The Traveller's Magazine
Australia is one of the world’s biggest countries yet the least densely populated. There is room to play in this country! Head Down Under and discover its 10,000 beaches, 25,000 km coastline, endless Outback and its trendy, laidback cities. Get in with the locals and you’ll discover that there’s more to see and do here than watch the kangaroos.
Australia is a destination for all five of your senses. The sights and sounds as well as the flavourful cuisine will leave you yearning for more. Touch down on flights to Sydney and take this place by storm, the rural villages and far-off cities cannot be overestimated.
Sight
Australia may be home to a lot of cool looking mammals but its real gems are found in the deep blue. Strap on your scuba gear and bring your waterproof camera to capture Australia’s living rainbow. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest collection of coral reef with 400 different types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc. Need some help finding Nemo?
Taste
What’s for breakfast? Toast with Vegemite. Aussie’s aren’t keen on marmalade but they are keen on the salty, malt-tasting, dark brown paste made from yeast extract. It’s a staple in their diet and is used for sandwiches, crumpets and toast. If you want to leave with one Australian taste in your mouth, let it be this one.
Smell
Drown your sense of smell in an Australian forest. Not only a koala favourite, Eucalyptus is the most popular tree growing here and popular for its musty and minty smell of its oil. Melbourne and Victoria both boast large Eucalyptus woodlands, so take a deep breath; this is the scent of Australia.
Hearing
“G’day mate!” Can’t get enough of the Aussie accent? Open your ears and take a listen. Great spots to eavesdrop on this simultaneously funny and very cool English dialect are the cafés along the waterfront in Sydney, at the surf huts on the beach (where you can always meet a local or two) and of course at a typical pub in Melbourne. Learn some lingo, you’re going to need it.
Feel
One of the first things you’ll feel in Australia is its currency. Notes and coins, they may look the same as at home but once you pass a bill through your fingers you’ll notice its slippery surface. It’s not exactly plastic but very similar. Australians introduced polymer money in the 1990s which lasts 5 times longer in circulation than paper money does.
Travelling across continents and oceans to get there doesn’t cost as much as you may think, that is if you can survive the 24+ hour journey to get there. Fly from London with Etihad for £622 this November 1st to 22nd, 2011, return flights with all taxes included.
Travel with all your senses acute, Australia is waiting. Have you ever been Down Under? Which experiences touched you the most?
