Australia is the largest landmass in the Oceania region. It is renowned for its lush vegetation and wildlife, scenic views, and rich culture. Now the country of Australia is too large, roughly 2.97 million square miles, for me to cover it all in one blog post, but I would like to talk about a few of the things that I believe are must sees when it comes to visiting this vast island. The first struggle that you will face with a trip to Australia is getting there. An average flight to the country from the United States takes almost 20 hours, but once you get there then you will be greeted with so many amazing experiences.
(Fig 1: Kangaroo on the Horizon, photo from Allianz)
One of Australia’s most well known aspects is its unique and superb wildlife. So, naturally, one of the things you absolutely should do is take a wildlife tour to see the many animals of the country in the wild. You can opt for simple day trips to have the chance of seeing animals like kangaroos, koalas, ostriches, emus, platypuses, and even the wombat. These tours are a good way to spend a day, seeing the country, but you can also opt for animal sitting outings that can longer than a week. These trips take you into the deepest part of the Australian natural habitat where you will see so many amazing animals.
(Fig 2: The Great Barrier Reef, photo from Australia.com)
The other part of the amazing Australian wildlife that is an absolute must see is the Great Barrier Reef. This is the largest coral reef system (over 1400 miles) in the world. Unfortunately the reef is quickly deteriorating due to pollution and warming ocean waters, but there are still many amazing places on the reef that are teeming with life. The best way to experience the reef is if scuba dive and explore it, but if that is not your cup. of tea, there are plenty of other means to explore this amazing place. You can just snorkel and see the coral from above, or you can not get in the water all together and sail through the reef, just watching the colors dance below you. Regardless of the way you see the reef, you have to visit it, as it is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth.
(Fig 3: Uluru at sunrise, photo from Parks Australia)
Another must-see sight of Australia is Uluru. This is a massive sandstone formation in the Northern Territory of Australia, and is truly one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. The formation is sacred to the local aboriginal group, the Pitjantjatjara Anangu. As a result of its sacred status to this Aboriginal group, it is forbidden to touch and climb the formation in certain places, but you can walk fairly close to it. The best way to experience this wonder is either during sunrise or sunset, when the light makes the rock glow with a beautiful rust color.
(Fig 4: Sydney at sunset, photo from lonelyplanet)
It would be hard to visit Australia and not visit its capital city, Sydney. There are so many things to do in the city, so much so that I could write an entire post on it, but there are a few that you should not leave the city without doing. You should first take the climbing tour of the Harbor Bridge, which allows you to climb up the arches of the bridge, and see great views of the cityscape. Another thing you should do is eat at a seafood restaurant. A constant stream of sea food runs into the city from the hundreds of fisherman that catch fish and sea life daily. This food is some of the freshest you will get, and is supposed to be an amazing eating experience especially if you stop at a bayside restaurant. The last must do thing in Sydney is a visit to the Sydney Opera house. You do not have to see an actual Opera (it would be even cooler if you did), but you should just visit the iconic building to see it with your own eyes.
Now I barely even grazed the surface of the all the amazing things that you can do in this great country, but hopefully I have convinced you that this is a place worth visiting. Whether you enjoy nature, and seeing amazing natural wonders or lean more towards urban life, there is something for everybody to do an enjoy. It would be a terrible thing if you missed a visit to this continent, so ignore that long flight time and go visit the Land Down Under.