Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Cape Tribulation Area” in
chapter 6.
•
Mission Beach
(QLD): You'd
never know this tidy village
existed (it's hidden in lush rainfor-
est off the highway) if you weren't
well informed. Aussies know it's
here, but few bother to patronize
its dazzling beach, offshore
islands, and rainforest trails, so
you'll have the place all to your-
self. There's great white-water raft-
ing on the nearby Tully River, too.
See “The North Coast: Mission
Beach, Townsville & the Islands”
in chapter 6.
•
Broome
(WA): This romantic
pearling port on the far-flung
Kimberley coast on the Indian
Ocean blends Aussie corrugated-
iron architecture with red pagoda
roofs left by the Chinese pearl
divers. The town fuses a sophisti-
cated international ambience with
Outback attitude. Play on Cable
Beach (see “The Best Beaches,”
earlier in this chapter) and stay at
glamorous Cable Beach Club
Resort. This is the place to add to
your South Sea pearl collection.
See “The Kimberley: A Far-Flung
Wilderness” in chapter 9.
•
Kalgoorlie
(WA): This is it, the
iconic Australian country town.
Vibrant Kalgoorlie sits on what
used to be the richest square mile
of gold-bearing earth ever. It still
pumps around 2,000 ounces
a
day
out of the ground. Have a beer
in one of the gracious 19th-cen-
tury pubs, peer into the world's
biggest open-cut gold mine, and
wander the ghost-town streets of
its sister town, Coolgardie. See
“The Goldfields” in chapter 9.
•
Hahndorf
(SA): A group of
Lutheran settlers founded this
German-style town in the Ade-
laide Hills, in the 1830s. You'll
love the churches, the wool fac-
tory and crafts shops, and the deli-
cious German food served up in
the local cafes, restaurants, and
bakeries. See “Side Trips from
Adelaide” in chapter 10.
•
Coober Pedy
(SA): For an Out-
back experience that's
fair dinkum
(genuine), few places are as weird
and wonderful as this opal-mining
town in the middle of nowhere.
Visit mines, see wacky museums,
and stay in a hotel underground—
not all that unusual, considering
that the locals live like moles any-
way. See “Outback South Aus-
tralia” in chapter 10.
•
Launceston
(TAS): Tasmania's
second city is not much larger
than your average European or
American small town, but it's
packed with Victorian and Geor-
gian architecture and remnants of
Australia's convict past. Spend a
few days and discover the scenery;
splurge a little on a stay in a his-
toric hotel. See “Launceston” in
chapter 14.
10 The Best Museums
•
Australian National Maritime
Museum
(Sydney, NSW): The
best things about this museum are
the ships and submarines often
docked in the harbor out front.
You can climb aboard and explore
what it's like to be a sailor. Inside
are some fascinating displays relat-
ing to Australia's dependence on
the oceans. See p. 149.
•
Alice Springs Telegraph Station
Historical Reserve
(NT): It's not
called a museum, but that's what
this restored telegraph-repeater
station out in the picturesque hills
by a spring—Alice Springs—
really is. From the hot biscuits
turned out of the wood-fired oven
to the old telegraph equipment,
