Australia is known for many things, such as its tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country and lush rainforests. The Sydney Opera House is the most iconic venue in the country and, without a doubt, something you've heard of. The performing arts center is famous for its spherical shells, which attract millions of tourists every year. In fact, the UNESCO World Heritage site is one of Australia's most visited tourist attractions and one of the most distinctive buildings of the 20th century.
Bondi Beach is a beach and the surrounding suburb to the east of Sydney. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in Australia, famous for its blue waters, sand and beautiful rocks. It appears in just about everything related to Australia, from postcards to television shows. Another reason why Bondi Beach is so popular is its proximity to Sydney's CBD, the country's main financial and economic center.
Bondi Beach is also a great spot for surfing, and the waves are suitable for all skill levels. Whether you're a professional or learning, you can have fun and ride the waves in Bondi. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and one of Australia's most famous natural attractions. It has the largest coral reef system in the world, with more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands.
It is located off the coast of Queensland, in the Coral Sea. The Great Barrier Reef extends over an area of about 344,400 square kilometers and can be seen from space. The largest reef in the world is so popular that Google even released an underwater street view for it. You can explore incredible 360-degree panoramic photographs and see exactly what all the fuss is about.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is perhaps the only thing that Australia is absolutely associated with. The cross arch bridge connects Sydney's financial district to the north coast and transports pedestrian, rail, car and bicycle traffic between the two areas. And it is considered an Australian National Heritage Site, along with the Opera and other highlights in the country. The view of the bridge with the Sydney Opera House is an iconic symbol not only of the city, but also of the entire country.
And if you want to live a truly unique experience, you can climb the bridge: at 134 meters above sea level, the view is unlike anything you've ever experienced before. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is named after the two most famous attractions there: Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Uluru is the large stone monolith, which is estimated to be about 600 million years old.
It's one of the most famous places in the country and the most popular attraction in the Outback. At its highest point, Uluru is 348 meters high; for reference, the Eiffel Tower is only 324 meters high. Katja Tuta is a group of dome-shaped rock formations, quite close to Uluru. It is made up of 36 domes, and the highest is Mount Olga, which rises 546 meters above sea level.
The Great Ocean Road is a 243-kilometer stretch of road on the south-east coast of Australia. It is considered an Australian National Heritage Site and a popular tourist attraction in the area. It's also the largest war monument in the world: the road was built by returning soldiers and is dedicated to soldiers who died during the First World War. Aboriginal Australians are the indigenous people of mainland Australia, Tasmania and the Tiwi Islands.
Today, they represent only 3.1% of the country's population, but there are many of them living in various parts of the world. Koalas are often called bears, but in reality they are not: they are marsupials, just like kangaroos. Koalas are adorable little creatures that sleep 18 to 22 hours a day and have an average lifespan of about 10 years. There are a total of four movies in this post-apocalyptic action series: the first three were released in the late seventies and early eighties, while the last one was released recently.
Mad Max: Fury Road is the most recent installment in the series and is a joint venture between the United States and Australia. It was shot on both continents and is considered one of the best live-action movies of the 21st century. It's no secret that Australians love beer: in 2004, the country was the fourth country in the world in terms of beer consumption per capita. And while that was a long time ago, beer is still one of the country's favorite alcoholic beverages.
We all remember the Australian who checked in a single can of beer as luggage for his flight, right? Australia is also one of the top 10 wine-producing countries in the world. The country has several incredible wine regions, full of excellent vineyards and wineries. The Barossa Valley, in South Australia, is by far the best wine region in the country, home to some of the most prized Australian wineries. Visiting these wine regions will take you to discover some of Australia's hidden gems.
The most popular tourist destination in the Outback is Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, with a 600-million-year-old monolith. Another popular destination is Kings Canyon in the Watarrka National Park. You can take a helicopter ride above the canyon and enjoy stunning views, or you can ride the waterfall trail, accompanied by a local Aboriginal guide. His iconic single Can't Get You Out Of My Head was considered the catchiest song in history by Yahoo Music, and is one of the best-selling singles of the 2000s.
Minogue was also dubbed the Princess of Pop and compared to Madonna throughout her career. The hunting spider, in particular, is a terrifying sight: its average size is about 1 inch, with a leg length of about 5 inches. Yes, that's the average size, they can grow much larger than that. The good news is that they're completely harmless; the bad news is that they'll scare the hell out of you.
The Overland via Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park is one of the best known and most demanding trails in the country. It is located in Tasmania and is about 65 kilometers long. It is estimated that it takes about six days to cover this track, and it's definitely not for beginners.
The track has many highlights, some of which are views of Cradle Mountain, D'Alton and Ferguson Fall and Marion's Lookout. If that's too extreme for you, there's a more beginner-friendly track in this same national park. The Dove Lake circuit takes you along the shore of Lake Dove and you can complete it in about two hours. Most of the time you'll be on a waterfront and admire the incredible views of the mountains.
And we'll stop by the iconic 1940s boat shed, which was built by the first ranger on Cradle Mountain. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the British had serious problems of overcrowding in their prisons. This led them to transport convicts to other places, originally to the American colonies, but that ended once the American Revolution began. After that, they began transporting convicts to penal colonies in Australia.
Most of them were transferred for minor crimes, since the most serious crimes, such as rape and murder, were punishable by death. Around 165,000 convicts in total were transferred to Australia, and the vast majority of them remained there. In fact, around 20% of modern Australians are considered to be descended from these convicts. Australia's total coastline (including the islands) is more than 59,000 kilometers long.
And a lot of them are beautiful white sand beaches that attract people from all over the world. While Bondi Beach may be the most famous, there are several others that will take your breath away. Australia is a country rich in culture, natural beauty and culinary delights. From the Great Barrier Reef to Vegemite, there are many things that make this country unique and worth visiting.
The Great Barrier Reef is the pride and joy of Australia, made up of nearly 2,500 individual reefs and visible from space. It extended to the middle of the country's east coast, which means that there are plenty of places from which to start exploring kaleidoscopic coral. The sandy beaches of Fraser Island are the highlight of any trip to Queensland. Hervey Bay is the starting point for exploring the island, so hop on a boat and discover the delights of this paradise island: the crystal clear blue waters of Lake MacKenzie surrounded by the white sand coast and the serenity of Champagne Pools, where you can swim in the shallow pools on the shores of the ocean.
There are 150 dingoes on the island, so it's a great opportunity to spot one of Australia's famous wild dogs, but keep your distance, as they are wild animals and can be aggressive if you approach them. The huge rock of Uluru is located in the red center of Australia, surrounded by scrubland and is sacred to several aboriginal tribes in the area. It is one of the few places in the world that has been twice listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, both in the cultural and in the natural list. Surprisingly, around 2.5 km of the rock are believed to be underground connected to the Olgas, where the rock re-emerges 16 miles away.
I was surprised to drive around Australia when I saw the number of UGG stores on the side of the road, confusing them with the brand owned by Deckers, which is a trademark registered outside of Australia and New Zealand and which is mainly manufactured in China. Yes, I know that these yellow diamond warning signs are also used in other countries, such as the United States and Thailand, but for me they have always been an icon of Australia. The large deserts of central Australia mean that the vast majority of the population lives on the coasts of this enormous country. Warne played for the Australian national cricket team for more than 15 years and earned more than 1000 points in his career.
Unlike the Outback, which is usually the central part of Australia and is VERY far from anywhere else, the term Bush is used to describe any wilderness area where you can't see any signs of human life and, in general, areas that are a little greener. Both wanted to call their cosmetics brands Kylie, but the Australian pop star eventually won naming rights in court, after her lawyers called Jenner a “secondary reality television personality”. Of course, no list of the things Australia is famous for would be complete without mentioning kangaroos and koalas. Here are a few that come to mind, but this isn't designed to be an exhaustive list, but rather a personal list of Australians that I have happy memories of in my life.
The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia's most famous routes, with stunning views and panoramic views along the route. With famous wine-producing regions such as Barossa in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia, Hunter Valley in New South Wales and the Yarra Valley in Victoria, and Tasmania's colder climate now can't keep up with demand, you'll find a huge selection of wonderful wines to sample as you travel around Australia. The Australian Open is one of four annual Grand Slam tennis tournaments and is the first of the year. While I haven't yet seen a real snake in the wild since I arrived here (the typical Melbourne boy), it's true that there's a lot of wildlife in Australia that has a big impact if you catch it at the wrong time.
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