discover

AUSTRALIA

LINDSAY BROWN JUSTINE VAISUTIS, JAYNE D’ARCY, KATJA GASKELL,

PAUL HARDING, VIRGINIA JEALOUS, ROWAN MCKINNON, CHARLES RAWLINGS-WAY, ROWAN ROEBIG, TOM SPURLING,

REGIS ST LOUIS, PENNY WATSON, MEG WORBY

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 1 27/11/2009 10:46:19 AM

p95

p305

TASM

AN

IA

p273

AU

STR

ALI

AW

ESTE

RN

p239

AU

STR

ALI

AC

ENTR

AL

p191

& V

ICTO

RIA

MEL

BO

UR

NE

p137

QU

EEN

SLA

ND

BR

ISB

AN

E &

WA

LES

NEW

SO

UTH

p50

SYD

NEY

2

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 2 27/11/2009 10:46:34 AM

DISCOVER AUSTRALIA

Tasmania (p305) A premier bushwalking destination that’s also epicurean hub, font of fresh air and antidote to city stress.

Western Australia (p273) Majestic forests and vineyards down south; camel trains and marine-life spectacle in the tropical north.

Central Australia (p239) A quintessen-tial blend of vineyards, mesmerising Red Centre landforms and tropical Top End.

Melbourne & Victoria (p191) In a compact state of surprises, the multicultural capital blends coffee ritual, nightlife and sportlife.

Brisbane & Queensland (p137) Beaches, sunshine and a mighty coral reef; Queens-land sizzles above and dazzles below.

Sydney (p50) Brash, bronzed and brim-ming with confidence, this city, with its sparkling harbour, won’t be ignored.

New South Wales (p95) From southern snowfields to subtropical northern beaches, this state has all the action covered.

3

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 3 27/11/2009 10:46:36 AM

CONTENTS

THIS IS AUSTRALIA 10

AUSTRALIA’S TOP 25 EXPERIENCES 12

AUSTRALIA’S TOP ITINERARIES 31

PLANNING YOUR TRIP 39

SYDNEY 50SYDNEY HIGHLIGHTS 54SYDNEY’S BEST… 60THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 61DISCOVER SYDNEY 62Orientation 63Information 63Sights 67Activities 77Sydney for Children 79Tours 80

Sleeping 81Eating 84Entertainment 86Shopping 89Getting There & Away 91Getting Around 91AROUND SYDNEY 93Botany Bay 94Royal National Park 94Hawkesbury River 94

NEW SOUTH WALES 95NEW SOUTH WALES HIGHLIGHTS 98NEW SOUTH WALES’ BEST… 102THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 103NEW SOUTH WALES ITINERARIES 104DISCOVER NEW SOUTH WALES 106BLUE MOUNTAINS 106Glenbrook to Wentworth Falls 107Leura 108

4

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 4 27/11/2009 10:46:38 AM

Katoomba 108Blackheath Area 112Mt Victoria, Hartley & Lithgow 113NORTH COAST 114Newcastle 114Lower Hunter Valley 116Newcastle to Port Macquarie 117Port Macquarie 118Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour 119Coffs Harbour 120Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay 121Byron Bay 122FAR NORTH COAST HINTERLAND 128Bangalow 128Lismore 129Nimbin 129NEW ENGLAND 129Tamworth 129SOUTH COAST 130Wollongong 130Wollongong to Nowra 131Nowra 132Jervis Bay 132Batemans Bay 133Narooma 133Around Narooma 133South to the Victorian Border 134KOSCIUSZKO NATIONAL PARK 135Thredbo 135Perisher Blue 136

BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND 137BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND HIGHLIGHTS 140BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND’S BEST… 146THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 147BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND ITINERARIES 148DISCOVER BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND 150BRISBANE 150Information 150Sights 151Brisbane for Children 155

Tours 156Sleeping 157Eating 158Entertainment 159Getting There & Away 160Getting Around 161MORETON BAY 161Tours 161North Stradbroke Island 163Moreton Island 164GOLD COAST 164Surfers Paradise & Broadbeach 165Burleigh Heads 166SUNSHINE COAST 167Glass House Mountains 167Noosa 168Sunshine Coast Hinterland 173WHITSUNDAY COAST 174Airlie Beach 174Whitsunday Islands 177FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND 179Cairns 179Islands off Cairns 188Kuranda 189

MELBOURNE & VICTORIA 191MELBOURNE & VICTORIA HIGHLIGHTS 194MELBOURNE & VICTORIA’S BEST… 200THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 201MELBOURNE & VICTORIA ITINERARIES 202DISCOVER MELBOURNE & VICTORIA 204MELBOURNE 204Information 204Sights 204Melbourne for Children 215Tours 215Sleeping 216Eating 218Entertainment 220Shopping 222Getting There & Away 222

5

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 5 27/11/2009 10:46:39 AM

Getting Around 223AROUND MELBOURNE 223Melbourne to Geelong 223The Yarra Valley 223The Dandenongs 224Phillip Island 225GREAT OCEAN ROAD 227Torquay 227Anglesea 228Lorne 229Lorne to Apollo Bay 230Apollo Bay 230Cape Otway 231Port Campbell National Park 232THE WIMMERA & GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK 232Information 234Tours 234Sleeping 234THE HIGH COUNTRY 234Mansfield 234Mt Buller 235Falls Creek 236Mount Hotham 236GIPPSLAND & WILSONS PROMONTORY NATIONAL PARK 237Information 237Activities 238Sleeping 238

CENTRAL AUSTRALIA 239CENTRAL AUSTRALIA HIGHLIGHTS 242CENTRAL AUSTRALIA’S BEST… 246THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 247CENTRAL AUSTRALIA ITINERARIES 248DISCOVER CENTRAL AUSTRALIA 250NORTHERN TERRITORY 250Darwin 250Kakadu & Arnhem Land 257Alice Springs 259Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 262SOUTH AUSTRALIA 265

Adelaide 265Kangaroo Island 269Barossa Valley 270

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 273WESTERN AUSTRALIA HIGHLIGHTS 276WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S BEST… 280THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 281WESTERN AUSTRALIA ITINERARIES 282DISCOVER WESTERN AUSTRALIA 284PERTH 284Information 284Sights 284Perth for Children 285Tours 285Sleeping 287Eating 288Drinking 288Getting There & Away 289Getting to/from the Airport 289FREMANTLE 289Information 289Sights & Activities 289Eating 291Getting There & Around 291ROTTNEST ISLAND 291Information 291Sights & Activities 291Getting There & Away 291Getting Around 292THE SOUTHWEST 292Margaret River 292Southern Forests 293SOUTH COAST 294SHARK BAY 294Denham 295Francois Peron National Park 296Monkey Mia 296CORAL COAST & PILBARA 297Coral Bay 298Exmouth 299THE KIMBERLEY & BROOME 302

6

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 6 27/11/2009 10:46:39 AM

Information 302Sights & Activities 302Tours 303Sleeping 303Eating 304Getting There & Away 304

TASMANIA 305TASMANIA HIGHLIGHTS 308TASMANIA’S BEST… 312THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 313TASMANIA ITINERARIES 314DISCOVER TASMANIA 316HOBART 316Sights 319Hobart for Children 321Tours 321Sleeping 322Eating 323Getting There & Away 324Getting to/from the Airport 324TASMAN PENINSULA 324Eaglehawk Neck to Port Arthur 325

Port Arthur 326EAST COAST 326Coles Bay & Freycinet National Park 326THE WEST 328Strahan 328Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 329

AUSTRALIA IN FOCUS 332ACTIVITIES 334ENVIRONMENT 338FAMILY TRAVEL 342FOOD & DRINK 344HISTORY 346SHOPPING 355SPORT 358WATCHING WILDLIFE 361

DIRECTORY & TRANSPORT 363

BEHIND THE SCENES 385

INDEX 395

MAP LEGEND 408

p305TASMANIA

p273AUSTRALIAWESTERN

p239AUSTRALIACENTRAL

VICTORIA p191MELBOURNE &

p137QUEENSLANDBRISBANE &

WALES p95NEW SOUTH

p50SYDNEY

7

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 7 27/11/2009 10:46:40 AM

Great Australian Bight

Shark Bay

CollierBay

Joseph

T I M O RS E A

BonaparteGulf

S O U T H E R N O C E A N

I N D I A NO C E A N

SOUTHAUSTRALIA

NORTHERNTERRITORY

WESTERNAUSTRALIA

Laverton

Fremantle

Port Hedland

Northam

Newman

Narrogin

Merredin

Margaret RiverManjimup

Mandurah

Kununurra

Karratha

Kambalda

Kalgoorlie-

Exmouth

Esperance

Carnarvon

BusseltonBunbury

Albany

Ceduna

DARWIN

Yulara

Katherine

Dampier

Meekatharra

Norseman

Leonora-

SouthernCross

York

Jabiru

Mataranka

Streaky Bay

Onslow

Paraburdoo

Eucla

Derby

Wyndham

Elliott

Marla

FitzroyCrossing

Broome

Kalbarri

PERTH

Tom

Mt Magnet

HallsCreek

AliceSprings

Tennant Creek

Marble Bar

WilunaDenham

Boulder

Gwalia

Price

Walpole

KakaduNP

RangesMacDonnell

40ºS

105ºE 110ºE 115ºE 120ºE 125ºE 130ºE 1

35ºS

25ºS

20ºS

15ºS

10ºS

Lake

LakeCarnegie

Argyle

BathurstMelvilleIsland

DirkHartogIsland

BarrowIsland

Island

Tropic of Capricorn

Cape Naturaliste

Great Sandy Desert

TheKimberley

Uluru

CobourgPeninsula

CapeLondonderry

CapeLeveque

GreatVictoriaDesert

Eighty Mile

Nullarbor Plain

Beach

PilbaraThe

Little SandyDesert

North-West Cape

CapeLeeuwin

Daly

Ord

Fitzroy

Fortescue

Gascoyne

Vic

tori

a

INDONESIA

Uluru-Kata TjutaNational Park

NingalooMarine Park

Walpole-Nornalup

NP

A1

A87

1

94

95

1

1

A1

87

87

1

1

1

1

Experience the allure of this timeless and truly divine monolith

in a profoundly spiritual land

ULURU (AYERS ROCK) p263

Mingle with Monkey Mia’s dolphins and discover an amazing

World Heritage marine park

SHARK BAY p294

Encounter Indigenous culture and rock art in a stunning ancient

landscape pulsing with wildlife

KAKADUNATIONAL PARK p257

Accessible coral reef and the opportunity to swim with whale

sharks and manta rays

NINGALOOMARINE PARK p300

Tread lightly among forest giants or climb the canopy for a

bird’s-eye view

SOUTHERNFORESTS p294

ELEVATION LEGEND

RailwaySecondary RoadPrimary RoadFreeway1200m

900m

600m

300m

00 400 km0 250 miles

A

W

A

P

C

13

G

A

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 8 27/11/2009 10:46:40 AM

a

t

es

1

7

C O R A LS E A

Torres Strait

Bass Strait

Gulf ofCarpentaria

T A S M A NS E A

A R A F U R A S E A

QUEENSLAND

ACT

TASMANIA

VICTORIA

NEW SOUTHWALES

BendigoShepparton

MELBOURNEWarrnambool

Mildura

Horsham

Geelong

Launceston

WhyallaPort Pirie

Murray BridgeVictor

RenmarkClare

Townsville

Toowoomba

Rockhampton

Mackay

Bundaberg

Maroochydore

Gladstone

Hervey Bay

Mt Isa

Maryborough

Noosa

Warwick

Gympie

Emerald

Dalby

Innisfail

Charters

Yeppoon

Ayr

Mareeba

Moranbah

Roma

Biloela

Ingham

Goondiwindi

Longreach

Port Douglas

CharlevilleChinchilla

Proserpine

Tully

St George

Cloncurry

Clermont

Weipa

Nhulunbuy

CANBERRAWollongong

Newcastle

Wagga Wagga

Tweed Heads

TamworthPort Macquarie

Lismore

Dubbo

Albury

TareeParkes

Moree

Gunnedah

GraftonCoffs Harbour

Ballina

Armidale

Nyngan

Narrabri

Narooma

Hay

Bourke

SYDNEY

Woomera

Marree

Kingscote

Cooktown

Normanton

Oodnadatta

Birdsville

Alyangula

Borroloola

Hughenden

Winton

Barcaldine

CunnamullaSurfers Paradise

Walgett

Swan Hill

Burketown

Boulia

Towers

Milparinka

Ivanhoe

Quilpie

BRISBANE

HOBART

Queenstown

Burnie Devonport

Bairnsdale

Byron Bay

Sarina

Bowen

Cairns

ADELAIDE

Port Lincoln

BrokenHill

CooberPedy

Wilcannia

Wodonga

Coolangatta

AirlieBeach

Miles

PortAugusta

Daintree

Harbor

Bega

KangarooValley

Port Arthur

Great Barrier ReefMarine Park

CarnarvonNational Park

Ran

ges

Flin

ders

Great

Divi

Range

ding

Australian

plA s

140ºE 145ºE 150ºE135ºE

GairdnerLake

LakeTorrens

LakeEyre

S O U T HP A C I F I C

O C E A N

Groote

Mornington

Fraser

ThursdayWessel

BrunyIsland

Flinders

KangarooIsland

Island

Island

Islands

Island

Island

WhitsundayIslands

KingIsland

Eylandt

Tropic of Capricorn

Cape York

Cape Arnhem

Sandy Cape

Cape YorkPeninsula

South WestCape

Cape

Arnhem

Simpson

WilsonsPromontory

CapeOtway

CapeHowe

Great

Barrier

Reef

Land

Desert

Melville

AthertonTableland Great Barrier Reef

EyrePeninsula

HunterValley

BarossaValley

BellsBeach

YarraValley

Gold

Sunshine

Coast

Coast

Flinders

Mitchell

Lachlan

Darling

Coope

r

Cre

ek

Diaman

tina

Murray

SOLOMONISLANDS

PAPUANEW GUINEA

Flinders RangesNational Park

Grampians NP

FreycinetNP

Blue Mountains NP

39

39

31

A1

A8

A20

B1

A32

66

A4

A1

A1

A2

A2

A7

A6

1

71

32

1

Go down under and be bedazzled by the majesty of the greatest

show on earth

GREAT BARRIER REEF p140

Every day of the week is a good day to be exploring these

tropical islands

WHITSUNDAYISLANDS p177

Luscious beaches and a laid-back surf culture merge

with languid hinterland towns

NEW SOUTH WALESNORTH COAST p114

Dive head first into this exuberant and emblematic city draped around

a magnificent harbour

SYDNEY p50

Revive the spirit in a waterfront restaurant, on an unspoiled

beach or a mountain trail

TASMANIA p305

Sydney is the movie, Melbourne the book; take your time and

engage the mind

MELBOURNE p204

Tradition, soil and climate blend to make the Barossa a simply

superb wine region

BAROSSAVALLEY p270

00-prelims-dc-aus1.indd 9 27/11/2009 10:47:04 AM

This immense island continent is a rare place of space on an increasingly crowded planet. As well as room to move and clean air, it has a relaxed lifestyle, fine weather, a big bridge and an even bigger, redder rock.

Australia is so vast and diverse it fulfils the full spectrum of holiday adventure, from active escapade to peaceful retreat. A well-developed tourism infrastructure provides options and opportunities for travellers on all budgets and allows you to land in any city with little more than your first night’s accommodation sorted.

Australia’s greatest enigma is its extremes. The driest and flattest inhabited continent on earth is also home to dripping wet rainforests in Tasmania and Queensland. The world’s largest coral reef adorns 2300km of an immense coast-line, golden sand and surging surf fringe gleaming modern cities as well as pristine forests, and at its heart, the iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock) overwhelms visitors with its spiritual presence.

Australians’ love for home is matched by an intense interest in the foreign; their cities are in constant flux, absorbing fresh influences from far corners of the globe.

THIS IS AUSTRALIA

10

01-this is-australia-dc-aus1.ind10 10 23/11/2009 9:37:15 AM

Former colonies were fused over a century ago during Federation, yet the cities retain distinct personalities: Sydney is a glamorous entertainer with a bounty of natural magnetism, Melbourne a European-inspired, caffeine-enriched artiste, and Brisbane a blithe and blossoming playmate, while the per-sonalities of Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Hobart are as dissimilar as their climates. In between are deserts, coastal villages, beaches, forests and out-back communities, each adding definition to the ever-changing Australian portrait.

An important thing to remember is that Australia is big – really big – so planning is of the essence. An intrepid road trip through the outback or tropical Top End will require an extra level of investigation and planning. The state capitals and most regional centres, on the other hand, are well connected by airlines, so with a little groundwork you can cover a good portion of the country in just a few weeks.

‘Australia is big – really big – so planning is of the essence’

11

01-this is-australia-dc-aus1.ind11 11 23/11/2009 9:37:27 AM