Australia offers an amazing quality of life, fantastic climate and a broad range of career opportunities.
To attract skilled overseas workers Australia offer some tempting incentives such as heavily subsidised rent, 4 year working visas and of course... sunshine!
Beaches galore
Australia boasts over 7,000 beaches - more than any other nation.
Wide open spaces
Australia is about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA and 50 per cent larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometre.
SYDNEY
Population 4,400,000
Sydney is the ultimate mix of beach life and cool city living.
Sydney, recognised as one of the most live able cities on earth, provides a very warm welcome to visitors. Stunning harbour, perfect climate, superb Sydney restaurants, energetic Sydney nightlife this safe efficient city is a must do destination.
One-fifth of the population of Australia lives in Sydney, the largest city in Australia. A mix of peoples from over 130 countries ensures vibrancy, diversity and a dynamic economy. Cultural basis. Greater Sydney covers 400 sq km with a twisting coastline extending to over 300 km. A public transport of ferries, buses, trains, monorail, taxis efficiently move everyone around.
Safe Sydney beaches active with surfers and swimmers hug the coastline to the North and South. Mix nature with the man made attractions led by the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Add in a city centre play area, Darling Harbour, with restaurants, museums, shopping, street artists and lots more. Build a complete Olympic park and run the most successful Olympic Games ever. Top it all with theatres, cinemas, nightclubs and some of the world’s best restaurants and you have a lively pulsating city offering complete extremes of entertainment.
PERTH
Population 1,300,000
Perth is a vibrant and modern city sitting between the Indian Ocean and the ancient Darling Ranges. It claims to be the sunniest state capital in Australia, though more striking is its isolation from the rest of the country - Perth is over 4400 kilometres (2750 miles) from Sydney by road.
Perth has the largest inner city park in the world, Kings Park, "yes" bigger than even New Yorks Central Park it was also the first park to be designated for public use in Australia in 1872 and host to Australia's largest wild flower show and exhibition.
The Indian Ocean coastline holds a wealth of aquatic activities. Surfing and swimming at the city's beaches are Perth's favourite activities; Rottnest Island has good diving and fishing, and the picturesque Avon River is a popular canoeing spot.
MELBOURNE
Population 3,200,000
Melbourne is dubbed cosmopolitian for a reason. Healthy hedonism masquerades as high art: Melbournians are equally passionate about football and ballet, fashion and restaurants. They are ravenous for music and hot for theatre. It's a smorgasbord of a city that you'll want to sink your teeth into.
A leafy bayside community on the 'upside-down', brown Yarra River, Melbourne is, in turns, cosmopolitan, suburban, cultivated, conservative and a haven for the avant-garde. Visitors come for its shopping, restaurants, nightlife and sporting calendar, and most agree that it's one of the world's most livable cities.
Bells Beach is a surfer's paradise approximately 2-hours from Melbourne and nestled in between Torquay and Anglesea - along the Great Ocean Road – famous Bells Beach offers picturesque yellow ochre and clay coloured cliffs that melt into sandy beaches met by dark, deep blue water.
BRISBANE
Population 1,600,000
The city centre sits within a tropical landscape while cooling its toes in the undulating Brisbane River, and it boasts a climate that lures pale and chilly southerners by the truckload.
Sophisticated and progressive, dynamic and diverse, Brisbane delivers on all fronts. Visitors and locals alike delight in the very best in food, wine, arts, entertainment and major sporting events, all surrounded by a unique environment of relaxed sub-tropical flair. There’s no end to the range of outdoor adventures on offer, such as sailing, surfing, hot-air ballooning and 4WD excursions. This is a place without pretension, a city with its feet planted firmly on the ground.
And that's exactly what so many people love about Brisbane. From the sun and sand drenched islands in the east, less than an hour away, to its cool and crisp mountain rainforests in the west - and all the attractions of a vibrant, modern city in between - Brisbane offers the best of both worlds.
CANBERRA
Population 323,000
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and is Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 650 km (400 mi) north-east of Melbourne.
The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between age-old rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely purpose-built, planned city. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital".
Canberra has four distinct seasons, because of its latitude, elevation and distance from the coast. The climates of most Australian coastal areas, which include all the state capital cities, are moderated by the sea. Canberra experiences gorgeous hot summers when everyone heads to the beaches only 1 hour away, and crisp cold winters when the snow calls everyone to head to the mountains for fantastic skiing and snowboarding only a 45 minute drive in the other direction.
Canberra has many venues for live music and theatre: the Canberra Theatre and Playhouse which hosts many major concerts and productions; and Llewellyn Hall (within the ANU School of Music), a world-class concert hall are two of the largest. The Street Theatre, also located on Childers Street, operates as a venue for local professional and amateur production companies, as well as producing a season of professional shows each year. Stonefest at the University of Canberra is Canberra's largest music festival. There are numerous bars and nightclubs which also offer live entertainment, particularly concentrated in the areas of Dickson, Kingston and the City Centre.
Corin Forest is a year round recreation facility with an emphasis on mountain sports and activities located just 45 minutes drive from the city. In any environment, people of any age would greatly enjoy these exciting, world-class rides, but located in Corin Forest's natural, Australian mountain bushland setting, they become a unique and unforgettable experience. Many people, however, come to Corin just to enjoy the wonderful Australian bush setting. The grassy verges of a tranquil pond, formed on a permanent stream, is the perfect spot for picnicking, and our Cafe overlooking the pond offers refreshments together with normal amenities. In winter the Cafe has a roaring open fire, creating a cozy atmosphere for those not involved in the fantastic snowplay with the many ski and snowboard routes.
DARWIN
Population 106,000
Darwin is the tropical capital city and the largest city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Having been almost entirely rebuilt twice, the city is one of Australia's most modern capitals. The city itself is built overlooking the harbour with the remainder of the city outskirts being flat and low-lying with fantastic coastal areas that are home to recreational reserves, extensive beaches, and excellent fishing.
Situated on the Timor Sea Darwin has grown from a pioneer outpost and small port into one of Australia's most modern and multicultural cities. Its proximity to Asia makes it an important Australian gateway to countries such as Indonesia and East Timor and the wonderful beaches of Bali.
Its suburbs spread out over some area from seaside living to urban life to outback ranches. The Stuart Highway begins in Darwin and ends all the way in Port Augusta in South Australia creating an incomparable drive through the real Australia.
Darwin has an amazing tropical climate with wet and dry seasons. The dry season runs from May to September (the southern hemisphere winter), during which nearly every day is warm and sunny. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14 °C (56 °F), but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.
Darwin has the most daily average sunshine hours (8.4) of any Australian capital with the most sunshine from April to November.
A number of major construction projects have been started in Darwin. One is the redevelopment of the Wharf Precinct, which includes a large convention and exhibition centre, apartment housing, retail and entertainment outlets including a large wave pool and safe swimming lagoon. The Chinatown project has also started with plans to construct Chinese-themed retail and dining outlets.
Weekly markets include Mindil Beach Sunset Market (Thursdays and Sundays during the dry season), Parap Market, Nightcliff Market and Rapid Creek market.
The Darwin Festival held annually, includes comedy, dance, theatre, music, film and visual art and the NT Indigenous Music Awards. The Speargrass Festival is held annually the week prior to July's first full moon and celebrates the alternative Top End lifestyle. The festival activities include music, screening of locally produced films, screen printing, basket weaving, sweat lodge, water slides, human pyramid, hot tub, frisbee golf, spear throwing, Kubb competition, bingo, communal organic cooking, morning yoga, meditation, greasy pig and healing circles.
The Darwin beer-can regatta, held in August, celebrates Darwin's love affair with beer and contestants' race boats made exclusively of beer cans. Also in Darwin during the month of August, are the Darwin Cup horse race, and the Rodeo and Mud Crab Tying Competition.
Darwin has a vibrant arts scene given its size. The Darwin Festival and the Darwin Fringe festival are annual events. Darwin has a range of quality indoor and outdoor live music venues hosting local and visiting acts. A range of art galleries including specialised Aboriginal art galleries are a feature of Darwin.
Considering its moderate size Darwin has a lively evening scene. Mitchell Street in the central business district is lined with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cafes and shops many with al fresco dining. There is an open-air cinema which operates through the dry season, from April to October.
The city has many kilometres of wide, unpolluted beaches, including the Casuarina Beach and well renowned Mindil Beach, home of the Mindil Beach markets.
The Marrara Oval near the airport has stadiums for Aussie Rules, cricket, rugby union, basketball (and indoor court sports), football (soccer), athletics and field hockey.
The Darwin Cup culminating on the first Monday of August is a very popular horse race event for Darwin and draws large crowds every year to Fannie Bay Racecourse. The Darwin Cup day is a public holiday for the Northern Territory and is a fantastic event across the whole city (Picnic Day public holiday).
TOWNSVILLE
Population 160,000
Townsville is the most popular city in tropical Queensland. It is ideally placed as a base for exploring the Great Barrier Reef, visiting the idyllic Mission Beach, the nearby Magnetic Island, Hinchinbrook Island National Park and the North East of Australia.
There is much to see and do in and around Townsville. The white sandy beaches fronted by a turquoise sea are, of course, one of the top attractions for obvious reasons! You can explore tropical islands, idyllic coastal towns, or head inland to one of the national parks and walk through tropical rainforests inhabited by multi coloured birds. Townsville has some wonderful scuba diving with some of the best ‘wreck’ dive sites in Australia and, of course, the magnificent Great Barrier Reef.
The Ross River flows through Townsville and the city is a popular stop for cruise ships as well as Australian and overseas naval vessels. Townsville is also a great place for a stop over if you are driving to Cairns - the scenic stretch of road from Townsville to Cairns, known as the Great Green Way, passes beaches, waterfalls and rainforests.
The Strand is a 2km development along the Main Beach in Townsville which was officially opened in 1999. The Strand was developed in its present form following monsoons in 1997 and 1998 which caused major damage to the sea wall. The new development was not only to reinstate and protect the foreshore but also to add recreational features to make The Strand a Townsville landmark and centrepiece.
The Strand includes restaurants, cafes, a gorgeous beach, rock pools, a water park, basketball courts, a military museum, parklands and pleasant walking areas. There are also a number of challenging exercise points along the Strand.
Townsville is only a 20 minute ride, across Cleveland Bay, to Magnetic Island by high speed 'Jet Cat'. The island is covered in National Park (pine, eucalypt and rainforest trees) with a few beautiful tourist resorts, shops, cafes, restaurants. The island offers a wide range of activities including relaxing on some wonderful beaches, 4WD tours, Scuba Diving in Coral Reefs, Sailing and Kayak tours.
Townsville is considered to be the leading centre for research into The Great Barrier Reef and the award winning Great Barrier Reef Aquarium will give you a taste of the reef without setting foot offshore. There are parks, gardens, galleries, theatres, golf courses, a casino, water based leisure activities; in fact all the amenities one would expect of a large thriving city. Townsville has many hotels and resorts to suit all budgets.
