State / Territory InformationState / Territory Information
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is an enclave within the state of New South Wales, about three hours drive from the center of Sydney. Created shortly after the establishment of the Australian Federal Parliament, the ACT is the seat of Australia's national Government.
Canberra is a sophisticated city designed by American, Walter Burley Griffin, who had worked with the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. The city's central Lake Burley Griffin was named to commemorate him. The US capital, Washington DC, clearly inspired Burley Griffin's designs for Australia's national capital, Canberra, as many public buildings reflect similar architectural styles. The city is safe, friendly and has a healthy outdoors appeal.
In Canberra you will find bicycle paths, parks and gracious government buildings which generously display Australian and international works of art. The National Library contains a copy of every book published in the country. The National Gallery boasts a fine collection of Aboriginal art as well as some of the most impressive art objects in Australia. Tidbinbilla, 25 miles southwest of Canberra, houses the Canberra Space Center (which is part of NASA's deep space network), and the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. The Snowy Mountains and beaches of New South Wales are a two hour drive from Canberra.
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Canberra's summer is relatively hot and dry with average temperatures ranging from 55°F -82°F. Average winter temperatures range from 33°F - 55°F with days that are often sunny. |
New South Wales, in the southeast, is the most populous and heavily industrialized state in Australia. Sydney, the state capital, is Australia's largest city and an important financial center. This cosmopolitan and international city is set on a stunning harbor that is often referred to as one of the world's most beautiful.
Sydney is famous for its city beaches, cultural events, night life and Darling Harbour - an exhibition, restaurant and shopping complex near the famous Sydney Opera House. The city will host the Olympic Games in the year 2000.
Other New South Wales cities include Newcastle and Wollongong on the coast and Wagga Wagga and Armidale inland. Natural features divide the state into four main zones: the seaboard and coastal lowlands comprise 900 miles of uninterrupted coastline; the tablelands, formed by the Great Dividing Range and including the Snowy Mountains, consist of an almost unbroken series of plateaus; the western slopes is a fertile, undulating region extensively cultivated with rich plains and rugged terrain; and finally the western plains, comprising almost two-thirds of the state and suffer from low rainfall and difficult conditions.
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New South Wales lies in the temperate zone and the climate is generally free from extreme heat and cold. Sydney's summer is warm to hot with some humidity. Temperatures range from 65°F-78°F. Winter temperatures are mild and range from 46°F - 63°F. |
The Northern Territory covers nearly one-fifth of the continent, with outback that varies from ranges of bare rock, to massive canyons, great sand dunes, deep lagoons, winding rivers, sinewy gorges and towering cliffs. Darwin, the capital city in the far north of the state, moves at a very relaxed pace, although it is a technologically advanced urban center.
Within such close proximity to Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore, Darwin is an extremely culturally diverse city with outdoor markets, food stalls and festivals year round. The north coast, or 'Top End,' provides many opportunities for enjoying the Timor Sea. Bathurst and Melville Islands are home to the Tiwi Islanders whose traditional culture is still intact.
Ayers Rock, 'Uluru' in Aboriginal language, is the world's largest monolith or single great stone. The colossal, lone rock rises out of a flat plain and has dominated the landscape for thousands of years, its light-reflecting surface ranging from blues and violets to ambers and reds. Rock paintings depicting Aboriginal myths can be found in many locations in the Northern Territory, including Ayers Rock and Kakadu National Park. The Olgas - an impressive grouping of smooth, red rock domes - are also located in the Northern Territory.
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Inland Northern Territory temperatures are extreme with a very hot wet summer. Coastal temperatures, around Darwin are tropical. Average summer temperatures range from 77°F- 94°F. Average winter temperatures range from 67°F - 87°F. |
Queensland, in the northeast, is the second largest state and the third most populous. More than one-third of its people live in Brisbane, the capital and the third largest city in Australia. Activity centers around the Brisbane River, with riverfront restaurants, markets, parks and river walks.
Moreton Island is a national park with crater lakes, quiet beaches and towering sandhills. An hour south of Brisbane lies a 20-mile stretch of Pacific Ocean surfing beaches and resorts known as the Gold Coast. The same distance to the north is the Sunshine Coast - an equally popular string of resort beaches.
In the crystal clear, turquoise waters off the Queensland coast lies the awesome Great Barrier Reef. This 1,250 mile coral reef consists of thousands of smaller reefs stretching from the Torres Strait in the north to Gladstone in the south, and contains 30,000 species of marine life. The town of Cairns in northern Queensland is a well situated tropical coast city surrounded by the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
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This subtropical state enjoys sunshine throughout most of the year with Brisbane's average summer temperatures ranging from 69°F - 85°F and average winter temperatures ranging from 49°F to 68°F. |
The South Australian landscape varies from lush farmland to desert. The capital city of Adelaide is situated halfway up the eastern coast of Gulf St Vincent and is surrounded by parklands. This city, often referred to as Australia's cultural capital, has a gracious 'old world' feel with many outstanding stone buildings that celebrate the state's prosperous history. Today Adelaide's proudest claim is its quality of life with beautiful hills and beaches less than a half hour's drive from the city center. The city hosts an outstanding bi-annual international arts festival and fringe festival, as well as the World Music Festival, WOMAD.
One hour's drive to the north of Adelaide is the fertile Barossa Valley, which produces more than 30 per cent of Australia's annual 98 million gallons of wine. Inland there are three large lakes - Eyre, Gardiner and Torrens. Flinders Chase is a bird and animal sanctuary on nearby Kangaroo Island which features unique flora and fauna in an unspoiled setting. Other geographic features include the Murray River and the Flinders and Mount Lofty ranges.
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Adelaide's climate is mediterranean with a hot, dry summer; a mild autumn; a cool, wet winter and a mild spring. Average summer temperatures range from 61°F - 86°F and average winter temperatures range from 45°F - 59°F. |
Tasmania, the island south of the Australian mainland, mixes unspoiled wilderness with the amenities of two medium sized and several smaller cities.
40 per cent of the island's 400,000 inhabitants live in Hobart, a city well-known for its colonial architecture and physical beauty. At the mouth of the Derwent River with Mt. Wellington in the background, Hobart offers unspoiled nature within easy reach of the city. Tasmania's second largest city, Launceston, situated in the North comprises roughly 20 per cent of Tasmania's population and offers the physical beauty of Cataract Gorge, an easy 10 minutes from the center of the city.
Outside of the cities, Tasmania offers snow covered mountains, virgin temperate rainforests and rich agricultural areas, along with a fascinating convict history which can be followed throughout the island.
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Tasmania has a temperate, maritime climate. Hobart's average summer temperatures range from 53°F - 71°F . Average winter temperatures range from 40°F - 52°F . |
Victoria, south of New South Wales, is the second smallest Australian state, yet the most densely populated. Some 26 per cent of all Australians live in Victoria, and of those, most reside in Melbourne, the nation's second largest city.
Melbourne is a world-renowned cultural, artistic, financial and communications center, served by an international airport, a cargo and passenger seaport and rail links to neighboring states.
Other metropolitan centers include Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. Like New South Wales, Victoria's economy is based largely on agriculture and grazing, secure energy resources, broadly-based manufacturing and highly developed service industries. About 36 per cent of the state is forest. The highest mountain peaks are Mount Bogong and Mount Feathertop - both over 6,000 feet. The Murray is the state's longest river, and there are a number of large inland lakes. Victoria's vast coastline extends over 1,000 miles, bordering the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait, and separating the Australian mainland from Tasmania.
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Melbourne's average summer temperatures range from 57°F - 78°F. Average winter temperatures range from 42°F - 56°F. |
Western Australia is the largest Australian state - about one-third of the total area of the country. Although it contains only one-twelfth of Australia's population, Western Australia is a rich mining area that accounts for about one-quarter of the country's total income. Perth, the state capital, is about 1,500 miles from Adelaide, the nearest major Australian city. In fact, much of Western Australia is closer to cities in southeast Asia than to major metropolitan centers within Australia itself. Perth's beauty and multiculturalism rival that of San Francisco, yet its cost of living is much less expensive.
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The climate, too, is superb - similar to that of southern California - and there are about 11 million acres of national parks and reserves throughout the state. Development of mining and rural areas has also led to the establishment of an extensive air network. Perth's average summer temperatures range from 63°F - 85°F. Average winter temperatures range from 48°F - 63°F. |
