Queensland

If the variety of the continent's attractions could be condensed into one state, the result would look something like Queensland, Australia's all-you-can-eat traveler's smorgasbord. Part rocky, part schlocky, part green, part marine, Queensland is the holiday of choice of Aussies themselves. It's the Pacific Coast that sucks most visitors in like an undertow: the endless surf beaches in the south, the Barrier Reef in the north, and the islands all along propel wave, dive, and sun enthusiasts toward the sea. For many, though, the coast is just surface skin, and the real pudding lies within—in the rainforest-drenched far north and hinterland regions and in the jewel-bedecked outback, where history, like tourism, proceeds at koala-pace. At the base of this fantasyland sits the capital city of Brisbane, big, bustling, and yet temperate in every sense of the word, an urban haven that can actually provide a relaxing break from the con¬stant party that envelops backpackers on the well-trod path up the coast.

Queensland is beloved by travelers because, far from representing the average of Australia's natural and cultural climes, it displays the full spectrum, from the imposing reds of outback earth to the bright-hued crags of the Great Barrier Reef. Best of all, it juxtaposes these in reasonably accessible distances from one another. Make no mis¬take—it's a long, long trek from Brisbane up to Cairns and die northern wilderness beyond, and an equally long and far more desolate one into the central desert. Still, along the way you'll encounter charming country towns, pockets of th iving Aborigi¬nal cultural life, and plenty of history, interspersed, of course, with miles and miles of beach. Once you make it up to the northern coast, you'll find plenty of places with urban amenities, gorgeous sea, and untrammeled wilderness within easy reach. Here, appreciating Oz at the extremes can be as simple as driving toward Cape Tribulation and watching the rainforest practically tumble into the pounding ocean.

Featured Destinations from Australia

St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral

St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral The western part of this Cathedral in Victoria Square was built in 1865. It stands on the highest point in the central part of Perth.

Bermagui

Bermagui There’s a delightful scenic detour along the south coast: turn off the highway just after Tilba Tilba and after 8km you reach BERMAGUI, on both the Bermagui River and sheltered Horseshoe Bay. Bermagui attracts quite a few game-fishing fanatics, thanks to its associations with Zane Grey, the American writer of

South West Rocks

South West Rocks South West Rocks is another lovely beachside spot and the Trial Bay Gaol is a diversion worth turning off the highway to see. It’s not as dramatic as Port Arthur, but it’s historic and well kept. Sitting on the headland, it was used from 1886 to 1903 in

Australia : Northern Territory

Northern Territory Wild, remote, and enormous, the Northern Territory is Australia's true outback, sparsely populated by people as rugged as its wide range of alternately lush and harsh ecosystems. If you saw Crocodile Dundee or Priscilla, then went to Sydney and won¬dered where the "real" Australia was, it's probably here, nestled

Great Eastern Highway

Great Eastern Highway The drive from Perth to Kalgoorie along the Great Eastern Highway is long (nearly 600km) and uneventful. The first hour heading east from Perth winds through the city's suburbs and the Swan River Valley, then up a steep slope into the Darling Range; you may encounter nasty traffic

Planning Your Trip to Australia

Australia is big. Really big. When to travel depends on where you're going and what you're doing. Most of the country is in a temperate climate zone, with the seasons reversed from those in the northern hemisphere. Summer lasts from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from

Yester Grange

Yester Grange This beautiful Victorian House not only offers one of the most magnificent views in the Blue Mountains, but is a gallery for paintings, ceramics and antique furniture. A delightful way to witness unique sculptures both natural and man made. Yester Grange no longer open to the public. It was

Australian War Memorial

australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941, and looks down upon Canberra and Parliament House. It is open everyday between 10.00am-5.00pm and hosts a large collection of pictures and documentation about the War. In addition Anzac Parade gives you an opportunity to reflect on the human cost

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles The Pinnacles Desert remained relatively unknown until the late 1960s. In the Pinnacles Desert, right in the heart of Nambung National Park, thousands of huge limestone pillars rise out of a stark landscape of yellow sand. This area is in the heart of the Park and consists of

Megalong Valley

Megalong Valley Megalong is an Aboriginal word thought to mean 'Valley Under The Rock'. The first record of a European coming to the valley was of Thomas Jones, a natural history specimen collector, who followed the course of Cox's River from Burragorang to Hartley in 1818. The first land was taken