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Australia

Mainland Australia is the largest island and the smallest continent on Earth stretching 3700 km from its most northern to its most southern point, and about 4000 km from east to west. Situated south east of Asia it is not bordered by any other countries and surrounded by Ocean. There are six states and two territories across this huge country with the capital of Canberra lying to the west.

Australia\'s landscape is incredibly diverse, it is the flattest of all the continents with its highest point, Mount Kosciuszko, only 2228 m. A large part of this flat country is dominated by vast, barren deserts referred to by the locals as the Outback. A chain of mountains called the Great Dividing Range runs north and south along the east coast of the continent. These mountains block rainfall and moisture from the Pacific separating the inland dry scrublands and deserts from the fertile east coast area.

Due to being totally surrounded by water, Australia has plenty of coastline to explore. Most of the coastline is white sandy beaches or cliffs and offers opportunity to swim, sail, dive and surf. The east coast beaches are the most built up, but due to the sparse population of Australia in relation to its size, you should always be able to find a peaceful spot. The Great Barrier Reef dominates Queensland\'s east coast; it is the largest reef and coral formation on earth, extending just over 2001 km. It is on the east coast that you will also find the largest sand island, Fraser Island where 4wd and camping is a must and the many Whitsunday Islands offering spectacular sailing opportunities.

The top end of Australia hosts the lush rainforests of northern Queensland across to the tropical city of Darwin in the Northern Territory and on the the dramatic rock formations of the Kimberly region in north Western Australia. The beaches of the north of Australia are not accessible due to the presence of jelly fish and crocodiles. There is no shortage of beautiful beaches however in Western Australia as the whole west coast of the state is dominated by isolated sandy coastline.

The major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Brisbane are all worth visiting for their unique sights and cultural atmosphere but if you want to explore the great outdoors and the real Australian outback head out to the many spectacular National Parks including the Northern Territorie’s Kakadu with its varied wildlife and historic aboriginal rock art, the overwhelming site of Uluru (Ayers Rock) or the world heritage areas in Tasmania.

Nature

Australia’s geographic isolation from the rest of the world means it has many distinctive plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. Eucalyptus forests dominate much of coastal Australia and can be found in every other region of the country; there are some 700 species. Other common plants are wattle, banksia, waratahs, bottlebrushes, paperbarks and tea trees.

The northern and north eastern coasts are home to tropical rainforests with the oldest in Daintree and Cape Tribulation National Parks. Temperate rainforest can be found in New South Wales, Victoria, and the island state of Tasmania. Austalian’s south west coast cboasts the The Karri forests which contain some of the worlds highest trees, some reaching heights of 90 m (300 ft).

Wildlife

Mammals unique to Australia include the kangaroo, koala, platypus, echidna, possum, wombat and dingo. There are a number of interesting birds, such as emus, parrots, cockatoos and kookaburras. Lizards are very common, there are over 500 different species including Goannas, Geckos and Dragons.

Australia is home to some of the worlds most venomous snakes and spiders including the redback and funnel-web spiders and the brown and tiger snake, the death adder, copperhead and red-bellied black. Other wildlife to be wary of include the saltwater crocodile, found in the waters of the tropical north end and the box jelly fish found in the north and northeast coast shores.

Weather

Australia’s position below the equator in the southern hemisphere means that the seasons are opposite to those of Europe and North America. The two climatic zones are the tropical and temperate, the tropic being the northern areas above the Tropic of Capricorn. The tropical zone has only two seasons, hot and wet and hot and dry while the temperate areas have four, January and February being the warmest months, and June and July the coldest. The temperature gets cooler the further south you go with snow falling on the Australian Alps and Tasmanian mountains in winter. In the dry central areas of Australia, temperature extremes are experienced, dropping to freezing in the desert in winter and reaching scorching heats in summer.

There is not really any ‘best’ time to visit Australia as this vast country offers something, somewhere at any time of year. Summer can be very hot but it ideal weather for the beach. Spring and autumn may offer a more comfortable temperature to travel in the south and skiing is on offer in New South Wales and Victoria in the winter. The north of Australia is hot all year round and the humidity can take some getting used to. During the wet season there can be flooding which can make road travel difficult.

Camping in Australia is a very popular pastime, both for locals and visitors. There is a great network of established campsites set up around the country providing all the facilities you may need. If you prefer to get into the real outdoors and can manage more basic camping, the many national parks and state forests offer great camping opportunities. If offsite or bush camping, ensure you are never on private land without permission and respect no camping signs, especially on the beaches.