National Geographic Traveler A

Active travelers trust National Geographic to deliver what they want in a guidebook: expert advice, insider tips, and the cultural feel of each destination not easily found online. These guides are pitch-perfect for today's experiential travel enthusiasts who want an authentic, enriching immersion.

From famous Bondi beach in Sydney to massive Ayers Rock in the remote desert outback, from rough-and-tumble gold-mining towns in Australia's Far West to the incredible underwater vistas of the Great Barrier Reef, Oz expert Roff Smith guides you through the incredibly varied land- and cityscapes that are modern Australia. Illustrated with 175 vivid photographs and nearly 30 detailed, full-color maps, this guide gives you every tool you need to plan a trip to the unique land on the other side of the world. 

Starting with a detailed introduction to Australia's history, food, land, and culture, the book explores every corner of the country beginning with Sydney, the gleaming cosmopolitan jewel in New South Wales. Special sidebars give detailed information on many topics such as Australian wine, cricket, bush fires, aborginal art, and the many cultural festivals of southern Australia. The book features seven guided drives through some of the land's more spectacular scenery and numerous guided walks in Sydney and Melbourne. A thorough Travelwise section recommends hotels and restaurants throughout the country in all price ranges. 

The book is chock-full of insider tips from National Geographic and local experts to favorite or little-known sites and events, as well as dozens of sidebars highlighting experiences such as wading among curious wild dolphins off the western coast, camel trekking in the outback desert, and diving among giant clams and vivid coral at the Great Barrier Reef. Whether you're visiting the lush forests and wildflowers of the Snowy Mountains, fishing for trout in the rivers of Tasmania, or taking in a concert at Sydney's world-famous Opera House, this guide has everything you need for a memorable trip.

ROFF SMITH has lived most of his adult life in Australia, beginning as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and later as a feature writer for Melbourne's Sunday Age. He joined Time in 1993, and as an award-winning senior writer he covered stories around Australia and as far afield as New Guinea, French Polynesia, and Antarctica. In 1996, Roff set off alone into the Australian Outback on a 10,000-mile bicycle trek. The story of his journey appeared as a three-part series in National Geographic and is described in more detail in Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia and Australia: Journey Through a Timeless Land.