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Australia Vacation Destinations
Travelscene’s
travel experts are passionate about travel and have scaled our
corner of the world in search of many amazing and unique travel
experiences to share with you. Our customers look to us for
inspiration and our knowledge, so you can be confident that your
vacation will be prepared with the care and expertise of someone
who knows the destination best. We have partnered with a range
of airlines, hotels, tour and transfer companies and negotiated
great rates due to our global buying power.
Sydney & Surrounds, New South Wales
 Built
on one of the world’s most beautiful harbors, cosmopolitan
Sydney is the gateway to New South Wales. Visitors will delight
in cruising the harbor to view the Opera House and Harbour
Bridge… or venturing just an hour or two outside the
city to some of the state’s diverse regions.
 The
Blue Mountains, sometimes called “Australia’s
Grand Canyon”, offer opportunities to view Australian
wildlife amid beautiful canyons and vistas. In the Hunter
Valley, taste some of Australia’s famous wines, go hot
air ballooning, shop for antiques, or indulge in a game of
golf or relaxing spa treatment. Further afield, Outback New
South Wales is home to opal mining, ancient Aboriginal rock
art, wildlife, and strikingly rugged landscapes.
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Great
Barrier Reef & Beyond, Queensland
 Queensland is Australia’s sunshine state,
home to World Heritage rainforest and the magnificent
Great Barrier Reef. The northern gateway, tropical
Cairns, is the perfect base from which to explore
the rainforest, experience Aboriginal culture
up-close, and visit the wonders of the reef.
 Why not indulge in an island getaway or cruise—perhaps
in the Whitsundays, heart of the Great Barrier
Reef? Divers, snorkelers, and sunbathers alike
will find plenty of fun in the sun in Queensland’s
Tropical North. In Southern Queensland, the capital
city of Brisbane is a jumping-off point to the
rainforest and mountains of Lamington National
Park; Fraser Island, the world’s largest
sand island; the sophisticated Gold Coast; and
the Sunshine Coast, home of the Crocodile Hunter’s
Australia Zoo.
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Northern territory
 Australia’s Northern Territory is home
to the real outback, with rugged red landscapes
steeped in Aboriginal history and culture. Ayers
Rock, the world’s largest monolith, is an
aweinspiring sight.
 While visiting the Rock and the nearby Olgas
rock formation, learn about the area’s significance
to the Aboriginal people. Alice Springs, in the
center of the country, is an outpost of pioneer
history as well as Aboriginal culture. Darwin,
gateway to the Top End, is a tropical frontier
town with access to some of Australia’s
most scenic national parks, including the wildliferich
wetlands, waterfalls, rock formations, and Aboriginal
rock art of Kakadu.
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Perth
& Western Australia
 Perth, capital of Western Australia, is a cosmopolitan
city with a year-round mild climate. From Perth,
visit the wineries of the Swan Valley and Margaret
River.
 Travel further to reach the unique sandstone
formations called The Pinnacles, in Nambung National
Park, or Monkey Mia, where wild dolphins swim
near shore daily to interact with humans. Australia’s
last frontier lies across the north of the state:
The Kimberley, home to amazing scenery and Aboriginal
culture.
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Adelaide,
Kangaroo Island & South Australia
 More than 50% of all Australian wine is produced
within a three-hour drive of South Australia’s
capital city, Adelaide, in the worldfamous
Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, and McLaren Vale.
 A short flight or ferry ride from Adelaide lies
Kangaroo Island, sometimes called a zoo "without
fences" for its diverse and populous wildlife.
In the center of the state is the opal-mining
town of Coober Pedy, with its unique underground
homes, churches, and stores. South Australia’s
outback also includes the Flinders Ranges, featuring
rugged mountain scenery with an abundance of wildlife.
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Tasmania
 Once known chiefly for its carefully-preserved
convict history and stunning natural scenery,
the island state of Tasmania is gaining renown
for its exceptional food, boutique wines, and
local arts and crafts.
 From the capital city of Hobart, discover Port
Arthur, Australia's best-preserved former penal
colony, or Freycinet National Park, with its beautiful
bays and rugged terrain, perfect for hiking. From
the historic city of Launceston, with its Victorian-era
facades, visit the vineyards of the Tamar Valley,
or tour through the alpine scenery of beautiful
Cradle Mountain National Park, home to waterfalls,
glacial lakes, and a variety of Australian wildlife.
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Melbourne, Victoria
 The elegant capital of Victoria, Melbourne, is
home to a thriving arts and cultural scene, glorious
colonial architecture, and superb restaurants.
 As Australia’s smallest mainland state,
Victoria offers a variety of regional attractions,
from the koala and penguin reserves of Phillip
Island and the Mornington Peninsula; to the surf
beaches, maritime history, and unique rock formations
of the Great Ocean Road; wineries and wildlife
sanctuaries of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong
Ranges; and colonial history of the Goldfields
and Ballarat. Look closely at all the pieces that
make up Victoria, and you'll soon discover the
only piece missing is you!
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TRAVEL TIPS |
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Size, Location, Population
Approximately the same size as the continental U.S. with a population
of 18 million. A non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Sydney takes
about 14 hours.
Time Zones
Like the US, Australia is broken into three different time zones.
From Pacific Standard Time, the eastern states (New South Wales,
Queensland, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania) are + 18 hours, the central
states (Northern Territory, South Australia) are + 19, and Western
Australia is + 20 hours. Some states practice daylight saving, so
these times will differ during certain months.
Entry Formalities
You must have a passport, valid for not less than 6 months beyond
the date of arrival, and a visitors visa. Consult your travel agent
or airline.
Currency
Australian dollar, decimal currency system. Notes: $100, $50, $20,
$10, $5. Coins: 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, $1, $2.
Bank Hours
Generally 9:30am to 4pm Monday through Thursday, and 9:30am to 5pm
Friday.
Departure Tax
Departure tax is A$38 (approximately US$27) per person over 12 years
of age (included in international air ticket).
Electricity
240/250 volts, AC 50Hz. As the 3-pin outlets differ from those in
the US a converter/adapter kit is required. Most major hotels have
110v outlets for electric shavers.
Language
English is the official language, but you will hear many colorful
local expressions. Do not hesitate to ask questions, as people are
very helpful.
Shopping
9am-5pm weekdays, and Thursday to 9pm. Saturday 9am-4pm. Put Akubra
hats, Driza-Bone bushman raincoats, Aboriginal objects, wool products,
opals and pearls on your shopping list.
Tipping
Tipping is not the general custom, and service charges are not added
in hotels and restaurants. In better restaurants, however, it is
usual to tip up to 10%. Porters at airports, taxi drivers and hairdressers
do not expect to be tipped. At railway terminals porters have set
charges, but not at hotels. At any time tipping is your choice.
Climate
As Australia covers 30 degrees of latitude, there is a wide variation
in its climate. Looking to the north, about 40% of the continent
is in the tropics. In the southeast region of the Australian Alps,
there is snow for about 6 months of the year. Primarily, Australia
is a sunshine country - even in the cooler southern regions. No
capital gets less than 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. Perth is the
sunniest state capital, with nearly 8 hours of sunshine a day. Remember
that Australia, located in the southern hemisphere, has seasons
opposite North America's.
Food
Australians don't really have a dish that they can call their own.
But the country does offer a multitude of foods, from native kangaroo
tails and macadamia nuts, through avocados, fresh tropical fruits,
oysters and lobsters, to tender beef and lamb. And what you will
find is a variety of foods prepared with the skills of many nationalities
- French, Greek, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian
and many others.
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