Australia / New Zealand Travel Information 2003

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

12/24/03 - Boxing Day
No, not the day when punches are thrown and a knockout sought, but the day after Christmas Day which is a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand.

12/10/03 - Taranaki
The release this year of the film The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise brings into sharp focus the countryside where much of the movie was shot, not in Japan which is the story's setting but in that western region of New Zealand's North Island which is lorded over by snow-capped Mt Taranaki.

11/26/03 - Australia's Newest Cardinal
Sydney Archbishop George Pell was elevated to cardinal at a consistory in Rome on October 21, 2003, and became Australia's seventh cardinal and the fourth Sydney archbishop to wear the red hat.

11/12/03 - Mary Donaldson: A Right Royal Romance
They met at a city pub after the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and now the Tasmanian lawyer has married her prince. The fairy-tale romance reached a climax at their May 14, 2004, wedding when Mary Donaldson became Princess Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark.

10/29/03 - Australia by Train: All Aboard for Darwin
With the completion of the rail link from Alice Springs to Darwin, passengers from Adelaide will soon be able to take the one train, the Ghan, to Darwin. Passengers from Sydney, Perth and Melbourne need to take the Indian Pacific or the Overland and transfer to the Ghan in Adelaide for all-the-way train travel to Australia's Top End.

10/15/03 - 2003 Rugby World Cup
Twenty countries were represented in the Rugby World Cup played at various Australian venues from October 10 to November 22, 2003. Background, games schedule, results.

10/01/03 - The Mighty Murray: Paddle-Steamers and Riverboats
On a visit to Australia, Mark Twain likened the Murray River to his country's Mississippi. The Murray is not as long as that American river, but in the days before trains and good roads, the Murray provided inland Australia the conduit for commerce and leisure with its paddle-steamers and its riverboats.

09/17/03 - Sydney's Underwater World: Finding Nemo Now
In Sydney's aquatic wonderland, find Nemo and the other characters in the animated 2003 Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo which traced the search for Marlin's clownfish son from the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney Harbour and the city itself.

09/03/03 - Queenstown: The Call of Adventure
In an almost mythic setting of glacial lake, river torrents and snow-capped ranges, Queenstown throbs with the excitement of active leisure sports -- and adventure! -- whatever the season.

08/20/03 - Federation Square
Designed as a public civic centre and meeting place, Federation Square links Melbourne's central business district north of the Yarra River to the river itself and the gardens and parklands across the river.

08/06/03 - Australia Has a New Governor-General
Major General Michael Jeffery became Australia's 24th Governor-General on August 11, 2003, succeeding Archbishop Dr Peter Hollingworth who resigned in May.

07/23/03 - Ferry to Tasmania
A new superfast passenger-and-vehicle ferry service from Sydney to Devonport, Tasmania, starts in mid-January 2004. This is in addition to the regular daily ferry service between Melbourne and Devonport on the Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II.

07/09/03 - Port Macquarie
On the New South Wales North Coast, a holiday destination of particular attraction to lovers of water sports and leisure activities. Four and a half hours by road from Sydney.

06/25/03 - Here Come the Whales
Spot the whales during the migration season when they swim north from the Antarctic to warmer Australian waters.

06/11/03 - Heron Island
Along the Tropic of Capricorn, 72 kilometres east of the Queensland town of Gladstone, Heron Island has fine white sand beaches, clear blue waters, colorful reefs, interesting marine creatures. Enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving adventures.

05/28/03 - Queen's Birthday Holiday
The Queen's Birthday holiday is celebrated on different dates in Australia and New Zealand but it's not on the day of her real birthday. A Monday public holiday, it makes for an enjoyable three-day weekend. In Australia the NSW holiday also marks the start of the ski season.

05/14/03 - Around Australia on Highway 1
If you wanted to, you can take the circumferential Highway 1 all around Australia with side trips to your destinations of choice. Take the whole circle route or convenient sections of it.

04/30/03 - Glaciers of the West Coast
The glaciers of New Zealand are among the country's most popular year-round attractions. Visit the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers in the Westland national park on the West Coast of the South Island.

04/16/03 - Questacon: Where Science Is Fun
If you are traveling to Australia's capital city with children, add Questacon to your Canberra must-see list for this is a place where science exhibits are not only educational but also, and especially, fun.

04/02/03 - Brisbane's South Bank
Across the river from Brisbane's central business district lies the former World Expo site which has been redeveloped into an exciting precinct with a variety of cultural, leisure, sports, entertainment, dining and shopping areas.

03/19/03 - Ned Kelly's Last Stand - Shootout at Glenrowan
Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, whose life and times are the subject of a new film starring Heath Ledger, has become a folk hero not only in the Victorian region of his exploits but also throughout Australia.

03/05/03 - Australian Opals: Know What You're Buying
For many visitors to Australia, opals are a distinctively Australian purchase. It's important to know the different types of opal so one is not misled into paying excessively for stones of inferior quality.

02/19/03 - Sovereign Hill, Eureka Stockade, Ballarat
There's much of history in the Victorian goldfields and much to visit in Ballarat, the state's largest inland city. Experience colonial times and the search for gold at Sovereign Hill, and feel the breath of history at the Eureka Stockade...

02/05/03 - Be Safe on Australian Beaches
There have been a number of beach deaths in Australia which could have easily been prevented or reduced through the taking of simple precautions. Here are some basic rules to follow.

01/22/03 - Top Five Cate Blanchett Movies on DVD
Australian stage and screen actress Cate Blanchett has luminously played a number of diverse film roles in both Australia and overseas. For those who delight in fine acting, Cate Blanchett films are among the best to savour.

01/08/03 - The Best Time to Visit Sydney - Spring
For many, the best time to visit Sydney is in the Australian spring (September 1 to November 30). The weather's great, it is a time of regrowth and, yes, romance is in the air. Sail the harbour, take daytrips, go bushwalking, laze away life's cares on the city's white-sand beaches.

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