Tourist Attractions of Australia

Australia’s main tourist attractions are Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, the Gold Coast of Queensland and Uluru (Ayers Rock), in the rugged outback of the Northern Territory. Other attractions in the continent range from the wild flowers of Western Australia to the vineyards of the Barossa Valley, and from Western Australia’s ghost towns to the remarkable wildlife on the island of Tasmania. It is possible to visit the relatively undisturbed Aboriginal communities on Bathurst and Melville Islands, about 80km (50 miles) north of Darwin, providing valuable insights into the continent’s
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ancient indigenous culture. The Australian coastline has thousands of miles of beautiful beaches. Information on resorts, excursions, places of interest, sports and activities within Australia is given under each individual State section.

Norfolk Island
Situated 1700km (1056 miles) off the east coast of Australia, Norfolk Island is not part of any State but is instead administered by the Australian government. The island is best reached by air from Sydney. Its history as one of the world’s harshest penal colonies has left the island with some of Australia’s finest Georgian colonial architecture. Many of the island’s small population are directly related to the mutineers of HMS Bounty who settled in the area. A variety of accommodation is available. There is excellent buswalking and the island boasts 40 different plants and animals that are unique to the island.

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra
Canberra is an elegant city of wide streets, gardens and parkland. The Old Parliament House is impressive and complemented by its replacement, a grand modern edifice completed in 1988, Australia’s bicentennial year. There are guided tours around Old Parliament House (home to the National Portrait Gallery) and the new Parliament House, where visitors can view both the Senate and House of Representatives. Parliament House also offers free guided tours daily where visitors can learn about the role and function of the Federal Parliament.

The Australian War Memorial is deservedly one of the city’s most popular attractions, and is the scene of the annual ANZAC Parade; it contains archives, galleries displaying relics, photographs and art. Lake Burley Griffin, a vast manmade waterway named after Canberra’s architect, features prominently throughout the city area. Cruises and boating are popular. Blundell’s Cottage (built 1858-60), which predates the lake, is a stone-slab construction calling to mind the location’s earlier incarnation as a sheep station. The new, architecturally radical National Museum of Australia (located on the shores of the lake) displays a vast range of exhibits, chronicling Australian life from the first indigenous peoples through to modern times.

It is a further cultural addition to the present National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia and National Science and Technology Center (Questacon). The Australian Institute of Sport offers guided tours by elite athletes and the interactive Sportex Center with facilities for virtual rowing and virtual golfing. Some of Australia’s deadliest and most colorful reptiles can be seen at Canberra’s Australian Reptile Center. The center is open daily and, apart from the permanent displays, features special exhibitions. The National Archives of Australia hold archive material and Commonwealth records from Federation Day to the present. The Archives also feature special exhibitions and are open daily.

Beyond Canberra
There are several hills in the immediate area of Canberra; from the 195m (650ft) Telstra Tower, topping the 825m high (2750ft) Black Mountain, there is an excellent view of the area for those who do not get dizzy in revolving restaurants (meal optional). Hot-air ballooning trips provide other ways of taking in the view. Glenloch Sheep Station, located in Belconnen on the outskirts of Canberra, is a popular tourist attraction. Activities include sheep shearing, boomerang throwing and sheep-dog demonstrations, rounded off with a traditional Australian barbecue lunch. The Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, 40km (25 miles) southwest of Canberra, contains a collection of space models and memorabilia (including a sizeable piece of the moon) and interactive exhibits covering 40 years of space exploration. The Snowy Mountains are to the south of Canberra, in New South Wales, and provide excellent opportunities for winter skiing and summertime pursuits such as bushwalking, horseriding and watersports. Organized trips from Canberra are available; for details, contact the Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation (see General Info section).