The Land Down Under may be inconveniently located, but it’s got something for everyone. As the world’s sixth largest country by area and one of its most sparsely populated, the vast empty expanses of Australia’s Outback are ripe for exploration and ideal for the agoraphobic. But for those seeking to blend into the crowd, the continent boasts an impressive collection of teeming towns, including Sydney, which ranks among the world’s most cosmopolitan and multicultural cities. Australia’s many national parks are havens for outdoorsy adventurers and a variety of unique wildlife, such as kangaroos, emus, and dingoes. Known as Australia’s cultural and sporting capital, Melbourne’s the antidote for bush-weary city-slickers. Tourists camp out under the stars near Uluru or stay in a mega-casino in Queensland. Thrill-seekers can ski in the mountains of New South Wales or snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. Australia boasts a continent’s worth of opportunities for savvy travelers of all dispositions.
The People. While Indigenous Australians are often thought of as a single, monolithic entity, the Aboriginal community actually consists of a wide variety of ethnic groups. It is estimated that the ...more
Although Australian cuisine has been traditionally dismissed as an uninspiring offshoot of English “pub food,” Oz menus have recently undergone a multicultural makeover. European and Middle Eastern ...more
While Australia has been producing canvases and novels for only 200 years or so, art is woven into the fabric of the nation itself. The rock sculptures and paintings of Indigenous artists predate the ...more
The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia’s Founding, by Robert Hughes (1988). A vast, entertaining tableau of Australia’s early history that examines the effects of the convict transportation system ...more
Language And Religion. English (for some quirks of Australia English, see Glossary of ’Strine) is Australia’s only national language, spoken in over 80% of Australian homes. According ...more
The Commonwealth of Australia is home to 20.6 million people, 2% of whom are Indigenous Australians. Immigration has defined the Australian narrative, and almost a quarter of the country’s residents ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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