Australia is the largest island in the world, but just to confuse everybody we also call it a continent. To put it in perspective, the country is 7,680,300 million square kilometres (with a few islands drifting off the coast - Tasmania, the Whitsunday’s and Fraser Island to name a few. New Zealand is out there somewhere too, but we don’t count it!). This is roughly the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA or 1.5 times the size of Western Europe. Around 20 million of us Aussies live down here. When you consider that Britain is home to over 57 million people you get a good idea of how sparsely populated Australia is. To travel from east to west is over 4000 kilometres and from north to south is 4500 kilometres. Make no mistake; Australia is bigger than Elvis ever was.

The inland region of Australia can be bloody hot during the day, damn freezing at night. The main population centres cling to the coastal regions with around 80% of all Aussies living within 20 kilometres of the coast. As for the locals they are a mixed bag.
Three quarters of the present population are of British descent and the other quarter have made their way to Oz during the immigration booms of the last 150 years. In the mid-1800’s the Chinese flocked to the gold fields; in the 1920’s thousands of war immigrants flooded in from all over Europe, particularly from Italy and Greece.
In a relatively short period of time Australia has become one of the most diverse cultures in the world (just as well because BBQ’s get pretty boring after a while). There are many different tribes of indigenous Australians, collectively known as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
They are the oldest surviving culture on the planet and have inhabited this country for over 40,000 years. As part of your travels with us you’ll have the opportunity to meet these people and learn about their culture. Do yourself a favour - listen and learn. Their history is awesome and their and their interpretation of the world in which they live, and we now share with them, is unique.

Things that Wander, Crawl, Slide and Bounce in the Bush Australia is home to a good many native birds, animals and critters. The most common are the kangaroo, wallaby and ant. We also have the wombat, the platypus, the koala, the emu, the drop bear, the possum, the lyrebird, the quoll and the dingo. These are all rather friendly, furry chaps, but then there are the nasties: crocodiles, sharks, funnel web spiders, box jellyfish, and grommets, redbacks, taipans, death adders, skinks, tiger snakes, and the infamous Tasmanian Devil - all of which are out for blood at any cost. So be a bit careful out there as the nasties outnumber the nice by about ten to one.

The first settlers introduced many of the animals that wander the bush. Unfortunately many have gone on to contribute to the demise of much of the native fauna. Except, that is, for the cactoblastis grub, which managed to single-handedly chomp through the menace that was known as the Prickly Pear - a type of cactus that was running amok, destroying the natural landscape. And if you see a cane toad, another introduced pest, grab yourself a really big stick and do your part for the Aussie environment by playing a few rounds of golf. Snakes and spiders in Australia can be pretty lethal so if you see one it’s best to stay away - they can make you sick or kill you. Snakes are usually as scared of you as you are of them, so if you don’t run up and hassle them, they will simply slither off on their own accord. If you are in the bush, be extra careful when picking up old logs or bits of junk etc as these are the favourite homes for these critters. If you want to check out some native animals in the wild, the best bet is to get up early in the morning during one of our stopovers (and creep up on one of our guides).

Koalas can be found on Fraser Island and Magnetic Island (both in Queensland) to name just a few places. They live in the boughs of eucalyptus trees and are quite difficult to spot. But because they are a protected species their whereabouts is usually well documented and the National Parks and Wildlife dudes will know where the colonies are. One little chap you will no doubt come across is the laughing bird of the bush, the Kookaburra. These fellas will fly right up near you particularly in areas where they have constant contact with humans and feel safe enough to come and ask for food. As we found out these birds are much scarier than they look when close up. They have strong beaks and the confidence of Mike Tyson, so if you run away, you won’t be alone.

The Australian Climate
As most of you will be coming from the northern hemisphere you will notice some dramatic changes. The Aussie summer begins in December, which makes for a not-so-traditional Christmas. Its seafood, salad and shrimps on the BBQ, and an afternoon at the beach on Christmas Day down under! Autumn starts in March, winter begins in June and spring gets going in September.

The seasonal differences are best experienced in Melbourne where you’ll get all four in one day. From Sydney, the further north you head, warm changes to hot and dry changes to wet (in the summer months at least). If you’re right up north during summer, expect a downpour about 3.15pm each afternoon (don’t worry, it only lasts for an hour or so). Food The debate still rages as to whether or not Australia has any distinct foods that set it apart from the rest of the world. Well we have. So eat it. There are two ways to look at the foods we eat: it could be said that we put anything into our mouths, as the influences come from around the world to make up a hotch potch of ‘all you can eateries’. We also have real fair dinkum tucker, so hunt down a Native Aussie Cuisine eatery and have a go at some of the foods available. The flavours are probably different to anything you have tried before. And because the Native Cuisine industry is in its relative infancy the prices are very reasonable. You really shouldn’t go home without trying some witchetty grub soup, kangaroo steaks, emu, possum, crocodile, some of the native tropical fruits, and of course - Vegemite!!

Things that Grow
Australia has a broad range of plant life ranging from the tropical rainforests of the north and coast, through to plants that have adapted to the driest of places in the Australian interior. Australia is famous for the eucalyptus tree, often referred to as the Gum tree. Eucalypti produce oil in their leaves, which has excellent disinfectant qualities. These leaves are also the staple diet of the koala and the oil is the stuff that makes the Blue Mountains blue. Australian cities and towns are renowned for their gardens and parks, so you get to see many of the native trees and shrubs on a daily basis. However, to get a really good look at the Australian bush you will need to get yourself into one of the National Parks. We travel to many of these and you will see a variety of plant and animal life as you travel the coast and inland regions.