Australia is a land with a unique flora andfauna that is found nowhere else on earth. It is also a land of many contrastsand a wide variety of climate that ranges from tropical to sub alpine. It iseasy to forget that this vast island – continent has only been known to therest of the world for just 250 years.

Australia is roughly the same size as the U.S.A. (if you exclude Alaska) whilst its population is only onetenth of the U.S.A.’s That means there’s plenty of roomfor both the Aussies and their visitors! It also makes the Australian continentthe world’s most sparsely populated continent - with the obvious exception of Antarctica.

Overall, Australia is the driest continent in theworld, but the lush and fertile area that makes up its eastern seaboard providesthe majority of its population with a much more hospitable place to live.  Separating this fertile land from the vast,barren outback region is a mountain range named the Great Dividing Range. At its southern end you will find the Australian Alps or SnowyMountains as the Australians call them. Bothnames are equally apt because these mountains receive as much snowfall as Switzerland.

In addition to theseamazing variation of climate and terrain, there are also large regions of savannahgrasslands and a distinctly Mediterranean climate around the coastal areas ofthe south west. Many areas of northern and eastern Australia experience a tropical climate andthere are both tropical and temperate rain forests to be found.Yet despite all of these huge areas where water exists in abundance, thevastness of Australia’s interior is what makes thecontinent the world’s driest. This enormous area is what is referred to as theOutback and it is perhaps the very heart of Australia in terms of feeling as well as inphysical location. It is probably a picture from the Outback that pops intomost people’s mind when they think about Australia. There is something so aweinspiring and unique about the total emptiness of this landscape as it seems goon to infinity, that it demands to be experienced by every visitor no matter whatelse they have come to see.

1. Tasmania – an island with a temperate rainforest south east of the Australian mainland and on the same latitude ascentral New Zealand.
2. New South Wales - Australia's most highly populated state andlocated in the south-east of the country. It is here you will find Australia’s biggest and probably best knowncity, Sydney.
3. Victoria - the smallest mainland state butalso the one with the highest density of population. Australia's second largest city, Melbourne is located near the south coast ofthis state and as well as enjoying a Mediterranean climate it boasts theWorld’s largest Greek population outside of Greece!
4. South Australia - bordered by the Southern Ocean and the home state of Adelaide, Australia’s capital city.
5. Western Australia – This vast area is Australia's largest  and, covers the whole western third of theAustralian mainland, thus making Perth, its capital city, one of earthsmost isolated large cities.
6. The Northern Territory– This state is very sparselypopulated and is tropical in the north and desert in the south. Thecapital of this state is Darwin and its other  main city is Alice Springs. Alice lies in the heart of the Outback,and is the city every tourist sets off from to visit Ayers Rock
7. Queensland– This state occupies the northeastern corner of Australia, and experiences both tropicalclimate and subtropical climates. Its principle city is Brisbanewhich has 1.2 million inhabitants. Thegreat barrier reef is located off the coast of Queensland and the state has some of the finestbeaches in Australia.

With so much to see and doin Australia, the visitor needs to select hisdestinations and tours with careful planning. The travel articles found on thebest travel tip website are aimed at helping him in this process.