CAPITAL CANBERRA - POPULATION 22 MILLION -AREA 7,617,930 SQ KM - OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ENGLISH
Even the 'Where the bloody hell are you?' TV campaign couldn't stop Australia's tourism, with modest increases in visitor numbers despite the fact the ads were met with confusion in the UK and Japan. British travelers still comprise the most arrivals, with most unable to pry themselves away from the east coast, which offers Sydney's big icons and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. There's a growing trend, however, for authentic Australian experiences: catching the Ghan train through Australia's red centre or learning bush craft from Aboriginal elders in the Flinders Ranges. The atmosphere of reconciliation and optimism of Kevin Rudd's new Labor government has headlines heralding the country 'Kevin Heaven'.
DARWIN, AUSTRALIA
Trip the top-end fantastic
It was once easy to dismiss Darwin as a frontier town full of brawling fishermen, dreamy hippies and redneck truckers. Raggedy and transient, it's always been a place to lose yourself, find yourself or reinvent yourself - the kind of place that attracts people who don't fit in any where else. But all that is changing. With a pumping nocturnal scene, magical markets and restaurants, and world-class wilderness areas just down the road, today Darwin is the triumph of Australia's Top End. Multicultural, freewheeling and vibrant, it's now a hip city to visit rather than just the end of the road for lost souls.
And now is the time to go. Beat the crowds to the redeveloping Waterfront Precinct with its wave pool, bars and wharf eateries; or score some brilliant Indigenous art before East Coast galleries snap it up and charge double. When southern Australia is chilling through winter, here it's blue skies, party nights and sleeping late. It's also a hot-ticket backpacker destination: Mitchell St after dark is hormones, hedonism and a whole lotta fun. |
