Travel across Australia with the Experts!

In order to perceive all the beauty and variety of the Australian nature, you may go round the Australian islands to the east of the mainland and explore the sights of Oceania: see the coral reefs, rocks of fantastical shapes, colorful lakes and mountains with eucalypt forests. You can also remain on dry land and go visit Cape Byron, the easternmost point of the continent. This is a unique place that, notwithstanding the developed infrastructure, preserves its wild, pristine look and fascinates with its splendor and picturesque, diverse nature.

The Twelve Apostles is a collection of rocks; one of the most famous and recognizable sights of Australia. It has become the symbol of the Great Ocean Road running high above the coast. The Twelve Apostles rocks are often featured on tourist leaflets, and hundreds of thousands of interested tourists annually visit this place to observe the peculiar beauty of the rocks and their ability to change color during the day.

When exploring places of interest in Sydney, you may start with the most symbolical monuments – for instance, with the Queen Victoria Building towering over the downtown. The majestic building was erected in 1898 to celebrate the 60 years of the Queen's rule. It replaced a former city market that had been functioning here from the early 19th century. Today, this building is an impressive shopping mall comprising various fashion boutiques, cafeterias, jewelry stores, etc.

The world's largest arch bridge made of steel. Local citizens often call it "the coat hanger" since its shape resembles a hanger. The opening ceremony took place in 1932 though the construction had been already planned out in the middle of the 19th century. All 25 previous bridge projects were turned down; only the project by Sir Ralph Freeman, the London architect, secured a victory. The construction started in 1926.

Melbourne is often called the Australian capital of sports and culture: it holds the most important sport competitions and cultural events. Melbourne attracts tourists primarily with its extravagant combination of the Victorian and modern architecture, with the greenery of parks and gardens right in the center of the metropolis and with the local citizens of various nationalities and cultures.

And what nook of Australia provides the most information on the life of the Green Continent's natives? What place to visit in Australia in order to get acquainted with their culture, everyday life and characteristic traits of their mentality? The hilly town of Kuranda in the north of Queensland would probably be the best option. It is so small that you can walk through it within mere minutes: one edge of the town is only 1km away from the other edge but the place itself still has a lot to show.

The continent's largest metropolis and the financial capital of the country. Sydney comprises central offices of 90 banks and over one half of Australia's largest companies. It occupies the 7th place in the top list of the world's best cities and is preceded by Calgary (Canada). The city population amounts to about 4.5 million people; it is one of the most multinational and multicultural cities in the world.

The all-the-year-round warm climate, fascinating landscapes and agreeable local citizens attract population from other parts of the continent and thus make Brisbane the fastest-growing city in Australia. Today, the city interweaves the modern and colonial architectural styles in a unique way. The spires of Victorian churches intertwine here with palm trees planted in front of skyscrapers which looks rather exotic.

The water park in the City of Gold Coast has gathered various types of water entertainment within its territory. Teenagers will be eager to dash through a totally dark maze filled with water. Younger children can swim in artificial wave pools or visit the "Pirate's Bay" with low slides, shallow pools and water pipes.

In the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, little guests are invited to a playground surrounded by exotic trees. Here, they can set out on an exciting quest or an adventure in the real jungle. They can also visit a planetarium and a space observatory. The "Warner Bros. Movie World" Amusement Park is located in Oxenford. Young cinema enthusiasts сan visit the shooting stage and observe the film-making process.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gold Coast definitely deserves attention. This is a wildlife park where children can see animals and birds in the most natural environment. They can meet bright parrots, Tasmanian devils and all kinds of reptiles. A miniature railway runs through the sanctuary. The "Tropical Fruit World Tour" farm offers to sample tropical delicacies, ride an all-terrain vehicle and feed a kangaroo or an emu.

Steve Irwin Australia Zoo in Queensland bears the name of the outstanding Australian naturalist, the famous crocodile hunter. The zoo regularly organizes breathtaking crocodile shows. It is also home to typical Australian animals that cannot be seen anywhere else.

The Australian National Maritime Museum tries not only to preserve history but also to become a whole cultural multimedia complex uniting people from all over the country and promoting the Australian culture. Every year, more than 850,000 tourists visit the museum. In addition, 13,000 members support it and organize special events on a regular basis. Special attention in the museum galleries is paid to the native population of the continent.

The Museum of Sydney is located in a modern building in the very center of the city. This is an art museum presenting the Sydney history and culture.

Rippon Lea Estate and the Historic Garden is a cultural site and a historic territory situated in the suburbs of Melbourne, in the town of Elsternwick. The land was purchased by Sir Frederick Sargood, a rich Melbourne businessman, politician and philanthropist, in 1868. Soon, he built a two-storey, 12-room mansion surrounded by a landscape park with greenhouses, orchard houses and a large artificial lake.

The Melbourne Museum is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere; it is situated in the Carlton Gardens city park. The seven halls of the museum present such permanent exhibitions as "Science and Life Gallery" containing a skeleton of a diprotodon (a giant wombat-like creature) as well as the remains of tarbosaurus, mamenchisaurus, tsintaosaurus, hadrosaurus, pteranodon, gallimimus, hypsilophodon, etc.