Regions of Australia

The States of Australia include New South Wales (Sydney), Victoria (Melbourne), Queensland (Brisbane and the Gold Coast), South Australia (Adelaide), Western Australia (Perth and large desert areas), and Tasmania. The Territories of Australia are the Australian Capitol Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory.

New South Wales is the continent's oldest state. The state is home to Australia's tallest mountain, Mt. Kosciusko, and Australia's most widely recognized place - Sydney, which is its capital. Just as New South Wales is the oldest state, Sydney is the oldest city in Australia. It is the home of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Sites to visit in New South Wales include Captain Cook's Landing Place, Fox Studios Bent Street, the Manly Surfing Beach, Royal National Park, Sydney Harbour National Park, Sydney Olympic Park, and Taronga Zoo.

Victoria is the wine country of Australia. Some of its local vineyards are internationally acclaimed, and one can visit any of the state's vineyards by car or hot-air balloon. It was home of the Ned Kelly gang, whose misadventures was recently depicted on film. Victoria's capital, Melbourne, is famous for its shopping and local music scene.
Queensland is the second largest state in the continent, second only to Western Australia. Brisbane (called "Brissy" by the natives) is the subtropical capital of Queensland, which also includes one of the natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef. Other attractions to Queensland include the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

South Australia is known as the Festival State, because it is world-famous for its events, fairs, and other festivals. Included in these celebrations is the Adelaide Festival, which is held for three weeks in March. During this festival, galleries, nightclubs, theatres, and just about every open space of the state display any and every form of the "arts." The state is considered to be very cosmopolitan in its nature and has one of the most diverse cultural climates in Australia. South Australia is home to Kangaroo Island, the Limestone Coast, and Eyre Peninsula.

Western Australia is known as the Wildflower State. Its capital is Perth. Western Australia is the continent's largest state. To get an idea of its size, it has been said that Japan, New Zealand, Texas, and the United Kingdom could fit into this area well, with room to spare. Since it is so large, there are vast differences in its temperature. The southwestern part of the state is considered Mediterranean in temperature, with hot summers and wet winters. In the northwestern part, it is considered tropical, with a hot, sticky, wet summer season and a dry winter. There is almost no rain in this area, and there are three deserts - the Great Sandy Desert, the Gibson Desert and the Great Victorian Desert. Most of the population is in Perth, and the entire state has only one-and-one-half million people. The reason Western Australia is known as the Wildflower State is that there are over 8000 species of wildflowers found there, more than anywhere else in the world.

Tasmania, known as Australia's "natural state," has many animals unique to the area. Millions of penguins and thousands of elephant seals live on Macquarie Island. Wombats, wallabies, and Tasmanian Devils can be found roaming the area, and many animals can be seen in Tasmania "in the wild" more than any other area in Australia. Wildlife parks in Tasmania include the Trowunna Wildlife Park, the Platypus House, and the Tasmanian Devil Park.

The Australian Capital Territory (or ACT as it is known), or Canberra, is the location of the seat of government in Australia. Things to see in Canberra include the Australian-American Memorial, Captain Cook Memorial, Indigenous Voices, Lake Burley Griffin, National Carillon, Ngunnawal Country, and Parliament House.

The Northern Territory of Australia - the Outback - includes Alice Springs (the town closest to all of Australia's beaches), Darwin (the Northern Territory's capital), Katherine (home of the Nitmiluk National Park), Tennant Creek (an "outback original" area where local customs of native Australians can best be viewed), Uluru (the largest single land area in Australia), the Tiwi Islands, Kadadu National Park, Arnhem Land (home of the largest Aboriginal culture area in Australia - virtually "untouched" in time), and Kings Canyon. Driving or backpacking through the Northern Territory is a popular tourist activity.