[...]... greatest of South Australia s attractions (apart from wine, of course!) is Kangaroo Island, the best place in Australia to see native animals In a day you can spot wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, oodles of birds from black swans to kookaburras, echidnas, and penguins The beach teems with sea lions VICTORIA Australia s secondlargest city, Melbourne, is the capital of Victoria Melbourne is more stately and... in Tasmania, wildflowers in Western Australia, rolling wine country in South Australia, a great coastal drive in Victoria, bird-filled wetlands in the Northern Territory, and countless sand beaches more or less everywhere Australia is made up of six states— New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania—and two internal “territories”—the Australian Capital Territory... Melville Island Darwin DARWIN Timor Sea parte Bona ipelago Arch KAKADU NATIONAL PARK 1 Katherine r ee go an la cc hipe Bu rc A V i c t ori Lake Argyle Kununurra BE RL EY INDIAN OCEAN KI M Derby Broome PURNULULU NATIONAL PARK y KATHERINE GORGE NATIONAL PARK NORTHERN wy 1 Ord River a Hw Port Hedland e rth rn H Hw HAM ERSL EY ULURU–KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK 95 Mt Olga WESTERN AUSTRALIA Monkey Mia Ayers Rock... diamond mine SOUTH AUSTRALIA Stretched between Western Australia and Victoria is the nation’s breadbasket, South Australia The capital, Adelaide, is a stately place known for its conservatism, parks, and churches, and is an ideal base for exploring Australia s illustrious wine region, the Barossa Valley Big labels like Penfolds, Seppelts, and Wolf Blass are here, but take time to sniff out the many... Melbourne to Tasmania The ferry departs at 3pm from Sydney on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, and arrives in Devonport at 11:30am the next day Then it loads up and ships out back to Sydney again Prices for the 20-hour journey range from A$ 230 to A $500 (US$ 150 US$325) per person oneway Cars will be transported free for 45 weeks of the year 1 The Best of Australia M aybe we’re biased, but Australia has a lot of... DESERT al ast Co Exmouth Coral Bay TANAMI DESERT GREAT SANDY DESERT y Ningaloo Reef Marine Park No Great u Albany Albany Esperance p 602 Tasmania p XXX Bass Strait Devonport Launceston Hobart 21 THE REGIONS IN BRIEF Thursday Island THE TOP END Coral Sea Gr p 395 ea t Arnhem Ba CAPE rr Gulf of Carpentaria YORK ie Land SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN r PENINSULA Re ef M Cooktown ar in Port Douglas e Pa Stua S t u art... hiking, watersports, bird-watching, and bareboat sailing Another big attraction is the lush 110-million-year-old Daintree rainforest, just north of Port Douglas The capital, Brisbane, has Australia s largest koala sanctuary (you can cuddle one if you like) and you can hand-feed wild dolphins on a day trip across Brisbane’s Moreton Bay In the Gold Coast hinterland is Lamington National Park, a rainforested... croc-infested inland rivers WESTERN AUSTRALIA Distance and high airfares work against Western Australia s tourism industry, which is a shame because this is one of Australia s most wild and beautiful regions The seas teem with whales in season, and thrill seekers can swim alongside gigantic but gentle whale sharks on the Northwest Cape every fall (Mar–June) This cape is home to one of Australia s best-kept... 421 G reat Northern H 1 r Br a Geraldton GREAT VICTORIA DESERT nd Hw Kalgoorlie y y Rottnest Island a ste rn Hw Perth Margaret River NULLARBOR PLAIN E yre as So NULLARBOR NATIONAL PARK y Hw y 1 Esperance Hwy p 425 Co Fremantle 94 G r ea t E Great Australian Bight wy tH th Denham WATARRKA NATIONAL PARK (KINGS CANYON) pricorn Tropic of Ca RAN GE N o r th W est Shark Bay WEST MACDONNELL NATIONAL PARK GIBSON... Douglas, QLD): Hazel Douglas, an Aborigine who was brought up in the 110-million-year-old rainforest of the Daintree and Cape Tribulation area, takes you on a full-day 4WD safari to explain Aboriginal legends, point out what different plants are used for, and teach you stuff like how to know when a crocodile is in the water See p 290 • The Umbarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre (Wallaga Lake, near Narooma, . 2004, and From- mer’s Portable Australia s Great Barrier Reef. Other Great Guides for Your Trip: Frommer’s Australia Frommer’s Portable Australia s Great Barrier Reef Frommer’s Adventure Guides: Australia. make a living out of it. She has lived in Australia for the past 16 years and is currently president of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. She is also a co-author of Frommer’s Australia. who also run car ferries from Melbourne to Tasmania. The ferry departs at 3pm from Sydney on Tues- day, Friday, and Sunday, and arrives in Devonport at 11:30am the next day. Then it loads up and