Australia. Land of never exhausting holiday destinations.

NSW
New South Wales (NSW) is located in the south east of Australia and is over 800,000 km2 in size. The State’s principal land use is agriculture.

NSW is the powerhouse of the national economy with a Gross State Product of A$212 billion in 1998/99. It is the largest economy in Australia, accounting for 36% of the national Gross Domestic Product, well ahead of Victoria (26%) and Queensland (16%).

Regional NSW makes an important contribution to the State’s economy with Gross Regional Product comprising almost 31% of NSW’s Gross Product in 1997/98.

A key to regional economic growth is value adding to resource-based industries such as food and timber processing.

NSW boasts an extensive road network with high quality and well maintained highways crossing the State. NSW has around 200,000 km of roads, of which more than 36,000 km are main roads and highways.

The State has about 12,000 kilometres of rail track, which is more than one quarter of the national rail network. The rail system carries about 30% of all Australian freight.

NSW’s population of 6.4 million is mainly distributed along the eastern seaboard with satellite cities north and south of Sydney at Newcastle (473,900) and Wollongong (260,100). Some 62% of NSW population lives in Sydney.

The Sydney Harbour provides a spectacular setting for the city’s central business district and North Sydney business district.

The city is Australia’s major business and financial centre, being the address of 65% of finance industry business such as banking, insurance and funds management. Close to half of the finance industry’s gross product and more than a third of its 310,000 employees are concentrated in Sydney.

QUEENSLAND
The red hot outback. The lush green rainforests. The golden beaches and sunshine. The cool blue coast. The living kaleidoscope of the Great Barrier Reef. And the colourful towns and people. Queensland is big, bold, bright and beautiful. Australians know Queensland as the Sunshine State. As the old saying goes, beautiful one day , perfect the next. This is the holiday capital of Australia, attracting visitors from around the country and around the world, all year round.

There’s no part of Queensland more colourful than the people. You’ll find the locals friendly, helpful and more than accommodating. The Sunshine State contains so many amazing attractions that Australia is famous for. It’s brimming with exciting cities, sunshine and pristine natural attractions. Queensland has a character and relaxing nature unlike anywhere else in the world.

Queensland is big. Covering 1,727,000 square kilometres, it is Australia’s second largest State after Western Australia. It represents more than a quarter of the country’s total area. And it’s the fastest growing State in Australia, with a current population of over three million people. To put Queensland in perspective, it’s more than seven times the size of the United Kingdom, more than four and half time the size of Japan, around six and half times the size of New Zealand, more than five times the size of Texas. Yet Queensland is relatively uncrowded.

Queensland is such a vast land that Flying Doctors are called to take medical care to remote communities. A school of the air delivers education via two-way radio to distant school children. And the world’s longest mail run - the Channel Country Run - is an air service stretching form North-West Queensland into South Australia.

VICTORIA
Melbourne is Victoria's capital and is a 12-hour drive from Sydney and only 8.5 hours from Adelaide.

Melbourne is a city famous for its sense of style. Glamorous events are a trademark of the city, as are its cafes, wineries and shops.

Melbourne boasts a lifestyle experience. There are beautiful buildings, fantastic shopping precincts and countless shows, exhibitions and galleries to entertain. It is also very easy to get around with the constant stream of trams.

Money from the goldrush of the late 19th century built much of the city. Today, the magnificent architecture of this era still stands.

Just outside the city limits lies a world of natural beauty. The Twelve Apostles are accessible for a day trip although it is recommended you take your time travelling down the Great Ocean Road. Wilson's Promontory, a playground of wild animals, beaches, and forests, is only 3-hours' drive away. Just around the corner on Philip Island is the famous penguin parade. Each night, hundreds of penguins shuffle ashore with plenty of room for spectators to enjoy.

Only 50kms or 1-hour's drive out of Melbourne is the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, a region of hills, forests, and most importantly, wine. There are over 200 vineyards in Victoria with each producing magnificent wines.

Further north is the high country where you can ski and walk, kayak, canoe, abseil, fly and cycle. It is in these hills that Banjo Paterson wrote the poem, The Man from Snowy River. (Banjo also wrote the world-famous song, Waltzing Matilda.)

Wherever you turn in Victoria, you will be surprised with the diversity. It is a distinctive part of Australia with many unique experiences to be found.

Victoria is located at the southeastern tip of the mainland.
It borders New South Wales and South Australia
Tasmania lies only 12 hours away by ferry across the Bass Strait.

TASMANIA
At the edge of the world, Tasmania is one place where you can still journey deep into pristine wilderness, and walk with wildlife found nowhere else.

Tasmania offers wonderful opportunities to savour exquisite boutique wine, beer and fresh produce, have lunch or dinner at a stunning winery restaurant.

Immerse yourself in the green lush vineyards, river views and contemporary architecture. Tasmania is your chance to get back to nature.

Size: At 315km (189 miles) west to east and 286km (175 miles) north to south, Tasmania is comparable in size with the Republic of Ireland, West Virginia (USA) and Hokkaido (Japan).The area of Tasmania is 68,331 square kilometres (26,376 square miles).
Population: 470,376

History: The first European explorers came to Tasmania with noble intentions of gathering knowledge about the world, as well as looking for trading opportunities. However, it was with scant attention to human rights that the British developed their colony of Van Diemen’s Land. The full story is a troubled one, with European administrators and business people concentrating on trade, industrial development and financial and physical security.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
 South Australia is a State of remarkable contrasts. Its elegant capital, Adelaide, is a city of innovation and culture. Home to one of the world's great arts festivals, it is also a gateway to the Australian Outback and a vast array of unique tourism experiences. South Australia has grown from its traditional rural and manufacturing base into a diverse trading and advanced manufacturing region, specialising in food, wine, information technology and high-tech industries. It shines as one of the best places in the world to visit and in which to live, work, learn and do business.

South Australia is becoming one of the most dynamic and innovative regional economies in the Asia Pacific.
It offers exceptional value and advantages to businesses setting up operations in the State, combining competitive costs, skilled labour and excellent infrastructure with an enviable quality of life.

South Australia and its capital, Adelaide, shine as being among the best places in the world in which to live, work and do business.
# Area:984,377 square kilometres (385,000 square miles)
# Capital city: Adelaide (population 1.09 million)
# Coastline: 3,700 kilometres (2,300 miles)
# Population: 1.5 million
# Main language: English
# Climate: Temperate/Mediterranean - Adelaide's hottest summer months (Jan-Feb) have a mean maximum of 29°C (84°F); its coldest winter month is July, with a mean maximum of 15°C (59°F); its average annual rainfall is 585mm (23 inches).

NORTHERN TERRITORY
The Northern Territory is the place to start, if you are thinking of visiting Australia. Some of the best known tourist icons in Australia are located in the The Northern Territory. These are as it is known by the aboriginal people, Uluru or Ayers Rock and of course the Kakadu National Park.

A wide range of hotels, resorts and tours ranging from day tours by coach to adventure safaris by 4wd that offer overnight camping to multi day adventure tours sleeping under the stars in Kakadu and Ayers Rock. If you are looking for an outback adventure holiday, the Northern Territory is a place you cannot go past. 4WD or camper van (motor home) or Self driving in a car is easy with wide open roads. We have some great tours which you can explore the vast areas of the Northern Terriroty and we can also help you with car , Campervan or 4WD Rental to suit your needs. From top to bottom of the Northern Territory it is approx 1800 kms and you will have plenty of time to explore some of the sights along the way if you take 7 to 10 days. With your own vehicle and driver guide, you can also gon on your own private tour.

Katherine Gorge or by its aboriginal name "Nitmiluk National Park" is closely linked with Darwin and Kakadu. Katherine Gorge is approx located 400 kms south of Darwin and the town of Katherine which has a range of accommodation such as hotels, family apartments and B&B's. Katherine a great spot to spend a few days with Katherine Gorge, Cutta Cutta Caves, Mataranka and the aboriginal experience at Manyalalluk all easy distances.

In the rivers in the Top End, there are some excellent fishing spots for barramundi in the rivers and estuaries, but you must be wary of the local habitat being the salt water crocodiles. Growing in excess of 5 meters and some weighing around 1 tonne, these crocodiles have the potential to be dangerous.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Western Australia is as big as the name suggests with a variety of activities and enjoyment. Discover the vast amount of places to explore from dry deserts in the east, large ancient forests in the south, huge swells crashing in the west or even find gold in the North. This is a part of Australia which should be experienced for yourself.

Situated on the Swan River, Perth is the capital of Western Australia with all the modern luxuries and only minutes from the city are beaches. Rich in maritime history, areas such as Rottnest Island and Fremantle are close by.

Visit the gorges and National Parks of the tropics in the North, relax in Broome on clean and fresh beaches or in Monkey Mia, experience the feeding of dolphins.

Travel into The Golden Heartlands and expect to be rewarded the natural wonders of Dyandra State Forest or Wave Rock. You may even try out your luck in some of the world's richest goldfields to fossick for gold.

There are some excellent tours throughout Western Australia to ensure you experience and see most of the great places to visit during your stay in Western Australia.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY (ACT)
Location: Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory, and is surrounded by New South Wales. The city is 150 kilometres inland and 571 metres above the Pacific Ocean, 281 kilometres from Sydney and 660 kilometres from Melbourne.

History: Canberra is located on the ancient lands of the Indigenous Ngunnawal people and the name is thought to mean ‘meeting place’, derived from the Aboriginal word Kamberra. In the 1830's, european settlers first came to the area and was chosen in 1908 to be the federal capital. Walter Burley Griffin being a Chicago architect with the reputation of master designer, won an international design competition in 1912 and planned Canberra’s special contrast of nature and urban living. In 1927, the provisional Parliament House was opened in what was then a treeless paddock.

Air Travel: Generally, overseas travellers coming to Canberra will need to fly into an interstate airport and then transfer to a Canberra flight as there are few direct flights to Canberra from overseas.

Travel information courtesy of Tourist Australia