Australia is a very diverse country geographically and a hot spot for tourism. If you are pondering heading down under, here is some information on Australia.
An Overview of Australia for Travelers
Australia is its own continent, the sole country in the world that can say as much. It covers roughly 3 million square miles and is about the size of the continental US. The capital is Canberra, but Sydney is the most important city with 4.2 million people. The climate of Australia is very dry inland with more temperate conditions along the coast. The population centers are basically along the coast due to soaring temperatures inland.
Australia was originally inhabited by Aboriginal clans. In 1770, Captain Cook claimed the land for Great Britain. In 1788, the first colony was established in New South Wales. Almost all of the colonists were convicted wise guys from Great Britain. Gold was discovered shortly thereafter and Australia changed into a destination for immigrants looking for fortune and a new start in life.
On the far northern coast, Australia is home to one of the amazing sites in the world. The great barrier reef is a water fans dream. With incredible plant life, the reef is world renowned as a diver’s paradise. A watchful eye is advised given the presence of the Great White Shark in the area.
Australia is a Commonwealth. The Fed. powers are mapped rather after those in the US, but no bill of rights exists. Not like the U.S, the individual territories retain major authority over their own affairs.
folks in Australia are called’Australians.’ The country has a population of just over 20,000,000, and the population is growing at a rate of 1.1 % a year. Australians ethnicity is 92 % EU, 6 percent Asian and 2 percent Aboriginal. No faith dominates, but twenty-seven percent of Australians considered themselves Roman Catholics. Survival expectation for males is 78 years while females live to 83 normally. Literacy rates are an incredibly low 85 percent.
Australia was frequently considered the forgotten country. Long distance transportation changed that designation. Now it is one of the most up to date traveller destinations year in and year out.
For more information about travel and useful tips for tourists, visit famouswonders.com and check out Kings Canyon National Park.
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The town of Alice Springs is located in the middle of the Australian continent and is the unofficial but undisputed capital of the Australia’s huge outback. This unique town is rich in history and natural features, and is the perfect base from which to explore Australia’s Red Centre which includes world famous features like Uluru ( Ayers Rock ), Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and the MacDonnell Ranges.
Alice Springs is nestled in the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia. Approximately equidistant between Adelaide and Darwin, it lies about at the geographical centre of Australia, roughly 1500 kilometres from any major Australian city in any direction. The highest mountain in the northern Territory of Australia, Mount Zeil, rises to 1,525 metres out of the West MacDonnell Ranges about 2 hundred kilometres west of Alice Springs. The city has a growing population of about 28,000 and is today a thriving regional centre where a fantastic variety of tours, accommodation and activities for every taste and budget are available.
The history of Alice Springs commenced in 1871 with the development of a telegram repeater station, one of many such stations built between Adelaide and Darwin as a part of the historic Overland telegram. Originally known as Stuart, this name was never really well-liked and in 1933 the town’s name was officially changed to Alice Springs. Development was at first slow, with the first mud road to Adelaide not being replaced till 1987. Until then, travellers including train travellers on the historical Ghan train line followed the same route north as that followed by early Scottish explorer John MacDouall Stuart, north from Port Augusta in South Australia to Alice Springs through the outback towns of Oodnadatta and Finke. Today, the Stuart highway running from Adelaide to Darwin is a first class road OK for any vehicle.
Development in Alice Springs accelerated seriously in the 1980’s, and the town today is a modern, moderate sized municipality with a lot of resources and facilities compared to similar sized Australian cities. The Ghan train line played a serious role in the city’s development, first arriving in 1929. The railway line was lately extended north to Darwin, with the resulting route across the center of the Australian continent from Adelaide to Darwin now representing one of the planet’s great train journeys.
A variety of important buildings can be discovered in the centre of Alice Springs, including the first surgery in Adelaide House, the John Flynn Museum and Church, the Old Courthouse, the home and the Stuart city Gaol. The first telegram Station is found in a reserve a short distance outside Alice Springs to the north. On the eastern side side of the routinely dry Todd stream, which runs through the centre of town, is the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, an arid section botanical garden found right in the center of city.
Alice Springs is found in a mainly dry area, with wonderful cloudless blue skies from Apr to Sep. Rainfall is untrustworthy and irregular, but can routinely be anticipated in the warmer summer months from October to March. During summer, temperatures of 40 degrees C ( 104-108 F ) are common, while in winter ( June to Aug ) overnight temperatures frequently fall below freezing point. Winter days are typically bright and bright, making this the hottest time of year for visitors.
Info about the Arrernte folks of Alice Springs can be found at the Strehlow Research Centre, where many fascinating artifacts are displayed. The Araluen humanities Centre maintains a big collection of paintings by Aboriginal artists from the Alice Springs area, including respected the watercolour painter Albert Namatjira. Plenty of other activities are available in and around Alice Springs, including hot air ballooning, pony and camel riding, cycling, and trips to nearby natural attractions in the MacDonnell Ranges. Alice Springs also hosts a selection of events and holidays in the cooler months between May and September.
Alice Springs is well serviced with accommodation suited to all tastes and budgets, from backpacker hostels to 5 star hotels, and has several good restaurants. Alice Springs is easily accessed by air or bus from all Australian capital cities. To travel in style to Alice Springs, consider the luxurious Ghan train which departs from Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Cars can be carried on the Ghan so that your own transport is available when you arrive in Alice Springs.
Thinking about traveling outside of the country? Famouswonders.com can help you decide where to go on your next vacation, or you can view The Great Ocean Road.
Technorati Tags: Australia, capital, dining, outback