As a backpacking hub to all the northern Queensland attractions, Cairns houses numerous hostels and backpacker focused restaurants, bars and clubs. What that means is the nightlife is fairly big in Cairns, and also fairly affordable.

Being both remote and a popular tourist attraction, a trip to Ayers Rock is best done when well-planned in advance. While the remoteness generally means there are fewer visitors than at something like Bondi Beach, the fact remains that there is a high season and a low season that one must take into account before visiting. Plus, transport and accommodation are limited, which has the ability to make or break a trip altogether.

A trip to Perth, or Western Australia for that matter, is bound to be a largely outdoors affair.

Visitors to Brisbane with an extra hour to spare should find themselves at Central Station. From here, the Albert Street Literary Walk can be accessed, taking people on a journey to 32 brass plaques with literary quotes set in the pavement.

When Sydney lovers speak of this city's beauty, they are often referring to the beauty that comes from being a city on a harbor, and with close proximity to beaches of worldwide fame.

Rugged and rustic outdoors, pristine and tropical beaches, and quaint and cozy wine countries – Australia has all the romance one could dream for. A trip down under provides countless options for destination weddings, surprise proposals and unforgettable honeymoons – let alone much simpler long romantic weekends away and special Valentine’s Day activities. The country charms travelers and entices lovers, and if the latter is what you’re after, then we’ve put together some great romantic destinations in Australia just for you!

Cairns, in Queensland’s tropical north, while a great place to relax acts better as a hub for all the wonderful natural attractions in the region. From here, it is easy to take day trips to explore the rainforest, the reef, a fertile food region and secluded beaches. There are gorges, rivers and plains, not to mention beach towns and rainforest villages. All can be reached on tours or independent exploration from the hub city of Cairns.

A 90-minute train ride separates visitors from Sydney city and the beautiful Blue Mountains. It’s just an hour and a half to fresh, clean air, speckled with breezes of eucalyptus, and plenty of panoramic views. The Blue Mountains makes the perfect destination for relaxing, shopping, eating or even adventuring for a day or long weekend.

Tasmania is famed for many things: beautiful natural surrounds, fresh air, and its fresh seafood and produce.

Flea markets are typically known as markets held in the outdoors and that usually involve the resale of old goods, secondhand items and antiques.

The Kimberley is a remote region located in the northern section of Western Australia.

Ayers Rock, or Uluru as it is now called by most, is one of the more remote attractions in Australia.

Most of the major cities in Australia are within close proximity to a wine country. Sydney has the Hunter Valley, Adelaide has the Barossa, and Perth has the Swan Valley.

The original builders of the Story Bridge in Brisbane probably never had the idea in 1940 that it would one day become a top adventure activity source.

To get a better grasp on the layout of the expansive Sydney city and its over 600 suburbs, a trip up to some of its heights would be in order.

Australia is blessed with some beautiful natural surrounds – the kind that make you get out into nature, and away from all the things that remind you of the normal daily grind.

Cairns benefits from being a quaint beach town that works as a hub for dozens of top Queensland attractions.

The country of Australia wasn’t exactly founded by convicts, but it may be more practical to say that it was built by them.

One of the beautiful features of Sydney, besides its laid-back attitude, huge selection of trendy restaurants and bars, and shopping, would have to be its close proximity to the water.

The act of driving a car is much like riding a bike: Once you learn, you never forget. Yet, that doesn’t mean that driving in new places isn’t an adventure.

Travelers in Brisbane with an overwhelming urge to cuddle a koala only need to venture to the nearby Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

To say that beer in Australia is kind of a big deal might be considered an understatement.

Locals in Sydney know Oxford Street for two main reasons: partying and shopping.

Ayers Rock is considered the spiritual center of Australia, and is, coincidentally, located at just about the center of the country as well.

You will hear Ayers Rock often referred to by its Aboriginal name, Uluru.

Seeing how Cairns lies in the tropical north of Queensland, the terms summer and winter don’t have the same impact as in other parts of the world. What those terms do indicate, however, is either a wet or dry season – one incredibly humid with the chance for storms, and the other warm without much moisture in the air. Still, there isn’t much you can do in the summer in Cairns that you can’t already do during the winter. You just might be able to have more fun comfortably with beach related activities in the summer.

With over a third of the state of Tasmania covered in National Parks and World Heritage areas, people from all over the globe travel to the island state to enjoy the outdoors and the unmatched clean air. One way to do both is by taking to the hundreds of miles of walking and hiking trails across the state.

The Royal National Park lags in age behind only one other national park in the entire world: Yellowstone. This old park, lying 20 miles (32 km) to the south of Sydney city, was established in 1879 and it today bears the honor of being on the Australian National Heritage List.

Founded, built and curated by a Tasmanian millionaire, David Walsh, the Museum of Old and New Art (the MONA) has made a huge impact on the art scene in Tasmania. Recently launched in 2011, the MONA, which was once the Moorilla Museum of Antiquities, had undergone a $75 million renovation.

The capital city of South Australia may be less traveled in the greater scheme of Australian tourism, but Adelaide still offers a great Australian experience to the lucky ones that decide to head south instead of north. As the fifth largest city in all of Australia, a large number of great restaurants and attractions line the streets and region of Adelaide. So, where to start?

Part of the beauty of a visit to Ayers Rock is the viewing of the glowing red monolith in the changing sunlight. Even as Oprah experienced on her trip to Australia, the majestic beauty of this spiritual landmark is intensified at nightfall.

Sydney‘s diverse food culture, ranging from trendy cafes to hatted restaurants, draws food lovers from around the world to partake in the local fare. Created from the combination of cultures that have migrated to Australia, Sydney’s local food culture presents visitors with options ranging from top Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Lebanese, Portuguese and of course, your modern Australian fare. Even American and Latin American food options have grown in Sydney in recent years.

At New Year’s, Cairns is hot—literally. The average high temperatures in December reach around 88 degrees Fahrenheit in the tropical north of Queensland.

Sydney’s New Year fireworks display might be one of the most talked about in the world, but Brisbane also offers its locals quite the show when the big ball drops. In fact, nearly 50,000 people take time out of their New Year’s Eve parties to bask in the colorful explosions occurring over the Brisbane River.

With the general definition of the Outback being any area outside of the urban areas of Australia, the Outback is composed of thousands of miles of land with no exact dimensions. Covered in red dirt roads, treeless plains and bush, the Outback makes for a place with not many actual activities to partake in, but with all the glory and wonder that creates the main draw of Australia.

New Year’s Eve in Sydney is the event of the year, and one that is known for going out with a bang by people all over the globe. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Sydney is one of the first places across the globe to cross into a new year? While people in New York are making final plans and choosing which parties to attend, the people of Sydney are partying it up in style.

Just like the rest of Australia, the founding of Hobart was done in 1804 as a penal colony – specifically for the clearing of Irish and British convicts. That makes it the second oldest capital city in the entire country, along with being an Australian destination rich in history.

New Year’s Eve brings the biggest parties of the year to cities across Australia. Everyone in the world would be familiar with the big fireworks show that occurs in Sydney, but travelers will be happy to know that huge celebrations occur in nearly all of the major cities across the country.

The holiday season is fast approaching, so the time of less work and more celebration is soon to take over Brisbane. Travelers wishing to while away their time in the coming weeks in the capital of Queensland should take note of the festivities and warnings that might be of use.

The centrally located attraction known as Ayers Rock might be in the middle of the Outback, in an extremely remote location, but the ability to celebrate one of the biggest holiday seasons of the year – Christmas and New Year’s – does not escape those in the tourism industry. Seeing as there is one week that encompasses both of these major holidays, it is one of the rare times of the year that most individuals have leave from work that allows them to travel. The accommodating nature of many of the resorts and hotels in Ayers Rock means that travelers can visit this remote and much less crowded region and not feel like they are giving up their holiday celebrations.

Christmas time in Sydney seems to be the far from the stories told in books, movies and carols. Occurring during the sweltering summer months in Australia, Sydney at Christmas does not see snow and the traditional activities, like drinking eggnog in fuzzy sweaters, do not occur.

Newcastle sits north and a little east of Sydney, and it makes its mark as the second most populous city in the state of New South Wales. Depending on traffic, if you jump in a car in Sydney, you can arrive in the city of Newcastle in just over 2 hours – nothing major by any means in the spread-out country of Australia.

If you come from a part of the world that generally sees snow on Christmas, then Christmas in Australia will be a surreal treat full of sunshine, beaches and barbecues. In fact, all that hot weather (and Santa in board shorts instead of a red suit) at Bondi Beach can make a person wonder if Christmas has happened at all.

Sydney attractions are both must-see sites and huge expenses, especially when tickets are purchased one by one. Luckily, some companies have bundled the entrance fees for several of the top attractions into one simple pass, ultimately allowing you to save a pretty penny along the way. Granted, buying an attraction pass and keeping the discount only applies when you use the card correctly, so passes do require a little bit of planning and forethought. Nothing like buying a 5 attraction pass and only making it to 3 on the list!

The Taste of Tasmania Festival, called The Taste Festival these days, features Tasmania’s best food and wine for 7 days across Australia‘s summer holiday season. Located on Hobart‘s waterfront, the festival presents to nearly 500,000 visitors each season with a showcase of food, wine, arts, crafts and entertainment.

The warm weather during Christmas in Australia intensifies in the northern cities like Cairns and Darwin. Christmas in Cairns, for example, gets weather reaching the upper 80s quite regularly, and sunshine flows in abundance given that there are over 300 days of it each year. As most Australians and people from across the globe are on holiday during Christmas time, those wishing to have a sun-filled experience flock to the Cairns region to soak up some rays.

The melting pot of Australia has resulted in the local food culture being a distinct mix of various ethnic food types. So, in essence, Australian food is a conglomerate of Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and European food. If you want to get technical and refer to officially Australian iconic food, then the following list of tasty treats are a good place to start.

Besides having one of the best beach cultures in the world and a climate that rivals that of San Diego, Sydney also ranks in terms of highest costs of living in the world, coming in at number 11 according to the 2012 survey led by Mercer.

In terms of attractions, Ayers Rock is a simple yet stunning place. The natural surroundings draw visitors to Ayers Rock with activities like viewing of the monolith itself, camping under a full night of stars, and hiking the rails that are nearby. Being in such a remote destination with the absence of technological distractions doesn’t happen often for most people, so when there, do be sure to enjoy nature at its finest and take to the trails.

Noosa, found on the Sunshine Coast just 85 miles (136 km) to the north of Brisbane, is known for its beautiful beaches, great surf and low key resorts. The Noosa region consists of Noosa Heads, Noosa Junction, Noosa Civic and Noosaville; but the Noosa Heads area contains the main resort section and beaches with notable waves. Just a hop and a skip away, visitors can explore the famous Fraser Island or escape to the lush hinterland.

Getting to know Brisbane city can be done from the woven, oversized basket of a hot air balloon hundreds of feet in the air. Imagine waking up with the city, watching the sun rise over the Brisbane River, checking out the distant views of the nearby Glasshouse Mountains or even all the way south to the Gold Coast.

A well-rounded visit to the tropical Cairns region is not complete without experiencing it at morning, day and night. Beach excursions and visits to local animal parks cover daytime Cairns, while camping and fine dining cover the night. For those that wish to tackle the morning, hot air ballooning tops the list of options in the Cairns region.

Australia‘s largest beer festival, the Tasmanian International Beerfest, takes place during two booze-filled (in moderation, of course) days on Hobart‘s Princes Wharf. Although beer lovers and enthusiasts are targeted for this event, the casual drinker or non-drinkers altogether will enjoy the liveliness in Tasmania, along with live musical acts and fresh Tasmanian produce and food stalls that are included as festival specialties.

Photo courtesy of JonnyScholes via Flickr.

Trips to Sydney come in all shapes and sizes; so while a hostel or hotel will suffice for many holidays and longer-term stays, the popularity of renting an apartment is growing. There are 3 main types of apartment categories for visitors to consider: short-term, medium-term and long-term. Finding and proceeding to rent each type has a different procedure, those of which we’ll lay out briefly below.

Photo courtesy of Richard Moross via Flickr.

The stereotypical Australian sunshine and hot, hot weather appear through December, January and February, but you will be happy to know that the average high temperature across these months runs just around 80ºF.

Australians may love their beer, but they also sure know how to make a great wine. Media and stereotypes about the Australian climate may give the impression to people overseas that not much can be grown in the land Down Under, or that it never gets cold in winter. I know the weather part is all relative, but the truth stands that winter can get pretty chilly, and there are regions of the country that have extremely fertile farmlands – some perfect for growing wine grapes. Australians produce around 750 million liters of wine each year, and Australia claims the title as the 4th largest exporter of wine in the entire world.

A common conception about Australians involves their love of beer, and this conception rings true in many ways. Australian beer love is regional with certain beers being preferred in different states. Even the way you order a beer across the country varies depending on the location: Do you want a pot, a pint, a schooner or a middy?

The Aboriginal culture and heritage surrounding Ayers Rock (Uluru), a World Heritage site, is both what helps to create a sense of purpose and importance with the landmark, as well as what adds a bit of sensitivity and controversy with the tourism aspect in general.

The Gold Coast Sevens, a rugby union sporting event, occurs annually as part of the Australian section of the IRB Sevens World Series.

Photo courtesy of The National Guard via Flickr.

Brisbane, traditionally considered by travelers as not much more than the capital of Queensland and a stopover on the way to the tropical north, has in recent years done its part in acquiring a more funky and modern city vibe. In other words, it’s a growing city (around 1,000 people move to Brisbane every week) with plenty of fun to keep the casual traveler entertained on weekend trips or long journeys up the east coast of Australia.

While foreigners, and locals, joke that Australia was founded by nothing more than a bunch of convicts, the truth of the matter remains that British officials chose the distant and remote land of Sydney to act as a penal colony in its earliest days. The first fleet of settlers to New South Wales came in 1788 with over 1,000 individuals – 778 of which were convicts, both male and female. Development was slow initially, but eventually roles were assigned to prisoners that focused on the proper building of the colony itself, such as brick makers and brick layers.

Photo courtesy of thievingjoker via Flickr.

Long-distance train travel may be a novelty and tourist attraction today in Australia, but those same train lines were a huge innovation in the history of transport across this massive country. Imagine the arduous journey that once connected the east and west coasts of Australia, through the vast open space and barren land of the Nullarbor Plain, without train. Being both a large chunk of land – much like going from the US state of Georgia to California with far less in between – and an area of harsh weather conditions, the route through central Australia provided numerous perils for travelers in standard vehicles.

Tasmania, the too often overlooked state of Australia given its secluded island position and lack of tropical climate, offers travelers something that just cannot be matched in the rest of the country: the multiple landscape options in one small region.

A real night out on the town in Sydney doesn’t exclude the biggest and the best: Oxford Street. During the day, this Sydney street near the Central Business District (CBD) is a relaxing and pleasant area lined with bars, shops and restaurants; but at night the nightclubs and small bars come alive in full force. Stretching for kilometers across Sydney from Hyde Park to Bondi Junction, Oxford Street has become a nightlife legend not only because of its sheer size and convenience, but also because of its LGBT friendly atmosphere.

Savvy travelers know to bypass busy summer in Sydney and head Down Under in the spring. And no, you Northern Hemisphere residents, that doesn’t mean March through May. Seasons happen in reverse in Australia, so spring in Sydney occurs primarily during the months of September through November.

In driving distance, it takes over a day to arrive at Ayers Rock (Uluru) from Sydney; clearly it’s no quick feat trying to travel out to this remote area in the center of the country and in the south of the Northern Territory. Once there, several attractions besides the rock lie (relatively) close by, so planning the itinerary is essential for the time-constrained traveler wishing to make the most of his or her journey.

One of the brilliant features of Sydney city is the integration of a number of parks and gardens within the city bounds. These sections of green act as mini getaways for those normally rushing around downtown in the daily grind. Here is a collection of some of the best parks and gardens worth visiting.

A sand bank turned island, Fraser Island makes its mark as a top adventure and nature travel destination in Australia. Its unique ecosystem – wildlife, plant life and general composition – has won it a listing as a World Heritage site, and its complete lack of infrastructure, bar a couple of small roads, packs the adventure punch. Combined with a beautiful climate given its location off the coast of Hervey Bay in Queensland, tourists travel far and wide to lounge on the white sand beaches of natural wonders like Lake McKenzie.

For three months during the Biennale, the city of Sydney presents artist exhibitions, artist talks, forums, performances and tours to the public – all free of charge.

Before heading to Australia, a person, particularly of the North American persuasion, might think they have it all figured out. A trip to an English speaking country is nothing like travel to Asia or Europe where language difficulties add to the daily drama. No, in Australia, getting around is all a matter of asking.

One might consider Australia to be the land of adventure activities – well, if New Zealand hadn’t already beat them to that title. Just about anywhere in this country, a visitor can throw themselves into an adrenaline pumping activity, whether that be shark cage diving in the ocean or jumping out of an airplane over the beach!

Forget the straight-laced, classroom personality of the typical natural history and culture museum. The land of fossils, dinosaurs, nature photos and Australian history is normally a daytime world for school trips and curious tourists; but it is taking a turn into the dark at the Australian Museum in Sydney.

A radiocarbon laboratory in New Zealand recently returned the results from a finding of rock art in an Australian outback cave just a year prior. Tests of the charcoal used to make the drawings in Nawarla Gabarnmang rock shelter in the Northern Territory prove that the art was created some 28,000 years ago.

Given the diverse cultural backgrounds of those living in the city of Sydney, and an overall love of being creative (or at least trying to be more creative than Melbourne), the film festival speaks to the public and presents itself across several popular events every year.

Even though Cairns is a smaller Australian city (number 14 on the list by population), the tropical climate and access to an outdoors culture year round make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Many people find the quaint beach vibe of the actual city appealing, but the main draw is the easy access to dozens of unique attractions in the region, most made possible by the nearby Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. Below we’ve listed some of the top things to do in Cairns.

Reminiscent of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the Brisbane Royal Exhibition, as it was formerly called, brings 10 days of fair rides, animal parades and showbags to the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds each August.

Australia, being home to lands of impeccable beauty, lends itself well to becoming a backdrop for lucky couples’ special days. Husbands and wives have the chance to choose from beaches, rainforests, mountains and outback for honeymoon retreats. Here we’ve listed some of the best honeymoon spots Down Under.

Travelers to Australia often make the mistake of bypassing Canberra since it is seen more as the nation’s capital and not as much as a travel destination for exploring. Wise travelers should at least consider a stop at Canberra on their Australian adventures as it not only provides the history of the country but also art, wine, food and shopping opportunities galore.

Like most major cities around the world, Brisbane‘s public transportation system includes trains, taxis, rentals cars and buses. Since it also lies on the Brisbane River, the city offers other unique modes of public transport like the CityCat Ferries and the river taxis.

What started as a ploy to clean up beverage cans that littered the streets during the Cyclone Tracy rebuild in 1974 has turned into a fun annual event in Darwin. The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is the only day of the year where you will happen upon floating watercraft concocted from empty beer and soda cans, bottles or milk cartons, each competing to be named the best.

The capital city of Western Australia, Perth, is considered one of the most isolated capital cities in the world given its location on the lesser populated side of Australia. Getting there is often an extra trek (and expense) for travellers to Australia, so a list of free things to do might just be of interest.

Upon entering the National Gallery of Australia, the first piece you will lay eyes on is the iconic Aboriginal Memorial. This piece features a display of 200 painted and hollow tree trunks, one for each year of European settlement from 1788 to 1988, used to represent the Aboriginals that had died protecting their land. It is easily the most significant item of the over 100,000 collected works in the gallery and was created by the artists of the indigenous community of Ramingining in the Northern Territory.

Tourists, history buffs and television crime drama enthusiasts alike stop at the Queensland Police Museum. Here you can learn about policing but also to try your hand at solving the mystery set at one of the most popular of the 25 displays: the simulated murder scene.

Australia possesses natural beauty that even ‘non-outdoorsy’ people can appreciate. As an island country, the coastline – either rugged and rocky or smooth and sandy – stretches for 22,292 miles (35,876 km). The overall size of Australia is just smaller than the 48 contiguous states of the USA with mountains, deserts and tropical rainforests scattered about. This mix of landscapes provides the avid hiker with plenty of trails, and we’ve listed 5 of the best!