“I expected wilderness, but nothing had prepared me for this otherworldly experience,” traveler Steve Rothwell wrote of Australia. “There were no swaying palms here, rather a sunbaked version of the surface of Mars. Blood red sand, rich in iron, spilled everywhere, appearing almost incandescent, hot enough to cook on. The red pindan sand poured from the peninsula heights, dotted here and there with defiant stands of saltbush, to cascade into steep dunes which end abruptly at the talcum- like beach. The line between red and white was only a few centimeters, the transition compelling. Throw into the equation an impossibly blue sea lapping just meters away from this strange sand tussle and it’s easy to see why I was so entranced.” He was talking about the Peron Peninsula in Western Australia near Shark’s Bay, although the Australian habitat encompasses everything from scrub brush prairie, sand dune desert and tropical rainforests to rolling green fields, beach playgrounds and urban metropolises. Visit Australia for some of the most diverse scenery housed on one continent!

Australia is a wonderful romantic getaway if you both like the great outdoors! It is one of twelve “megadiverse” countries that accounts for 75% of the world’s biodiversity, says the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The existence of Australian animals on the island fascinates biologists, who attribute the tremendous biodiversity to being allowed to proliferate without human interference for so many years. Remember, Australia wasn’t even officially declared a country until 1901. It’s not every day that you can see 45 species of kangaroo hopping through the brush, an enormous emu running with its gangly ostrich-like legs, or hear a laughing kookaburra in the tree. Some animals can only be found down under. The Tasmanian devil, for instance, is only found in Australia. To Australian guides, it may be nothing to see a playful platypus, 100 varieties of poisonous snakes, 56 species of parrots, a koala or a wild dingo, but travelers are always somewhat bewildered by the sudden emergence of animals they had only previously seen on TV or at the zoo. The bush and the Australian outback are unique experiences, so try to arrange a 4 WD tour to catch the animals in Australia’s great outdoors!

Visit Australia to experience cultural wonders. Where else in the world can you get a vegemite sandwich or buy an authentic Australian aboriginal-made boomerang? Take a tour of the Fosters brewery, sit through an unforgettable performance at the Sydney Opera House, or watch a rugby game. Australian society favors egalitarianism and fraternalism (also called “mateship”). Cinema and music are also prominent pillars of Australian culture. To partake in the rich Australian experience, you should come during a festival, such as the Charleville Camel, the Donkey and Yabbie Race Festival, Santa Claus Pub Crawl, Woodford Festival, the Darwin Beer Can Regatta, the (March) Adelaide Festival, the Maslin Nude Beach Olympics, the Big Day Out Music Festival and more! Australia Day and New Years are always wild events down under too! Visit “the land down under” to experience events you can’t find anywhere else in the world.

Whether you decide to visit Australia for the wine, the festivals or the natural sights, you won’t be disappointed. The best way to arrange travel is probably through an agent, who can pack a full itinerary for you. If you try to plan it yourself, then you’re likely to feel overwhelmed. Australia isn’t the cheapest place to visit, but it’s definitely a life-changing experience. Often visitors come for a spell and decide to become expatriates in this quixotic country.