Brisbane

Acquaintance with Brisbane everyone should start with its business card - Story Bridge on the Brisbane River. This bridge is one of the few bridges in the world where everyone can climb.

Brave men prepare for climbing about forty minutes. Then they move up the southern part of the bridge to the last peak, go down to the middle, then again up to the northern part of the bridge. As you climb, your guide has time to tell various interesting facts that you hear through the headphones, as well as strict safety instructions.

Climbing takes about two and a half an hour, but fatigue and fear retreat before the awareness of their own feat and the opening view around. You can see even the outlines of distant islands on the ocean coast from the maximum height in the afternoon, and in the evening the city around and the bridge itself are colored with lights.

The capital of Queensland, the city of Brisbane is expanding rapidly. There are skyscrapers, recreation areas, cafes and restaurants, highways and other infrastructure. Once provincial and unhurried, today is Australia's third largest city of millions.

Its skyscrapers can compete with New York City. The number of parks, recreation areas, gardens and lawns can rightly be considered exotic. In what other city did you see huge unoccupied areas of wildlife and trees right in the middle of the central intersection?

If you want to swim on a hot Sunny day, which a lot of in the mild climate of Brisbane, you can go to the Sunny and the Gold Coast. If you do not want to go anywhere — there is an artificial lake in a huge entertainment complex opposite the city centre, overlooking the skyscrapers. Also, almost every house in the yard has own swimming pool, so you will not feel the absence of the ocean in a step away from you.

The architectural sights such as Gothic church on Albert Street, a city town hall of Brisbane, the Parliament building, King George Square is the oldest building of the city-the warehouses of the Commissariat, built in 1829 are worth looking in the city. You can get artistic and aesthetic pleasure, soak up the spirit of art in the district Brisbane Cultural Precinct, with a lot of galleries, exhibition halls and museums of modern art.

One of the ten best zoos in the world, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary waits for fans of wildlife and visitors who want to take a closer look, and perhaps touch the koalas, feed kangaroos, watch platypuses and marsupial Australian rodents. No less valuable will be a walk to the second popular city zoo, Alma Park Zoo.

You can find something interesting not only in Brisbane, but also beyond it. The Scenic Rim mountain range and Mount Coot-tha provide opportunities for hiking and cycling, as well as mountain tracks for climbing. You can get there by car. As a result, you will not only get a panoramic view of the city, but you will also be able to visit the Botanical Gardens and the Planetarium.

Sydney

Almost every inhabitant of our planet dreams of seeing Sydney. The largest city of the "green continent" is also its oldest settlement. The first inhabitants were English criminals, exiled for hard labor in the late 18th century. Now it is a modern metropolis, which is often compared with New York in its architecture, infrastructure, the number of entertainment and cultural institutions. And by area, it is larger than New York several times.

The business life of the country is concentrated here, which means that there are a lot of job offers. That's why Sydney is one of the most multinational and multicultural cities in the world. On its streets you can meet representatives of almost any nationality, and, therefore, wherever you come from - you can certainly find compatriots for communication.

The famous architectural symbols of Australia - the Sydney Opera House in the form of an opening orange and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are located in Sydney. The Sydney Aquarium and Zoo, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Sydney TV Tower and the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary must be visited. And, of course, we must not forget about the beaches - clean, wide and well-equipped for a great holiday.

The city is surrounded by natural parks - the Royal National Park from the south and the Blue Mountains from the west. By the way, the Blue Mountains National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name of the mountain was obtained through covering their eucalyptus forests. They evaporate essential oils, which give the effect of a bluish haze in the refraction of sunlight. And here several species of kangaroos, wallabies, possums and koalas.

As for the climate, it is very pleasant in Sydney. In summer the air warms up to +30 degrees and  in winter the temperature seldom falls below +8 degrees Celsius. As Australia is located in the other hemisphere, its seasons are "upturned" in relation to ours. Therefore, the warmest month in Sydney is January, and the coldest month is July.

The location of Sydney on the ocean coast determines the prevalence of seafood in all the menu of the city. They are cooked in all possible variants and cultural traditions. But, of course, you can try and local exotics dishes from kangaroo meat, crocodile or ostrich.

Roads and transport infrastructure are well developed - in addition to cars, most people move by bus and train. An interesting feature of the "city near the bay," as it is sometimes called, is a network of water transport modes and in particular a ferry crossing.

Of the shortcomings, it should be note the high cost of living in comparison with other Australian cities. Australia is quite removed from Russia, Europe and the USA. The flight from our country will take more than 20 hours with one or more connecting flights.

In general, people who have been to Sydney, describe it as a city of great opportunities, impressive architecture, unique nature, friendly people, international color and total security. 

To visit necessarily!

Canberra is the capital of Australia

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is a city with a population of 380 thousand people, very cozy and with lots of greenery which is different from other capitals.

In 1901, the Australian authorities decided to build a new city to resolve the dispute between the two largest cities for the right to be called the capital. The international competition for the best design was announced, which won the architect from the USA, Berly-Griffin. The main idea of the design was the concept of the city garden.

Canberra is famous for its parks and gardens with varied vegetation, from Japanese cherry blossoms to Siberian cedar. The Australians called it the “bush capital”. The artificial Griffin lake named in honor of the creator is located in the centre of the city.

Canberra’s primary function is to control the country. The Parliament of Australia, the Supreme Court, as well as all ministries and departments are located in the capital. There are no industrial enterprises and factories that produce something.

The city is small and all the sights can be seen in a day. The National Museum, Observatory, the Dinosaur Museum, Botanical Garden, Zoo and Aquarium can be visited in Canberra.

The government building is constructed behind the old Parliament building, inside the hill. 

There is a green lawn and an observation deck on the roof from which the entire city is visible.

The largest universities in Australia –  Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Canberra are situated in Canberra.

ANU is the largest world-class university, specializing in research. It is a member of the Group of Eight leading universities in Australia, which is compared to the Ivy League by prestige. ANU was awarded the title of the best university in Australia in 2006.

Religious universities – Australian Catholic University and Charles Sturt University, as well as the Royal military College and the Australian Defence Force Academy, are located in the capital of Australia. Students from 150 countries study here. There are more than 140 public and private schools in Canberra.

 

Australia

Australia is a country of unseen animals, endless beaches and great opportunities. It is the only state in the world that occupies the whole continent, and a number of islands in addition.

Australia was liberated from the British authorities more than a hundred years ago, but formally, still remains its dominion, and the Queen’s birthday is a public holiday. All this time the government of the country conducted an active policy of attracting people from different country. As a result, more than 20% of the population was not born in Australia. And in large cities, this number is approaching 40%. For this reason the comparative youth of the local inhabitants, the average age in the country is 36 years, in cities even younger.

The capital of Australia is situated between the two largest cities Sydney and Melbourne. As both these cities claimed to be in charge, it was decided to build and make the capital a new city, which became Canberra. The construction began in the early 20th century and was carried out according to the concept of “garden city” with a radial structure. Therefore, in addition to the surrounding forests, many sites with natural vegetation have been preserved inside the city. Australians often call Canberra “bush capital”.

Sydney is the largest city of the country. More than 4.5 million people live in it. It was founded on the shore of Sydney Harbour, and then expanded into several more bays. There are the most famous symbols of the country – the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which often get on postcards, stamps and souvenirs from Australia.

Sydney is a dynamic, comfortable and vibrant city. It offers everything from free outdoors to relaxing in stylish cafes, bars and restaurants. And all this against the backdrop of spectacular seascapes. Sydney has more than 70 beaches. The far-western suburbs border with national parks, including the famous Blue Mountains Nature Reserve. The reserve received its name due to the evaporation of dense eucalyptus trees, which color the mountains in blue-gray colors.

Melbourne is another major city in Australia. It is a recognized centre of culture and sport in this country. Here are the largest and oldest universities. Exhibitions and shows, sports competitions, fashion shows and concerts are constantly held. Also, there are many examples of Victorian architecture that attract millions of tourists.

 It seems that people from all over the world live in Australia. Therefore the country is an amazing symbiosis of cultural events, traditions (including food), music and festivals.

A lot of people are attracted by the quality of Australian education, which is at a very good level according to the evaluation of the International Student Assessment Program. There are both public and private educational institutions. The differences between them are in the way of financing the educational process and the material base. However, the level of education in any of them cannot be lower than the generally accepted state level. Schooling is compulsory. Then training can be continued at the bachelor’s master’s and doctoral levels on request.

The youth of the population determines the great popularity of sport in the state, which is firmly supported by government. Especially popular are team and water sports. The most popular in terms of the number of spectators attending is Australian football. This is something between rugby and soccer. The legacy of colonial times is the love of Australians for cricket, tennis and soccer. And of course, surfing, diving, yachting and swimming are the favorite pastimes of locals and tourists.

But first of all tourists are attracted by the unique flora and fauna of the country. Most of the vegetation and fauna are endemic, they grow and live only in Australia and the nearby islands. These are oviparous mammals, marsupials, snakes, fish, ostriches and other birds, as well as smaller and microscopic inhabitants of forests, steppes, rivers and oceans. The most famous of them are echidna, platypus, kangaroo and kookaburra.

Another incredible natural object – the Great Barrier Reef – is the largest coral ecosystem on Earth, stretching more than 2500 km. This is the largest formation on the planet made by living organisms (coral polyps). In 1981, it was listed as a World Heritage Site, and CNN awarded it the title of one of seven natural wonders of the world. The whole territory, which is almost 350,000 square kilometers (more than square of the UK) is considered a national park and is protected by special services.

Australia is one of the richest country in mineral resources. However, there are also problems, one of them it is a lack of drinking water. Most territory of the country consists of deserts and semi-deserts, and the river system is rather weak. Therefore, the country has strict official restrictions on the use of water.

Australia is well-known as a very comfortable country for living. High level of security, friendliness of local residents, strong economy and stable political situation make it very attractive. Despite the fact that a large area of Australia is deserts and semi-deserts, there are also territories similar to alpine meadows and real tropical jungles. The pleasant and year-round climate with a warm summer and mild winter makes this country an excellent place for those who likes to spend a lot of time outdoors. Due to the multinational population and the intertwining of all kinds of cultures, life in Australia is not boring and it is always something going on.