9780679003267

"Fodor's guides are always a pleasure."-- The Chicago Tribune "Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers, and directions."-- Newsday Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over. Updated each year and containing a full-color foldout Rand McNally map, a Fodor's Gold Guide is an essential tool for any kind of traveler. If you only have room for one guide, this is the guide for you. New for 2000!Full-color sections let you experience Australia before you get there. With region-by-region virtual tours and cross-referencing to the main text, Fodor's color sections are a great way to begin planning your trip. Let the world's smartest guide enrich your trip Full-color images evoke what makes Australia unique - Local experts show you the special places - Thorough updating keeps you on track - Practical information gives you the tools to explore - Easy-to-use format puts it all at your fingertips Choose among many hotels and restaurants in all price categories Stay in Victorian inns, historic homesteads, Barrier Reef resorts, rain-forest lodges, and fine urban hotels - Dine in harborside bistros, Outback joints, homey cafes, and culinary landmarks - Check out hundreds of detailed reviews and learn what's distinctive about each place Mix and match our itineraries and discover the unexpected Driving and walking tours guide you to major and minor landmarks in the cities, the wine country, the desert, and on the coast - Find great sources for opals, Aboriginal art, and Australian crafts Go straight to the facts you need and find all that's new Useful maps and background information - How to get there and get around - When to go - What to pack - Costs, hours, and tips by the thousands

Destination Australia	p. 5
Great Itineraries	p. 26
Fodor's Choice	p. 30
Sydney	p. 33
Exploring Sydney	p. 36
Beaches	p. 73
Dining	p. 78
Lodging	p. 90
Nightlife and the Arts	p. 95
Outdoor Activities and Sports	p. 98
Shopping	p. 99
Sydney A to Z	p. 103
New South Wales	p. 111
The Blue Mountains	p. 117
The Southern Highlands and South Coast	p. 128
The Hunter Valley	p. 136
The North Coast	p. 143
Lord Howe Island	p. 154
The Snowy Mountains	p. 159
Canberra and the A.C.T.	p. 168
Exploring Canberra and the A.C.T.	p. 171
Dining	p. 180
Lodging	p. 182
Nightlife and the Arts	p. 184
Outdoor Activities and Sports	p. 185
Shopping	p. 186
Canberra and the A.C.T. A to Z	p. 187
Melbourne and Victoria	p. 189
Melbourne	p. 195
Side Trips from Melbourne	p. 227
West Coast Region	p. 233
Grampians National Park	p. 240
Gold Country	p. 241
Murray River Region	p. 248
Alpine National Park	p. 259
Wilson's Promontory National Park	p. 260
Tasmania	p. 262
Hobart	p. 267
Port Arthur	p. 278
Freycinet National Park	p. 281
The Midlands	p. 282
Launceston	p. 286
Northwest Coast	p. 290
West Coast	p. 293
Central Tasmanian National Parks	p. 296
Southwest National Park	p. 297
Queensland	p. 299
Brisbane	p. 305
Carnarvon National Park	p. 321
Gold Coast and Lamington National Park	p. 322
Sunshine Coast	p. 331
Fraser Island	p. 342
Townsville and Magnetic Island	p. 346
Cairns	p. 353
North from Cairns	p. 360
The Great Barrier Reef	p. 371
Mackay-Capricorn Islands	p. 375
Central Islands	p. 380
Cairns Islands	p. 389
Great Barrier Reef A to Z	p. 395
Adelaide and South Australia	p. 398
Adelaide	p. 402
The Adelaide Hills	p. 416
The Barossa Valley	p. 419
The Clare Valley	p. 426
Fleurieu Peninsula	p. 430
Kangaroo Island	p. 433
The Murray River	p. 438
The Outback	p. 442
The Red Centre	p. 447
Alice Springs	p. 451
Side Trips from Alice Springs	p. 459
Uluru and Kata Tjuta	p. 461
Darwin, the Top End, and the Kimberley	p. 468
Darwin	p. 474
Kakadu National Park	p. 485
Litchfield National Park	p. 488
Katherine	p. 489
The Kimberley	p. 491
Perth and Western Australia	p. 499
Perth	p. 504
Side Trips from Perth	p. 522
Fremantle	p. 525
The Southwest	p. 530
The Goldfields	p. 539
Karijini National Park	p. 543
Monkey Mia and Ningaloo Reef	p. 543
Adventure Vacations	p. 545
Background and Essentials	p. 561
Portraits of Australia	p. 565
Books and Videos	p. 574
Smart Travel Tips A to Z	p. 576
Index	p. 607
About our Writers	p. 624
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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Destination Australia

Those who live in Australia call it "Oz." The name fits. This is a land so different from any other that it can sometimes seem as if it were conjured rather than created. It casts its spell through paradoxes: It is a developed nation, poised for the Century of the Pacific Rim, yet it is largely unpopulated, a land of vast frontiers -- and with a frontier spirit in its people that was lost in other nations long ago, when life became crowded or comfortable or both. Its cities can be at once sophisticated and unpretentious, as can its people. If you love outdoor recreation, imaginative cuisine, natural beauty seemingly without limit, and the idea of an English-speaking nation actually being exotic, Australia was made (or conjured) for you.

SYDNEY

With nearly 4 million people, Sydney is Australia's largest metropolis, and like most big cities, it moves at a fast, hard-driving pace. Visitors from New York and Los Angeles feel right at home, dining in first-class restaurants, admiring the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city's skyline, and enjoying performances in the Sydney Opera House (or simply studying its architecture). Even outdoorsy Angelenos are surprised by the Sydney beach scene and the gusto with which Sydneysiders pursue it. Between wide, wonderful Bondi Beach and peaceful Palm Beach there are 30-plus strands, and on many of these, sun-lovers regularly trade business suits for birthday suits (although most beaches do have a dress code, if only thong bikinis, tops optional). Surf carnivals in which teams of lifeguards match muscle power are big. So are such legacies of Empire as cricket and rugby, not to mention Australian Rules Football -- very rough, a bit self-consciously manly, and a window on the Aussie soul; catch a match. More contemplative outings take you to the fine Taronga Zoo, the splendid Royal Botanic Gardens, oh-so-English Argyle Place, or nearby Cadman's Cottage, the oldest building in town, once the home of a convict-settler who got lucky. Ponder that for a minute -- Britain used to send people to Australia as a punishment.

NEW SOUTH WALES

If Sydney were nothing more than one of the loveliest, most cosmopolitan cities of the Pacific Rim, that would be quite enough. But as capital of New South Wales, it's also gateway to some of Australia's finest scenery. The town of Katoomba is charming, surrounded by the magnificent Blue Mountains, a trail-crossed area of towering eucalyptus groves and rugged sandstone cliffs. Nearby is Echo Point, with its commanding view of the stone pillars called the Three Sisters. Farther north are the vineyards of Hunter Valley, which draws many weekend visitors for wine-tastings, good food, historic towns, and dazzling fall foliage (in April). At Kosciuszko National Park in the rugged, alpine Snowy Mountains, look for some of the country's most scenic cross-country skiing and bushwalking (as Aussies call hiking). Back at sea level, near the North Coast resort town of Coffs Harbour, is Big Banana Leisure Park, hinting strongly at the main product from these parts (and it's not Carmen Miranda figurines). Perhaps the best of New South Wales is a two-hour plane ride away in the South Pacific: those who have known the beauty and peace of coral-fringed Lord Howe Island would travel two weeks by kayak to know it again.

CANBERRA AND THE A.C.T.

Much like other great purpose-built capitals, the city of Canberra is too often underappreciated. Its detractors call it, together with the surrounding Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T.), soulless and sterile. True, it's not the place to come seeking the cutting-edge. But in this gem of urban planning you will find some of the most vigorous cultural life in the land, in a setting of great natural beauty. The city itself is calm, orderly, clean, and green, free of billboards and other evidence of urban chaos. You are rewarded with a surprisingly extensive array of museums and galleries as well as festivals, performing arts events, and, lately, an increasingly vibrant food scene. Some of the country's finest modern architecture is also here, including the vast Parliament House, the gleaming High Court of Australia, the National Carillon, and the National Gallery of Australia, with its fine Australian collection -- all just a walk from the city's hotels. And the town is an easy drive from some of Australia's most scenic national parks, including Kosciuszko and the New South Wales snowfields, Namadgi National Park, and historic Lanyon Homestead National Park.

MELBOURNE AND VICTORIA

Melbourne prides itself on many things -- too many, if you ask Sydneysiders. Many think the city a bit formal, even stuffy, and see Melburnians as overly class-conscious, as sedate as their streetcars, as Victorian as circa-1860 Como House. At least to visitors, Melbourne more than justifies the city's good opinion of itself. As the self-styled cultural capital of Australia, it is home to the impressive Victorian Arts Centre, whose program includes first-class companies such as the Australian Opera and the Australian Ballet, and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, for al fresco entertainment. Melbourne is also ground zero for Australian sports fans, from January's Australian Open, one of the tennis world's four Grand Slam events, to the first Tuesday of November and the Melbourne Cup. Australia's Kentucky Derby or Grand National, it draws Melbourne society, dressed to the nines, along with working-class punters and wags in outlandish get-ups. It's almost as good a show as a Sunday afternoon spent along the waterfront Esplanade and elsewhere in suburban St. Kilda, where Melburnians from every walk of life rub shoulders in cosmopolitan nosheries, on the Ferris wheel and roller coaster, and in the audiences gathered around mimes and street musicians. Beyond Melbourne the state of Victoria's countryside beckons. Bushwalkers head for Alpine, Wilson's Promontory, and Grampians national parks. Much of the region, including the area around the mighty Murray River, the country's largest stream, showcases wineries and old goldfields towns such as Ballarat, Maldon, Bendigo, Beechworth, Chiltern, and others.

The Gold Australia 2000 guide contains additional information not included in this excerpt.

Excerpted from Australia 2000: Expert Advice and Smart Choices, Completely Updated Every Year, Plus a Full-Size Color Map by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. Staff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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Fodor's Australia 2000

Fodor's Australia 2000

0679003266

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