Australia

Not so long ago a holiday to Australia was the trip of a lifetime and Brits, many of whom have friends or relatives down there would stay for at least six weeks. But now you can fl y from Birmingham to Australia with just one stop in Dubai, so that no longer applies. You can see lots in only two or three weeks, but don’t try and do everything in one trip. Plan to see at least one city and try at least one of Australia’s great nature experiences, and come back for more in the years to come.

Emirates flies to four Australian cities from Birmingham, and for many people the only place to start is, of course, Sydney. This truly world-class city had grabbed people’s attention long before the 2000 Olympic Games, and it’s hard to imagine
anyone who likes cities not liking Sydney.

It’s instantly recognisable by its iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge, having one of the largest natural harbours in the world. This is where European settlement of Australia started in 1788 on the shores of Botany Bay, and a walking tour of the
historic Rocks district – in the shadow of the harbour bridge – reveals many secrets. In Sydney you can try almost any activity, dine around the world on dishes cooked up by over 100 nationalities who have settled here, and try surfing or just admiring the surfers on beaches including Bondi. You can explore the harbour on a cruise, speedboat, sailing boat or amphibious vehicle called a duck; climb the harbour bridge on a guided tour safely harnessed to the hardware; walk around the top of its highest structure, Sydney Tower; take the ferry to Taronga Zoo to see that elusive
Aussie wildlife; and visit dozens of museums.

Melbourne is Sydney’s great rival, and if you really want to stir upan argument among Aussies then ask them to talk up one or the other. They are about 550 miles apart – close by Aussie standards – but you can go by air, rail or road, with a choice
of mountain or coastal routes.

Melbourne lacks the iconic skyline of Sydney but matches it in nearly every other department, and its multi-cultural arts, entertainment and dining scene is arguably better. Grand Victorian buildings look up at modern skyscrapers, and Melbourne’s extensive tram network gives it a Victorian feel. The City Circle tram gives you a free
ride, but you have to book in advance for the unique Colonial Tramcar Restaurant.

Melbourne is Australia’s sporting capital and is also great for shopping, with many narrow lanes full of quirky boutique stores. You can even take a guided shopping tour, but they don’t carry your bags …

Emirates also flies to Brisbane on the east coast, a city with an almost perfect sub-tropical climate which is almost never cool and rarely sticky. The state capital of Queensland is a smaller but also very cosmopolitan city where you’re within easy reach of two of the best-known holiday areas in the country.

The Gold Coast to the south of Brisbane is Australia’s answer to Miami Beach, but with excellent surfing. High-rise hotels, casinos and theme parks make the resort of Surfers Paradise rather glitzy, but there are many smaller resorts too and a lovely mountain area just inland, around the Lamington National Park.

North of Brisbane is the much quieter Sunshine Coast, with elegant resorts such as Noosa and a strong emphasis on the chic and boutique in shopping and dining. This is where Aussie folk hero and crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, tragically killed in September, set up his zoo. Within easy reach of the Sunshine Coast is Fraser Island, an eco-tourism paradise which is the largest sand island in the world.

Emirates’ fourth destination is Perth on the west coast, which has the great advantage of being the closest gateway in Australia taking the least time to reach. Western Australia is a very different experience while sharing the same laid-back, multi-cultural outlook of the rest of the country, and Perth is a clean, green city offering cruises along the Swan River to Fremantle (a 19th Century port), or up-river into wine growing country.

If you want to add a nature experience to a city then Perth is well placed, as to the south are the great forests, and the beaches and caves of the Margaret River area which also produces fine wine. Wildflowers are ablaze in spring (September/October) but any time of year has its attractions.

Western Australia is as big as Western Europe, but with plenty of flights to choose from you needn’t feel isolated flying into Perth. Head north to discover the wild dolphins of Monkey Mia and the Shark Bay World Heritage Site, or even further north for the rugged adventure country of the Kimberley and the Bungle Bungle mountains.

The Red Centre is about the same distance from Perth or Sydney/Melbourne, and here you’ll discover Ayers Rock, one of the world’s most impressive natural sights with ever-changing colours at sunrise and sunset. Around Ayers Rock and Alice Springs you can also discover Aboriginal culture and the Dreamtime legends, and try activities ranging from ballooning and star gazing, to riding a Harley-Davidson motorbike and taking a camel to dinner …

Head for the Top End of Northern Territory – Outback Australia – to discover Darwin and Kakadu National Park, for crocodiles, other wetland wildlife and incomparable Katherine Gorge.

But the greatest natural attraction of Australia has to be the Great Barrier Reef, running for hundreds of miles off the coast of northern Queensland and easily reached from Cairns in the far north. You reach the reef by catamaran to explore the coral and exotic fish by swimming or snorkelling – or in a glass-bottomed boat if you don’t fancy getting wet.

The far north of Queensland is the only place in the world where two World Heritage areas meet – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest. With beaches, islands, activities galore and a vast undiscovered Outback, it has become the top destination for international visitors.

Wherever you go you’ll find good hotels in all categories but also alternatives such as wilderness lodges, campsites, and luxury farm or bed and breakfast accommodation. Enjoy five-star luxury or meet the Aussies in small and friendly places so typical of the country.

Of course you couldn’t fit all this into two or three weeks. But once you go, you’ll go back again and again.