Under the Southern Cross

Australia : The Sight-Seeing Travel Tour

If you haven’t been to Australia or are planning to visit it a second time, then you must have all the information about the places to visit so that you can fully experience the wonderful land that is Australia.

Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world and is divided into 6 states and several territories. The 6 states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major territories are the Northern Territory (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

The largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid, but the south-east and south-west corners have temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part has tropical climate, which is part tropical rainforest, part grassland and part desert.

When you go to Australia, you just cannot miss seeing The Great Barrier Reef. It is the world’s largest coral reef and extends for over 1,200 kms! It lies a short distance from the north-east coast.

Another spectacular place to visit is Uluru. It is the second largest monolith in the world and is located in central Australia. You can also visit the Great Artesian Basin, which is the world’s largest and deepest fresh water basin. Along with its beauty, it also serves as an important source of water in the parched outback.

You sure can’t miss going to Sydney if you visit Australia. Sydney is located in a coastal basin situated between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Blue Mountains to the west. You can enjoy all the activities associated with beaches because there are more than 70 beaches in Sydney! If you have limited time, then you can only go to the famous Bondi Beach of Australia.

Sydney has more amazing landmarks for you like Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Both are located in Sydney Harbour. If you are interested in rowing, boating, recreational fishing, racing small yachts and Dragon Boat racing, then you can get all that in Sydney Harbour.

The city also boasts of musical, theatrical and artistic activities which come under one roof in the Sydney Festival which happens every January. More information can be found here - Sydney Australia.

Melbourne is another major city of Australia which is situated in the south-east corner of the mainland Australia. It has a large and vibrant cultural life along with a chain of pubs, bars and nightclubs. Fashionable nightclubs, ubiquitous faux-Irish pubs, serious jazz venues on Bennetts Lane, massive pickup joints like The Metro on Bourke Street are all part of the city’s magic.

If shopping is what tempts you the most, then there are many reasonably priced shopping places where you can go and shop till you drop. Melbourne has innumerable clothing shops for every budget and various outlet stores in Bridge Road, Richmond for bargain hunters too!

Perth is a city known for the pristine quality of its beaches. Unbroken stretches of golden sands run through the entire length of the city’s coastal suburbs. If you are a nature lover, then you got to see this place.

Adelaide or the “˜City of Churches’, as it is often referred as, is a coastal city situated on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The name City of Churches is a reflection of Adelaide’s past rather than its present. The city has many wine growing districts such as the Baroosa valley.

Food lovers can taste traditional Australian cuisine which consists of grilled chops, Sunday roasts etc. Some English trends are still evident in domestic cuisine like hot roast turkey, chicken or ham with all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding. Australia’s two most traditional takeaway dishes are the meat pie and sausage roll.

Australian Wines

Australia’s wine industry has boomed in the past ten years. Employers have had to triple their staff numbers to cope with the demand for Aussie wine. Considering the lower average national population of Australia, compared to say the United States or even South Africa, 30,000 (2001) workers is pretty high.

One of the main reasons for the demand on this skillful industry is that it has won an international reputation for quality and value. Australian wines have won many highly sought after international awards and labels and many innovative Australian winemakers are sought internationally for their wine making expertise.

Wine regions throughout Australia have continually had high ratings especially over the past four years. Most of these regions and especially the East and South coasts (New South Wales and Victoria) are averaging 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Second to the brilliant winemakers, and a close second, is the great climates / weather that certain regions have for cultivating vines.

Wine is very much a part of the Australian way of life, closely associated with both business and leisure. Wine consumption is often linked to the country’s outdoor-oriented lifestyle as well as to the cosmopolitan urban way of life of the bulk of the Australian population.

Australia exports more wine than that that is sold domestically. Out of a total of approximately 919 million litres bottled, 516.5 million litres is exported. The largest export market has been the United Kingdom and second has been the United States.

Researchers from the University College London have come up with a few very interesting facts. They found that drinking alcohol (including wine), even in small amounts, might be associated with higher cognitive ability, especially for women. You would be silly not to have a drop every night! I think Aussie are reasonably bright, it must be all the great wine they produce.