Australia Travel Basics

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Australia is a natural wonder that has fascinated people for centuries. The Australia Travel Web Guide introduces you to this country—so far from the West, yet sharing many cultural similarities with the United States. Australia boasts a sophisticated, relaxed culture that favors the arts, sports and dining out. Australian vacations include destinations to unique, ancient landmarks, and hundreds of species of wildlife not found anywhere else in the world. Our Web Guide points you to the resources you need to research and book an unforgettable Australian vacation.

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Australia Travel Basics

Australia boasts one of the most relaxed, fun-loving cultures on the globe, paired with excellent weather year round. A welcome haven for tourists, the country has some unique aspects that are worth understanding and exploring before your departure.

Dulcinea's Insight

Check out our "Places: Australia" feature in Netcetera for a visually stimulating look at the country to inspire your journey and give you ideas about places to visit.

To learn about the geography, visit Australia Tourism's site and zoom in on the country map to learn about each state (there are seven) and what they have to offer.

Reading travel blogs, some of which are mentioned in this guide's final section, will give you an idea of what Australia is like for fellow travelers. Travel blogs are a popular type of Web site and will often include pictures and descriptions of tourist destinations and accommodation and provide helpful information about the traveling experience.

Australian newspapers and magazines are a great place to start learning about the country and its culture: What are the best restaurants? Where are the best beaches? What's the political situation like? Consult a rather long list of links for Australian newspapers online hosted on the National Library of Australia's site. Narrow the search results by state to find links relevant to the area you want to visit.

Get some basic information on climate, necessities for your visit, public holidays, and electrical requirements from the global event guide What's on When.

A good synopsis of Australia's history and modern culture can be found on the travel resource Lonely Planet.

Dulcinea's Picks

For tourism sites ...

Tourism Australia is the official tourism office for the country and the site hosts information about each territory, recommendations of tourist spots, climate information, and transportation tips. This is a good place to get an official welcome to the country before your departure. You'll also find the section called "What's On" useful, with as many as 1,000 events listed and a "Holidays & Deals" section with flight and accommodation packages. Rather than wading through more than 100 pages of listings, consider using the "Filter your results" tool or use the search box to find a specific event.

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The Australian Government's official site has a thorough list of tourism sites catering to each state and several cities in Australia. This is a good way to get distilled information about the region(s) you're interested in traveling to. The government site is also a good general resource as it gives an encyclopedic background of the country for any traveler looking to find out more about the history, culture, or technicalities like visas and work permits.

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For culture and event listings ...

The Australian Government's Culture and Information Portal is a valuable source for listings of a variety of events around Australia. Among the many categories covered here, you'll find sports and recreation, film, performance, music, visual arts, and festivals and conferences. This site also has a good "Australian Stories" section where you can get more of a historical background on the country.

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Live Guide is Australia's own event guide, linking visitors and residents to hundreds of activities, particularly those in arts and theater. You'll find concert listings, gallery and museum exhibits, festivals, and more in these listings, and you can also narrow your search by city.

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What's On When lists upcoming events like art shows, festivals, public holidays, and notable visitors stopping in Australia (and many other countries). Search by city or stay on the homepage for highlighted events in the near future.

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Australia Travel Search looks like a fake site, but all of its links are valid; they are organized by category, especially for travelers, and will direct you to the official sites of tourist highlights in Australia, such as botanical gardens, accommodation, wineries, wildlife parks and zoos, and cultural centers.

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