Vital Statistics

Population: 20 million
Area: 7,600,300 sq. km (2,934,500 sq. miles)
Capital: Canberra
Government: Australia operates as an independent federal commonwealth with a British-style parliamentary system. Australia is a member of the British Commonwealth.
Language: English
Religion: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Uniting Church in Australia, Aboriginal and Jewish minorities.
Time Zone: Australia has three time zones. Eastern Standard Time for the east coast states (Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland), 10 hours ahead of GMT; Central Standard Time (covering Northern Territory and South Australia), 9.5 hours ahead of GMT; and Western Standard Time (Western Australia), 8 hours ahead of GMT.
Currency: Australian dollar ($AUD)
Electricity: 240 volts and 50 hertz, three-pin plug
Weights and Measures: Metric
International Dialling Code: 61

The Place

Australia is the perfect place to recover from jetlag. Waking up to the bush dawn, as the kookaburras begin their maniacal laughs and the golden light pierces the gum trees, is one of the great outdoor experiences. Even in Sydney, a 6am stroll by the harbour as the fishermen bring in their catches and the first ferries roll past the Opera House will convince you that this may be the most gorgeous city on earth.

Today, Australians tend to be thankful for their distance from Europe and the United States, and embrace their (relative) proximity to Asia. The quirks of their homeland, the egg-laying mammals, the ghostly trees, the savage deserts, the spiders that can leap 2 metres (6.5 ft), even the menagerie of deadly snakes, have become a source of endless fascination.
Almost every international traveller arrives in Sydney: Australia's biggest city and, despite the protestations of rivals Melbourne (the old financial centre) and Canberra (the official seat of government), fast becoming its de-facto capital.

Other destinations on any list of "greatest hits" are Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef: the world's largest living organism, sprawling along the Queensland coast; Uluru, or Ayers Rock, the world's largest monolith, looming mysteriously in the middle of the Outback plains; and Darwin in the wild, monsoonal "Top End" and the jumping-off point for Kakadu, with its Aboriginal carvings, tropical swamps and giant saltwater crocodiles.

The Climate

The seasons in Australia are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere's. September to November is spring, December to February summer, March to May autumn, and June to August winter. Since fine, mild weather occurs during all seasons, any time can be recommended for a visit to Australia - although some months are warmer and drier than others.

About 40 percent of the country lies in the tropical zone north of the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Top End around Darwin (the monsoon belt) and near Cairns, there are only two seasons: the Dry (April-November) and the Wet (December-March). In the Dry, there are warm days, clear blue skies and cool nights. The Wet, however, is generally flooded out. On the Great Barrier Reef most rain falls in January and February. In the southern temperate zone seasons are more distinct. The winter temperatures in Sydney are usually a maximum of 12°C (53°F) - chilly enough to require an overcoat - while dry summer temperatures can regularly hit 30°C (86°F) and higher. Snow falls on the southern mountain ranges, but not in the cities. Melbourne can be pleasant in spring, summer and autumn, but winter can be grey and miserable, especially in July and August. Tasmania, the island state off the southern tip of the continent, is the coolest: summers are by far the best time to visit here, as winters can be damp and depressing. In central Australia, summer temperatures are generally too high for comfort. In winter, the nights may be cool, with clear warm days.

Visitors should also bear in mind the various Australian school holidays; Christmas coincides with the long summer school break, which lasts throughout January. Easter is another big break. If you are travelling during these seasons, book well in advance.

Highlights

Sydney

The country's biggest and best-known city is world-famous for its harbour, dominated by the unmisteakable Opera House. And if you venture beyond the city's superb parks, museums, restaurants and nightlife, Bondi and Manly beaches offer the ideal R&R, with joggers on the promenade, bodybuilders flexing their pecs, and surfies catching a few waves before work.

Great Barrier Reef

This World Heritage Site is one of the natural wonders of the world. It's the largest coral reef on earth and also one of the most accessible, consisting of over 2,500 separate, interconnected reefs stretching over 2,300 km (1,430 miles) from just above the Cape York peninsula in the north to just north of Bundaberg in the south. From late April to October it's at its best, the clear skies and moderate breezes offering perfect conditions for coral viewing, diving, swimming, fishing and sunning. Underwater, it's almost sensory overload with vast forests of staghorn coral, whose tips glow purple like Christmas tree lights; brilliant blue clumps of mushroom coral; layers of pink plate coral; bulbous green brain coral and more than 1,000 species of fish and creatures like the dugong, humpback whale and loggerhead turtles.

Wet Tropics Rainforest

Stretching from Mossman through to Cairns, Cape Tribulation and Cooktown is tropical rainforest that's at least 100 million years old (compared with the Amazon's paltry 10 million). North Queensland's rainforest (now protected as part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and a patchwork of national parks) has the highest diversity of local endemic species in the world. Fully one-fifth of Australia's bird species, a quarter of its reptiles, a third of its marsupials, a third of its frogs and two-fifths of its plants are here in a mere thousandth of the Australian landmass.

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is Tasmania's most famous wilderness area. Moraine lakes, expansive heathlands, excellent mountain vistas, good trails and the chance to spot wildlife like wallabies, echidnas and wombats make this one of Australia's best walking areas. The six-day Overland Trek, through the length of the park, is considered the ultimate Aussie bush-walk. In the northern, more accessible, end of the park, one of the most spectacular views in Tasmania (of Cradle Mountain with Dove Lake) can be had just from the car park.

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Australia's great Outback icon, Uluru is the world's largest monolith, standing 348 metres (1,142 ft) tall with a circumference at the base of almost 9 km (6 miles). Uluru means "meeting place" and many Aboriginal dreaming tracks or "songlines" intersect here. Spirituality is often grounded in common sense, and Uluru, with its permanent waterhole, abundant animal life, shelter and firewood, has been saving lives for millennia. The rock is sacred to the local Anangu people, who resumed ownership of the lands inside the national park in 1985 in a historic "hand-back" ceremony. The rock climb is a major attraction for many visitors, but is considered by resident park rangers and rescue teams to be a disrespectful and dangerous activity. Nearby Kata Tjuta or The Olgas has a number of excellent trails. Uluru, like the entire Red Centre, will humble you with its scale and overwhelm you with its beauty.

Kakadu National Park

One of the brightest jewels in the whole array of Australian wilderness lies to the north of Katherine, only 250 km (155 miles) from Darwin. The richness of Kakadu defies description. Here, where the Arhem Land Escarpment meets the coastal floodplains, scenic splendour, world-famous galleries of Aboriginal art and an incredible array of flora and fauna come together. It is home to a quarter of all Australian freshwater fish, over 1,000 plant species, 300 types of birds, 75 species of reptiles, many mammals and innumerable insects. Aboriginal paintings at Ubirr Rock are a top sight. To see what makes Kakadu special, head out to one or more of the waterholes nestled at the base of the escarpment, such as Twin Falls, where the two strands of water drop right onto the end of a palm-shaded beach.

Melbourne

The capital of Victoria is Australia's most "European" city, a 21st-century metropolis with an abundance of 19th-century charm and a passion for culture and sport. Its highlights include some superb parks, topped by the Royal Botanic Gardens, surely one of the finest in the world. Also worthwhile is the Victorian Arts Centre, and the galleries and cafés at cosmopolitan Federation Square. Excursions from the city include driving the Great Ocean Road, southwest of the city, to Port Campbell National Park and its amazing natural rock formation: the Twelve Apostles - eleven nowadays after the collapse of one in 2005.

Bungle Bungle Range

Western Australia's Bungles form one of the most astonishing natural features in the world, covering some 640 sq. km (247 sq. miles) of the Ord River Valley with a labyrinth of orange and black (caused by the black lichen and orange silica), horizontally tiger-striped, domed mountains. The Kimberley is such an isolated region that the extraordinary Bungles were unknown to all but a few locals until 1983, when a photographer came upon them by chance. Within the canyons and gorges of the Purnululu National Park are palm-filled grottoes, enormous caves and white sand beaches.

Barossa Valley

This is easily the country's most famous wine region and only 60 km (37 miles) northeast of Adelaide. It takes just over an hour to drive to the valley, a hollow in the rolling wheatfields founded by German Lutherans over a century ago. Many Barossa wineries have not only excellent produce but also magnificent grounds and buildings. Surrounding towns offer old Lutheran churches of abiding beauty, with spires rising above quaint bluestone villages like Tanunda and Bethany.

Adelaide

Of all Australian state capitals, Adelaide is perhaps the most gracious. The "City of Light" has some of Australia's grandest homes and its central business district is surrounded by extensive parklands studded with majestic gum trees. Well worth a visit during the summer cricket season is Adelaide Oval, the country's most beautiful cricket ground; the South Australian Museum houses the world's largest collection of Aboriginal artefacts, while the Adelaide Festival of Arts, held in March on even-numbered years, is not to be missed.

Tourist Office website: www.tourismaustralia.com