Living in Australia

Living in Australia

Australia - the world's smallest continent and largest island, is like nowhere else in the world. It's as big as mainland United States (excluding Alaska) but has only 18 million people. It's young, adventurous, stylish and friendly. Has unique animals and a fantastic climate. Aussies (as the locals are called) enjoy physical challenges, sport, beaches, gambling, music, performing arts, outdoor cafes, pub bars, good friends and multicultural restaurants.

Australia is young - British sailing ships arrived a mere 200 years ago and the secret of this big, beautiful island in the South Pacific was out. Now the Brits and a 120 other nationalities call Australia home making it one of the most multicultural countries in the world. The rich cultural blend of fashions, languages and cuisines colour the streets.

It's also old - the Aboriginal people have lived here for around 50,000 years and are believed to be the oldest, continuous civilisation in the world. Take a walk with an Aboriginal guide to learn about their special relationship with the land, and their spirituality. Hear the stories handed down from generation to generation and see their rock art which is the oldest in the world. And it's stylish - out in the country people stride about in moleskin trousers, jeans, elastic-sided boots and the famous Akubra - the Australian stetson. In the cities they wear the trendy, casual fashions of local and overseas designers.

On the beach they wear as little as permissible. Come prepared for a temperate climate. The only extremes are up the mountains in the south-east (snow June-October) and during summer in the tropical north (hot and humid November-March). Sharpen your spirit with an Australian adventure. Take a boat ride in one of the tropical rivers up north where crocodile eyes watch as you glide by. Scary. Sit under long slivers of water plunging over sheer, red cliffs into pools of amazing clarity and coolness. Drive for hours through red deserts where kangaroos, lizards and emus live and the sky is so big it overwhelms.

Sleep in a "swag" under stars so crisp they cut like crystal. Walk though rainforests so old the plants go back to a time before Australia was an island. Walk the Tasmanian wilderness and understand why people come from around the world for this experience. Allow yourself to be enclosed in a cage and lowered into water where white pointer sharks lurk. Madness. Join the crowds on the beach and ride the waves or just sit and look gorgeous.

Snow ski among gnarled and twisted native eucalyptus trees. Dive or snorkel on the largest coral reef in the world - the only earthly structure visible from outer space. If you're a thrill seeker try rock-climbing (going up cliffs) or abseiling (going down cliffs). White water rafting, bungy jumping, ballooning, parasailing and horse riding are also popular. However don't try to drink more beer than an Aussie - you won't win. Australia has 47,000 kms (29,204 miles) of coastline, more than 3,000 national parks and reserves and 14 World Heritage sites. To lose yourself in nature and meet eyeball-to-eyeball with native birds and animals is easy.

Many of the national parks are close to and within cities. Some, such as the Blue Mountains National Park with its wildly spectacular mountain trails and scenery, are only an hours train ride from Sydney. Others can be reached by private car or you can join one of the many tour companies which go into the parks for a few hours or a few nights bush walking and camping with nature.

Go wild with the wildlife. It's weird. There are kangaroos which hop along, fluffy koalas which spend most of their lives asleep up gum trees, wombats which look like big, square dogs, platypus a river dwelling mammal with a duck-like beak and fur, dingos with golden eyes and emus with big eyes and a punk hairstyle.

Among the 800 or so bird species that call Australia home there are the kookaburras which laugh like a human, the elegant brolga which has a magnificent mating dance and the pretty grey and pink galah which likes to clown around - if an Aussie calls you a "galah" it means you're being silly. The Aussie is one of the world's great travellers. They go to places as diverse as New York and Siberia returning home with broadened horizons and new ideas. This is why you will find a cafe society as sophisticated as Europe. Restaurants offer outstanding food, wine and service. Enjoy the small crowded eateries where you can eat well and cheaply.

Home-made pasta shops beside Turkish restaurants and Asian spice outlets. You can eat authentic food from virtually every nationality you can think of but you shouldn't leave without trying Australian fare. Australian chefs have taken the best of all the nationalities that live here and created a fantastic combination of ideas and flavours.

Don't be surprised to see Thai fish cakes, spaghetti marinara, fresh oysters, a curry dish and an Hellenic taramasalata on the menu of a brasserie which specialises in grilled steak and fish. Mostly the food is light and tasty which suits the climate. And it's always fresh because Australia grows a delectable range of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheeses and wines.

Remember to do a bit of wine tasting while in Australia. It's a popular weekend activity and the wines are winning awards all over the world. Major wine growing areas are within an hours drive of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide and they all have open cellars for tastings.Accommodation is available in cute cottages, historic homes and charming guesthouses so prepare yourself for an indulgent few days. The wine districts also throw fantastic festivals when the eating, drinking and music goes all day and far into the night. Although Australia has only a small population its tourism industry is big with local and overseas travellers criss-crossing the country and needing accommodation.

Take your pick. Starting at the budget level there are hostels, backpacker lodges, motels, cabins and numerous camping grounds. The more pricey level is well supplied by all the major international hotel chains as well as a few local operators specialising in boutique hotels and resorts of immense charm and character.There are also wilderness lodges, romantic tropical island resorts, B&Bs and friendly farm stays to choose from. You will have no trouble finding a bed to suit your needs and your wallet. If it's entertainment you seek then girdle your loins.

You can watch buskers on the streets, fat ladies singing in the opera houses, live bands in pubs, svelte ballerinas, amateur and professional actors, free concerts in the park and blast the night away at a dance party.After all, this is the country which produced such singing greats as Dame Joan Sutherland and pop musicians, Midnight Oil, INXS, Crowded Houses, AC/DC and Kylie Minogue. Its film stars include Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman and its movies range from the hypnotic beauty of The Piano to the compelling humour of Crocodile Dundee and Babe (the pig who wanted to be a sheep dog).

Located half way round the world from most major markets, Australian entertainment has developed its own persona. You can drop into a pub or club to hear live bands performing pop, jazz and country music.

You can watch Australian productions of world renowned musicals, ballets, operas, symphonies and plays, or you can find a theatre performing work by a local playwright. About half of all plays in Australia are by local playwrights who tend to analyse Australian values and the Australian psyche with a comical rather than tragic base. They're very popular.This gem in the South Pacific is like a great chunk of opal, afire with every colour imaginable. And its icons are many-faceted also. There is the awesome beauty and wild colours of the natural icons - Uluru (Ayers Rock) a red monolithic rock in the centre of the country; the Great Barrier Reef a 2,300 kilometre long kaleidoscope of corals and fish; Kakadu National Park with thousands upon thousands of water birds, Daintree rainforest with its coat of many greens and Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park where you can paddle a canoe between towering, red cliffs.

Then you can click your camera at the man-made icons - the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in Sydney; the glitzy Gold Coast with its theme parks, sidewalk cafes, towering apartment blocks, golden beaches and bronzed lifesavers and the 7.5km Skyrail which glides above the rainforest near Cairns. Do it. De-stress. Visit this land where you can walk with nature, breathe unpolluted air, swim in crystal clear waters, shop in sophisticated cities, eat fantastic fresh food, watch world class entertainment and enjoy the company of fun-loving, friendly people.