City Breaks in Australia
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Australia is divided into six territories: Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Each has a capital city. Compare car hire online and you could pick up a car to drive around any one of them you fancy enjoying a city break in.
Perth is the state capital of Western Australia. Visitor numbers to Western Australia are lower than to the East Coast, which is popular with surfers and gap year students. Perhaps this is because Perth is one of the world’s most remote capital cities, despite being the fourth most populous in Australia. The Aquarium of Western Australia is located here. A tunnel runs through it with stingrays, turtles and fish gliding over it. If you fancy it, there’s even the opportunity to dive with the sharks here.
The state capital of the Northern Territory is Darwin. A lot of people think of crocodiles when they think of the Northern Territory. Darwin city is however a ‘croc-free zone’, a measure taken to protect locals from saltwater crocodile attacks. On Thursdays and Sundays Darwin hosts Mindil Beach Sunset Market. The market is famous for its food and as with most cities in Australia, Asian cuisine is a specialty.
South Australia’s state capital is Adelaide and The South Australian Museum in Adelaide is really fantastic. There is a replica of a giant squid that goes through the three floors of the museum giving the visitor a chance to see how big they really are. The Aboriginal artefact collection is impressive too. Adelaide also has a fringe festival once a year that shows off its rich cultural heritage.
Queensland’s state capital is Brisbane. It’s worth visiting the whole city – the city centre and the west end. The centre has the Brisbane River running through it, with mangrove trees rising from the banks. The west end has quirky shops and bars and a walk around gives you a chance to see the old Queenslander houses, constructed from wood and built on stilts above the ground.
Technically, Canberra is Australia’s capital, but it’s not really somewhere many people choose to go for a city break, so Sydney may be the best choice for New South Wales. Sydney is modern Australia’s heart, international flights arrive here and so transportation to the rest of the country leaves from here too. There is a large Asian population and therefore a great Chinatown and food market.
Melbourne is Victoria’s state capital. As is well known, Melbourne and Sydney competed with each other to be crowned capital of Australia. A compromise was made by declaring Canberra, which is between the two, capital. It is easy to see why Melbourne is a favourite for so many. Melbourne Cricket Ground is here, and Federation Square is full of music and culture and the city is bursting with a vibrant social scene. Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market is one ‘ripper’ of a market. A huge sprawl of hundreds of stalls, it has to be at the top of the list.
