GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT AUSTRALIA NO our children do not ride kangaroos to school (although I am sure some would love to) and we don't all have koalas (that is KOALA not Koala Bear) in our backyard. Although if you do go a little way out of the city it is an idea to keep your eyes open because you never know whe you might bump into a Roo, and if you do you'll know about it.
Australia is a continent, an island(well more than one with Tasmania and a number of smaller islands off the coast) and a country all rolled into one. Australia lies in the Southern Hemisphere and is surrounded by a number of different water ways including Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Timor Sea, Arafura Sea. Torres Strait. Australia has a population of about 22 million mostly living in coastal regions. The capital is Canberra with a population of 359 thousand and the largest city is Sydney with a population of about 4.5 m (although Melbourne is thought to overtake Sydney's population in the next decade).
Australia is known for it's beaches, Melbourne, Sydney, Great Barrier Reef and Uluru (Ayers Rock) but there is SO much more than that, but be prepared it's BIG. It's a land of beautiful scenery, mountains, forest, deserts as well as those beaches.
If you are from the US, Canada, Russia or China you might understand distances, but anywhere else you don't have any idea unless you've travelled here before. Driving from Melbourne to Sydney will take you 9hours straight through so be prepared for that when you make travel plans.
Australian people are not all like Crocodile Dundee and they don't all say G'day but they are friendly and laid back and most are willing to lend a helping hand.
Travelling in Australia can be expensive, because of the distances involved (and the exchange rate) at present the US dollar is almost equivalent to the Australian, so it doesn't make for a cheap holiday, but in the past the US dollar was getting nearly $1.5o Australian which made a trip downunder much more affordable. Again it is a matter of what you want out of your trip as to how much you spend, you can stay in decent hostels, expensive hotels, hire a motor home, stay in a caravan park the choice is yours. Eating out is the same; cafes, restaurants, fast food the choices are unlimited and diverse, as a country with migrants from all over the world you will find any sort of food you could possibly imagine but if you want to try the local stuff you can find kangaroo meat and amazing seafood in any supermarket and on a lot of menus.
The national language of Australia is English, (although some slang may confuse other English speaking natives)
The currency is the dollar, with notes of $5, $10,$20, $50 and $100 and coins of 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2.
Credit cards are widely accepted in most major cities, but like most places in the world may not be accepted in smaller places so make sure you have enough cash on you.
ATM machines can be found in most places but like anywhere be careful about when and where you use them.
Enjoy, explore and embrace everything that Australia has to offer. If you get the opportunity get off the beaten path- do it. Most importantly where ever you go in Australia-ENJOY it and have fun.
Check out my 7 wonders list to get more detailed information about different parts of Australia.