Visiting Australia

Welcome to Australia. Our home is an island of adventure and surprise, the strange and the wonderful. A place where you'll quickly appreciate the feeling of space and the fresh informal attitude that shapes out way of life. A place where you'll be welcomed like a local and invited to get involved.

While you are in Australia for World Youth Day, why not take the opportunity to stay on and explore our great country and the wide array of experience on offer.

Australian's many and unique experiences make for a memorable, fun and exciting time. We have excellent food and wine for you to enjoy. A red, red outback punctuated by stunning greens, purples and an endless blue sky. Cities tat brim with all things bright. Beaches that sparkle and invite. Rainforests that started their life thousands of years ago. Roads to be driven, paths to be walked, Strange animals to behold and an ancient Aboriginal culture that explains how it all came about. It's yours to explore and enjoy.

Here is just a snapshot of the different experiences around the country

Share our spirit

Open yourself up to Aboriginal Australia and connect with the world's most ancient living culture.

Ours is the oldest story on earth - providing an irrevocable understanding of the birth of our land, its spirituality and wonder. Listen to the stories of Dreamtime and be captivated by the music, dance, art and stories that have been passed down from generation to generation for at least 50,000 years.

Experience more than just museums and galleries. Today,the possibilities of experiencing Aboriginal culture are many and varied - from bushwalking to snorkeling, from sharing traditional bush tucker to story-telling through interpretive exhibitions and dance.

Gain new perspectives and learn what it is to be part of the past, present and the future.

Find your way

Inspired by the footsteps of our early explorers and Aboriginal ancestors, Australia is a place of awesome journeys. Across and around our massive land and its 12,000 islands, countless possibilities connect endless unique experiences.

Whether setting off on foot to find yourself in the bush; watching the rugged landscape, from the window of a fast-moving train, dance and transform itself; or navigating a car up stunningly beautiful coastline as the sun sinks into the ocean - you can create your own stories. Stories as diverse, extraordinary and inspirational as Australia and the people in it.

Discover our heart and soul in our great Australian Outback

From red deserts to lush green waterholes, open spaces and sky that goes on forever, Australia's outback is a place where a new adventure awaits at every turn.

It's vast. It's red. It's welcoming. It's magical. It is not difficult to lose yourself in the heart of this country, its people and its stories. That's the thing with the Aussie outback - when you're there it becomes your story; your time and place.

Life's a Beach - explore our endless coastlines

It's uncrowded. Unspoilt. White, sandy beaches that go on forever whose allure has helped define our identity. We love them. Revel in them. Play, party, eat and laze on them. Swim fish and sail by them. We find them so enticing; the majority of us live within a short drive from them. Like us, you too will find that something magical happens the closer you get to our continent's edge.

Perhaps it's the gentle sea breeze. The laughter, the smell, the casual atmosphere or the sound of crashing waves. Whatever it is, you too will be spellbound by our coast.

Indulge your taste buds in our food and wine

We've learnt from the best and our chefs and wine makers have bent the rules and created a food and wine style all of our own. They've blended, chopped, shaken and fused nature's sun-kissed produce into a delicious melting pot of cuisine and full-flavoured wines. It is Australia itself that inspires its people to do great things with food and wine in wonderful settings. It's a love of freshness and spontaneity and the dislike of pretension. So you could say that food and wine is our great new love - a love we want to share.

Be part of the action in our capital cities

Colourful. Vibrant. Sophisticated. Inviting. Energetic. Welcoming. Our cities are our cultural homeland. Each completely different from one another, but harmonious still the same. There's always space to breathe, parks to walk in, waterways to sail on, amazing sporting and artistic events to see and interesting food to taste and markets to explore. With their easy access to hundreds of regions, we welcome you to enjoy our lifestyle and to use our cities as a springboard for your adventure.

Surround yourself in our natural wonderland

Ours is a country where boundaries blur. Where ancient rainforests and national parks skirt modern cities. Where coral reefs lap the shore and stunning colours contrast the craggy red earth. Where strange creatures dwell in perfect harmony on land and in sea. From the smallest wonders of our tropical fish, rare plants. Birds and reptiles, to the most natural world heritage sites on the planet, we offer a spectacular canvas of nature's finest work. Nature abounds everywhere. You can get up close, even in the least expected places, and it's yours to touch and immerse yourself in.

To find out more visit www.australia.com