Brisbane, affectionately Brisvegas, in the north is tropical, perched on the southern edge of Queensland. Queensland contains the Great Barrier Reef and lots of resorts, casinos, holiday islands, and rainforest (think Crocodile Hunter territory). Then in the center there's Adelaide and South Australia in the south, and the Northern Territory up north. The territory contains Ayers rock (now Uluru, the aboriginal name) and is where dingos supposedly eat babies. It has spectacular wetlands in the north at a park called Kakadu, also known for birdlife. Almost the entire western half/third of the continent is Western Australia (we're a bit literal with naming here), which is mining, mining, mining, very isolated (think LAX to NYC distances Sydney - Perth, but with nothing in between them) and supposedly home of the south africans who didn't like the end of the apartheid and the white zimbabwean farmers kicked out by Mugabe. The huge mining boom here in the past few years has seen a bit of a western renaissance though, and I've never been there, so I should probably stop being mean :). Down south, beyond Melbourne is a little island called Tasmania that is Australia's 5th state (5 states, 2 territories - Canberra, again like DC, is its own territory). Tasmania is beautiful cool-temperate rainforests, almost half the island is world heritage wilderness. Its also Australia's launching point for Antarctica. Only just been there for the first time so no great read on its bird situation.. I'm afraid!
Hopefully that's an okay intro? Happy to answer more questions - I'm good at translating Oz to the US and vice versa, promise!
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Sure thing.. (part 2)
Date: 2009-06-02 02:13 pm (UTC)Brisbane, affectionately Brisvegas, in the north is tropical, perched on the southern edge of Queensland. Queensland contains the Great Barrier Reef and lots of resorts, casinos, holiday islands, and rainforest (think Crocodile Hunter territory). Then in the center there's Adelaide and South Australia in the south, and the Northern Territory up north. The territory contains Ayers rock (now Uluru, the aboriginal name) and is where dingos supposedly eat babies. It has spectacular wetlands in the north at a park called Kakadu, also known for birdlife. Almost the entire western half/third of the continent is Western Australia (we're a bit literal with naming here), which is mining, mining, mining, very isolated (think LAX to NYC distances Sydney - Perth, but with nothing in between them) and supposedly home of the south africans who didn't like the end of the apartheid and the white zimbabwean farmers kicked out by Mugabe. The huge mining boom here in the past few years has seen a bit of a western renaissance though, and I've never been there, so I should probably stop being mean :). Down south, beyond Melbourne is a little island called Tasmania that is Australia's 5th state (5 states, 2 territories - Canberra, again like DC, is its own territory). Tasmania is beautiful cool-temperate rainforests, almost half the island is world heritage wilderness. Its also Australia's launching point for Antarctica. Only just been there for the first time so no great read on its bird situation.. I'm afraid!
Hopefully that's an okay intro? Happy to answer more questions - I'm good at translating Oz to the US and vice versa, promise!