Well, you don't have to. But if you wanted to, where else but in New Zealand where commercial bungy jumping all began? In 1986, New Zealander A J Hackett leapt from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Back in New Zealand, he opened the first bungy jumping operation just two years later outside Queenstown which prides in calling itself the adventure capital of the world.

• Go Bungy Jumping in New Zealand
• Go Blackwater Rafting at Waitomo
• Go Zorbing at Rotorua
• Go Blokarting on Ninety Mile Beach
• Go Walk on the Glaciers

Photo: Bungy jumping in New Zealand © Tourism New Zealand

The story of two love-struck Aboriginal teenagers living in central Australia has won this year's Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for best Australian film.

The film, Samson and Delilah, also won the awards for best original screenplay and best direction for writer/director Warwick Thornton.

The film's young actors, Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, who had had no previous acting experience, shared the AFI award for best young actor.

Set in a dirt-poor rural community outside Alice Springs, Samson and Delilah charts the plight of the two teenagers who seek to escape the area's poverty, violence, addiction and hopelessness by going on the run.

The award ceremonies were held in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre on the night of December 12, Australian eastern daylight saving time.

• Best Australian Films - Australian Film Institute Award Winners

Now that the Australian summer is officially here, get set for the days when Sydney simply sizzles in heat.

If you're in Sydney in the heat of summer, you may want to hit Sydney's beaches or escape to the high blue yonder in the mountains west of Sydney.

The Blue Mountains are a popular destination in the summer. Visit the Three Sisters, and don't forget a visit to Mt Tomah, too.

• Australia in December, January and February
• Is Summer the Best Time to Visit Sydney?
• Where to Stay in the Blue Mountains

Photo: The Blue Mountains © Tourism New South Wales

A boon to Melbourne visitors is the City Circle Tram which operates daily along a city circuit passing a number of Melbourne attractions. Not only is travel completely free on the City Circle Tram but you get a running commentary on the places of interest along its route. You can get off the tram at any of its stops, so you can visit particular attractions at close hand, and catch the next one.

I do take the City Circle tram whenever I visit Melbourne. And there's the free Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle, too.

• Top 10 Free Melbourne Attractions

Photo: City Circle tram © Tourism Victoria

From a distance they look like tombstones and you wonder what kind of graveyard this is. But what you see aren't tombstones. They're actually magnetic termite mounds and you find them in Litchfield National Park in Australia's Northern Territory, a place of striking natural wonders. And did you know these termite mounds always point to the north?

• Litchfield National Park
• Kakadu National Park
• Nitmiluk National Park

Photo: Magentic termite mounds, Litchfield National Park © Tourism NT

The Western Australia port of Fremantle is practically a suburb of the capital, Perth. Located at the mouth of the Swan River, it is a place of rich maritime history and convict-built heritage buildings, close enough to visit when you're in the Western Australia capital.

• What to See and Do in Fremantle
• Fremantle Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour
• Fremantle Prison Torchlight Tours
• Perth Walking Tour: A Day's Sightseeing
• Where to Stay in Perth

Photo: Fremantle Prison © Tourism Western Australia

It's still the jellyfish season in northern Australia, so it is often with much trepidation that one goes to the beach, if at all, particularly in north Queensland.

So should you worry?

As long as you go to patrolled beaches or go on organised sea cruises with guides in the know, there should be no serious problem with either the box jellyfish or the Irukandji jellyfish.

If you do get stung by the box jellyfish — or the Irukandji jellyfish — there are first aid treatments that can be quickly applied. If you don't know what to do yourself, surf lifesavers who patrol the beaches should be able to provide immediate treatment.

As for the Irukandji jellyfish, two tourists visiting Queensland died in early 2002 as a result of being stung by this tiny, virtually transparent killer. There have been no deaths arising from Irukandji jellyfish stings since then, as far as I know. Knowing where and when this danger exists means safety precautions can be taken.

• Dangerous Creatures: Watch out for the Aussie Nasties
• Crocodile Danger
• Box Jellyfish and Irukandji Jellyfish
• Poisonous Spiders
• Stingrays, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Snakes, Cone Shells, Stonefish

As with all dangers — anywhere in the world you go — precaution is always your best protection.

Yes, it's summer in Australia. The Australian summer has begun and continues until the end of February. If you're in Australia in the summer, or planning a summer visit, these are some of the season's major events:

• December: Christmas, Boxing Day, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, New Year's Eve

• January: Sydney Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne, Australia Day

• February: Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year

And, in a country enamoured of the sea, it'll be beachtime all along the coast and in the island resorts.

• Christmas in Australia
• Christmas in Sydney - Pictures
• Is Summer the Best Time to Visit Sydney?
• Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
• Australia in January
• Tamworth: Australia's Country Music Capital
• Chinese New Year in Sydney: Pictures
• Sydney Beaches
• Melbourne Beaches

Photo: Cable Beach, Western Australia © Tourism Western Australia

The Australian summer begins on December 1. And visiting Sydney at this time really depends on what you want to see, do and experience.

The Sydney summer is a time of great cultural activity — outstanding theatre, street performances, art exhibitions — as well as a time of pilgrimage to Sydney's beaches.

There's Christmas, Boxing Day, the grueling Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which starts at Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, the Sydney Festival in January, that Great Ferry Race on Australia Day, and the Mardi Gras soon after.

Photo: The Great Ferry Race on Sydney Harbour © Australian Tourist Commission

We've never really seen 12 of the Twelve Apostles off the Victorian coast. At least I haven't. In 2005 one of them crumbled into the sea, and another was lost this year.

Actually, they say only seven remain, but they are not expected to diminish as one of Victoria's most popular attractions along the Great Ocean Road. You won't get lost on the Great Ocean Road, but getting to the Great Ocean Road may be another matter.

The Great Ocean Road marks the 77th anniversary of its official opening this month.

• On the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles
• Don't Get Lost - Get a Map
• Awe-Inspiring Rock Formations

Photo: Some of the Twelve Apostles © Tourism Victoria