Australia: It's Unique In So Many ways

It's a long way to the "Land Down Under" but definitely Worth the Trip

Australia isn't easy to describe because it just takes too many adjectives.  This vast country is affluent, multicultural and laced with natural splendor.  There's plenty of sunshine too so sunblock and hats should be on your list of items to pack.  I remember seeing school playgrounds filled with children who were all wearing hats and thinking the Aussies must be pretty smart as well as being very unique. 

Australia:  It's Unique In So Many Ways

Mainland Australia is the world's largest island -- but smallest continent.  The sixth-largest nation after Russia, Canada, China, the United States and Brazil, it is also the only continent that is governed as a single country.  Sometimes informally referred to as an 'island' continent, surrounded by oceans, its ocean territory is also the third largest in the world - spanning three oceans and covering around 12 million square kilometers.

It has its own currency, the Australian dollar which comes in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes.  The colorful notes depict famous Australians both past and present.  It has 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins and one and two dollar coins as well.  In fact, with the weak Australian dollar, anything you spend there this year will be value for your money.  Gas prices are lower too; perfect timing for a great Australian land trip.

Bondi Beach

Quokka

Most Australians live in cities along the coast - 89%, in fact.  Sydney - the largest city --is a glamorous collection of beaches (Bondi Beach is a personal favorite), along with boutiques and bars and many wonderful sights.  Melbourne is all arts, alleyways and Aussie Rules Football (quite a spectacle with 18 players per team).  Brisbane is a subtropical town on the way up.  Adelaide, on the southern coast, is the new wine country, and has some of the longest producing vineyards in the world.  Perth, called the most isolated city on earth, is basking in the glow of major investment and is now a boomtown.  When you go there, take time to meet a quokka, the world's happiest animal.  Canberra, formerly the humdrum capital, is having an undeniable moment thanks to its rich culture scene.  Darwin is a tropical northern frontier town, while Hobart is a chilly southern sandstone city; quite different from each other.

There is so much to see in Australia!  Wine lovers can take a drive through the Yarra Valley, one of Australia's best pinot noir producers.  Or take a spectacular drive on the Great Ocean Road to visit beach towns like Apollo Bay and spot kangaroos on the way to Australia's oldest surviving lighthouse at Cape Otway.  The pinnacle of this trip is a pilgrimage to the Twelve Apostles:  monoliths weathered by the wind and ocean.  And if you drive about 90 minutes south of Melbourne to Phillip Island, you can visit the home of Australia's penguin parade.  At dusk, thousands of penguins come ashore.

Try to explore everything the country has to offer:  sail and scuba at the Great Barrier Reef; take a visit to the Outback; savor the Aussie "lifestyle" and don't forget to try the flat white (coffee, that is!).  I'm sure you'll agree that Australia is not only unique, but beautiful, wonderful, vast, interesting and definitely, definitely, worth the ride!

Next week...New Zealand!

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