Australia

Australia is always a favourite of holiday makers the world over. It’s list of qualities goes on and on, a really diverse and interesting country with plenty of potential holiday destinations to be visited.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, Australia is the other side of the world to England, and is completely found within the Southern hemisphere, hence its nickname ‘down under’. Many people think that the capital city of Australia is Sydney, this is incorrect. It is actually Canberra, a fairly new city that was purpose built to act as the political capital. Both Sydney and Melbourne wanted to be chosen to be capital city, so Canberra was built roughly in between these two cities geographically as compromise. As such Canberra is only about 100 years old.

Despite this, Sydney is often seen as the capital because it is the most popular tourist destination in Australia by a long way. Other popular cities are Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin and towns along the Great Barrier Reef on the East Coast. The Outback, the arid area in Central Australia containing Ayers Rock (or Uluru), is also a fairly popular tourist destination.

Austraila has a fantastic climate (for most) with high temperatures and little rain during long spells of the year. Obviously in summer, around Christmas time, this can cause droughts and severe bush fires which are devastating to the environment. However, holiday makers love the beach culture that exists in Australia and see the Sun as a blessing. The beaches in Australia are often spectacular, it is often so hot that tourists need to cool off somehow and the sea provides an excellent solution to this problem.

Another reason why Australia is a popular holiday destination is because English is the local language so it is easy to speak to people there. Australians, or Aussies, are also generally seen as very friendly people and there is often a lot of banter between them and the English, who they often call ‘Pommes’.

There is certainly a lot to do in Australia, and combined with its climate and friendly atmosphere, if perceived by many to be one of the best holiday destinations in the world.