Sights in Australia
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A
Wollongong City Beach
Wollongong City Beach is walking distance from the city centre.
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B
Red Gum Works
At Red Gum Works you can watch wood turners and blacksmiths at work with traditional equipment, and purchase red-gum products.
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Cinema Augusta
The local weekly newspaper, the Transcontinental, will tell you what films are on at Cinema Augusta, which shows all the big flicks.
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Wool Factory
The Wool Factory, just outside Horsham township, produces ultrafine Merino wool; there’s a walk-through sheep shed and shop where you can buy wool products.
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D
Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery
A detour off Hog Bay or Birchmore roads takes you past the this self-sufficient operation extracting eucalyptus oil from Kangaroo Island's narrow-leaf mallee. The attached craft gallery sells eucalyptus-oil products.
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Sea World
A huge aquatic theme park, Sea World has loads of animal performances, including twice-daily dolphin shows, sea-lion shows, shark-feeding, dugongs and the real crowd-pleasers - resident polar bears. You'll have to set a schedule though - the waterslides and rollercoasters are agonizingly addictive.
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E
Adelaide Town Hall
The imposing 1863-66 Adelaide Town Hall, located between Flinders and Pirie Sts, was designed by Edmund Wright and built in 16th-century Renaissance style with the faces of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert carved into the façade. The main post office, diagonally opposite, commenced in 1867 and altered in 1891, is also a Wright building. For tours of the Town Hall at 10:00 on Monday, book at Adelaide City Council.
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F
Docklands
This waterfront area was the city's main industrial and docking area until the mid-1960s. In the mid-1990s a purpose-built studio complex and residential, retail and entertainment area was built. Of most interest to travellers is the first-born, New Quay, with public art, promenades and a wide variety of cafes and restaurants. Waterfront City also has restaurants, bars, a yacht club and, if it rises again, the troublesome observation wheel, which was erected in 2010 then dissembled as structural problems became evident.
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G
Scenic World
To the west of Katoomba is Scenic World. If you can stomach the megaplex vibe and blaring Raiders of the Lost Ark theme, ride the 1880s railway down the 52-degree incline to the Jamison Valley floor. Wander the 2.5km forest boardwalk or hike the track to the Ruined Castle rock formation (12km, six hours return), then catch the Cableway, an enclosed, wheelchair-accessible cable car, back up the slope. There’s also a cable car called the Scenic Skyway, which floats out across Katoomba Falls gorge. Its glass floor gives passengers views of the valley canopies 200m below.
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H
Chinatown
Red archways across either end of Little Bourke St's Chinatown are your gateways to clattering woks, glowing neons, exotic aromas and shops with floor-to-ceiling chambers of medicinal herbs and tinctures. Melbourne's Chinatown has been thriving since the 1850s when Chinese prospectors joined the rush to find gold.
The single-storey brick buildings were built in the 19th century, a time when brothels, opium dens and boarding houses were the main tenants. Today the area is chock-a-block with discount shops and authentic Chinese restaurants.
It's the best place for yum cha (dim sum), and to sate that craving for sea slug in Sichuan sauce.
Chinatown's Chinese Museum (tel:…
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I
Jenolan Caves
The underground limestone Jenolan Caves is one of the most extensive, accessible and complex systems in the world – a vast network that’s still being explored today. Named Binoomea (Dark Places) by the Gundungurra tribe, the caves took shape 400 million years ago. White explorers first passed through in 1813. In fact, early European cave enthusiasts were remarkably forward thinking – the Jenolan Caves area was protected from 1866. One cave has been open to the public since 1860, and nine more are open today. Cave snobs will not be disappointed.
Classical concerts (1300 76 3311, 6359 3911; www .georgcello.com; adult/child $60/35; 4pm Sat twice monthly) in the caves…
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Australian Sugar Industry Museum
If you want to know more about sugar processing, steam trains and the slave-labour heritage of the industry, pop by the Australian Sugar Industry Museum at Mourilyan, 7km south of Innisfail.
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Australian Workers Heritage Centre
The excellent Australian Workers Heritage Centre was built to commemorate the role of workers in forming Australian social, political and industrial movements. Set in landscaped gardens, the centre includes the Australian Bicentennial Theatre with displays tracing the history of the shearers' strike, as well as a schoolhouse, hospital and powerhouse.
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Beck Museum
Aviation and military buffs should check out the Beck Museum. It's the biggest collection in Queensland, including 39 American fighter planes used over the Coral Sea during WWII.
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Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park
In arid country some 100km west of Gregory Downs lies this prehistoric oasis of gorges, ancient rainforest, crystal-clear green waters, creeks and tropical vegetation that indigenous Australians have enjoyed for perhaps 30,000 years. Remains of their paintings and camp sites are everywhere, and you can visit two rock-art sites.
In the southern part of the park is the World Heritage-listed Riversleigh Fossil Field. Some of the fossils are up to 25 million years old and include everything from giant snakes to carnivorous kangaroos.
Boodjamulla has 20km of walking tracks and an excellent national park camping ground with tables, toilets and showers. You must book well in…
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Bowen Historical Museum
For history buffs, on display here is a fine collection of memorabilia and historical artefacts relating to geological, Aboriginal and industrial history, as well as shipwreck relics, a restored 1873 slab cottage with period furnishings, Captain Sinclair's waterman's badge, and more trivia.
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Bowen murals
Several walls and buildings around the centre of Bowen are decorated with terrific murals, depicting the town's history. Painted by Queensland artists, there are currently 24 mural sites, most within the block made by Gregory, Powell, Herbert and George Sts.
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Bowen Summer Garden Cinemas
A couple of kilometres north of the town centre are Bowen's beaches. At Queens Beach you can catch a movie at the 1948 Bowen Summer Garden Cinemas, where you'll sit in the original canvas seats. Driving east around the sandy sweep of Queens Bay you come across a series of secluded coves and bays, including the picturesque Horseshoe Bay. There's an impressive coastal walking track linking Horseshoe and Rose Bays.
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Cairns Tropical Zoo
Cairns Tropical Zoo has crocodile shows (11:30 and 15:00) and koala photo sessions at 14:00; you can even wed at the Wildlife Wedding Chapel, which dispatches two newlywed couples a day at peak times.
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Cairns Tropical Zoo
Just west of Palm Cove, this zoo offers an up-close wildlife experience with crocodiles and snakes, koala photo sessions and kangaroo feeding. Its Cairns Night Zoo experience includes a barbecue dinner and entertainment. Transfers are available from Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Cairns and the northern beaches.
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Cardwell Forest Drive
The Cardwell Forest Drive starts from the centre of town and is a scenic 26km round trip, with excellent lookouts, walking tracks and picnic areas signposted along the way. There are super swimming opportunities at Attie and Dead Horse Creek, as well as Spa Pool.
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Catseye Beach
The sheer size of this resort means there are plenty of entertainment possibilities, which makes Hamilton an interesting day trip from Shute Harbour as you can use some the resort facilities. The resort has tennis courts, squash courts, a gym, a golf driving range and a mini-golf course.
From Catseye Beach, in front of the resort, you can hire windsurfers, catamarans, jet skis and other equipment, and go parasailing or water-skiing. Among the other options are helicopter joy rides, game fishing and even paintball skirmish.
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Coffee Works
To sample some of the region's speciality produce, head to Coffee Works, a roaster that has daily tasting tours at 10:00, noon and 14:00. Delicious handmade chocolates for sale too!
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Croydon's information centre
Croydon's information centre, museum, craft shop and internet café are housed in the historic police station alongside several other restored buildings. The centre conducts one-hour walking tours.
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Crystal Caves
The Crystal Caves is a mineralogical museum in an artificial grotto that winds for a block under Atherton's streets and houses rose quartz boulders, dazzling blue topaz and assorted fossils. You must wear a hard hat, and the last 'miners' need to be there one hour before closing.
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