The Aborigines who arrived 40,000 years ago, and later, the British convicts sent against their will, somehow succeeded in creating a home on this far flung island at the edge of the earth. Today it's easy to see why they didn't give up: the continent enjoys a greatly varied but consistently stunning landscape, a dazzling array of outdoor adventure activities, a rich (though not always pleasant) history, and a vibrant blossoming of cultural diversity thanks to the gold rushes of old and recent waves of immigration.
Shaped by the geography of the land and its spatial isolation, the uniqueness and sheer diversity of this nation-continent-island does not go unnoticed by its denizens or visitors. Where else are you presented a choice among wine tasting, getting dangerously close to a saltwater crocodile, fashioning yourself a didge, snorkeling in vast expanses of ancient coral reef, and dancing the night away in the largest club in the Southern Hemisphere? What other continent offers the bustling metropolis of Sydney on the same platter as the vastness of the Outback, the rainforests of Cape York, and the sands of Fraser Island? It is by no means a stretch to say that Australia is a place like no other, and any Aussie (or wide-eyed tourist for that matter) will tell you they'd have it no other way.
For 50 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.