Those who live in Australia call it "Oz." The name fits. This is a lnd so different from any other that it can sometimes seem as if it were conjured rather than created. It casts its spelll through paradoxes: it is a developed nation, yet it is largely unpopulated, a land of vast frontiers. Its cities can be at once sophisticated and unpretentious, as can its people.

Where to go in Australia

Sydney's Harbour Bridge 

The Sydney Harbour Bridge (Sydney's greatest tourism icon) - on a par with San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, New York's Statue of Liberty, London's Tower Bridge and the Eiffel Tower in Paris - took eight years to build and opened in March 1932. Once nicknamed the 'coathanger' it is now simply called 'the bridge' by Sydneysiders. 

The Sydney Harbour Bridge has become a major adventure with the opening in 1998 of Bridge Climb, a company which conducts tours over the arch. Clad in overalls and clipped to a safety line, you can walk and climb 1500 metres over the arch. 

Sydney Opera House A short walk from the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House is one of the world's premier performing arts centres. The Sydney Opera House is a fascinating building and heart of the city's cultural scene. It opened with a concert hall, an opera theatre, a drama theatre and a recital hall, as well as restaurants and bars. A fifth theatre was added within the structure in 1998. 

Jorn Utzon's radical 'sails' design stretched engineering knowledge to the limit and imposed some unfortunate limitations on its functions, largely because the government insisted it house four halls, not two as he had planned originally. . In total it took 14 years to build and was officially opened on the 20th of October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Great Barrier Reef

Australia's most famous natural wonder, The Great Barrier Reef, will stun you with its magnificence. The beauty of the waters and the prolific life it supports enraptures visitors. You can reach coral sites by air and water taxi to scuba dive or snorkel for intimate reef views. Dive and snorkle sites are dotted up and down the reef, take a day trip, suiting beginners, intermediate or advanced divers. 

Australia's most famous natural wonder, the Great Barrier Reef, will stun you with its magnificence. It's as big as the total combined area of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and contains more than 1,000 islands, from sandy cays to rainforest isles. The beauty of the waters and the prolific life it supports enraptures visitors. You can reach coral sites by air and water taxi and scuba dive or snorkel for intimate reef views. Or choose comfortable accommodation on some secluded reef islands. 

Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park 

The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Northern Territory, Australia is World Heritage listed. In this enormous park are many Aboriginal sacred sites, spectacular scenery and famous rock formations. 

Uluru the world largest monolith stuns people with its majesty. Yet the sense of mystery of Uluru is greater still. Rising 1141 feet out of the desert and measuring 6 miles in circumference, the sunrise and sunset over this great rock are enough to leave you awe struck. At these times the rock outshines even the brilliant sunset, arraying itself in a multiplicity of hues from black to purple, blue to brown, orange and red. 

Uluru and Kata Tjuta are located within close range of each other. Kata Tjuta, a dramatic series of 36 dome-like rock formations which stand up to 1,701ft (546m) high and cover an area of 35km and like Uluru, produce an incredible light show at sunset, with crimsons turning to rusts, and pinks to mauves.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta hold a significant place in the aboriginal Anangu people's creation stories and laws, known as Tjukurpa. To the Anangu, Uluru is alive with the presence of dozens of ancestral beings who still inhabit special sites. Their activities are recorded at certain sites around Uluru and most of the stories are sacred and shrouded in secrecy. But the Anangu, through their stories, artwork and dance can give you glimpses. 

King's Canyon

Kings Canyon is one of the Red Centre's little known jewels. Hidden deep in Watarrka National Park Kings Canyon is a breath taking sandstone chasm that spectacularly plunges over 270 meters into the earth.

The rim of the canyon is strangely beautiful, with red rock formations creating a mysterious landscape. From this vantage point, the canyon's floor appears as a lost world. Known as the Garden of Eden take time to explore the shaded oasis of ferns and ancient cycad palms. Along with eerie formations of weathered rock known as The Lost City.

The 12 Apostles The rugged and beautiful Twelve Apostles off the coast near Port Campbell have become Australian landmarks. Whether bathed in sunshine, wreathed in sea mist or defying stormy seas, the apostles are a breathtaking site.

Located along the spectacular Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the 12 Apostles stand as sentinels against a dramatic backdrop of sheer cliff face and wild ocean. Formed over thousands of years by the action of the sea, only eight of the original 12 Apostles remain.