Advantages: great amusement parks and nice food
Disadvantages: boring once youre done with it

...Of course the first thing anyone thinks of Brisbane is its beaches.(along the gold coast i think) I personally don't know about that but I do know that they have fantastic amusement parks.....yup, to some of you out there that's nothing much but from where I come from it's pretty amazing. There's Dreamworld, Seaworld and Movieworld..Dreamworld being your regular rides and amusement park (though the rides are really good), Seaworld being a smaller version of Hong Kong's Ocean Park (for those who don't know what that is, try guessing from the title :)) Finally Movieworld is the Australia's very own version of Warner Bros or Universal Studios...in fact I think it's quite a good imitation of it,haha. I like the system where you pay for a whole day's visit and have as many rides as you like, or see as many things as you want. It isn't too... Read review

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Advantages: There is a lot of exciting and interesting places to explore
Disadvantages: You will be missing the country and a long journey from UK and Europe.

...about my travel around Australia particularly in the major tourist destinations around the country, but I decided to have a general review covering my overall impression for each major city/town that I have visited and provide the salient and interesting spots that made these places worth visiting. In this way, some people might not only visit one particular place in Australia but maybe try the way I did it. In so doing, there is always a reason to come back and explore the rest that the country can offer and also its neighbouring countries like Fiji and New Zealand. Queensland (QLD) is the place for all the amusement parks/rides, beaches, zoos, koalas and kangaroos parks, marine sanctuaries, rainforest, great barrier reefs. Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are the most refreshing places to relax, unwind and feel the coldness of the summer wind... Read review

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Advantages: See Review
Disadvantages: See Review

...of Carnarvon, which is famous as a Ground Station for NASA. The Big Dish communications antenna is 100 ft across. 6. If you are totally crazy, keep following the North West Highway round further and then go inland to the town of Marble Bar. This is known as being the hottest town in Australia and is known for its heatwave of 1923-24 when the temperature soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 160 days straight! Lots of people settled here because of the Gold in the region, although not many stay there now! And finally, be prepared to enjoy the pace of life in Western Australia. In the east the joke is that WA stands for Wait-Awhile! Bon Voyage! Gosh I wish I was back there now. And to think I gave it all up for the West Coast of Scotland instead. I am the one that’s crazy….... Read review

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Advantages: A lovely area and so much to do
Disadvantages: not enough time

...This is one of those holiday resorts in Australia that most people have heard of, but I didn’t really know what to expect. When we stepped off the plane it was hot, even in August, but not too hot. The airport is about a 15 min drive from the town through rather interesting coastal countryside. The town itself is set out in the block pattern with roads running north/south and east/west, which makes it easy to navigate around. The shopping area is spread over a number of blocks with a wide variety of small local shops, big chain stores, the odd mall or two and of course surfing places. There are a lot of surf shops in the area as the Gold Coast has a good reputation for surfing. Eating out in Cairns can be quite cheap as they have a number of eat as much as you want for a fixed price places, fast food chains and in the evening... Read review

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Advantages: a large city but quieter than most and extremely pretty
Disadvantages: can't think of any right now! My favourite place

...During my eighteen months in Australia, I spent 6 of them living in Brisbane. Although spoilt (I lived with a friend's mum in a very wealthy area called Kangaroo Point on the river), I found that Brisbane was my favourite place. I work in Administration so I joined a temping agency and found work straight away and found that work was easier to come by than in Sydney and the rates were the same. The weather is always beautiful in Queensland so even in winter, all you have to wear is a light jumper. With the Gold Coast one hour south and the Sunshine Coast one hour north, you are spoilt for choice with beaches and amazing vistas. The nightlife is also very good with fabulous restaurants of all various nationalities and clubs in the Valley are diverse but all good. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to going back.... Read review

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Advantages: Anything you could possibly want in a holiday all in 1 country!
Disadvantages: Far from anywhere, long way to get anywhere

...then in this vast land! And around 90% of the population live within a couple of hours drive from the coast. Until you actually arrive in Australia you can't quite fathom the vastness of it, even though people told me it would take 2 days to drive from Brisbane to Canberra the idea just seemed so bizarre that you thought these 2 days would be packed with getting out of the car, stopping at the beach, having lunch in some nice café overlooking the beach and maybe a couple of hours driving here and there! It's not until you actually sit on a bus for 12 hours and then get out your map and realize you have only traveled about a third of the way up the entire coast that you appreciate how big it really is! In fact it is so big that there are 3 different time zones! The western side is either 2 or 3 hours behind the eastern side (depending on daylight... Read review

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Advantages: Unique, fantastic and very relaxing.
Disadvantages: An incredibly winding road to reach O'Reilly's at the centre of the park.

...A myriad of birds and animals, spectacular waterfalls, ancient beech rainforests and breathtaking views! All of this within a short drive from the world famous Gold Coast. Lamington National Park is covered in temperate rainforest and has some of the most spectacular waterways and waterfalls found in Australia. Along with several other national parks on the Queensland / NSW border the park has a unique and ancient Antartic Beech Forest and is home to some of the rarest of Australian animals. The whole area is part of the second largest volcanic cauldera in the world, formed when Mt Warning was active millions of years ago. For visitors to Australia one of the main problems is the sheer distance between points of interest. Here is a unique National Park readily accessible from both the Gold Coast and Brisbane. There is plenty... Read review

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Advantages: A nice airport and very good staff
Disadvantages: The approach is hair-raising

...Hamilton Island is one of the larger islands off the east coast of Australia about a 1-hour flight from Sydney. It is mainly a tourist island based around the one large resort and the fact that it holds a big yachting regatta every year. The island has one airport and this is fairly good as planes as large as 777’s can land on it. The big problem is that when they come into land they approach the island, pass it and then do a 180-degree turn, banking at 45 degrees, to line themselves up for the approach. It is a bit hair-raising if you aren’t used to that sort of thing, as you get a good view of either a lot of sky or a lot of water. The departure and arrivals lounge isn’t very big, about the size of one and a half football pitches in area, but suitable for the island. Your luggage on arrival is collected by the island taxi... Read review

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Advantages: weather, people, cost/standard of living
Disadvantages: humidity, can be hard to find work

...I lived in Brisbane for a year and had a brilliant time. It's got a bad reputation from backpackers as they think it's boring and not as much to offer as Sydney or Melbourne. Frankly that's what's best about it. Although it's not a particularly big city it still feels like you're actually in Australia as it's still got a big town feel to it. That of course has it's disadvantages as well, and sexism can be rife if that offends you, but you learn to deal with it. The standard of living is brilliant, rent is pretty cheap, wages are better for even bar work than over here, and you can still have a brilliant social life and save money for your travels. I managed to save up for my flight home in 6 weeks and still pay rent, bills and go out just about every night. Eating out is great with a huge choice. Japanese, Vietnamese, Pakistani... Read review

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Advantages: Too many to mention
Disadvantages: None

...OZ - TRALIA A long awaited retirement gave us the opportunity to visit friends in Australia in 1993. It was our second trip to this vast continent, the first being a quick visit for two weeks only, when I was still earning a living. We chose to fly Singapore Airlines, as we had heard good reports and we were not disappointed. The service offered by the charming air hostesses was excellent, the food and wine first class and all in all, worthy of recommendation. Our route took us via Frankfurt, Rome, Bahrain, Bangkok, Singapore ( stop-over), Darwin, Cairns ( a stop-over to visit the Barrier Reef – not to be missed) and finally to Sydney. Here we were met by our friends who live in Melbourne and staying with their daughter in Sydney. Having satisfied the inner man (and woman), we slept solidly for four hours and woke... Read review

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