Australia / New Zealand Travel Information 2001

All feature articles are regularly updated.

• Australia Articles Alphabetically Indexed
• New Zealand Articles Alphabetically Indexed
• Sydney Walking Tour: Circular Quay to Hyde Park
• Sydney Walking Tour: Hyde Park to Darling Harbour

12/26/01 - Top 5 Australian Cookbooks
A selection of Australian cookbooks with recipes on Aussie tucker from simple lamb roasts to Tetsuya creations.

12/12/01 - Top 5 Nicole Kidman Films on DVD
She's one of Australia's top movie actors and here's a selection of some of her finest movies.

11/28/01 - Top 5 Australian Travel Guidebooks
A selection of travel guides to Australian destinations, attractions, accommodation, dining, transportation. Particularly of interest to those seeking budget travel.

11/14/01 - Top 5 Australian Film Classics
For those interested in Australian cinema, particularly as a facet of the national culture, here's a selection of Australian films available on digital video disc.

10/31/01 - Where to Swim with the Sharks
Swim with the sharks? Try Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia where you can swim with the world's biggest fish, the whale shark. And there's a whole new underwater world to explore as well.

10/17/01 - Grampians National Park
Aboriginal rock art, spectacular mountain ranges, walking tracks, a variety of wildlife and wildflowers -- all combine to create a natural bush and mountains environment west of Melbourne.

10/03/01 - Mt Tomah Botanic Garden
Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens' cool-climate garden 1000 metres above sea level in the Blue Mountains west of the city. Drive up Bells Line of Road through Bilpin or come from Katoomba.

09/19/01 - Stewart Island: Get Set for Adventure
Off the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island lies Stewart Island, a land of forests, bush, coves, beaches, wildlife, and home of the kiwi. An hour and a half from Invercargill by car and ferry.

09/05/01 - Freycinet: Wilderness, Water, Walking Tracks
Popular wilderness destination on Tasmania's east coast halfway between Launceston and Hobart. See the Hazards, visit Wineglass Bay, do the wilderness trek.

08/22/01 - 13 Gorgeous Gorges Down Katherine Way
Fly or drive from Darwin to one of the Northern Territory's most visually stunning national parks. Rapids, falls, cliffs, rainforests, Aboriginal rock paintings. Swim, canoe, cruise, fish, walk, go on a scenic flight.

08/08/01 - Shipwreck Survivor Gives Name to Island
She survives four months on the island cared for by Aborigines, and she gives her name to this now World Heritage-listed island off the Queensland coast. World's largest sand island.

07/25/01 - Waitomo Wonders
Three hours from Auckland or Rotorua and suddenly you're in a world of limestone caves, stalactites, stalagmites, glow-worms, underground rivers, blackwater rafting.

07/11/01 - Fleurieu Peninsula: Water and Wine
Not only swimming and surfing beaches but also, inland, farmlands and vineyards creating a rival for South Australia's Barossa Valley. Perfect for that day trip out of Adelaide.

06/27/01 - NSW Fishing Coast
The New South Wales South Coast is a long fishing strip extending from just south of Sydney down to the Victorian border. Narooma on the Eurobodalla Coast and Bermagui on the Sapphire Coast are featured.

06/13/01 - Rottnest Island
Holiday and quokka haven close to Perth and Fremantle, Western Australia. Beaches, corals, historic sites, and a colony of what the Dutch explorers thought were giant rats.

05/30/01 - Skiing at Mt Cook
Heli-skiing on the Tasman Glacier at Mt Cook (known as Aoraki by the Maori) in New Zealand's South Island.

05/16/01 - Skiing in Victoria
Victoria's ski slopes are closer to Melbourne than New South Wales ones are to Sydney. Perfect for those trips to the snow. Resorts, slopes, lifts, location, other information.

05/02/01 - The Wild Heart of Tasmania
Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and the Overland Track in the heart of Tasmania. What to expect, how to get there, where to stay, walking essentials, other relevant information.

04/18/01 - Ninety Mile Beach to Cape Reinga
In far north New Zealand, quiet solitude and magnificent natural vistas. Take a Northland tour or travel on your own. Go surfcasting, blokarting, or simply laze along and savour the beachcomber life.

04/04/01 - Melville and Bathurst Islands
Just north of Darwin, lie the Tiwi Islands, Aboriginal Tiwi country. The Tiwi are known for their batik and silk-screened clothing, woven bangles, carvings, pottery, decorated pukumani burial poles.

03/21/01 - National Museum of Australia
The new museum on the Acton Peninsula, Canberra, focuses on Australia's tangled stories and destinies from the days of the Dreamtime to the present day and on to the future.

03/07/01 - Whale Watching at Kaikoura
On the east coast of New Zealand's South Island between Picton and Christchurch, a choice spot for your "Moby Dick experience." Have a whale of a tale, or vice-versa.

02/21/01 - Great Barrier Reef: Down Under Wonder
It runs 2000 kilometres off the coast of northern Queensland and is Australia's most notable underwater wonderland. Reefs and resort islands make it a unique and popular tropical holiday destination.

02/07/01 - Kangaroo Island: Beaches, Bush, Wildlife
Australia's third largest island is still largely wilderness area which, at the same time, is close enough to South Australia's capital city for a day's excursion. A haven for lovers of beach, bush and wildlife.

01/24/01 - Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney festival over several weeks, usually in February, and culminating in the world's largest nighttime parade. It encompasses the arts, film, sports and a host of other activities and puts Sydney in a glittering, partying mood.

01/10/01 - Gisborne: The City Where Day Begins
Sun, surf, sea and a fascinating back country combine to make Gisborne, New Zealand's easternmost city, a place for both easy leisure and active sports.

More Features... continually updated...

2008: What's Up Down Under This Year?
2007: Sydney Opera House Named World Heritage Site
2006: World Heritage Sites, National and State Flowers
2005: From Sydney Festival to Sydney to Hobart
2004: Makybe Diva, Mel Gibson, Merle Oberon, Moomba
2003: A Prince of the Church... a Princess for Denmark...
2002: The Best Time to Visit Sydney, and More
2001: We Explore More of the Wonders of New Zealand
2000: Sydney Holds the Olympics: What a Year That Was!
1999: From Port Arthur Ghosts to Monkey Mia Dolphins
1998: We Begin in Sydney and Move Farther Afield