AUDLEY IN AUSTRALIA9TASMANIA Compact and unspoiled, Tasmania is oftenoverlooked by travellers but offers stunninglandscapes, diverse wildlife and some ofAustralia's finest trekking. The main city, Hobart,is a sleepy place, rich in convict settler historyand Victorian architecture, but bursts into lifefor the December yacht race from Sydney beforesubsiding again into a somnolent charm. Fromhere it is easy to reach superb national parksincluding Freycinet, Cradle Mountain, the Bay ofFires and Maria Island, with terrain ranging fromglaciated mountains to dense forest teemingwith wallabies, echidnas, Tasmanian Devils andquolls, while seals and dolphins frolic offshore.Small settler towns are ideal hubs to explore thenatural world, with heritage cruises or four andeight-day guided walks for breaths of Tasmania'scool clear air. The best - but busiest - time tovisit is through the Austral summer: the climateis almost British, so spring and autumn can bebeautiful but winter days are short and chilly.tailor-made travelAll our travel arrangements are on a private,individual basis to offer you complete freedom ofchoice. The itineraries and accommodation optionsthroughout the brochure are designed to give you aflavour of what is possible and can be tailor-made tosuit your preferences. Prices vary according toselected accommodation and season. Please callour Australia specialists on 01869 276 345 todiscuss your individual requirements.WESTERN AUSTRALIA This is Australia's largest state, but much of it isunpopulated. A vast landscape inhabited only bya scatter of residents stretching up to the north.The state capital is Perth, a friendly oasis ofsophistication where gleaming skyscrapersoverlook quiet colonial suburbs on the banks ofthe Swan River. A short drive to the west is therestored port town of Fremantle and a chain ofbeautiful surf beaches, but it is a long drive tothe next settlement inland - the gold-miningtown of Kalgoorlie. The Margaret River area hasbeautiful national parks, friendly wineries anddeserted beaches, cooling towards temperateforest regions and the remote southern coast.Go north and you pass the weird rockformations of the Pinnacles, the visiting dolphinsof Shark Bay and the pearl farms of Broome. Weknow the best places to visit: the whales thattrack past Albany from May to October, theremote Kimberley and the awesome wildernessof Cape Leveque. Perth and the south west canbe visited year-round, though it can be chillyfrom June to August. The north is best in the'dry', from April to October, as the 'wet' can bevery humid even if not always wet.Cradle Mountain, TasmaniaTasmanian DevilTHEBOOMERANGIf you are returning to Australia for a second or thirdtime then this trip includes a wealth of highlightsthat you may have initially missed. Consisting of self-driving, private touring and train travel, this journeycan be tailored to your preferences.Day 1:Arrive in Perth. Spend the day at leisure. Day 2:Full day to enjoy the heritage sights,perhaps take a cruise along the SwanRiver to Fremantle. Day 3:Drive south to Margaret River passingthrough the lively port of Bunbury. Day 4:Spend the day in Margaret River, explorethe vineyards and beaches for which thearea is renowned. Day 5:Head east into the karri forests thatsurround the charming town ofPemberton. Day 6:Take the 'Valley of the Giants' treetopwalk before heading to Albany. Day 7:Explore the lovely Albany coastline. Day 8:Return to Perth. Day 9:Depart Perth aboard the Indian Pacific. Day 10:Cross the Nullarbor Plain into SouthAustralia.Day 11:Arrive into Adelaide, spend the rest ofthe day at leisure. Day 12:Fly to Angorichina Station in the FlindersRanges. Join Ian Fargher on a tour of thisvast Outback station. Day 13:Tour the station in the company of one ofthe local Aboriginal people. Day 14:Return to Adelaide and fly to KangarooIsland, joining a tour of this wildlife haven. Day 15:Explore Seal Bay Conservation Park andthe famed Remarkable Rocks. Day 16:Return to Adelaide and fly to Melbourne. Day 17:Spend the day exploring and later dine inone of the countless fine restaurants forwhich this cosmopolitan city is known. Day 18:Explore the Mornington Peninsula and itsthriving arts and craft scene. Day 19:Fly to Hobart. Spend the day at leisure. Day 20:Enjoy a guided tour of Port Arthur. Day 21:Drive to Freycinet National Park. Day 22:Spend the day exploring Wineglass Bay. Day 23:Drive to Launceston and explore theTamar wine region. Day 24:Depart Launceston.EXTENSIONSExtend your trip and drive from Adelaide toMelbourne along the Great Ocean Road, or fly atthe start of your journey to Broome and take a tourto the tip of Cape Leveque.Perth

Australia offers the traveller a friendly,hospitable welcome, great food, wine,superb accommodation and a wealth oftravel options at any time of year, bethey discovering the immense Outback,experiencing Aboriginal culture,encountering the continent's somewhatquirky wildlife or exploring thecosmopolitan cities. Most of thisbrochure is organised geographically,however, over the following pages wehave highlighted the main experiences:recent history, modern Australia and theAboriginal people as well as astaggering array of landscapes andwildlife. Many people's trip to Australiaincludes staying with family or friendswho have emigrated there. We candesign your trip around your time withthem and, if you wish we can includethem in your travel plans. MEETING THE PASTFrom the moment the first settlers appeared atBotany Bay and convicts arrived in Tasmania, tothe goldrush fever that grew new towns in thedesert, Australia's tales are of pioneering,rugged adventures in an inhospitable land andstories of survival against the odds shaping thecountry we see today. Australians take theirhistory very seriously, and guides effortlesslybring the colourful past to life. CONVICT HISTORYSkilled raconteurs outline the personal tales ofthose serving out prison sentences in a strangenew world and both Tasmania's Port Arthur(page 75) and Sarah Island penal coloniesprovide chilling reminders of the hardship facedby convicts. The wonderful architecture built onthe back of convict labour in areas such asSydney's Rocks (page 15) and Fremantle (page47) in the 19th century now form the modernhubs of the cities' leisure areas. Experience Australia10SETTLER HISTORYGuided walks around the city centres of Hobart,Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Sydney recountthe adventures of the early settlers and thecreation of distinctive societies in each of theprincipal states. As adventurers took their firsttentative steps into Australia's interior, individualexplorers and prospectors shaped thedevelopment of this mysterious continent. Thishistory can be woven into your trip: we havesought out accommodation in converted minesclose to the Atherton Tablelands (page 27),adapted prison cells in the port of Fremantleand underground cave hotels in the opal-miningbelt of Coober Pedy (page 64). As well as these,there are hundreds of charming 19th centuryproperties that are blessed with old worldcharm. We follow the trails of the Afghancameleers (page 56) who forged a telegraphroute through the country's Red Centre, tour theBarossa vineyards established by persecutedLutheran minorities (page 62) and stay on fifth-generation Outback stations such as Bullo RiverStation (page 40), some larger than manyEuropean countries. To get a taste of Australia's rich heritage, youneed only look around you as you travelthrough the diverse and enchantingenvironment. If you are interested in lingeringover the more fascinating areas we can help youplan the best trip to really gain an insight intotheir history.Port Arthur, Tasmania