Australia. Australia. Discover MAP OUT. Experience the best of Australia MAP. Discover PULL- Experience the best of Australia PULL-OUT

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PULL-OUT MAP Discover Now it s even easier to plan the perfect trip HIGHLIGHTS ITINERARIES

your planning easy who know the place LOCAL EXPERTS Discover this and more inside Climb the

Great Barrier Reef Darwin, Uluru & the p261 Red Centre Perth & the West Coast p297 Watch the

Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road Choose Lonely Planet because ISBN 978-1-74220-560-1 Our job is

We visit the places we write about each and every edition.

is. Mountains 52799 Published Jan 2014 First Published Mar 2010 PULL- OUT MAP Discover

1 PULL-OUT MAP Discover Now it s even easier to plan the perfect trip HIGHLIGHTS ITINERARIES Must-see sights and all the best experiences Great trip ideas to make Get advice from people your planning easy who know the place LOCAL EXPERTS Discover this and more inside Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge Surf the Gold Coast beaches Drive the Great Ocean Road Snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef Darwin, Uluru & the p261 Red Centre Perth & the West Coast p297 Watch the sunrise over Uluru p167 Brisbane & the East Coast p117 Beaches p207 p51 Sydney & the Blue Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road Choose Lonely Planet because ISBN Our job is to make amazing travel experiences happen. We visit the places we write about each and every edition. We never take freebies for positive coverage, so you can always rely on us to tell it like it is. Mountains Published Jan 2014 First Published Mar 2010 PULL- OUT MAP Discover Australia Experience the best of Australia RD EDITION discover-australia-3-cover.indd 1 Tropical North Queensland Australia Experience the best of Australia USA $27.99 UK /09/ :55:31 PM

2 Discover Australia Experience the best of Australia This edition written and researched by Charles Rawlings-Way, Brett Atkinson, Lindsay Brown, Jayne D Arcy, Anthony Ham, Shawn Low, Virginia Maxwell, Tom Spurling, Steve Waters, Meg Worby

3 Perth & the West Coast Darwin, Uluru & the Red Centre p261 Tropical North Queensland p167 p297 Sydney & the Blue Mountains Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road p207 Brisbane & the East Coast Beaches p51 p117 Sydney & the Blue Mountains Highlights 54 Sydney Opera House Sydney Harbour Bridge Sydney Harbour Blue Mountains Bondi Beach Brisbane & the East Coast Beaches Highlights 120 Byron Bay Noosa Brisbane Fraser Island Gold Coast Tropical North Queensland Highlights 170 Great Barrier Reef Whitsunday Islands Daintree Rainforest Cairns & Northern Reef Islands Southern Reef Islands Darwin, Uluru & the Red Centre Highlights 264 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Kakadu National Park Mindil Beach Sunset Market Litchfield National Park Alice Springs Desert Park Perth & the West Coast Highlights 300 Perth Fremantle Margaret River Valley of the Giants Monkey Mia

4 Contents Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road Highlights 210 Federation Square Queen Victoria Market Great Ocean Road Melbourne Street Art Eating & Drinking in Melbourne Plan Your Trip This Is Australia...6 Australia Map...8 Australia s Top 25 Highlights...10 Australia s Top Itineraries...32 Month by Month What s New Get Inspired...47 Need to Know Discover Australia Sydney & the Blue Mountains 51 Highlights Best Walking Tour...58 Sydney Around Sydney Royal National Park Hawkesbury River Hunter Valley Blue Mountains Glenbrook to Blackheath Mt Victoria & Hartley Jenolan Caves Bells Line of Road Brisbane & the East Coast Beaches 117 Highlights Best Itineraries Byron Bay Far North Coast Hinterland Bangalow Nimbin Gold Coast Surfers Paradise & Broadbeach Burleigh Heads Springbrook National Park Coolangatta

5 Contents Discover Australia Brisbane Moreton Bay North Stradbroke Island Moreton Island Noosa & the Sunshine Coast Noosa Eumundi Glass House Mountains Fraser Island & the Fraser Coast Fraser Island Rainbow Beach Hervey Bay Tropical North Queensland 167 Highlights Best Itineraries Great Barrier Reef Southern Reef Islands Agnes Water & Town of Whitsunday Islands Mission Beach Cairns Islands off Cairns Daintree Rainforest Atherton Tableland Chillagoe Port Douglas Mossman Lizard Island Daintree Village Cape Tribulation Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road 207 Highlights Best Itineraries Melbourne Yarra Valley Wineries Phillip Island Great Ocean Road Torquay Torquay to Anglesea Anglesea Lorne Apollo Bay Port Fairy Cape Otway Port Campbell National Park Port Campbell Port Campbell to Warrnambool Gippsland Wilsons Promontory National Park Darwin, Uluru & the Red Centre 261 Highlights Best Itineraries Darwin Litchfield National Park Around Darwin Kakadu National Park Ubirr & Around Jabiru Nourlangie Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park Jim Jim Falls & Twin Falls Cooinda & Yellow Water Alice Springs Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) Uluru (Ayers Rock) Yulara (Ayers Rock Resort) Perth & the West Coast 297 Highlights Best Itineraries Perth Ningaloo Marine Park Fremantle Around Perth Rottnest Island (Wadjemup)

6 In Focus Survival Guide The Southwest Margaret River Wine Region Cape Naturaliste South Coast Walpole & Nornalup Denmark Walpole-Nornalup National Park Karri Forest Explorer Albany Around Albany Esperance Monkey Mia Shark Bay Denham François Péron National Park Best of the Rest 341 Canberra Adelaide, Kangaroo Island & the Barossa Valley Adelaide Kangaroo Island Flinders Chase National Park Barossa Valley Tasmania & Port Arthur Hobart Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park Port Arthur Australia Today History Family Travel Aboriginal Australia Environment Food & Wine Sport Australia Outdoors Directory Accommodation Customs Regulations Climate Discount Cards Electricity Food Gay & Lesbian Travellers Health Insurance Internet Access Legal Matters Money Opening Hours Public Holidays Safe Travel Telephone Time Tourist Information Travellers with Disabilities Visas Women Travellers Transport Getting There & Away Getting Around Behind the Scenes Index How to Use This Book Our Writers...416

7 This Is Australia Island, country, continent Australia is a big un whichever way you spin it. The essence of the place is diversity: deserts, coral reefs, tall forests, snow-cloaked mountains and multicultural melting-pot cities. Most Australians live along the coast, and most of these folks live in cities. In fact, Australia is the 18th-most urbanised country in the world, with around 70% of Australians living in its 10 largest towns. It follows that the cities here are a whole lotta fun! Sydney, the sun-kissed Harbour City, is a glamorous collusion of beaches, boutiques and bars; Melbourne is all arts, alleyways and Aussie Rules football; Brisbane is a subtropical patchwork of urban villages on the way up. Whichever city you re wheeling into, you ll never go wanting for an offbeat theatre production, a rockin live band, lofty art gallery opening or sweaty music festival mosh pit. Hungry? Australia s celebrated chefs fuse together European techniques and fresh Pacific Rim ingredients. Mod Oz (or Modern Australian) is what the locals call it, and seafood plays a starring role: from succulent Moreton Bay bugs to delicate King George whiting, there s a lot of variety in the ocean s bounty. And, of course, beer in hand, you ll still find beef, lamb and chicken sizzling on traditional Aussie barbecues. Not into beer? From Barossa Valley shiraz to Hunter Valley semillon, Australian wines are world-beaters. Need a caffeine hit? These days there are espresso coffee machines in pubs and petrol stations, and baristas stationed at downtown coffee carts you re never far from a double-shot, day or night. There s a heck of a lot of tarmac across this wide brown land. The temptation is to hit the open road and explore, but remember that Australia is reeeally big! An outback road trip will require some serious planning and the luxury of time. Alternatively, state capitals and regional centres are well connected by airlines: with a little ground work you can cover a good chunk of the country in just a few weeks. The temptation is to hit the open road and explore Outback road near Alice Springs (p286) PETER WALTON PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES 6

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Experience the best of Australia HIGHLIGHTS ITINERARIES LOCAL EXPERTS. Discover PULL-OUT MAP. Australia

Discover PULL-OUT MAP Australia Experience the best of Australia HIGHLIGHTS ITINERARIES LOCAL EXPERTS Discover Contents I Australia Throughout this book, we use these icons to highlight special recommendations: