Book Description
Sun-kissed beaches, the dramatic Red Centre, the spectacular beauty of over 500 national parks, and some of the friendliest people in the world--discover all this and much more with this bestselling guide to the Land Down Under. We know Australia better than anyone--uncover its secrets with us. * BE INSPIRED by our new highlights, itineraries and planning sections * GET AROUND with the help of over 180 detailed maps, including a full-colour road map section * DINE OUT using restaurant recommendations from one of the country's most authoritative food critics * WATCH WILDLIFE and understand the unique environment with the help of our full-colour environment chapter, written by Australia's most prominent commentator in the field * HANG OUT WITH THE LOCALS after reading our insiders' tips on the best bars, cafes and entertainment spots in the country


Excerpted from Lonely Planet Australia (Lonely Planet Australia) by Paul Smitz, Susie Ashworth, Carolyn Bain, Neal Bedford, Verity Campbell, Pete Cruttenden, Susannah Farfor. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Destination: Australia Australia is an intriguing enigma not only to people elsewhere in the world, who look at a map and see this curiously chunky bit of terra firma floating way down in the southern hemisphere, but also to the locals, who can spend years making leisurely explorations and still feel they've only begun to comprehend the full nature of their own mammoth back yard. It's not just Australia's size that defies the exhaustion of travel possibilities - Australia also has a sublime, time-bending quality that can't be overruled by any itinerary. In a city, you'll experience an urban blur of fashion-festooned boutiques, plate-clattering restaurants and vivacious humankind, but suddenly be mesmerized in a gallery or lose yourself in one long fluid moment inside a wine glass. In the interior, you might be surrounded by noise in a beer-washed pub or hear the thump of rocks under your 4WD, only to be transfixed by a slow, silent swirl of outback dust or an outrageously beautiful sunset. Some roads are so long and straight that no matter how fast you go, it's as if you're barely moving. Around the coast, you'll be tasting the foam of ocean surf or pedalling furiously down a mountain, then end up diving down into a coral garden, taking an endless breath in the depths of a rainforest, or slowly realizing you have an entire beach to yourself. Only one thing is consistent: every traveler in Australia faces the same wondrous dilemma - where to begin...