Australia’s 18,000-km (11,180-mile) coastline boasts everything from the world’s best coral reefs to endless white sandy bays, stunning tropical islands and buzzing surf beaches. The massive interior includes vast red deserts, ancient Aboriginal sites, snow-topped mountains and lush green vineyards. You will be spoilt for choice whether you want to experience thrilling outdoor adventure, enjoy the laid-back beach culture, or sample the best in international cuisine and wine.

A vast island continent, Australia teems with natural and cultural treasures. Relax on gorgeous beaches along the sprawling coastline, or plunge below the water in Queensland to explore the Great Barrier Reef. Nature enthusiasts will revel in exciting adventures in the interior, from trekking around majestic Uluru to spotting wildlife in tropical rainforests. But there’s more to life down under than outdoor activities. Cosmopolitan cities like Sydney and Melbourne entice with thriving dining and arts scenes, while world-class vineyards abound.

Australia has more cultural and natural treasures than is fair to many other countries. It also, fortunately, has the wealth and resolve to protect these treasures as best it can. Eighteen sites in Australia are inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and include unusual landforms, ancient forests and areas of staggering biodiversity.

Most of Australia’s World Heritage sites are areas of extreme natural beauty and hold exceptional conservation value. However, the latest additions placed on the list in 2010 included 11 penal sites, such as Port Arthur in Tasmania and Fremantle Prison in Western Australia. There are two other Australian sites listed exclusively for cultural reasons: the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens.

The other World Heritage listings are:

Must-visit Australian cities:

Australia is one of the world’s major food producers. Wherever you travel, food production is apparent on the landscape, from the vast inland sheep and cattle stations, to the canefields of New South Wales and Queensland. Coastal towns about in fresh seafood, and increasingly there is an interest in other food indigenous to Australia, such as bush plums, nuts, herbs and kangaroo. Visit the many farm gates or food trails to access this local produce, or pick up fresh bargains at farmers’ markets.

Australia is consistently in the world’s top ten producers of wine, making more than 1.4 billion litres a year. Australia’s major wine growing regions are nearly all tourist attractions in their own right, with delightful B&Bs, historic places to explore and cellar doors galore.

Don’t miss these culinary experiences:

Australia is the quintessential home of beach culture, with the nation’s beaches ranging from sweeping crescents with rolling waves to tiny, secluded coves. Almost all Australians live within a two-hour drive of the coast, and during the hot summers it is almost second nature to make for the water to cool off. Surfing has always been a national sport, with regular carnivals and competitions held on the coastline.

So, what are you waiting for? Pack a pair of bathers (swimsuit), thongs (slippers) and some sunscreen and head to the “Land Down Under”.

Don’t miss these beaches:

For more than 50,000 years before European settlement, Aboriginal people lived in Australia, occupying the country across the landscape, including its driest deserts. Living in great affinity with the land on which they were dependent, they established rich, diverse and highly spiritual cultures with sacred places, Dreaming tracks and art sites.

There are close to half a million Aboriginal people in Australia today, and although much of the cultures have been destroyed or damaged by European settlement, many Aboriginal communities still proudly carry on rich traditions, and have some of the oldest surviving cultural practices in the world. With permission, much of this can be explored by travellers who are prepared to sit, listen and learn from Indigenous Australians.

Must-see Indigenous places and experiences:

Australia lies in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are reversed. It’s winter Down Under during the American summer.

Australia’s climate is temperate in southern states, such as Victoria and Tasmania, particularly in coastal areas, and tropical in Australia’s far north. The Australian summer north of the Tropic of Capricorn is a steam bath.

The best time to visit the southern states is from September to November (the Australian spring), or from February to April (late summer-autumn), when the southern regions are generally sunny and warm, with only occasional rain in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Perth and the south of Western Australia are at their finest in springtime, when wildflowers blanket the land.

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The ideal time to visit the north, particular the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park, is early in the dry season (around May). Birdlife remains prolific on the drying floodplains, and waterfalls are still spectacular and accessible. The Dry (April to October) is also a good time to visit northern Queensland’s beaches and rainforests. You can swim off the coast without fear of dangerous stinging box jellyfish, which infest ocean waters between November and March. In rainforests, heat and humidity are lower than later in the year, and crocodile viewing is at its prime.

During school holidays, Australians take to the roads in droves. The busiest period is mid-December to the end of January, which is the equivalent of the US and British summer break.

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