Destination: Australia

Australia, an island continent located southeast of Asia and forming, with the nearby island of Tasmania, the Commonwealth of Australia, is a self-governing member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The continent is bounded on the north by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, and the Torres Strait; on the east by the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea; on the south by the Bass Strait and the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Indian Ocean. The commonwealth extends about 4,000 km (about 2,500 mi) from east to west and about 3,700 km (about 2,300 mi) from north to south. The area of the commonwealth is 7,682,300 sq km (2,966,200 sq mi), and the area of the continent alone is 7,614,500 sq km (2,939,974 sq mi), making Australia the smallest continent in the world, but the sixth largest country. The capital of Australia is Canberra, and the largest city is Sydney; both are located in the southeast.

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When to travel to Australia, depends on where you want to go and what you want to do. Crowds and prices of everything from flights to hostel bunks tend to be directly proportional to the quality of the weather.

In the south, the seasons of the temperate climate zone are reversed from those in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer lasts from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from June to August, and spring from September to November. In general, Australian winters are mild. In the south, peak season falls roughly between November and April.

The north, however, is an entirely different story. Many people forget, or simply don't know, that over one-third of Australia is in the tropics. During the "Wet Season" (November to April), heavy downpours and violent storms plague Australia, especially on the north coast. During the "Dry Season" (May to October), nearly every section of Australia endures a drought. Traveling in the wet season is not recommended for the faint of heart; the heavy rains, washing out unsealed roads, make driving a challenge in non-urban areas.

Diving on the Great Barrier Reef is seasonal as well; January and February are rainy months, and the water is clearest between April and October. The toxic box jellyfish is most common around the east coast between October and April.

Sydney
First-time visitors to Australia may consider coming to Sydney first. This is Australia's premier port of call and there are a number of Sydney attractions you might want to visit. Practical Sydney travel means sightseeing on foot or taking the bus, train or ferry. Sydney is very much a water city with its harbours, rivers and beaches, so ferries are a convenient component of Sydney travel.

If you haven't been to Australia before, a visit to this southern continent should be full of pleasant surprises.