Welcome to Travel Guide 2 Australia, the site about travel, tourism and vacations in Australia.
The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the Southern hemisphere which encompasses the entire mainland of the Australian continent, as well as a number of islands in the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans. The largest of these islands is Tasmania which is located 125 miles (200 kilometres) across the Bass Strait from the southeastern corner of the Australian mainland. Australia has no land frontiers with any other countries, but does border a number of other countries: East Timor, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Australia is today home to around 21 million people, the majority of whom live in the capital cities of each the five mainland states: Adelaide (capital of South Australia), Brisbane (capital of Queensland), Melbourne (capital of Victoria), Perth (capital of Western Australia) and Sydney (capital of New South Wales). There are also of course quite a number of other cities in Australia, including the national capital, Canberra.
Australias has an estimated GDP per capita of US $34,359, making it one of the top 20 countries in the world in terms of both absolute GDP, and GDP per capita. The Australian economy is dominated by the service sector which accounts for nearly 70% of GDP, but agricultural and mining sectors, although a relatively small portion of the economy (less than 10% combined), dominate Australia's exports.
Although the majority of Australia, by area, is either desert or semi-arid grasslands, there is in fact a wide range of different climatic regions in the country, These include temperate zones, subtropical and tropical areas, and even equitorial climatic regions, and thus the continent is home to a wide range of habitats. As you might expect, this allows a great diversity in wildlife, and is well-known, Australia's flora and fauna is like no other place on Earth. Some of the continent's amazing and unique wildlife, includes the kookaburra, emus, the playtpus, koalas, and of course, kangeroos and wallabies.
Australia is also home to the world's largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, which runs for over 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometeres) along the coast of Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef is in fact the largest structure created by living organisms, and can even be seen from space. The reef is located in warm clear waters and is home to many different creatures, and thus has become a popular tourist attraction, visited by more than 2 million tourists each year (SCUBA diving, snorkelling, and boat trips are all available).
While you are sure to want to see the wildlife, there are many other reasons to visit Australia too. These include beautiful beaches, incredible natural landscapes (such as Ayers rock), and cosmopolitan cities, rich with culture, cuisine and architecture. Perhaps the most iconic symbol of Australian cities is Sydney Opera House in Sydney, New South Wales, which was completed in 1973.

Melbourne, Oct 15 : Australia has topped the global prosperity index, all thanks to its quality of life and economic strength.
It emerged victorious over 104 countries on The Legatum Institute''s Prosperity Index that measures material health of a country, including wealth, quality of life and life satisfaction.
The second position went to Austria, followed by Finland at third.
Financially wrecked US came at fourth spot along with Germany and Singapore.
The Dubai-based investment group said Australia was better than other countries because of its strong economic performance, governance and high quality of life.
"(Australia) has reinvented itself as a wealthy, service-oriented economy with good scores on liveability indicators, including health, charitable giving and effective governance," the Courier Mail quoted Legatum, as saying.
"Strong norms or civic participation, robust health, and plenty of leisure time contribute to the high liveability ranking," it added.
Vice president of the institute, Dr William Inboden, said Australia had the fundamentals right.
"True prosperity consists of more than money - it also includes happiness, health and liberty," he said.
"The Prosperity Index shows that in addition to economic success, a society''s prosperity is based on strong families and communities, political and religious liberty, education and opportunity, and a healthy environment.
"The Australian Government earns high scores on corruption control and overall effectiveness, supporting the country''s quality of life in many areas.
"Strong civic participation by Australian citizens furthermore contributes to the high levels of life satisfaction," he added.
Talking about the Asian continent, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong scored well economically, but lagged behind in livability index. (ANI)
 

Property in Australia is, like the country itself, an enormous subject with myriad variations; the coastline of mainland Australia stretches for almost 36,000 Kilometres, add in the islands that surround much of that coastline and it’s nearer to 60,000. Stand the population of Australia around its coast and the people wouldn’t be able to touch each other, plenty of room for every family to have a coastal Australia property. Unfortunately things aren’t as simple as that but it gives an idea of the sheer size of the available land in Australia. To fly in a commercial plane from the city of Perth to the next city takes 5 hours, it’s about 2,000 miles, that’s to the next city in Australia not across Australia as a whole.
Property in Australia tends to be built in towns and cities with vast tracts of land either unused or uninhabited for miles. Australian property also tends to be situated around water, either around inland lakes or rivers or as previously mentioned, by the sea. The value of all Australian property increases dramatically if it’s on the waters edge or has views across water. This is true for all property in Australia, whether it’s in the cooler South or the tropical North. With it’s abundance of space most Australian properties tend to have large gardens and space for the inevitable bar b q areas, yet in more recent years there has been a growing acceptance of taller apartment buildings providing of course they substitute the lack of gardens with fabulous views and the convenience of having one’s Australian property in the city centre. There is a growing desire among many nationalities to acquire Australian property because of the relaxed outdoor lifestyle that owning a property in Australia provides. Gone are the days after the Second World War when British families were given the opportunity to immigrate to Australia for the princely sum of ten pounds. Nowadays many families would love to buy a property in Australia and go to live and work there; unfortunately the Australian government keeps a strict control on who they allow to take up residence. In recent times it has become easier for foreigners to purchase a property in Australia with a view to establishing a base there in the hope that they may be able to qualify to live in their Australian property one day.
Australian property has proven to be a sound investment over the years providing one adheres to the rules of buying property, i.e. location, location, location and trying to be one step ahead of the rest and foresee which areas and types of property in Australia will be most in demand in the future. As in many countries more and more Australians are buying second homes for holiday use which has led to many Australian property companies locating previously unused stretches of coast, putting in infrastructure and services and building new small towns full of purpose built desirable Australian property.

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