Even the stories of killer birds, demon ducks and meter-long grasshoppers can not frighten off those who want to go to Australia: this country does not cease to attract travelers with its geographical, natural and excursion variety. So that we can in good conscience say that Australian tourists - it is special: not a bit afraid to burn in the scorching sun, ready more than a day to get to the continent on the chaise and do not hesitate to the presence of all sorts of fantastic reptiles, grasshoppers from the meter to the Tasmanian devil

. for such fortitude Australia rewarded handsomely: openwork archipelagos of the Great Barrier Reef, a blood-red monolith Uluru, postcard waves for surfers and plush hand koalas for sentimental ladies . We add to floor th gorgeous beaches and recognizable silhouettes of attractions such as the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge, a lot of interesting veshchichek that can be take with them, and the ease of communication with the local population: the English language, our tourists somehow learned . "Ossie, ay'm Cuming! "- we exclaimed and thoroughly studied for you the southern continent .

Capital - Canberra. Major cities - Sydney (Sydney), Melbourne (Melbourne), Brisbane (Brisbane), Adelaide (Adelaide), Perth (Perth), Cairns (Cairns)

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Popular places in Australia

Basic beach the resorts of the country are located on the east coast, the most popular among them - the Gold Coast (Gold Coast) and the Great Barrier Reef (BBB). Center of the country is covered by red desert, which has its own "Grand Canyon" and "navel of the earth" - the sacred mountain Uluru Aboriginal, hence its popular name - "Red Center» Alice Springs and Ayers Rock

In the north, in the. close to the settlements of the aborigines there are numerous parks with waterfalls, rivers, crocodiles and many other living creatures, the most famous of which is Darwin

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How to get there

Variant one: flight Moscow - Sydney transit through Tokyo, joint flight airline Aeroflot "and" Qantas "(" Australian Airlines ") or JAL (" Japanese Airlines "). If you need an overnight stay, the airline (JAL) will provide the hotel free of charge. Docking time in Tokyo - about 12 hours, you can make a city tour (transit visa is free for 72 hours). In addition, the same airlines fly to Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns.

Option Two: convenient flight with Emirates Airlines to Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Perth or Melbourne via Dubai (also with a free hotel in case of overnight stays).

Option three: a Korean Air flight to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland or Brisbane with a stop in Seoul.

Option Four: Thai Airways flights to Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne with landing in Bangkok

Option 5: Singapore Airlanes through Singapore to Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth

Option Six: Etihad Airways to Sydney or Melbourne with a landing in Abu Dhabi, as well as joint flights of the airlines Etihad Airways and Qantas (but already in two transplants) to Perth with planting in Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, to Canberra, Brisbane and Cairns with planting in Abu Dhabi and Sydney

Other flights: from Austrian Airlines through Vienna, from British Airways through London, with Cathay Pacific and Aeroflot through Hong Kong

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Australian visa

Citizens of Russia and CIS need a visa to visit Australia. The necessary documents and the amount of the consular fee should be found on the visa page to Australia

Customs

Cash of 10 000 AUD or more (or the equivalent amount in another currency) must be declared upon arrival and upon departure. It is prohibited to import food, drugs, animal and vegetable materials, firearms, weapons and ammunition, wildlife, or items made from protected animals, some medicines (including substances containing sports stimulants).

In personal luggage, you can bring goods, without payment of customs duties and taxes the amount of AUD 900 (AUD or 450 for children under 18 years). Also, persons over the age of 18 can duty-free import up to 2, 25 liters of alcoholic beverages (any fortress), 250 cigarettes or 250 g of other tobacco products - if all this is in the luggage.

It is forbidden to export animals and plants, corals , shells and so on. You can not take out items of historical value, as well as wood, bamboo, leather, bone, bird feathers, shells and corals without proper authorization.

• How many cigarettes can you take to Australia

Rooms phones

Embassy of Australia in Moscow: Podkolokolny per., 10A / 2, phone: (495) 956-60-70, 956-60-75, website

Russian Embassy in Canberra: 78 Canberra Avenue, Griffith, tel .: (2) 629-590-33, website

Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Sydney: 7-9 Fullerton Street, Woollahra, tel .: (2) 936-353-91, 932-617-02

Free inquiry service throughout Australia - 013, in Sydney (Visitors' Center) - 923-524-24 or 925-517-88

Police, fire department, ambulance and other emergency calls - 000 (from any phone, free of charge); from mobile phones - 000 or 112

Codes of large cities: Sydney - 2, Brisbane - 7, Melbourne - 3, Perth - 8.

Transport Australia

Traveling long distances in Australia is most convenient by air. An extensive network of routes covers the entire country, besides, competing with each other, local airlines sometimes offer very attractive tariffs.

Railway transport in Australia is relatively poorly developed, and tickets are very expensive. Only suburban transportation and tourist routes in the Sydney area are well established. The cheapest, but also the longest mode of transportation between cities is buses.

City transport

City buses run from 5:00 to 23:00. The travel is paid for by cards, which can be bought at kiosks and at stations. It is most profitable to purchase weekly cards (green, cost 17, 5 AUD), suitable for all modes of transport and effective from 9:00. In Sydney there is an extensive metro network, a monorail in the city center and passenger ferries cruising the bay.

Taxi is easy to catch on the street or order by phone even late at night, their parking can be found at large hotels, central shops and at the public stops transport. Travel is relatively inexpensive: 2, 5 AUD per km. When ordering a taxi by phone or in the presence of bulk baggage, the fare increases.

Car Rental

To rent a car in Australia, you need a driver's license (either domestic with a translation into English or an international one) and a credit card of any of the most common systems in the world. Sometimes it is possible to rent without a credit card for a cash deposit. The driving experience of the tenant must be at least one year, at least 21 years old for passenger cars and minivans (25 years for a car with four-wheel drive) and not more than 75 years

You can rent a car at any airport, railway or bus station. The agency can deliver the car directly to the house. By the way, except for the car in Australia, you can rent a camper for camping - but only for a period of 7 days.

Safety of tourists in Australia

The Australian sun is very active, so sun burns are a serious danger . In the first days of stay in the country, it is better to avoid direct sunlight , use protective creams and use light white cotton clothing (this, by the way, helps to avoid hypothermia in the highly conditioned rooms that are typical for Australia) . At any time of the year it is recommended to wear the sun goggles . Bathing should only be on the calmest in the course of currents and waves of the coast, marked with green or yellow-red flags . Single yellow or red flags indicate an increased danger for bathers - there inexperienced swimmers in the water is better not to go .

It is not recommended to walk barefoot on the grass and walk in the parks at twilight - in Australia there are poisonous insects and snakes, active at night. Also, utmost care should be taken when dealing with marine life.

Smoking is prohibited in public places, including all restaurants and cafes. Use of alcohol is possible only in certain places and at certain times.

Climate

The climate of Australia varies dramatically depending on the region. In the north it is tropical, in the south it is temperate. The hottest time of the year is from November to January, at this time throughout the country the temperature ranges from +20 to +32 ° C, and in the central regions can reach +38 .. + 42 ° C. In this case, a half to two hours after sunset, it can become colder by 10-12 degrees. Relatively cold in June-August, when the temperature does not rise above +15 .. +18 ° C, and in the temperate zone it sometimes drops to zero. At the same time, rains often go.

The best time to visit the Gold Coast is the Australian summer (Russian winter). In June-August there is a big wave rising, strong winds are blowing and rains are raining. At this time it is better to swim and sunbathe on the BBB. See also the current weather forecast for major Australian resorts and cities in the coming days

Australia Hotels

Hotels in Australia are classified according to the world standards, but they are not "star", but classes: 5 * - de luxe, 4, 5 * - superior first class, 4 * - first class, 3 * and a half - superior tourist class, 3 * - tourist class. Therefore, before booking, you should always consult the tour operator in advance. The rooms of Australian hotels always have a kettle and iron, and the service and furnishings always correspond to their level.

In large cities it is recommended to book a hotel closer to the center. It is there that most of the sights are located, and from the central stations it is easiest to go on long excursions.

The voltage in the network is 220-240 V, 50 Hz. Rosettes are three-pin (so-called "Australian"), but adapters are sold in all stores. In addition, the adapter can also be rented at the hotel, leaving a deposit of 10-15 AUD

Money

Exchange money better in banks , their branches at the airport or exchange points Singapore Mani Exchange (no commission), Thomas Cook and American Express. A somewhat less profitable course is in the hotel exchange offices. Credit cards are accepted in the central areas almost everywhere, but in small private shops, especially in the provinces, they are likely to be useless pieces of plastic. Travelers' checks are unprofitable: banks charge high commissions for their cashing in.

There is an extensive network of ATM ATMs in the country. Banks usually work Monday to Thursday from 9:30 to 16:00 (until 17:00 on Fridays), Saturdays and Sundays - weekends. In some states, banks work on Saturday morning

Shopping and shopping

"Business Card" of Australia - precious and semiprecious stones: opals, sapphires, pink diamonds (they are mined only here), pearls . Plus, of course, aboriginal crafts: inevitable boomerangs, wood things, earthenware . Also we recommend to pay attention to the products of sheep's wool and crocodiles leather: sweaters, hats, scarves and other warm accessories, pl shawls, hats, shoes and belts . Gourmets should take a pack of Australian herbal tea, a jar of fruit jam (for example, from cocktail plums) and spices: mint, anise myrtle and t . d . Especially popular is coffee grown in the Bay of Byron Bay, and cheese from the island of King . Eucalyptus oil and varana oil will help to overcome the northern diseases, and to preserve the health of the skin - a variety of products of the Australian manufacturers of natural cosmetics: soaps, cream and balsams . And of course do not forget about the most real ugg boots - authentic boots from seized of a flexible sole .

stores operating mode is different from state to state. Typically, large stores are open from 9:00 to 17:30 on weekdays and from 9:00 to 17:00 on Saturdays. One day a week (Thursday or Friday) they work until 21:00. Some retail outlets are open on Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00. In large cities, there are markets where you can buy almost anything from products and clothes to souvenirs

Cuisine and restaurants of Australia

The main national dish of Australia is fried meat. Everything else - dishes from seafood and poultry, exotic fruits and local cheeses - serves to him only as a kind of complement. Delicatessen in assortment: shark's lips, crocodile meat, opossum fillet, blue crab meat and freshwater oysters. Now Asian cuisine is popular in the country, which likes to go to extremes: the product or is used almost raw, or, on the contrary, it is processed to the full unrecognizability.

Authentic Australian dessert - "Lamington", bathed in chocolate and sprinkled with coconut crumbs biscuit. Australian wines are not inferior in quality to the best European varieties, and some types of beer are even exported to many countries. To get acquainted with Australian cuisine in all its manifestations, true gourmets will have to travel all over the country: each state has its own specialty.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Australia

The main attractions of Canberra : The Australian National Gallery, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere of art collections and the National Portrait Gallery.

Sydney - the capital of New South Wales, business and financial center of Australia . Melbourne - the capital Victoria . The city of excellence and chic, the focus of culture and the place of attraction of big capital, with a unique mix of architecture of old and modern buildings . Most tourists coming to Melbourne primarily seek to see the neighborhood - the island of Phillip Island with its "Penguins Parade "," The Great Ocean Road ", as well as the beautiful national park Port Campbell with its amazing collection of limestone" sculptures ", which is called" 12 apostles ". And also: the Loch-Ard gorge, the Dendenong mountain and the town of gold diggers C veren Hill .

The City of Alice Springs is interesting with its Museum of the old telegraph station, which preserves the memory of the era of the development of the Australian deserts, the airbase of the Royal Flying Doctors Service, and the camel's farm . Alice Springs is also the starting point for travel to Uluru-Kata-Tzhuta National Park, where Uluru (Ayers Rock) is located . Uluru Mountain is considered sacred among the Aborigines, many rock carvings . B 32 km to the west of Uluru lies the Kata-Tzhuta massif ( or Mount Olgas) . Lovers of mystical and historical impressions can go to the "ghost town" Arltangu, abandoned since the end of the "gold rush" . Well, the most hardy, ready to go for more than 300 kilometers, is waiting for the Royal Canyon, one of the main attractions of central Australia .

Tasmania is an island famous for its untouched nature, pleasant temperate climate and wonderful fishing . The main city of Tasmania, Hobart, all built in neo-Gothic style, which in combination with beautiful mountaineers the landscape of the surrounding city areas, gives it a unique charm . Here are some wonderful natural parks, the first legal casino in the country, as well as the infamous Port Arthur (60 km from Hobart) - the most severe colony of Australia, existed before 1877 year . Port Arthur is a complex of 60 buildings inscribed in a picturesque landscape . Represented by the British authorities as an impregnable prison, Port Arthur has much in common with the American prison Alcatraz, also popular with tourists s .

National parks in Australia

Blue Mountains - a unique nature reserve, listed in UNESCO. Covered with eucalyptus forests, the mountains here from afar really seem blue. The Daintree reserve is one of the oldest natural parks. In this primeval forest you can see a variety of animals, including a luminous green frog, opossum and luminous mushrooms growing on tree trunks.

The Kakadu National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the wildest places in Australia. It is managed by the Australian Aborigines and is preserved in its original form. Even more closely acquainted with the centuries-old culture of Aboriginal people can be found in Namaji National Park - on its territory people have been living for more than 21 thousand years. Here you can observe rare animals with intriguing names: broad-toothed rat, false toad and marble gadops.

The Hunter Valley, located 180 km from Sydney, is famous among lovers of good wine. Sandy slopes and a special microclimate create excellent conditions for the best Australian vineyards. Noteworthy are the Canberra National Park, the Black Mountain and the Eucalyptus Grove.

Homely inhabitants of national parks

The Tailed Symbol of Australia

Fluffy koalas are the favorites of tourists

Holiday in Australia

Australia is called a country of contrasts, promising its guests an unforgettable experience and truly exciting adventures. Modern megacities here coexist with deserts and dense forests and farms. It is in this continent state that endemics are represented - representatives of fauna that are not found anywhere else on the globe: koala, kangaroo, emu, platypus ...

Australia is ready to offer its guests excursions to explore the culture and history, for this it is best to go to Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne. Those who prefer nature, hiking and hiking, should choose among the numerous routes in the Snowy and Blue Mountains, in Tasmania. There is something to do and lovers of beach recreation, surfing and diving. The latter should pay special attention to the Great Barrier Reef - a place of pilgrimage for divers from all over the world.

Surfing

Conquerors of the waves have long considered Australia their second home: only here you can ride on the board immediately on two oceans - the Pacific and Indian .Surfers are patched on the south-eastern and southern coasts of the continent .Popular destinations are the Gold Coast (the waves of Snapper Rocks are the longest on the planet), Cape Bellarin in Victoria, the beaches of Cape Fleurier in South Australia, Trigg Island near Perth and the beaches of Tasmanian Hobart .However, in Australia, you can not go far from civilization: beautiful waves are caught on the coast of Sydney .There are also numerous surf schools and there is a mass of profile stores .

Events in Australia

In January in Sydney there passes the famous Festival of the city with dances, drunkards and other indispensable attributes of the holiday .And on the last Monday of January, the whole country celebrates Australia Day .In February, an outrageous festival of sexual minorities "Mardi Gras" .The second Monday of June is the Birthday of the Queen, and in August an unusual and very funny holiday is celebrated - Darvina Beer Regatta .During this "regatta" there is a whole series of races of boats, built entirely from beer cans and barrels .Well, on the first Tuesday in November, almost the whole life in the country freezes because of the Melbourne Cup on football . Photos of Australia (235)