Australia is the land of contrasts. From the tropical splendor of the Great Barrier Reef and North Queensland`s lush rainforests to the otherworldly beauty of the vast outback, there is something for everyone here. The English-speaking rambunctious Aussies are some of the warmest and funniest people on earth. Stop a while and have a tinny (a beer) or billie tea with an Aussie and you have made a friend for life. Australia offers some of the wackiest wildlife anywhere—where else will you find a `drop bear`, kanga or duck-billed platypus?

Crystal clear waters, beautiful beaches, spectacular natural wonders and great hospitality: This is the Land Down Under. Whether you`re a snorkeler, trekker, opera fanatic, thrill seeker, scuba diver or just like to take life at your own pace, you will find the perfect holiday. There`s an amazing and confusing array of choices. Talk to our experts to figure out the best itinerary for you to see the most of this great country at a mellow pace.

This island country/continent offers incredible dive opportunities. The Great Barrier Reef (approximately 1,240 miles in length) stretches along the Queensland coast. A variety of liveaboards ply the waters up and down the coast and there are four resort islands that sit on the outer barrier reef. Many other resorts rest in the inner reef, offering diving by day boat to the outer barrier reef, plus an enjoyable island vacation. With so many deserted cays (atolls), turtles are a common sight in the waters and beaches of Queensland. Tiger sharks, as well as various other types of sharks, are always there for the thrill seekers. There`s more to Australia than the Great Barrier Reef—also check out Western Australia`s Ningaloo Reef and Rowley Shoals. Dive with the world`s largest fish at Ningaloo Reef in March and April each year when whale sharks come to feed. Rowley Shoals remains very untouched by divers offering virginal diving with large schools of fish and vivid corals. Adrenalin seekers should check out the great white shark dive expeditions offered from Adelaide with Rodney Fox on the Falie.

Lying in the southern hemisphere, south of the South-East Asian continent, Australia covers 2,966,200 square miles, which is almost as large as the continental U.S., and with a total population of 19 million. Its nearest neighbors are Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to the north, Solomon Islands, Fiji and New Zealand to the east. The capital, Canberra, is the seat of Government but gets only few tourists. Sydney, which is the commercial, tourist, and population capital, is the most popular tourist city in Australia. The population is 94% European origin, 4% Asian origin and 2% Aborigines. English is the most common spoken language. Because of its European ancestry the religious groups in Australia are fairly evenly split between Anglican, Protestant and Roman Catholic. Australia`s main products are iron, steel, textiles, chemicals, wheat (leading export), coal, copper, iron, lead, tin, uranium, zinc, opals, wool (30% of the world`s output), cattle and sheep.

An island continent, Australia has many small islands that wrap around the mainland adding variety to its lure. The mainland has the Great Dividing Range running along the eastern coast, with Mt. Kosciusko standing at 7,310 feet, and the western plateau rising to 2,000 feet with arid areas in between of the Great Sandy and Great Victorian Deserts. The mighty Murray river rises in New South Wales and flows 1,600 miles to the Indian Ocean while in the center of Australia, the Fink river rarely sees rain yet has left its mark on the landscape.

The climate is generally pleasant without extremes in temperatures. There are two main climatic zones. In the north, above the Tropic of Capricorn, about forty percent of Australia is in the tropical zone. The remaining areas lie in the temperate zone. However, because of Australia`s vast size, there are variations within these zones. The temperate regions have all four seasons, while those in the tropical zone have two (summer "wet" and winter "dry"). Australia`s seasons are the opposite to those of the Northern Hemisphere with spring from September to November, summer from December to February, fall from March to May and winter from June to August. In New South Wales and Victoria the high peaks offer skiing in the winter months while in Queensland and the Northern Territory the weather over Christmas and the New Year are hot and very humid with monsoon rains a regular occurrence.