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I had a friend write to me asking for tips and places to see when in Australia so I decided to add what I wrote to him onto the blog for anyone who is, was or is contemplating on going to Australia.

What started as a guide on places to see ended up more as a social commentary on the place, but I always end up writing about the society of places as to me it’s often entwinted with the local attractions, and also having been out of the country for the bulk of the past decade, feeling like an outsider-insider looking in, I feel like myself – and the many Australian like me who now live abroad – have a unique perspective on the place as we know, understand and respect the place but at the same time can look with the place with a more balanced, critical and clinical approach than perhaps many locally based Australians can.

Let me know what you think, I’m interested in your thoughts.

~ Australia ~

If you’re planning on going to Australia for up to a month and money isn’t too much of a problem I’d recommend seeing as much of the country as you can as the landscape and geography of the country is very different from one side of the country to another and often the culture and history is a little different too.

I’d recommend you definitely spend time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane/Gold Coast as these are the three biggest cities with often the most to see and do in one location. Sydney is the largest city and first site of European settlement so there is a lot of history there, it also has the advantage of being located on one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world with great beaches just 10-15km away. I’d recommend you see The Rocks (historical neighbourhood), Downtown & Chinatown/Haymarket (great food), Darling Harbour (just to the west of the city), Bondi and/or Manly Beach (the 2 most famous beaches, Manly is a great ferry ride from the city). Other places include the Homebush area (where most of the Olympic events were held, 15km from downtown), the Blue Mountains (a beautiful range of mountains, 1 to 1 and a half hours from Sydney), Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley (beautiful beaches and wineries, 2 to 2 and a half hours from Sydney).

Whereas Sydney is a brash, cosmopolitan city, Melbourne is a more cultured, reserved city, which has a very different European feel to it, whereas Sydney has a San Francisco-like east meets west feel to it. Melbourne came to prominence on the back of the Victorian gold rush during the 1850 and 1860s and at one stage was the largest city and capital of the country, until the compromise capital of Canberra was built between the two main cities. Melbourne gained a great culinary and cafe culture largely due to huge numbers of Italian, Greek and former Yugoslav migrants following WWII, coupled with the retention of trams and grand Victorian-era architecture still give the city a European air about it. I’d recommend seeing the city and Southbank area just south of the city centre including Crown Casino (even if you’re not a fan of gambling, it’s a colossal centre with many other distractions), St Kilda (a bayside suburb 10km from the city), the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Australia’s largest and most famous stadium, holding a capacity over 100,000), Lygon Street in Carlton (just north of the city and home to great cafes and Italian restaurants). Other places to visit could be Ballarat (an hour from Melbourne and gold rush centre), Bendigo (another city built from gold, 1 hr and a half from Melbourne), and Torquay (a beachside suburb, one hr from Melbourne where Harold Holt, Prime Miinister at the time disappeared).

Brisbane is often referred to a big country town but in the last two decades since World Expo ’88 has transformed itself into a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis. Helped from large interstate and overseas migration, Brisbane’s population and influence within Australia has doubled in the last two decades. It and its brash neighbour, the Gold Coast attract scores of domestic and international tourists who take in the beautiful beaches, nightlife, wonderful scenery in the hinterland, and many amusement parks and other attractions. Whilst, Brisbane and the Gold Coast doesn’t have as much history as Melbourne or Sydney, it makes up for it with its weather, beaches and modern attractions. The Sunshine Coast an hr and a half north of the city, is another booming area of golf courses, beachside resorts and natural beauty. Further north in Queensland is the Great Barrier Reef with its beautiful, endless reefs of coral and resorts. Townsville and Cairns up in the north of the State are tropical tourist oases with easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and other attractions and worth a visit if you have the time.

Canberra, the national capital and 2 and a half hrs from Sydney, is another place worth a visit if you are interested in the country’s history, culture and development. A planned city, developed over the 20th century it has wide boulevards, scores of interesting museums, art galleries and government institutions but little other distractions. A lot of Australians find the city boring, dry and difficult to get around but if you like history and a culture, it’s  a must see which can be done in two to three days. I recommend the excellent Australian War Museum, Parliament Houses (both new and old), the new national museum, the science centre and the Art gallery.

Perth is unique in that it has virtually half a continet to itself. One of the most isolated cities in the world, Perth and its surrounding centres are separated for two thousand kilometres by seemingly arid wasteland and desert. Perth has developed its own brash, modern feel and is a fast-moving modern city, growing at a fast rate largely thanks to Western Australia’s abundance of natural resources. Like Brisbane, Perth was once a relative backwater but has doubled in the last 20 years to a metropolis rapidly approaching two million people. Large scale immigration particularly from the UK, the Indian subcontinent and South Africa has given Perth a more cosmpolitan, less provincial feel. Set on the banks of the Swan River, it’s a beautfiul modern city, though be warned the city experiences a dry Indian summer where temperatures can often reach 40 Celsius until the coastal ‘Fremantle Doctor’ breeze arrives to quell the heat in the late afternoon. I recommend the city and Swan river, the beautiful, yet sometimes strong beaches with their torquise water, the port of Fremantle and its beautful retained historic centre, Rottnest Island, and if you have time the Margaret River district a couple of hours south of the city.

The Northern Territory is in many ways still Australia’s last frontier, but that is slowly changing. Consisting of a tropic north and desert centre with a whole lot of savannah in between, it is where Australia’s current and future meet with Australia’s past. The Northern Territory’s population is roughly 30% indigenous and as a result Australia’s indigenous cultures and their histories and hardships are much more apparent, respected and observed in the Northern Territory. Whilst, the race relations between indigenous and non-indigenous are often far from perfect in NT, it is one part of Australia where indigenous culture has been largely given the respect that it is due and as such is something the rest of Australia could learn from. That said, there still are very substantial differences, past atrocities and animosities and present troubles to be fully addressed. Darwin is an interesting, strong and resilient place. Bombed by the Japanese, devastated by Cyclone Tracy, the city has rebounded and is now bigger than ever. Growing rapidly due to its proximity to Asia, increasing military presence, improved infrastructure links and mineral boom, the city once-mocked by southerners is now one facing a very promising future. The city has long been one of the most multicultural in Australia with its both long standing and more recent European, Asian and indigenous population, it truly is a melting pot of several very distinct cultures with a fascinating hybrid culture the result. I’d recommend taking in the city and its various attractions and cuisine and Kakadu National park, a beautiful tropical wilderness several hours east of the city. The Red Centre is centred on the outback city of Alice Springs, which is a great launching pad for Uluru (Ayers Rock) several hours away. The city itself has many tourist attractions and cultural experiences along with the opportunity to go camel riding among other things.

Adelaide in South Australia is a refined, cultured, sedate city which prides itself on having never been a penal colony. The city was founded in the 1830s and is a beautful planned city with an abundance of gardens, parks and green space. It was once the 3rd largest city in Australia but has stagnated in the past three decades often due to the loss of manufacturing base to Asia. Nevertheless the city still has plenty to offer and is a little more relaxing and friendly than some of the larger, faster-moving cities. I’d recommend the city centre, Glenelg (a beachside suburb) and the nearby Barossa Valley wine-growing district established by German Lutherans 150 years ago and still with a unique antipodean German feel to it.

Tasmania is a beautiful isle separated by Bass Strait, and has wonderful scenery and countyside with a more mild, temperate climate. Hobart, the capital, is Australia’s 2nd oldest capital and as such has an abundance of historic attractions. Tasmania has the dark mark of in the past being home to some of the most violent and dangerous criminals, who were housed at Port Arthur penal settlement (an hr from Hobart), and with extermining all of Tasmania’s full-blooded indigenous population during the 19th century. Thankfully, Tasmania is a much friendlier place these days with beautiful scenery especially in the Cradle Mountain national park in the centre of the state and the wildnerness areas of the west coast. Relatively largely unaffected by a lot of the cultural and demographic changes which have swept Australia over the past five decades, Tasmania is still largely a microcosm of past ‘British’ Australia, where folks are friendly, polite but overwhelmingly Anglo-Celtic.

Hope that helps. Australia’s economy and cost of living would be on a par with North America’s, with its dollar slightly weaker than the US’s at the moment. Sydney and the other big cities can be expensive in terms of accommodation, food and other attractions especially in the city and around tourist resorts. Some parts of the city can get rough particularly at night, though most of the bad neighbourhoods are well away in the suburbs, though the city centres and nightclub districts can get a little dodgy at night so exercise some caution. If travelling, in summer, exercise caution as the temeratures can get high and often it cane be windy. Dress appropriate to the weather, keep yourself adequately covered with a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses as the Ozone hole gives an extra bite to the summer heat!