Australia:
The only real danger from going to Australia is spending all your money and having to dip into your credit card to pay for basics. Nothing in Oz is cheap, and it's not a bargain vacation. However, the scenery all over the country is incredible, and the people are really friendly. Tourism is easy, and even the low-budget hostels (found almost everywhere you go) have swimming pools and gardens. Outdoor enthusiasts will find scuba diving off Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling, hiking, climbing, surfing, swimming, mountain biking, hang gliding and any other sport you can think of.
Sydney is the most cosmopolitan city, and Melbourne is the most artsy. Canberra is a totally planned city, with lots of green space, parks and trees. The outback is truly magical, and the light all over Australia is brilliant. Alice Springs is an excellent place to make your base for exploring the surrounding desert. Swimming in the ocean can be tricky at certain times of year, due to the threat of being stung by poison jelly fish. But the authorities will post signs warning you not to go in the water.
Naive European and Japanese tourists should be aware that there have been some violent crimes against foreign hikers. So take care when you in the outback.
Books: The Songlines, by Bruce Chatwin; In the Land of Oz, by Howard Jacobson; The Winners' Enclosure, by Annie Caulfield.
Email me at lynnes@interlog.com with questions about Oz, as I spent a month travelling all over the country.
This page last updated February 20, 2000.