If you have the time and would like to see more of Australia, there are five more states and two mainland territories to explore.
Queensland lies north of New South Wales and is a popular tourist destination.
Most holidayers think of the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, and Cairns on the far north Queensland coast as a jump-off point to the Great Barrier Reef.
Iconic rock monolith
The Northern Territory is well thought of as a tourist destination with Alice Springs and the nearby iconic rock monolith, Uluru (Ayers Rock). Darwin further north, close to Kakadu national park, is also a favored destination.
Much closer to Sydney is a quick trip to Canberra, the nation’s capital, with its museums, galleries and historic precincts. The city was designed not by an Australian but by an American architect, Walter Burley Griffin.
And don’t forget to visit Australia's Parliament House.
Follow the tram route
Much farther south is Australia’s smallest mainland state, Victoria. Its capital, Melbourne, is a major tourist destination and competes strongly with Sydney as Australia’s most important city.
Steep yourself in Melbourne’s city attractions by following the route of the free City Circle Tram.
From Melbourne you can travel east along the coast to Phillip Island to view the fairy penguins as they come home from the seas to their burrows.
If you go west follow the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles and other rock formations that spring out of the sea.
Tasmania's tragic ground
From Melbourne you can take the ferry to Australia’s only island state, Tasmania. Or you can fly.
Tasmania’s Port Arthur, close to the capital, Hobart, is tragic ground. It is the site of a colonial convict settlement and, more recently, a place where a Tasmanian gunned 35 to death.
You can travel through all of Tasmania in a few days -- take as long or as short a time as you wish. See how two Australian authors fare on their own discovery trek.
Take to the hills
West of Victoria is South Australia, dubbed Festival State.
One of its claims to fame, in a wine drinking country, is that its Barossa Valley is one of the country’s foremost wine regions.
Base yourself in Adelaide and discover its many churches and other attractions. And don't forget to take to the hills.
Most isolated capital
A remote part of the continent is Western Australia with its main city, Perth, the most isolated capital in the world.
Travel north to Monkey Mia and flirt with the dolphins who come out of the sea to meet you, and then trek much further north to the rugged Kimberleys.
Western Australia is the country’s largest state, occupying nearly a third of the continent.
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