Australia

Melbourne

Melbourne is Australia’s cultural capital, with Victorian-era architecture, extensive shopping, museums, galleries, theatres, and large parks and gardens. Its 4-million residents are both multicultural and sports-mad.Ornate Victorian-era architecture and leafy, established boulevards reflect the city’s history while new developments exemplify its enigmatic contemporary style. But, Melburnians still keep their urban frenzy to a deliciously laid-back pace. As part of their sedate lifestyle, the people of Melbourne enjoy some of the best coffee and cuisine you’ll find in Australia (sorry, Sydney!).

St Kilda

Originally a seaside resort in Melbourne’s early years due to its close proximity to the city centre, St Kilda has developed into a trendy and cosmopolitan suburb with excellent dining, entertainment and nightlife. Acland Street is a bustling shopping precinct famous for its cafes, continental cake shops, fashion and second-hand shops. St Kilda is the perfect place for a good time: with its beach, luna park, shopping, eateries and nightlife, it offers something for everyone.

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is more than a road – it represents a coastal region of south-west Victoria, Australia, running from Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong to Portland near the border with South Australia. The Great Ocean Road was built as a work project for veterans returning from World War I and was completed in 1932. The core of the Great Ocean Road, highway B100 from Torquay to Allansford near Warrnambool, runs for 243 kilometres.

One of the most scenic parts of the road is the stretch between Port Campbell and Peterborough. This is the section contained by Port Campbell National Park and has the major rock formations such as the famous ‘Twelve Apostles’.

Peachester, Queensland

Fraser Island

With its 162,000-hectare, Fraser Island is the biggest sand island in the world. The World Heritage-listed island off the central Queensland coast attracts a mix of ecotourists and Aussie fishermen. Fraser is a pristine vista of eucalyptus woodlands, dunes, clear creeks, ancient rainforest, blue lakes, ocher-colored sand cliffs, and a stunning 121km-long beach. For four-wheel-drive fans, Fraser’s beauty lies in its absence of paved roads. On weekends when the fish are running, it’s nothing to see 100 four-wheel-drives lining 75-Mile Beach, which is an authorized road.

Port MacQuarie

Sydney

Sydney is known as the Harbour City. It is the largest, oldest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia with an enviable reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful and liveable cities. Brimming with history, nature, culture, art, fashion, cuisine, design, it is set next to miles of ocean coastline and sandy surf beaches.

Next to being home to the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on the planet, the relaxed capital of New South Wales is surprisingly close to nature. Within minutes you can be riding the waves on Bondi Beach, bushwalking in Manly or gazing out across Botany Bay, where the first Europeans arrived in the 18th century. You can understand why they never wanted to leave.