Australia: Plan your trip

57 Pages·2013·8.98 MB·English

by  Lonely Planet Publications

P
D
F
Plan your trip
(PDF Chapter)
Edition 17th Edition, Nov 2013
Pages 55
Page Range 6–60 COVERAGE INCLUDES:
Useful Links • Welcome to • Australia Outdoors
Australia • Bushwalking
Want more guides?
Head to our shop • Australia’s Top 25 • Cycling
• Need to Know • Wildlife Watching
Trouble with your PDF?
Trouble shoot here • What’s New • Skiing &
• If You Like Snowboarding
Need more help?
• Month by Month • Where to Surf in
Head to our FAQs
• Itineraries Australia
Stay in touch • Your Reef Trip • Diving & Snorkelling
Contact us here • Your Outback Trip • Regions at a Glance
© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this PDF chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair
to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it
to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above – ‘Do the right thing with our content’.
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
6
Welcome to
Australia
Australia – the sixth-largest country
on this lonely planet – is dazzlingly
diverse: a sing-along medley of
mountains, deserts, reefs, forests, beaches
and multicultural melting-pot cities.
Hip Cities Food & Drink
Most Australians live along the coast, and Australia plates up a multicultural fusion of
most of these folks live in cities. In fact, European techniques and fresh Pacific-rim
Australia is the 18th-most urbanised coun- ingredients – aka ‘Mod Oz’ (Modern Aus-
try in the world: it follows that cities here tralian). Seafood plays a starring role − from
are a lot of fun! Sydney is a glamorous col- succulent Moreton Bay Bugs to delicate
lusion of beaches, boutiques and bars. Mel- King George Whiting, there’s variety in the
bourne is all arts, alleyways and Australian ocean’s bounty. And of course, beer in hand,
Rules football. Brisbane is a subtropical you’ll still find beef, lamb and chicken at
town on the way up; Adelaide has festive Aussie barbecues. Don’t drink beer? Aus-
grace and pubby poise. Boomtown Perth tralian wines are world-renowned: Barossa
breathes west-coast optimism; Canberra Valley shiraz, Hunter Valley semillon and
transcends political agendas. And the tropi- Tasmanian sauvignon blanc. Need a caffeine
cal northern frontier town of Darwin and hit? You’ll find cafes everywhere, coffee
chilly southern sandstone city of Hobart machines in pubs and petrol stations, and
couldn’t be more different. baristas in downtown coffee carts.
Arts & Culture It’s a Wide Open Road
No matter which city you’re wheeling into, There’s a heckuva lot of tarmac across this
you’ll never go wanting for an offbeat wide brown land. From Margaret River to
theatre production, a rockin’ live band, Cooktown, Jabiru to Dover, the best way to
lofty art-gallery opening, movie launch or appreciate Australia is to hit the road. Car
music festival mosh-pit. This was once a hire is relatively affordable, road conditions
country where ‘cultural cringe’ held sway – are generally good, and outside of the big
the notion that anything locally produced cities there’s not much traffic. If you’re driv-
simply wasn’t up to scratch. But these days ing a campervan, you’ll find well-appointed
the tables have turned (and, if anything, caravan parks in most sizable towns. If
Australian pride is a tad over-inflated). you’re feeling more adventurous, hire a
Aboriginal arts – particularly painting and 4WD and go off-road: Australia’s national
dance – seem immune to such fluctuations parks and secluded corners are custom-
and remain timelessly captivating. made for camping trips down the dirt road.
7
RICHARD I’ANSON / GETTY IM
AGES ©
Why We Love Australia
By Charles Rawlings-Way and Meg Worby, Authors
We’ve both been living on this great southern land for 30-something years, and there are still
places here that we haven’t explored. This isn’t to say that we’ve been sitting at home eating
popcorn and watching David Attenborough – we’re travel writers! It’s just that Australia is so
damn big. Even if we spent the next 30-something years on an endless round-Australia road
trip, there’d still be surprises out there. And that, for a couple of restless road-addicts, is a
very comforting reality.
For more about our authors, see p1112.
Above: Kakadu National Park, p841
Australia
INDONESIA EAST
SAVU
SEA TIMOR Cobourg
Melville Peninsula
Island
10°S ToDwanr wanind &co Kunatkrya dtruo pNicPal TISMEOAR BaItshluarnsdt Da^#rwin #÷Ja#\biru
wilds (p813 and p841) Kakadu
Cape National
Londonderry Joseph Park
15°S IONCDEIAANN LeCvaepqeue KiWmTybhnederhleaBymon#\GaupK#\laufnrutenurVraictoriareRvi W#\aDKteMaarl#\taysht#\earrianneka
Broome & Northwest WA Broome#]Derby#\ CrFoistFzsriinot#\zgyr o y RiverC#\Hraelelsk
Miraculous desert and Tennant#\
Creek
sea colours (p1004)
NORTHERN
PortHedland#\
TERRITORY
20°S NorthDampier#\#\Karratha The UlurSuom-Kea stear iTojuustlay NP
West Pilbara big red rocks (p891)
Cape
Exmouth#\ MacDonnellR#]anges
#\Newman Gibson Alice
Desert Springs
WESTERN Yulara
LittleSandy #\
Desert AUSTRALIA #÷
Carnarvon#\ KaUtlauTruju-ta 4
25°S SBhaaryk VGicrteoartia NationalParkMarla#\
Desert
SOUTH 44
South Australian AUSTRALIA
\#Mt Magnet Wine Regions #\
Coober
INDIAN Top drops down south (p774) Pedy
Geraldton#]
OCEAN Kalgoorlie NullarborPlain
#]
-Boulder Eucla#\ Ceduna
30°S #\
Perth^# Norseman#\
Fremantle#] GreatAustralian
Bight
BuBsusnebltounry#\#] \#Wagin #\Esperance Melbourne
MargaretRiver#\ Arts, sports and
LeCeaupwein A#]lbany kick-arse coffee (p478)
Great Ocean Road
35°S World-class road trip
ELEVATION Perth & Fremantle (great surf!) (p535)
Wild-west beaches, bars and
2000m restaurants (p907 and p925)
1500m Cradle Mountain
1000m SOUTHERN Photogenic peak in
750m Tasmania’s wilds (p701)
500m OCEAN
250m MONA
0 Hobart's cool, confronting
40°S and classy gallery (p631)
110°E 115°E 120°E 125°E 130°E 135°E
e# 0 500km
0 250miles
ARAFURA TSotrrareits MorePsobryt#_
SEA
Thursday Cape PAPUA SOLOMON
Island York
NEW GUINEA ISLANDS
#\Nhulunbuy
Arnhem Weipa#\
Land
Groote CapeYork CORAL
Eylandt Peninsula Cape SEA
Melville
CarGpuelnftoafria Great
#\#\CPooorkt tDoowunglBaasrrierR BDturtaotpienircftlarilee sjeu, Rnbgeaaliecn h(fpoe4sr 5ea2sn)td
#\Normanton #]#\CInanirinsfsail eef
Great Barrier Reef
Charters#\In#]gThoamwnsvGirleleatBarrier Snorkelc oovraerl (kpa4le19id)oscopic
MtIsa#\ #\CloncurrFylindersTRoiwveerrs#\ #\B#\oABweirealniceh WRheietfsunday
#]MackayIslands
#\Winton
Longreach#\ #\Barcaldine Great
4SDimespes4rotn #\Birdsville QUEENSChLaAr#\leNvGilDrleeatDividingR BuHned#]ravRbe#]oeycGrBgklaah#]yda#\smtFIopsrntlaaoesnnedrT#÷ropBMicaarorrfiineCeraPRpareireckforn
Lake a
44EyreNo44rth Party-pGroolnde C thoeamste park egn #\#\MNoaorosoachydore
AuPgo#]urLstatSkaoeuEFltinhyderrsRawengesonBdrHo#\ekilrlelnaDnadrl i(png31RN6i)vEerW#\BSotuB#\rGkNaeeyornrwggoaenn#\RiveTroowTA#\worTmeoae#\mmiddwabH#]loaee#]rat#\P#\hdGo^#sCrr#\#\oB#\#\taSfBfCrMftusiyoosraroHnfobcleaanaqrrnsBnubgPoaaeaauytrtirraeadise PSOAOCCUEITFAIHNC
Whyalla#\ SOUTH #\Dubbo
P#\eKPLnEaiIoniysnnrclrtgasoeaunlnrldaooA^#MBdreu#\irdlragaieydHeorVsShIwaC#]ma#]nTSMHhOiilleld#\RpuWHpIrWaaaAayrgtGA#\Mog#]ranLiuffWErit#\rahSaWg#]#]ygoAaR#]dlbGioCvunooerguwryal#\r#_bauCrB#]#\nAa#\tBNh#\auKB#]traes^#WEtmtoRoSoa#]RlmynlNosAdbnenBagwaeoycynagstle mHusiipcBp fyieerssLot, ion(svIrNus adBlSrlaHsfaWn oy(adpw)n1de8 4)
MtGambier#\ Ballarat#] ^#Melbourne TASMAN
Warrnambool#] Gee#]long SEA
Cape Bondi Beach
Otway Wilsons The definitive Australian
Promontory
King Bass beach (p92)
Island Strait Flinders
Island
Devonport Sydney Opera House
Launcesto#]n#] Architectural opera in the
Queenstown#\ TASMANIA Harbour City (p74)
140°E ^# 150°E 155°E 160°E
Hobart
1100
Australia’s
Top 25
Sydney Opera House Great Barrier Reef
Magnificent Sydney Opera House (p74) on UNESCO World Heritage–listed? Check.
1 2
Sydney Harbour is a headline act in itself. An Oprah Winfrey–endorsed? Check. The
exercise in architectural lyricism like no other, Great Barrier Reef (p419) is jaw-droppingly
Jørn Utzon’s building on Circular Quay’s Ben- beautiful. Stretching more than 2000km along
nelong Point more than holds its own amidst the Queensland coastline, it’s a complex eco-
the visual feast of the harbour’s attention- system populated with dazzling coral, languid
grabbing bridge, shimmering blue waters and sea turtles, gliding rays, timid reef sharks and
jaunty green ferries. Best of all, everyone can tropical fish of every colour and size. Whether
experience the magic on offer here – a stun- you dive on it, snorkel over it or explore it via
ningly sited waterside bar, acclaimed French scenic flight or glass-bottomed boat, this vivid
restaurant, guided tours and star-studded per- undersea kingdom and its coral-fringed islands
formance schedule make sure of that. are unforgettable.
1
GARY KOUTSOUBIS / GETTY IM
AGES ©
ARCHITECT: JØRN UTZON
1111
2
JEFF HUNTER / GETTY IM
AGES ©
12
MONA Uluru-Kata Tjuta
Occupying a riverside location a ferry National Park
3
ride from Hobart’s harbourfront, No matter how many times you’ve
4
Moorilla Estate’s Museum of Old & New Art seen it on postcards, nothing prepares
(MONA; p631) is a world-class institution. you for the grandeur of the Rock as it first
PL Described by its owner, Hobart philanthro- appears on the outback horizon. With its
A pist David Walsh, as a ‘subversive adult remote desert location, deep cultural sig-
N
Y Disneyland’, three levels of underground nificance and spectacular natural beauty,
O galleries showcase more than 400 often Uluru is a special pilgrimage. But Uluru-Ka-
UR controversial works of art. Visitors may not ta Tjuta National Park (p891) offers much
T like everything they see, but it’s guaran- more. Along with the equally captivating
RIP teed that intense debate and conversation Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), there are mystical
A will be on the agenda after viewing one of walks, sublime sunsets and ancient desert
US Australia’s unique arts experiences. cultures to encounter. Below: Uluru
T
R
A
L
IA 3
’S TOP 25 LEIGH CARMICHAEL / M
ONA ©
4
ALAN COPSON / GETTY IM
AGES ©
13
5 6
DAVID HANNAH / GETTY IMAGES © ALASTAIR POLLOCK PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES © PLAN YOUR TR
IP
A
U
S
T
7 RA
L
STEVEN WARES / GETTY IMAGES © IA’S TOP 25
Melbourne Daintree Great Ocean Road
Why the queue? Oh, Rainforest The Twelve Apostles −
5 7
that’s just the line to Lush green rainforest rock formations jutting
6
get into the latest hot ‘no replete with fan palms, out of wild waters − are
bookings’ restaurant in prehistoric-looking ferns one of Victoria’s most vivid
Melbourne (p478). The and twisted mangroves sights, but it’s the ‘get-
next best restaurant/chef/ tumble down towards a ting there’ road trip that
cafe/food truck may be brilliant white-sand coast- doubles their impact. Take
the talk of the town, but line in the ancient, World it slow while driving along
there are things locals Heritage–listed Daintree roads that curl beside
would never change: the Rainforest (p452). Envel- spectacular Bass Strait
leafy parks and gardens in oped in a cacophony of beaches, then whip slightly
the inner city ‘burbs; the birdsong, frog croaking inland through rainforests
clunky trams that whisk and the buzz of insects, alive with small towns and
the creative northerners you can explore the area big trees. The secrets of
to sea-breezy St Kilda; and via wildlife-spotting night the Great Ocean Road
the allegiances that living tours, mountain treks, (p535) don’t stop here;
in such a sports-mad city canopy walks, 4WD trips, further along is maritime
brings. The city’s world- horse riding, kayaking, treasure Port Fairy and
renowned street-art scene croc-spotting cruises, hidden Cape Bridgewater.
expresses Melbourne’s tropical-fruit orchard For the ultimate in slow
fears, frustrations and tours…Whew! If you’re travel, walk the Great
joys. Above: Centre Place lucky, you might even spot Ocean Walk from Apollo
an elusive cassowary. Bay to the Apostles.
14
8 9
PLAN YOUR ROBERT FRANCIS / ROBERT HARDING / GETTY IM PATRICK OBEREM / GETTY IMAGES ©
TRIP AGES ©
A
U
S
T
RA 10
L
IA’S ANDREW
TOP 25 WATSON / GETTY IM
AGES ©
Byron Bay Gold Coast Gourmet Food &
Up there with kanga- Brash, trashy, hedon- Wine
8 9
roos and Akubra hats, istic, over-hyped… Right across Aus-
10
big-hearted Byron Bay Queensland’s Gold Coast tralia you’ll find
(just Byron to its mates; (p316) is all of these gourmet offerings for all
p184) is one of the endur- things, but if you’re look- budgets: cool-climate
ing icons of Australian ing for a party, bring it wines and cheeses in Tas-
culture. Families on school on! Beyond the fray is the mania, coffee and fabulous
holidays, surfers and sun- beach – an improbably Greek and Italian in Mel-
seekers from across the gorgeous coastline of bourne, oysters and sea-
globe gather by the fore- clean sand, warm water food in Sydney, punchy red
shore at sunset, drawn to and peeling surf breaks. wines and riesling in South
this spot on the world map The bronzed gods of the Australia, marron in West-
by fabulous restaurants, a surf, Australia’s surf life- ern Australia, and native
chilled pace of life, endless savers, patrol the sand meats and bush tucker in
beaches and an astonish- and pit their skills against the Northern Territory. The
ing range of activities one another in surf car- nation’s many wine regions
on offer. More than that, nivals – gruelling events have spawned a culture of
they’re here because this involving ocean swimming, fine cuisine using regional
is one of the most beautiful beach sprints and surf ingredients – if you’re tour-
stretches of coast in the boat racing. Also here ing the cellar doors, you’ll
country. are Australia’s biggest never be far from a starchy
theme parks – a roller- white tablecloth and a
coaster nirvana! Top right: romantic lunch.
Surfers Paradise