Dining: Fine wine and dining are now as characteristically Australian as warm sun and booming surf. Wherever your Australian travels take you, just as the sights and sounds of its marvelous landscapes will live on in your memory, its food and wine will resonate through your taste buds.

Australian cuisine is marked by its fresh, eclectic take on dishes gleaned from all the cultures of the world. The best Australian chefs are notable for their ability to blend influences without fear or favor. Australians like to eat and they eat well. They are very amenable to incorporating all sorts of culinary influences in their daily fare.

In addition to world class cuisine, Australia is ranked as the world’s seventh-largest wine producer, and the finest Australian wines are among the best in the world - a judgment that is consistently reinforced at international wine shows.

Nightlife: Each of Australia's major cities has a nightlife attraction, whether it's an international-style casino with all the glitter of Las Vegas, a waterfront area where the barstools come with a view of yachts and dancing waves or an entire district that sparkles by night.

Shopping: Shopping is a part of any vacation, and a combination of fantastic shopping centers with a galaxy of goods found nowhere else in the world will make sure you come home with something special. And after dark, the whole country comes to the party with a feast of entertainment.

Local markets are a great place to take the local pulse, and whether it's the city or the country, Australia has plenty to offer. At any one of these markets you'll be entertained, as well as intrigued by the goods on display, and of course there's the chance to go home with a souvenir bought straight from the maker.

Museums/Galleries: Australia's art and culture have a vitality that springs from youth and from the rich multicultural mix of its population. Whether you're looking for classical galleries, contemporary theatre, heritage buildings or Aboriginal artworks, you'll be fascinated, entertained and surprised by what's on offer.

Australia's contemporary architecture shows all the richness and complexity of a truly multicultural society in its ability to take the best of architecture and design from the wider world and adapt it to meet the special needs of the Australian environment - with a result that is distinctly Australian.

Every city in Australia boasts a major art gallery. Along with an appreciation for the visual arts of Europe and Asia - seen in the major touring exhibitions - Australia has a world-class tradition of its own in the art of its Aboriginal people, which has undergone a renaissance in the last 30 years.

Nature/Sight-seeing: The Tropical North Queensland Region is the ideal starting point for travelers wanting to explore the natural wonderland made up of the Great Barrier Reef, wet tropics rainforest, outback savannah plains and the vast wilderness of Cape York Peninsula. The natural values of this region are so great; much of it has been listed as World Heritage, to preserve the bio-diversity for future generations. Take a day tour to explore “nature’s theme park” or immerse yourself totally with a longer stay.