Australia / New Zealand Travel Information 2006
All feature articles are regularly updated.
12/27/06 - Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2006
And that great sea classic is on again.
12/20/06 - Christmas in Sydney Photo Gallery
No snow, no sleigh, certainly no white Christmas. But there's Santa, stars, stores, trees, treats, and joy. It's summer in Sydney and that's when Christmas happens Down Under..
12/13/06 - Bay of Islands Photo Gallery
In just about three hours of driving north from Auckland, you'll find yourself in one of New Zealand's top visitor destinations. This is the Bay of Islands, a necklace of coastal townships nearly encircling a bay with close to 150 islands, many virtually untouched by civilisation.
12/06/06 - Sydney Landmarks: Photo Gallery
Sydney landmarks are not only distinctive structures on the Sydney urban landscape but also assist visitors and newcomers to the city to find their bearings.
11/29/06 - Kununurra: Film Location for Luhrmann Epic Movie
Close to the Northern Territory border, the Western Australia town of Kununurra in the Kimberley region lies in a scenic and sweeping Australian Outback landscape that includes the Ord River, Lake Argyle and Hidden Valley with their gorges, cliffs and peaks virtually at the town's doorstep. This is the film location for the Baz Luhrmann movie starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
11/22/06 - Best Australian Wines from New South Wales
Australian wines are becoming more and more popular in many parts of the world, but it is here in Australia, of course, that you can pick and choose the finest Australian wines. Here are this year's best New South Wales wines.
11/15/06 - Melbourne Landmarks: Photo Gallery
Melbourne, Australia's second largest city and the capital of the state of Victoria, is a fascinating blend of old and new. There is much of Australia's past in the Victorian and Gothic architecture in many Melbourne buildings even as they sit alongside more modern steel and glass structures in a city that is, as well, a mixture of styles.
11/08/06 - Melbourne Cup 2006
The Japanese capture the Melbourne Cup as Japanese horses Delta Blues and Pop Rock finish first and second in the 2006 running of the Cup. It's the first time a racehorse from Asia has won the Cup, and the first time two horses from the same stable have won the first two places in Australia's most prestigious horseracing event.
11/01/06 - What Is the Haka?
If you've seen a rugby union match with the New Zealand team, the All Blacks, you could have witnessed the haka. While there are variations, the popular form of the New Zealand Maori haka is a war chant and challenge with many aggressive sounds and movements.
10/25/06 - Experience Aboriginal Life and Culture at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
In tropical north Queensland, experience Aboriginal life and culture where different strands of indigenous life are exhibited, performed, and learned. There are seven separate arenas in Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, each exhibiting a facet of the Queensland rainforest people's culture from the time of the Dreaming, through Aboriginal history, to today's processes of reconciliation where knowing is a basic first step to understanding.
10/18/06 - Australia's National and State Flowers
Golden Wattle (Australia), Common Heath (Victoria), Cooktown Orchid (Queensland), Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (Western Australia), Royal Bluebell (Australian Capital Territory), Sturt's Desert Pea (South Australia), Sturt's Desert Rose (Northern Territory), Tasmanian Blue Gum (Tasmania), Waratah (New South Wales)
10/11/06 - Australia, New Zealand, Sydney Quizzes
Test your knowledge.
10/04/06 - Sydney Wildlife World
Darling Harbour's latest attraction, Sydney Wildlife World, opened in late September 2006, providing a showcase of selected Australian wildlife within walking distance of the Sydney city centre. See photo gallery.
09/27/06 - Willandra Lakes Region
A system of lakes in the Pleistocene Epoch during the last Ice Age are the dry lake beds with salt-tolerant low bushes and grasses in the Willandra Lakes Region, a World Heritage site in the New South Wales Outback.
09/20/06 - Cabramatta Moon Festival - Sydney
Celebrated once a year when the moon shines brightest at the vernal equinox, the Cabramatta Moon Festival is one of Sydney's largest Asian multicultural festivals. It draws crowds in the tens of thousands and is worth visiting for a taste of Asian multicultural life in the Sydney suburbs.
09/13/06 - Wildflower Festival - Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
Springtime in Australia is a season of flowers, and at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Victoria, they're having a Wildflower Festival in September.
09/06/06 - Steve Irwin: Crocodile Hunter (1962-2006)
World-renowned Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was stung by a stingray off the far north Queensland coast on September 4, 2006, and died almost instantaneously. The larrikin Aussie was a favorite of film and TV viewers around the world.
Stingsrays and Other Dangerous Creatures
08/30/06 - Greater Blue Mountains Area
The Greater Blue Mountains area, inscribed by the United Nations as a World Heritage site, comprises eight protected areas 60 to 180 kilometres inland from central Sydney, New South Wales. Of the World Heritage sites in Australia, this is the most accessible to Sydney visitors.
Blue Mountains: The High Blue Yonder
Drive West from Sydney
08/23/06 - Wet Tropics of Queensland
The Wet Tropics of Queensland, a World Heritage site, offer not only striking scenic vistas but also a variety of river and rainforest activities.
08/16/06 - Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Located in the Red Centre of Australia, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park draws innumerable visitors yearly: to gasp at the imposing presence and changing colors of Uluru, and to explore and take camel treks through Kata Tjuta. The park has been inscribed by the United Nations as a World Heritage site, initially for its outstanding universal natural values, and then for its outstanding universal cultural values.
Uluru: Iconic Rock Monolith
Yulara: Tourist Town North of Uluru
08/09/06 - The Ekka
Queensland's largest annual event, the Royal Queensland Show, draws more than 600,000 visitors each year and, along with Sydney and Melbourne, is one of the top three agricultural shows in Australia. It's also known as The Exhibition, hence Ekka.
08/02/06 - Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia
With their outstanding geological features around shield volcanic craters, and a high number of rare and threatened rainforest species, the Central-Eastern Rainfrest Reserves are among Australia's 16 World Heritage sites.
Lamington National Park with its subtropical rainforests is one of a number of national parts which comprise the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves.
07/26/06 - Riversleigh: World Heritage Site
Fossils dating back to the Oligo-Miocene period some 15 to 25 million years ago can be found in Australia in the Riversleigh section of Boodjamulla National Park in Queensland.
Mt Isa: Outback Mining Town on the way to Riversleigh.
07/19/06 - Lord Howe Island: World Heritage Site
Roughly 500 kilometres east of Port Macquarie on the northern coast of New South Wales, Lord Howe Island is an island of natural forests, crystal clear water, pristine sand beaches, the world's southernmost coral reef, and a variety of bird and marine life, some of them rare and endangered species.
07/12/06 - Tasmanian Wilderness: World Heritage Site
One of the largest remaining temperate rainforests in the world and comprising a fifth of the state of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Wilderness is one of Australia's World Heritage sites.
07/05/06 - Waitangi: Birthplace of a Nation
Waitangi, New Zealand, is the birthplace of the nation where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Waitangi is on the Bay of Islands within four hours’ drive north of Auckland.
06/28/06 - Is Nicole Kidman Australian?
Well, she was born in Hawaii and lived in Washington DC but, yes, she's a dinki-di Aussie.
Nicole Kidman-Keith Urban Wedding
Nicole Kidman Movies on DVD
06/21/06 - Diving and Snorkeling off Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is one of the most accessible Western Australia diving and snorkeling sites, being just 19 kilometres off the coast from Fremantle.
Rottnest Island: Holiday and Quokka Haven
Rottnest Island: Underwater Attractions
06/14/06 - Crocodylus Park
Just five minutes from Darwin Airport and 15 minutes from Darwin city centre, Crocodylus Park is home to more than a thousand crocodiles and other wildlife.
Never Smile at a Crocodile
06/07/06 - Canberra in the Winter
Canberra is cool to cold in the winter but there are a number of activities suitable for the season.
05/31/06 - National Gallery of Victoria
A short stroll from Federation Square across the Yarra River over Swanston Bridge, the National Gallery of Victoria is home to the state's impressive international art collection, arguably the largest such collection in the country.
05/24/06 - Australian Centre for the Moving Image
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), across four levels of the Deakin Building in Federation Square, houses two multi-format cinemas and the world's largest dedicated screen gallery.
05/17/06 - Flinders St Station
On the southern edge of the Melbourne city centre, Flinders St Station is a major Melbourne landmark, the hub of Melbourne's transport system, and a popular meeting place, particularly under the station's domed clock tower.
05/10/06 - Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens
Across the Yarra River southeast of Melbourne city centre, the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens are home to more than 12,000 different species of plants and a natural sanctuary for native wildlife. It is an ideal place for unhurried walks, jogging on designated routes, plant spotting, or just lazing away the day. It's open to the public daily, and it's free.
05/03/06 - Top 10 Free Melbourne Attractions, Top 10 Free Sydney Attractions
What to see and enjoy in Melbourne and Sydney - for free.
04/26/06 - Whaleshark Festival
The Ningaloo Whaleshark Festival is held yearly at Exmouth, near Ningaloo Reef, in Western Australia.
04/19/06 - Anzac Biscuits
Anzac biscuits are part of the legend, history and story about the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in World War I. Here's what they are and how to make them.
Anzac Day
04/12/06 - Melbourne City Circle Tram
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.
04/05/06 - Showtime! Pictures from the Sydney Royal Easter Show
Each year, as Easter swings around, children's thoughts turn to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. For the young ones, it's a time for fun rides and Easter showbag goodies. But really it's an event that many grownups also enjoy, with car racing, woodchopping contests, horseback shows, farm animals and interesting agricultural displays. Here are pictures.
03/29/06 - Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games: The Friendly Games
Melbourne hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games with some 4500 athletes from 71 nations competing in 16 sports with 24 disciplines.
03/22/06 - Adelaide Festival of Arts 2006
The Adelaide Festival of Arts ran this year from March 3 to 19 and included 72 events, some 1200 artists and performers, and more than 130 performances. Writers' Week was from March 5 to 10.
Adelaide Festival of Arts
03/15/06 - How Are Australian Tropical Cyclones Rated?
It's the season of strong winds in northern Australia as cyclones form offshore and threaten communities with death and destruction. Australian tropical cyclones are rated according to wind speeds and range from the relatively weak Category 1 to the most destructive Category 5 with winds of more than 280 kilometres an hour.
03/08/06 - Where Is Mackay?
The Queensland city of Mackay lies along the north Queensland coast halfway between Cairns and Brisbane and is a gateway to Eungella national park, Finch Hatton Gorge and the Great Barrier Reef.
03/01/06 - Karijini National Park
One of Australia's largest national parks, Karijini (formerly Hamersley Range) national park is arguably one of the most spectacular in Australia and a definite drawcard for Nature and adventure lovers. It is an area of desert and rugged land centred on the Hamersley Range in the Outback region of Western Australia. In the indigenous Banyjima language, Hamersley Range is known by the Aboriginal inhabitants as Karijini.
02/22/06 - Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building: World Heritage Building
Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens on which it stands are a World Heritage site, the first Australian structure to be inscribed by the United Nations.
Australia's World Heritage Sites
02/15/06 - Cruising Lake Wakatipu
The TSS Earnslaw is a vintage steamship that evokes the feel of a bygone era when steamers and paddle wheelers plied Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand and ferried sheep, cattle and passengers to lakeside farms and stations. Regular Lake Wakatipu cruises from Queenstown are available on the Earnslaw.
Lake Wakatipu: Hollow of the Giant
02/08/06 - Chinese New Year in Sydney: Pictures
Sydney salutes the Chinese New Year with festivities not only among the Chinese and certain Southeast Asian communities but also in many other parts of the city. Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival this year included festivities at Belmore Park, the traditional Chinese New Year parade, and dragon races at Darling Harbour.
02/01/06 - The Australian Open 2006
The first of the world's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments each year â€" the Australian Open â€" is played at Melbourne Park in the Victorian state capital. This year's Australian Open was played from January 16 to 29.
Melbourne Park: Home of the Australian Open
How to Get to Melbourne Park
01/25/06 - Sydney Festival 2006
A celebration of culture and the arts, the 2006 Sydney Festival took place from January 7 to Australia Day, January 26.
01/18/06 - Rod Laver: Two-Times Grand Slam Winner
Australian tennis player Rod Laver is the only person to win the Grand Slam twice (1962, 1969) with a record of winning 11 Grand Slam singles and becoming Wimbledon champion four times.
01/11/06 - Tamworth: Australia's Country Music Capital
Hosting the Australian Country Music Golden Guitar Awards each year, the New South Wales inland city of Tamworth has become known as the country music capital of Australia, a mecca for country music lovers everywhere.
01/04/06 - Outback Survival Guide: Don't Die in the Outback
Newspaper headlines and radio and television bulletins regularly report of massive searches in bushland or in remote Outback regions for one or more people who have been lost or stranded. Most of the time, these searches end in success. Sometimes they don't.
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
