Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
May, NT); Labour Day (1st Mon in
May, QLD); Adelaide Cup (3rd Mon
in May, SA); Foundation Day (1st
Mon in June, WA); Queen's Birthday
(2nd Mon in June, except WA); Royal
National Show Day (2nd or 3rd Wed
in Aug, QLD); Queen's Birthday
(Mon in late Sept/early Oct, WA);
Labour Day (1st Mon in Oct,
NSW/SA); Melbourne Cup Day (1st
Tues in Nov, Melbourne only); Christ-
mas (Dec 25); and Boxing Day (Dec
26, or on the next Mon if 26th falls on
a weekend; if Christmas Day is a Sat
and Boxing Day a Sun, then both the
following Mon and Tues are holidays).
Australia Day.
Australia's answer to
the Fourth of July marks the land-
ing of the First Fleet of convicts at
Sydney Cove in 1788. Every town
puts on some kind of celebration;
in Sydney, there are ferry races and
tall ships on the harbor, food and
wine stalls in Hyde Park, open days
at museums and other attractions,
and fireworks in the evening. Janu-
ary 26.
February
Johnnie Walker Classic,
Perth.
The country's richest golf tourney
with A$2.8 million (US$1.8 mil-
lion) up for grabs draws top players
to Perth. South African golfer Ernie
Els was the 2003 winner, with past
winners including Tiger Woods and
Greg Norman. Contact IMG
(
&
03/9639 2333
) or check the
Western Australian Tourism Com-
mission's events site at www.events
corp.com.au for ticketing details.
March
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi
Gras.
A spectacular parade of cos-
tumed dancers and decorated floats,
watched by several hundred thou-
sand onlookers, followed by a giant
warehouse party (by invitation
only). Contact Sydney Gay & Les-
bian Mardi Gras (
&
02/9557
4332;
www.mardigras.com.au).
Usually the last Saturday night in
February or first Saturday in
March.
Australian Formula One Grand
Prix,
Melbourne. The first Grand
Prix of the year on the international
FIA Formula One World Champi-
onship circuit is battled out on one
of its fastest circuits, in Melbourne.
For tickets, contact Ticketmaster
&
13 16 41
(in Australia) or order
online at www.grandprix.com.au.
Four days in the first or second
week of March.
Australian Surf Life Saving
Championships,
Kurrawa Beach,
AUSTRALIA CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
January
Sydney Festival.
Highlights of Syd-
ney's visual and performing arts fes-
tival are free jazz or classical music
concerts held outdoors on 2 Satur-
day nights near the Royal Botanic
Gardens. (Take a picnic and arrive
by 4pm to get a place.) Contact
&
02/8248 6500
or go to www.
sydneyfestival.org.au. Three weeks
in January.
Hyundai Hopman Cup,
Perth.
Tennis greats from the world's nine
top tennis nations are invited to bat-
tle it out in a 7-day mixed-doubles
competition. Contact the booking
agent, BOCS Ticketing (
&
08/
9484 1133
), or check www.hopman
cup.com.au. Late December/early
January.
Tamworth Country Music Festi-
val,
Tamworth (459km/285 miles
northwest of Sydney), New South
Wales. It may look like an Akubra
Hat Convention, but this gathering
of rural folk and city folk who would
like to be rural folk is Australia's
biggest country music festival. The
Tamworth Information Centre
(
&
02/6755 4300;
www.tamworth.
nsw.gov.au) takes bookings.
