The main chapters of the guide, arranged by region, provide detailed coverage of all the attractions from glamorous Sydney to the rugged grandeur of the Red Centre. Throughout there are author picks highlighting the top places to eat, drink and stay to suit every budget.
The Rough Guide to Sydney tells you all there is to know about one of Australia''s most diverse and vibrant cities. From the Royal Botanical Gardens and Taronga Zoo to the chic bars and Bondi Beach, the 28-page, full-colour section highlights all the ''Things-not-to-miss''. The guide includes up-to-date listings of the city’s top hotels and restaurants, plus information on all the best bars, shops and clubs, to suit every budget. From bushwalking in the Blue Mountains to cruising on the Hawkesbury River, this guide has all the practical advice you will need. There is an additional chapter on The Southern Highlands and more ideas for walks around the city. The guide comes complete with maps and plans for the entire city.
INTRODUCTION Australia is massive, and very sparsely peopled: in size it rivals the USA, yet its population is just over eighteen million - little more than that of the Netherlands. This is an ancient land, and often looks it: in places, it's the most eroded, denuded and driest of continents, with much of central and western Australia - the bulk of the country - overwhelmingly arid and flat. In contrast, its cities - most of which were founded as recently as the mid-nineteenth century - express a youthful energy. The most memorable scenery is in the Outback, the vast desert in the interior of the country west of the Great Dividing Range. Here, vivid blue skies, cinnamon-red earth, deserted gorges and other striking geological features as well as bizarre wildlife comprise a unique ecology - one that has played host to the oldest surviving human culture for at least fifty thousand years. The harshness of the interior has forced modern Australia to become a coastal country. Most of the population lives within 20km of the ocean, occupying a suburban, southeastern arc extending from southern Queensland to Adelaide. These urban Australians celebrate the typical New World values of material self-improvement through hard work and hard play, with an easy-going vitality that visitors, especially Europeans, often find refreshingly hedonistic. A sunny climate also contributes to this exuberance, with an outdoor life in which a thriving beach culture and the congenial backyard "barbie" are central. While visitors might eventually find this Home and Away lifestyle rather prosaic, there are opportunities - particularly in the Northern Territory - to gain some experience of Australia's indigenous peoples and their culture, through visiting ancient art sites, taking tours and, less easily, making personal contact. Many Aboriginal people - especially in central Australia - have managed to maintain their traditional way of life (albeit with some modern accoutrements), speaking their own languages and living according to their law (the tjukurpa). Conversely, most Aboriginal people you'll come across in country towns and cities are victims of what is scathingly referred to as "welfare colonialism" - a disempowering system in which, supported by dole cheques and other subsidies, they often fall prey to a destructive cycle of poverty, ill-health and alcoholism. There's still a long way to go before black and white people in Australia can exist on genuinely equal terms.
A collection of short stories about women "on the road". These are tales of independent travel and subversions of the macho world of the road trip. Contributors include: Bidisha; Joanna Briscoe; Louise Doughty; Catherine Ford; Bridget O'Connor; Kathy Page; Emily Perkins; and Ali Smith.
Turistický průvodce po Austrálii je neodmyslitelným pomocníkem při cestování tímto světadílem. V průvodci najdete: Barevná příloha obeznamuje s australskými zajímavostmi. Podrobný popis všech oblastí, od odlehlého vnitrozemí, tropických pralesů Queenslandu až po pulzující města Sydney a Melbourne. Nejaktuálnější seznamy ubytování, barů a restaurací dle cenových kategorií. Užitečné informace o procházkách buší v Tasmánii, výletech na ostrovy Whitsundays, nebo dokonce o lyžování v Snowy Moutains. Zasvěcené informace o všem od australských kin po domorodou kulturu a současnou hudbu. Mapky a plány měst každého regionu.20 stran barevné přílohy.