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To Do in Adelaide

Find a stunning summer, spectacular beaches and award-winning wine, events and festivals in South Australia’s capital Adelaide. It is the gateway to the Barossa, Flinders Rangers and Outback and Kangaroo Island.

Host to major events, such as the Santos Tour Down Under, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe and WOMADelaide, Adelaide loves a great party.

The best of all, if you are a wine-lover, Adelaide has more than 200 cellar doors on its doorstep. You won’t have to travel far to enjoy them. Similarly you can enjoy various foods from all around the world distributed in more than 700 restaurants, pubs and cafes and eat streets.
When you visit, you will understand why experienced travelers come back time and time again.



1. Victoria Square

Located smack-bang in the centre of Adelaide, Victoria Square serves as Adelaide's heart and its the site of many special events held in the city throughout the year. The square's centrepieces - the iconic Victoria Square Fountain and statue of Queen Victoria herself - are instantly identifiable with Adelaide, and the square has seen many significant occurrences take place over the course of the city's multiple-century history.

Recognizing the importance of the area to the city, local government recently approved a huge sum of money to go towards redevelopment of Victoria Square, bringing it up to date with more modern facilities and to help reflect Adelaide's growing status as an internationally recognized destination. Redevelopment of the square is expected to be completed by 2014, and will include various new features such as a relocated tram line and extended tram stop, impressive water feature, various garden terraces and perimeter gardens, and have its iconic Three Rivers Fountain (which symbolizes the three water sources from which Adelaide draws its supplies) relocated to a different location.

In the meantime, Victoria Square still serves as a great central hub from which to establish your bearings before exploring the rest of the city, particularly for first-timers - and its central location acts as a convenient rendezvous point when looking for a place to meet up with friends or family. The centre of Adelaide city is full of historical significance and a focal point to many of the sights in Adelaide that should not be missed, with Victoria Square at its epicentre. Add to this the fact that it's easily accessible - both to and from - by public transport, and it's not hard to see why it should be your first port of call upon first arriving in Adelaide.


2. See the city on two wheels

Give your feet a rest and see the city's attractions on two wheels. There are more than 500 bikes available for hire in the Adelaide City Bikes fleet and you can hire one for free from 14 city locations.
To hire a bike, all you need to do is show some identification (driver’s licence, passport or student card) and fill out a form. Then a bike, a helmet and lock are yours for the day.
Bike hire spots include the Adelaide City Council office on Pirie Street, Peter Pan's Adventure Travel on Waymouth Street, the Adelaide Zoo on Frome Road or the Adelaide Convention Centre on North Terrace. For a full list of bike hire locations and more information, visit BikeSA.


3. Hahndorf

Hahndorf serves as an enjoyable microcosm of the strong European influence that can be found in the majority of regions throughout South Australia, and serves as the oldest German settlement in the country. The town features a cavalcade of Euro-centric specialty and craft shops, German-style pubs, and various bakeries that accurately reflect some of the key staples of German culture. Hahndorf's pleasant location amongst the Adelaide Hills means that it's not just the architecture and shopping that makes it special, either; the city features a relaxed blend of natural greenery that make for a delightful place to simply walk around and unwind.
The town's German culture is readily apparent upon arrival, as a vast number of its main architectural features that were established when the town was first constructed still stand - particularly its iconic Lutheran churches - so if you're looking to get a taste of Europe without leaving Aussie shores, there are few better places to do so. Like many of the other popular spots in South Australia, wine is a core focus of Hahndorf, and the town and its surrounds feature a variety of quality boutique wineries (such as Hahndorf Hill, The Cedars and Somerled) that are great for indulging the palate.
Hahndorf can be reached in around half an hour's drive to the south-east of the Adelaide CBD and is also accessible by bus (take Bus #864), making it a very viable destination for a day (or at least half-day) trip. While it's not big on size (it's basically a single glorified street), Hahndorf is certainly big on character, and if you're looking for things to do during your stay in Adelaide, it should definitely be on your list.



4. Experience Haigh's Chocolates

With the exception of Tasmania's Cadbury factory, there are few confectionary outlets in Australia that are as famous and widely-regarded as Haigh's Chocolates in the heart of Adelaide city, just south of the CBD. A chocolate lover's dream-come-true, Haigh's Chocolates are arguably some of the best chocolates in Australia, and its main building adds a dose of historic flair to the proceedings with its interesting architectural flair and location at Rundle Mall.
The store/ factory hybrid boasts an impressive range of rich & creamy chocolates and other products that will delight those with a sweet tooth. From typical staples such as truffles and chocolate bars to more exotic offerings, the amount of product means that there should be an item of taste for almost everyone.
You can tour the chocolate factory free of charge as a guide takes you around and explains what's what for half an hour. After the tour you will definitely want to buy some chocolate, and it's a delicious way to come away with a keepsake from your time visiting this wonderful stop. The one true downside is that Haigh's chocolates can be expensive - expect to pay far more than you would at the average confectionery store - but the quality is universally high and there is also a rack where you can buy the misshapen ones for a bargain.


5. Along the esplanade

Popular Brighton Beach is right next door. It has an art deco feel, jetty, cafés and restaurants. To the south, walk along the cliffs and trails, while enjoying the spectacular views of the city.
Travel north from Glenelg to get to West Beach. Surrounded by parklands and a golf course, this sailing beach has an excellent caravan park. It’s a perfect beach for kayaking.
Restaurants and bars grace the Henley Beach foreshore and grassy square. This is another family friendly beach, with gentle waves, a jetty and esplanade. It’s a great atmosphere while you eat your fish and chips. Don't worry if you've forgotten to bring a chair and umbrella - you can hire them on the beach with Decked Out Australia.

Walk 20 minutes north from Henley jetty and you’ll be at Grange. This beach has coastal dunes and a historic jetty.

 

 

To Do in Perth

Locates next to the Indian Ocean oozes, Perth is ready to surprise you with more than just amazing sunsets over the ocean. Explore Perth sunny beaches, spectacular green parks and glittering skyscrapers, funky neighbourhoods and beautiful colonial architecture. Be captivated by a wonderful city that has passion for the past and energy for the future. “Get to know me - PERTH.”


1. Picnic in Kings Park and Botanical Garden

With 400 hectares of beautiful landscaped gardens and natural bushland, Kings Park is one of the largest inner-city parks in the world – bigger than New York’s Central Park. You’ll be spoilt for choice when you come to pick a picnic spot, many offering sweeping panoramas of Perth's city skyline and Swan River, surrounded by some of the 1,700 unique native species and spring wildflowers showcased in the park.


2. Explore the city for free

You can get around the city using the free CAT (Central Area Transit) bus. Three separate lines navigate the city’s key attractions from Northbridge to East Perth and West Perth. Additionally, a free transit zone operates in the city area where passengers can travel on any bus. Look for the red FTZ logo on bus stops to identify the free travel boundaries.


3. Check out what’s popping up in Perth

There’s something new and captivating around every corner in the centre of Perth. The labyrinth of laneways is filled with urban art, street food and pop-up stalls. Forrest Place provides the stage for many free festivals and performances, and Northbridge Piazza hosts a year-round calendar of free live music, films, exhibitions and events.


4. Browse the famous Fremantle Markets

Experience an icon that’s been bustling for over 100 years. From Friday to Sunday the markets are filled with the fresh and exotic aromas of organic produce, the creativity of local artists and the buzz of free live music and family entertainment. Head over to the historic hall and yard for some free fun at the Fremantle Markets.


5. Taste the Swan Valley

You can sample some of the flavours of WA’s oldest wine-growing region for free on a self-drive tour of the Swan Valley’s cellar doors and producers of gourmet goodies. Tastings of award-winning wines, cheeses, chocolates and more can be found just a 20-minute drive east of Perth.


6. Take a day trip to York

Discover the pretty rolling pastures that lured early colonists from Perth to establish WA’s first inland settlement – York. With an impressive main street of fully-restored Victorian and Federation buildings, it’s one of the few places in Western Australia to hold ‘Historic Town’ status. Discover history, arts, crafts and a vibrant annual events calendar in York.


7. Watch an Indian Ocean sunsets

is not to be missed, and with 131 clear days every year, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the show. Pack a picnic and head for one of Perth’s 19 white-sand beaches to watch the sun go down, reflecting a brilliant array of colours from sea to sky. Top spots include Cottesloe Beach, City Beach and Scarborough Beach.

 


8. The Pinnacles

A must-see Australia’s most unique and fascinating natural landscapes formed over millions of years ago, Pinnacles. Once you get there, thousands of tall limestone spires rise lunar-like eerily out of the yellow desert sands of Nambung National Park will greets you.


So visit Perth and experience it for yourself.


 
Hugging the tip of the Australian east coast, Victoria is Australia’s second-smallest state. Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, situated on the Yarra River and around the shores of Port Philip Bay. Despite of the state size, Melbourne serves a wealth of diverse attractions, from sweeping coastline and pristine beaches to national parks and forest teeming with wildlife to wineries, lakes and mountains offering skiing, climbing, and hiking.
Melbourne is very much about lifestyle. And the city has been ranked as one of the world’s most liveble cities.
Don’t forget about the glamorous festivals and events you might find in Melbourne living in a harmony with lively passion venues for eating and drinking, and a flourishing interest in the arts.
Best of all, Melbourne host some of Australia’s most prestigious events throughout the year, including the Spring Racing Carnival culminating in the Melbourne Cup in November, the Australian Open Tennis Championships in January, the Formula 1TM Australian Grand Prix in March, the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in March and April.

To Do in Melbourne

Hugging the tip of the Australian east coast, Victoria is Australia’s second-smallest state. Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, situated on the Yarra River and around the shores of Port Philip Bay.

Despite of the state size, Melbourne serves a wealth of diverse attractions, from sweeping coastline and pristine beaches to national parks and forest teeming with wildlife to wineries, lakes and mountains offering skiing, climbing, and hiking.

Melbourne is very much about lifestyle, and the city has been ranked as one of the world’s most liveble cities.

Don’t forget about the glamorous festivals and events you might find in Melbourne living in a harmony with lively passion venues for eating and drinking, and a flourishing interest in the arts.

Best of all, Melbourne host some of Australia’s most prestigious events throughout the year, including the Spring Racing Carnival culminating in the Melbourne Cup in November, the Australian Open Tennis Championships in January, the Formula 1TM Australian Grand Prix in March, the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in March and April.

Here are a list of things you can explore and find out in Melbourne that can't be found anywhere else which makes it unique;


1. Cafe Culture

If you're not sitting in a glorified gutter, surrounded by graffiti, sipping a flat white in the brief interlude of sunlight between downpours or wind storms, YOU'RE NOT DOING MELBOURNE RIGHT! Aspiring to the greatness of cafe capitals of Paris, Rome and Vienna, Melbourne has numerous independent cafes, each with their own unique flavour, street-side seating and sweet treats. And obviously, a stellar cafe culture goes hand in hand with incredible…


2. Coffee

Melburnians are Australia's biggest coffee snobs. Melbourne is the home of Australia's first espresso machine. And ever since it's been the home of great coffee. In fact, Melbourne is one of the few places Starbucks have closed en-mass, unable to compete with numerous indie cafes. Such abundance of coffee also creates the perfect eco-system for hipsters to proliferate, bringing their unique visual style, handiworks and food trucks to the streets of trendy suburbs like Fitzroy and Collingwood. Thanks to coffee, Melbourne is furrier, plaid-ier and paella-ier than ever. 3. Trams Image Source While practically every other city in the world were ripping out their tram lines and replacing them with the more 'flexible' bus, Melbourne remained steadfast. Stuck in her ways, even. But now as the benefits of light rail are being rediscovered, Melbourne is laughing! Other cities are spending a fortune on new tram lines, while Melborune is sitting on the largest light rail network in the world. That's not to say we should just rest on our laurels though. Melburnians love their trams -- it makes sense to invest in a larger, more diverse network. Now that Myki works 'seamlessly', there's no reason we shouldn't all be riding trams. And hey, if it's good enough for Phil and Liz, it's good enough for me.


3. Opulent Old Architecture

During the Gold Rush, Melbourne was once the richest city in the World (now it's just the most expensive). Lucky that the Gold Rush occurred during one of the most opulent and grand periods of architecture -- the Victorian Period -- because now we've got oodles of beautiful old buildings to show off. Parliament House, the Princess, Regent and Her Majesty Theatres, the Royal Exhibition Building, Flinders Street Station, the State Library and other architectural gems can all be attributed to Gold Rush wealth. We have many examples of opulent old architecture right next to…


4. Controversial Modern Architecture

Like train stations at night, architecture is far from safe in Melbourne. As a result, we have a rich tapestry of unique buildings. Visitors love Melbourne's eclectic style, which is much more interesting than beige old Sydney (sorry Sydney, you totally win Harbors, Bridges and Opera Houses though).

 

5. Laneways

What used to be access routes for pan collectors to dispose of the contents of outdoor dunnies (hands down one of the world's worst jobs), Melbourne's bluestone laneways are now the focus of a thriving bar, cafe and culture scene. In most cities, walking down a small dark lane at night is probably tantamount to holding up a sign saying, "Please Stab Me". In Melbourne, it's your ticket to the city's coolest bars and nightlife. That red door with the doorbell? Yeah, it's not a service entrance for a restaurant, it's the hidden entrance to a tiny, buzzing speakeasy-style bar.

This laneway is not as stabby as it looks… We have a long harsh winter to deal with in Melbourne. Melburnians spend the winter months holed up in a bar barely bigger than a child's wardrobe, drinking red wine in an effort to lift their body temperature enough to feel their feet again. Meanwhile Sydneysiders are still at the beach, lapping up the sun and surf. That kind of suffering encourages creativity…


6. Street Art

Take a walk down Hosier Lane or the back streets of Fitzroy to understand the difference between graffiti and street art. Melbourne has some amazing examples of the latter. Even renowned street artist Banksy has taken the arduous flight to stencil our laneways. Melbourne's prolific street are is part of the reason our lanes are such interesting, dynamic places to hang out.


7. Crown Casino

Fireballs and a late night refuge for poor decision makers. What more could you want?


8. Cycling

Melbourne is super flat. That's why it's practically a cyclists paradise. Except for, you know, the weather. And now there's the uber 'successful' bikeshare program and more and more bike lanes, popping up around the city to encourage cycling and frustrate motorists -- MAMILs (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) never felt more at home. And while it might be an assault to our eyeballs, more people riding means less pollution and more seats on the tram for the rest of us.


9. Eureka's Golden Light

It's impossible to know when it will happen, but every so often Melbourne's tallest building treats us to a magical, almost spiritual, light show.

 

 

To Do in Sydney

Australia - the sixth largest country on this planet - is dazzling diverse mountains, deserts, reefs, forest, beaches and multicultural melting-pot cities. Get ready for a whole different level of adventure Australia has provided. Take a camel trek through the Simpson Desert in the Northern Territory, 4WD across South Australia's rugged Flinders Ranges or do the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria. Ski or snowboard winter slopes, trek through ancient rain forests or pick one of our pristine islands to combine adventure with true relaxation. You can dive, snorkel, canoe, kayak and surf all around Australia.


SYDNEY

Sydney is Australia's largest and most famous city. It is home to beautiful beaches, iconic buildings, historic landmarks, award-winning restaurants, and a vibrant culture. From the breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour to the serene tranquility of Hyde Park, Sydney has something for everyone.


1. Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House

If it‘s your first visit, head straight to Sydney Harbour. Nothing compares with seeing the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House with your own eyes. Thrill seekers should try the Sydney Bridge Climb experience. The climb costs $148 and you will get the next best thing for nix by simply strolling along the pedestrian pathway at the bridge’s eastern edge.


2. Sydney Luna Park

Take a stroll along Sydney Harbour Bridge to Northern Sydney and experience Luna Park Sydney, an entertainment precinct of many faces. This superb restored fun-park is a place where you likely to go to catch a concert at the Big Top, easy classy cuisine at The Deck or take the million dollar views as you ride the Ferris wheel.


3. QVB

The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is another must-see attraction located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Since its establishment in the 1890s, this grand and beautiful building is one of the city's premier shopping destinations. If a shopping mall is more your idea of shopping heaven then try Pitt Street Mall and Westfield, both in the city centre. Further south you'll find Sydney's Chinatown, with Paddys market and some great Chinese restaurants on offer.


4. Darling Harbour

Stroll a 10-minute walk from the Sydney Town Hall, Darling Harbour is the perfect place to entertain the whole family. SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo can be easily spotted around the corner of Darling Harbor area. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy bird-eye view of stretching vista of Sydney’s CBD at the summit of Sydney Tower Eye.


5. Blue Mountain

If you’re looking for high-energy adventure holiday, go to Sydney Blue Mountain where you can experience the harsh but fragile natural beauty of Aboriginal inhabitants. You don’t want to miss the vista of the Three-Sisters and Jamison Valley. Similarly, you can do bush walks and Trees Adventure in New South Wales National Park.


6. Bondi Beach

If you’re looking for fun-filled getaway in summer, the iconic Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach are the best choices. Enjoy them year-round by walking along a coastal trail or take in the view over a cocktail and dinner at one of the many outstanding restaurants in the area. Great shopping and other natural attractions ensure Sydney has some for everything. Sydney is a tourist's dream with a mix of holiday options.