A travel guide to Australia.

What the guide covers

The guide begins with the major cities, where most visitors arrive: Sydney, with the Opera House and the harbour, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, the capital. From the east coast you can reach the Gold Coast and the theme parks, the Sunshine Coast, K'gari, the Blue Mountains and Byron Bay; in the tropical north, the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns and the Whitsundays.

In the centre and north are Uluru, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs, Darwin and Kakadu. In the south, the Great Ocean Road, Tasmania, with Hobart, Cradle Mountain and Freycinet, Kangaroo Island and the Barossa Valley; in the west, Margaret River, Shark Bay, Ningaloo and Broome. Each destination brings together the region’s towns, what to do in each, attractions with their own pages, when to go and how to get there.

States and territories

Australia is divided into six states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania) and two territories (the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, where Canberra is located). The guide organises towns by these divisions.

Many places also have Aboriginal names, such as Uluru, Kata Tjuta, K'gari and kunanyi, the Mount Wellington of Hobart.

How to travel around Australia

The main international gateways are Sydney and Melbourne. The country is continental in size, and between the east coast, the centre, the west and Tasmania the most practical option is to fly domestically.

Within each region, a car gives freedom, noting that you drive on the left; in large cities, trains, trams, buses and ferries cover sightseeing. There are three time zones, from UTC+8 to UTC+10, and only the southern states advance the clock in summer. The country is in the Southern Hemisphere, and the north is tropical, with a dry season and a wet season.

Nature and Aboriginal culture

Australia has 21 properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List, from the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House to Uluru‑Kata Tjuta and Kakadu, and the guide shows those that can be visited. Kangaroos, koalas, quokkas, penguins and whales appear in the destinations with the seasons when they are usually seen.

Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years. In many parks, visits are guided by the traditional owners of the land, and some sacred sites cannot be photographed or climbed: the guide’s texts indicate where this applies.

Why there are no prices

Outside Brazil, the guide does not show prices for tours or tickets, because they change frequently. When there is an entrance fee or charge, the text notes it, and the amount should be checked before you go.

How the content is made

Information for each place is researched from official sources, such as Tourism Australia and state tourism bodies, national parks, UNESCO and the attractions themselves, and checked before going live.

The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it. Photos sent by travelers appear separately, as travelers' photos.

If you find any information that differs, write to us: fixing it is quicker than it seems.

All of Cidade Turismo

The guide started in Brazil and now also covers other countries, always with the same organization: routes, destinations and cities.

About Cidade Turismo: who we are, how the content is made and the guide's numbers →