It houses an excellent theater company, and boasts a concert hall, two theaters, a restaurant and an amphitheater. Another very popular attraction is the Central Market between Grote and Gouger streets. In March of even-numbered years, the world-renowned Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts is held, featuring everything from jazz to classical theater and ballet, along with a diverse Edinburgh-style Fringe Festival (see Social Profile section). The South Australian Museum has the largest collection of Aboriginal artifacts in the world as well as a huge exhibition of Melanesian art and New Guinean wildlife. There is also a new permanent exhibition on the Antarctic Explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson. The National Wine Center, featuring exhibitions, a tasting gallery and restaurant, opened in 2001 in the Botanic Gardens. Tandanya - National Aboriginal Cultural Institute offers a rounded view of Australia’s indigenous culture. The swimming and skating on Glenelg Beach are popular Adelaide activities.

Beyond Adelaide
55 km (34 miles) from Adelaide is Australia’s wine cellar, the Barossa Valley, originally settled by German refugees in the 1830s and still indelibly marked by their influence. The main townships are Tanunda, Angaston and Nuriootpa, all notable for Lutheran churches and the vineyards where tours and tastings can be arranged. The other major wine regions in South Australia are the Clare Valley, Riverland, McLaren Vale and the Coonawarra wine district in the southeast.

Two routes through Australia’s Red Center begin near Adelaide, one being the Stuart Highway which goes to Darwin. The start of the Great Ocean Road begins at the haunting Coorong Wetlands, south of Adelaide, and goes on to Victoria.

Taking a Murray River steamer will afford the visitor a view of lush pastureland, limestone cliffs and the wine country. The Murray-Darling-Murrumbidgee river network is one of the largest in the world - 2600km (1615 miles) from source to sea - and brings irrigation to a wide area. The vegetation and wildlife evoke images of the Deep South in the USA.

Opposite Adelaide in the St Vincent Gulf lies Australia’s third-largest island, Kangaroo Island. Off-road exploration of this natural wildlife sanctuary rewards the traveller with the chance to see penguins, koalas, wallabies and kangaroos as well as the large sea lion colony at Seal Bay; the rugged coastline is also noted for fine fishing. There is a variety of accomodation available, including a campsite.
Naracoorte Caves Conservation Park near the southeast border with Victoria is notable for its caves containing stalagmites, stalagtites, bats and fossils.

South Australia’s best slice of the outback is to be found in the ancient Aboriginal heritage area of Flinders Ranges, a region of granite peaks and spectacular and colorful gorges, dotted with eucalyptus trees. In the center of the Flinders area is the popular resort area of Wilpena Pound, a natural ampitheater 16km (10 miles) long and 6km (3.7 miles) deep; accommodation is also available at Arkaroola, at the northern peak of the Flinders. The opal town of Coober Pedy is so hot that 45 per cent of the inhabitants live underground; even the church is underground, and in fact the name of the town means ‘white man lives in a hole’. The area produces 90 per cent of the world’s supply of opals and those who wish to dig for the semi-precious stones can obtain a miner’s permit.

Tasmania

Hobart

Tasmania’s capital is Australia’s second-oldest city after Sydney and is situated on the south side of the island. The city has strong links with the sea, typified by the wharves, jetties and warehouses - some dating back to the 19th century - which cluster around the waterfront. Examples of the island’s history can be seen in the Maritime Museum of Tasmania, the convict-era buildings of Battery Point and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The sweet-toothed will enjoy touring the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. Mount Wellington, towering 1270m (4170ft) to the west of the city, provides the backdrop to Hobart. From the lookout at the top (about 20km/12 miles by road) the clear air offers a spectacular view of Hobart, its suburbs, the Derwent Estuary and Storm Bay. Apart from the view, the area has picnic facilities and walking trails. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens offer a long walk through beautiful scenery.

Beyond Hobart
The popular Tahune AirWalk is a one-and-a-half hour’s drive from Hobart, offering a suspended 45m-high walkway above spectacular forest canopies. It is part of the Huon Trail which includes the Hastings thermal pool, caves and sheltered bays of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. AirWalk admission fees are AUSD 9 for adults and AUSD 6 for children. Launceston, Tasmania’s second city on the north of the island, retains much of its colonial Georgian/Edwardian flavor. It is the natural gateway for the rural beauty of the island, including the Cataract Gorge and the Launceston Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.

City Park is frequented for its Botanical Conservatory and Monkey Island featuring Japanese mecaque monkeys. The new Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery at Inveresk near Launceston features original Tasmanian and Aboriginal art as well as various temporary exhibitions; entry fee is AUSD 10. Port Arthur, 100km (82 miles) east of Hobart, is the site of a penal colony built in the early 19th century. Guided tours are available including a popular ghost tour. There is a new one-and-a-half hour trail along the cliffs and beaches. Not far away is Eaglehawk Neck, noted for its bizarre rock formations and the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere.

National Parks
Tasmania is an island of wilderness; there are 20 national parks, including the world’s last temperate-climate rainforest, and its wildlife includes the unique and fearsome little marsupial the Tasmanian Devil. Some of the more notable national parks include Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair, famous for the Overland Track walk; Mount Field, known for Russell Falls, the Tall Trees Walk and autumnal colors of the only deciduous Australian tree - nothofagus gunii; Freycinet on Tasmania’s east coast, which contains Wineglass Bay (one of the world’s top ten beaches); Narawntapu (formerly Aspestos Range in northern Tasmania, renowned for its wildlife; Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers, with walks, camping grounds and incredible views; Ben Lomond, Tasmania’s main ski resort; the Southwest, a major part if the World Heritage Area, and Walls of Jerusalem.

Victoria

Melbourne
Melbourne is a highly cosmopolitan city of over three million people with sizeable Italian and Greek minorities. Located in Carlton Gardens on the northern edge of the city center, the ultramodern Melbourne Museum is Australia’s largest museum. Its features include a living Forest Gallery, Aboriginal Center, Children’s Museum and IMAX Theater. The chilling Old Melbourne Gaol has Ned Kelly’s armour on display. The National Gallery of Victoria: St Kilda Road houses Australia’s greatest collection of international fine art.

The NGV: Australian Art is one of the attractions of Federation Square, a new city block devoted to culture. Rialto Towers Observation Deck offers panoramic views of the city and surrounds. Other places to visit include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Parliament House, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the vibrant beach-side esplanade in St Kilda with its vibrant cafe culture. Also recommended are a trip to the races, a ride in one of Melbourne’s trams, a river cruise down the River Yarra, or a visit to the huge Melbourne Zoo, with its intricately recreated animal habitats.

Beyond Melbourne
35km (22 miles) from the State capital are the Dandenong Ranges, which provide excellent views of the city over the peaks from the Summit Lookout. At Mount Dandenong itself is the sanctuary named after William Ricketts, one of the early champions of Aboriginal rights. His haunting carvings of Aboriginal faces still stare out over the forested landscape and are part of the Galeena Beek Aboriginal Culture Center. Victoria was also the home of the outlaw Ned Kelly, often regarded as a national hero in Australia, and was the scene of the eventful days of bushranging during the gold rush of the 1850s and 1860s.

Sovereign Hill, 120km (75 miles) northwest of Melbourne, is an old gold-rush town from this period, now restored to its original condition. Other towns of this era are Ballarat and Bendigo, respectively 115km (71 miles) and 150km (93 miles) from Melbourne. Nostalgia is also available in the shape of ‘Puffing Billy’, a train of bright red carriages which runs along from Belgrave to Gembrook through the Dandenong Ranges. In the east of the State is Gippsland Lakes, a lush fertile region dotted with lakes and parkland. The west is drier, with huge sheep-grazing lands. Towards the center are the Grampian Mountains, famous for wild flowers, birdlife and offering some of the world’s finest rock climbing. Victoria is also home to Brambuk, a cultural center exhibiting the arts, crafts and historical records of the Western Aboriginal people (open daily 1000-1700).

National Parks and Nature Reserves
Phillip Island Nature Reserve, 140km (87.5 miles) from Melbourne, is famous for its rich wildlife, particularly birds, koalas, fairy penguins (which can be seen marching up the beach in the evenings), and fur seals (large colonies of which can be observed at the Seal Rocks Sea Life Center). Another famous wildlife sanctuary is in the Wilson’s Promontory National Park, southeast of Melbourne on the southernmost tip of the Australian mainland. The Port Campbell National Park, southwest of Melbourne, contains some of the most beautiful - and dangerous - coastlines in Victoria. It is here that the awesome rock formations, The Twelve Apostles, can be seen from the stunning Great Ocean Road.

Western Australia

Perth

Perth is sunny all year but pleasant owing to temperate breezes. Modern skyscrapers overshadow colonial buildings such as the Town Hall and Perth Mint. The Swan River winds through the city, and a cruise upriver to the vineyards is very popular with tourists. A futuristic tower resembling a giant swan, the Swan Bells, houses the old bells from St Martin-in-the-Fields, London and is open daily for viewing. Kings Park, a beautiful park overlooking the town, the Art Gallery of Western Australia in James Street and the historic His Majesty’s Theater are also worth seeing. The most popular beach destinations are Sorrento, Cottesloe, City, Scarborough and the nude bathing beach at Swanbourne.

17km (11 miles) north of the city center, AQWA - The Aquarium of Western Australia at Hillary’s Boat Harbour showcases over 4000 sea creatures in their natural environments. South of Perth is Cable’s Water Ski Park with thrilling water rides and Adventure World, a favorite family entertainment complex on Bibra Lake with thrill rides, native animals, parkland and waterways in beautiful surroundings. Fremantle, 19km (12 miles) from the city, is a port full of historic houses and buildings such as the Court House, all of which have been superbly restored. Freo, as it is known, can be reached either by a one-hour boat trip or a 20-minute drive from Perth. The excellent Western Australian Maritime Museum and Fishing Boat Harbour, with its many outdoor seafood restaurants, are its other attractions.

Beyond Perth
Rottnest Island lies 20km (12.5 miles) offshore. This haven for watersports enthusiasts is connected to Fremantle by ferry services. The marsupial quokka is unique to the car-free island. Well to the east of Perth is the thriving gold-mining town of Kalgoorlie with its Museum of the Goldfields, and towns which were once the center of Western Australia’s gold rush, such as Coolgardie. Also interesting is Wave Rock, a 2700-million-year-old formation resembling a tidal wave, close to Hyden. The Darling Ranges, behind Perth, are popular with visitors and contain several national parks. The Avon Valley, a 90-minute drive from Perth, is an agricultural area.

In this region can be found the town of York where the York Motor Museum and the Residency Museum are worth seeing. Nanbung National Park, 240km (150 miles) north of Perth, is well known for its amazing limestone pillars, The Pinnacles. At Monkey Mia, on the mid-western coast, there are wild bottlenose dolphins that come into the shallows to greet visitors. Also in the north of the State, The Kimberley, a wild semi-desert region rich in Aboriginal legends, has in recent years become a thriving diamond-mining center.

The city of Broome, on the north coast, is the pearl capital of the world. At the opposite end of the State is Albany, founded in 1827 and the first European settlement in Western Australia; it is noted for its blowholes and winter whale-watching. Augusta, to the west, is also visited by several species of whale.