Victoria in 1851, luring thousands of young men and some adventurous young women from the colonies. They were joined by boat loads of prospectors from China and a chaotic carnival of entertainers, publicans, illicit liquor-sellers, prostitutes and quacks from across the world. In Victoria, the British governor’s attempts to impose order - a monthly licence and heavy-handed troopers - led to the bloody anti-authoritarian struggle of the Eureka stockade in 1854. Despite the violence on the goldfields, the wealth from gold and wool brought immense investment to Melbourne and Sydney and by the 1880s they were stylish modern cities.

Australia becomes a nation
Australia’s six states became a nation under a single constitution on 1 January 1901. Today Australia is home to people from more than 200 countries.

Australians go to war
The First World War had a devastating effect on Australia. There were less than 3 million men in 1914, yet almost 400,000 of them volunteered to fight in the war. An estimated 60,000 died and tens of thousands were wounded. In reaction to the grief, the 1920s was a whirlwind of new cars and cinemas, American jazz and movies and fervour for the British Empire. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, social and economic divisions widened and many Australian financial institutions failed. Sport was the national distraction and sporting heroes such as the racehorse Phar Lap and cricketer Donald Bradman gained near-mythical status.

During the Second World War, Australian forces made a significant contribution to the Allied victory in Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The generation that fought in the war and survived came out of it with a sense of pride in Australia’s capabilities.

New Australians arrive to a post-war boom
After the war ended in 1945, hundreds of thousands of migrants from across Europe and the Middle East arrived in Australia, many finding jobs in the booming manufacturing sector. Many of the women who took factory jobs while the men were at war continued to work during peacetime.

Australia’s economy grew throughout the 1950s with major nation-building projects such as the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme in the mountains near Canberra. International demand grew for Australia’s major exports of metals, wools, meat and wheat and suburban Australia also prospered. The rate of home ownership rose dramatically from barely 40 per cent in 1947 to more than 70 per cent by the 1960s.

Australia loosens up
Like many other countries, Australia was swept up in the revolutionary atmosphere of the 1960s. Australia’s new ethnic diversity, increasing independence from Britain and popular resistance to the Vietnam War all contributed to an atmosphere of political, economic and social change.  In 1967, Australians voted overwhelmingly ‘yes’ in a national referendum to let the federal government make laws on behalf of Aboriginal Australians and include them in future censuses. The result was the culmination of a strong reform campaign by both Aboriginal and white Australians.

In 1972, the Australian Labor Party under the idealistic leadership of lawyer Gough Whitlam was elected to power, ending the post-war domination of the Liberal and Country Party coalition.  Over the next three years, his new government ended conscription, abolished university fees and introduced free universal health care. It abandoned the White Australia policy, embraced multiculturalism and introduced no-fault divorce and equal pay for women. However by 1975, inflation and scandal led to the Governor-General dismissing the government. In the subsequent general election, the Labor Party suffered a major defeat and the Liberal–National Coalition ruled until 1983.

Since the 1970s
Between 1983 and 1996, the Hawke–Keating Labor governments introduced a number of economic reforms, such as deregulating the banking system and floating the Australian dollar. In 1996 a Coalition Government led by John Howard won the general election and was re-elected in 1998, 2001 and 2004. The Liberal–National Coalition Government enacted several reforms, including changes in the taxation and industrial relations systems. In 2007 the Labor Party led by Kevin Rudd was elected with an agenda to reform Australia’s industrial relations system, climate change policies, and health and education sectors.

Australia's Culture

Australian culture is founded on stories of battlers, bushrangers and brave soldiers. Of sporting heroes, working heroes and plucky migrants. It’s all about a fair go, the great outdoors and a healthy helping of irony. Today Australia also defines itself by its Aboriginal heritage, vibrant mix of cultures, innovative ideas and a thriving arts scene.

Aboriginal culture: a rich and timeless tradition
The Dreamtime is the sacred ‘time before time’ of the world’s creation. According to Aboriginal belief, totemic spirit ancestors emerged from the earth and descended from the sky to awaken a dark and silent world. They created the sun, moon and stars, forged mountains, rivers, trees and waterholes and changed into human and animal forms. Spirit ancestors connect this ancient past with the present and future through every aspect of Aboriginal culture. Rock art, craft and bark painting reveal Dreamtime stories, mark territory and record history, while songs tell of Dreamtime journeys, verbally mapping water sources and other essential landmarks. Their special lyrics have been passed down virtually unchanged for at least 50,000 years, and are often accompanied by clapsticks or the deep throb of the didgeridoo. Similarly, traditional dances reveal creation myths, enact the deeds of Dreamtime heroes and even recent historical events.

Colonial myths: battlers, bushrangers and brave soldiers
Australians believe in mateship and a ‘fair go’ and have a strong affection for the underdog or ‘battler’. These values stem from convicts and early colonialists who struggled against a harsh and unfamiliar land and often unjust authority.  Australia’s most famous bushranger Ned Kelly protested against the poverty and injustice of a British class system shipped here along with the convicts. This flawed hero’s fight for 'justice and liberty' and 'innocent people' has been embraced as part of the national culture and inspired countless books and movies. On the goldfields of the mid-1850s, diggers were portrayed in stories and songs as romantic heroes, larrikins and villains who embraced democracy. The bloody 1854 Eureka Stockade, where Victorian miners rose up against an authoritarian licensing system, came to symbolise a triumph of social equality. Later, during World War I, the courageous ANZAC soldiers who served in Gallipoli gave new meaning to the term ‘tough Aussie’.

Australian English: speaking ‘Strine’
Australians have a unique colloquial language, coined ‘strine’ by linguist Alastair Morrison (imagine saying Australian with your teeth gritted to keep out the flies) in 1966. This combines many long lost cockney and Irish sayings of the early convicts with words from Aboriginal languages. We often abbreviate words and then add an ‘o’ or ‘ie’ on the end as in ‘bring your cossie to the barbie this arvo’. We also like reverse nicknames, calling people with red hair ‘bluey’, saying ‘snowy’ to someone with dark hair, and tagging ‘lofty’ to someone who is small in stature. We tend to flatten our vowels and end sentences with a slightly upward inflection.

Sporting heroes: the glory of green and gold
It's no secret that Australians are sports mad. With more than 120 national and thousands of local, regional and state sporting organisations, it's estimated that six-and-a-half million people in Australia are registered sport participants. Not bad from a population of just over 21 million! The number one watched sport in Australia is Australian Rules Football (AFL) with its high kicks and balletic leaps, while the brute force and tackling tactics of National Rugby League (NRL) reign supreme in New South Wales and Queensland. Australia’s national Rugby Union team, the Wallabies play on the international circuit and in the Bledisloe Cup, part of a Tri Nations tournament with South Africa. Australia is a nation of swimmers and Olympic medals attest to our performance in the pool. All summer we watch the Australian cricket team in their whites and in January, we flick channels to see the tennis Australian Open. Held in Melbourne, this attracts more people to Australia than any other sporting event. Football is a growth sport, we draw world-class surfers for the Bells Beach Surf Classic and on Boxing Day crowds gather to watch the boats sail out of Sydney Harbour for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. On the first Tuesday in November, the nation stops for the famous horse race, the Melbourne Cup while and in March rev heads converge in Melbourne for the Formula One Grand Prix. The list of sports we love goes on, and if in doubt about the rules just ask a passionate punter.

An outdoor lifestyle: beach and barbeques
With more than 80 per cent of Australians living within 50 kilometres of the coast, the beach has become an integral part of our famous laid-back lifestyle. From Saturday morning surf-club training for young ‘nippers’ to a game of beach cricket after a barbeque, we love life on our sandy shores. We jostle for a spot on packed city beaches, relax at popular holiday spots and drive to secret, secluded beaches in coastal national parks. We go to the beach to enjoy the sun and surf or to sail, parasail, fish, snorkel, scuba dive and beach comb. It’s where we socialise and play sport, relax and enjoy romance. It’s also the site for celebration. On New Year’s Eve, revellers dance in the sand and watch fireworks at Manly and Bondi beaches in Sydney and Glenelg in Adelaide. Many beaches host citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day  and on Christmas Day up to 40,000 international visitors converge on Bondi Beach wearing Santa hats and swimming costumes. Australia’s most famous beaches - Bondi and Manly in Sydney, St Kilda in Melbourne, Surfers Paradise on the Queensland Gold Coast, Cottesloe in Perth and Glenelg in Adelaide – attract locals as well as international tourists.

Multiculturalism: diverse food, festivals and faith
Since 1945 more than six million people from across the world have come to Australia to live. Today, more than 20 per cent of Australians are foreign born and more than 40 per cent are of mixed cultural origin. In our homes we speak 226 languages - after English, the most popular are Italian, Greek, Cantonese and Arabic. Our rich cultural diversity is reflected in our food, which embraces most of the world’s cuisines and artfully fuses quite a few of them. You’ll find European flavours, the tantalising spices of Asia, Africa and the Middle East and bush tucker from our backyard on offer everywhere from street stalls to five star restaurants. Tuck into Thai takeaway, dine out on perfect Italian pasta, do tapas in our city’s Spanish strips and feast on dumplings in Chinatown. You can also embrace our melting pot of cultures in the many colourful festivals. See samba and capoeira at Bondi’s Brazilian South American festival, dance behind the dragon parade during Chinese New Year or stroll through streets transformed into a lively piazza during the annual Italian celebrations.  As a nation, we embrace a rainbow of religious belief and you’ll find Catholic and Anglican churches, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist temples, mosques and synagogues lining our streets.

Australian innovations: from the Hills Hoist to Penicillin
Australia’s unique geography and relative isolation has made it a fertile ground for new ideas. In 1879, Australians developed a way for ice to be manufactured artificially, allowing us to export meat to Great Britain on refrigerated ships. In 1906, the surf lifesaving reel was designed so lifesavers could reach distressed swimmers with a rope attached to their vests. In 1929, Alfred Traeger built a pedal-powered radio as the communications for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Australians were also responsible for more everyday inventions such as notepads (1902), aspirin (1915), the pacemaker (1926), penicillin (1940) the Hills Hoist clothesline (1946), the plastic disposable syringe (1949), the wine cask (1965), the bionic ear (1978), dual-flush toilet flush (1980), anti-counterfeiting technology for banknotes (1992) and long-wearing contact lenses (1999).
Long before European colonisation, the Aboriginal people were already leading the world. They invented the aerodynamic boomerang and a type of spear thrower called the woomera. They were also the first society  to use ground edges on stone cutting tools and the first to use stone tools to grind seeds, everyday tools which were developed only much later by other societies.

Culture cravings: theatre, film, books and visual art
From theatre to literature, Australians have a quiet love affair with the arts. We flock to the movies and our attendance at galleries and performing arts is almost double that for all football codes. Our cities play host to a huge array of cutting-edge cultural festivals, and offer music, theatre and dance performances and art exhibitions every day of the week. See traditional Aboriginal dance performance by the Bangarra Dance Theatre, throw yourself into the WOMADelaide international music festival in Adelaide and soak up theatre, ballet, opera and painting in Brisbane’s huge cultural centre on South Bank. In smaller towns you can catch performances by local musicians and see hand-made art and craft.


Australia's facts

Our Landscape

A wide, brown land
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It's about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA and 50 per cent larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometre.

Beach paradise
Australia’s coastline stretches almost 50,000 kilometres and is linked by over 10,000 beaches, more than any other country in the world. More than 85 per cent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast, making it an integral part of our laid-back lifestyle.

Our island home
Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and its outlying islands. The mainland is the largest island and the world’s smallest, flattest continent.

Our exports

Opals in our eyes
Australia produces 95 per cent of the world's precious opals and 99 per cent of its black opals. The world’s opal capital is the quirky underground town of Coober Pedy in South Australia. The world’s largest opal, weighing 5.27 kilograms, was found here in 1990.

Gold galore
Kalgoorlie in Western Australia is Australia's largest producer of gold. It also embraces the world's largest political electorate, covering a mammoth 2.2 million square kilometres.

Merinos and cattle calls
Australia's 85.7 million sheep (mostly merinos) produce most of the world's wool. With 25.4 million head of cattle, Australia is also the world's largest exporter of beef.



Our Record-Breakers

Natural legends
Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef is home to the world’s largest oyster, weighing up to 3 kilograms, while the world’s longest earthworm, stretching up to 4 metres, is found in Gippsland in Victoria. The heaviest crab, weighing up to 14 kilograms, is found in Bass Strait near Tasmania. Australia’s tallest mountain is Mt Kosciuszko, which is 2,228 metres above sea level.

Longest road, rail and fence
The world’s longest piece of straight railway track stretches 478 kilometres across South Australia’s vast, treeless Nullarbor Plain. Australia’s longest stretch of straight road - 148 kilometres – is on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia. It’s just a tiny portion of the 2,700 kilometre sealed road that takes travellers from Perth to Adelaide.  The world's longest continuous fence – the dingo fence – was built to keep sheep safe from Australia's native dog and runs for 5,531 kilometres through central Queensland and South Australia.


Our Flora and Fauna

A hopping icon
The iconic kangaroo is unique to Australia and one of our most easily recognised mammals. There are an estimated 40 million kangaroos in Australia, more than when Australia was first settled.

Unique wildlife
Australia developed a unique fauna when it broke away from the super-continent Gondwana more than 50 million years ago. Today Australia is home to a wealth of wildlife not found anywhere else in the world. We have around 800 species of birds, half of which are unique to this country. Our marine environments contain more than 4,000 fish varieties and tens of thousands of species of invertebrates, plants and micro-organisms. About 80 per cent of Australia's southern marine species are found nowhere else in the world.

Flourishing flora
Australia also supports at least 25,000 species of plants, compared to 17,500 in Europe. That includes living fossils like the Wollemi pine and the grass tree, and brilliant wildflowers. There are over 12,000 species in Western Australia alone!



Culture of Australia

An ethnic melting pot
Since 1945 more than six million people from across the world have come to Australia to live. Today, more than 20 per cent of Australians are foreign born and more than 40 per cent are of mixed cultural origin. In our homes we speak 226 languages - after English, the most popular are Italian, Greek, Cantonese and Arabic.

Big country, big ideas
Australians invented notepads (1902), the surf lifesaving reel (1906), aspirin (1915), the pacemaker (1926), penicillin (1940) the Hills Hoist clothesline (1946), the plastic disposable syringe (1949), the wine cask (1965), the bionic ear (1978), dual-flush toilet flush (1980) anti-counterfeiting technology for banknotes (1992) and long-wearing contact lenses (1999).

Aboriginal advances

Believed to be the world’s oldest civilization, Aboriginal people have lived and thrived on this continent for more than 50,000 years.  Aboriginal societies made many unique advances long before the Europeans arrived. They invented the aerodynamic boomerang and a type of spear thrower called the woomera. They were also the first society to ground edges on stone cutting tools and the first to use stone tools to grind seeds, everyday tools developed only much later by other societies.

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