Australia Travel News 05/14/2011

This interview is part of a series on Travel in Australia through the eyes of travellers. Backpacking Australia is popular for people on a working holiday Australia visa.

The following six places aren’t necessarily the best, as best is really an opinion based on each person’s likes and dislikes. The method for coming up with this list was to devise a set of ideal criterion for expat living. Five items were considered: Cost of living compared to home. Ease of finding a variety of work. The visa process. The strength of the expat community. And enjoyment and quality of life.

Sydney is a summer city; there is no doubt about that. But not everyone gets to take a holiday to Australia during our awesome summer. If you’re planning a trip during the Australian winter, that's okay! Sydney is a city so unique and lively that there's always something special to take part in during all seasons of the year, and since winter is fast approaching in the Southern Hemisphere, I thought I'd point out the reasons why Sydney should still be at the tops of your travel lists.

The Director of Mad Max says filming is delayed because heavy rain turned the outback into a flower garden.

We’ve just returned from our incredible road trip up WA’s Coral Coast, and we had an amazing time. The destinations were spectacular, to say the least, but the trip was even more enjoyable because we had a wonderful deluxe campervan, courtesy of the awesome folks at Traveller’s Auto Barn.

Amongst the piles of clothes and clouds of perfume and makeup as my friends and I got ready for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday night there was sudden cry of disappointment – one of my friends, dressed like a French maid, had looked out the window and seen the first signs of rain!

Being an expat as an American in the land down under is not really a challenge when you consider all the other possibilities in the world. Yet, like transplanting yourself in any foreign country, there are definitely ups and downs, those of which I can talk about now that I’ve been in Australia for 2 years.

The Opera House seems to be the Eiffel Tower of Sydney: it’s the most recognized landmark in the city, the thing that you see upon arriving and think—Yes. I’m here. I got a little giddy as I spotted the trademark white, swooping arches as my plane landed in Sydney.

I grew up only about an hour north of Sydney Sydney and have spent a lot of time in the city and surrounding areas. However, it has taken me 35 years to embark on the Bondi to Coogee Beach Walk. I am kicking myself for all those years I could have spent swimming in the tropical coloured waters of the rocky headland beaches along this coastal walk.