Australia

Let's face it...that long haul flight is certainly worth it.

Not only that, any Australian will gladly tell you that there is so much more to see and do than what you just see in the brochure!

That's why it's so important to get your travel plans sorted out properly - whether it's Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, or even the Great Barrier Reef - Australia has it all!

Title : Living and Working in Australia (Living Working S.)
Author : David Hampshire
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Spot On!

I haven't even gotten to Australia yet and this book has been incredibly useful to me. I am relocating to Sydney next month and this book helped me negotiate my new contract and determine what I need to do before I go. It also has great sections for the worriers amongst us, such as what exactly happens when you reach Immigration Control in the Airport. I'll definitley be taking it with me and dipping into it many times over the next few months.

Title : Rough Guide Map Australia (Rough Guide Map S.)
Author : Rough Guides
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Map review

The rough guide map is great. I am looking to travel in Oz next year and needed a planning map. All the other maps concentrate on each state, or area. This one is perfect, as it covers a large area of the country on each side, yet you feel that it can be used to get about as a normal regional map.
Excellent value for money

Title : Down Under
Author : Bill Bryson
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Bryson's best

This is my favourite of Bill Bryson's travel books as it offers an endearing portrait of Australia and its people. It is full of hilarious observations and moments, such as Bill's attempt to outrun two dogs which are chasing him, and oddball facts like the nuclear bomb that was detonated in the Outback which nobody seemed to notice. Lastly, its very educative, and makes this reader, who has never been to Australia, want to visit the country more than watching Neighbours for 15 years has made me want to! A brilliant read!

Title : Down Under
Author : Bill Bryson
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Slight criticism of a superb book.

I recently spent almost 5 weeks in Oz and was handed this book by my son on arrival. Its a perfect book to read of relaxation ( and a little education) either whilst travelling or on return from Oz. His writing is so enjoyable and so apt. My only criticism is that there are some places he should have given more time to, although he did this in his book about Great Britain, as soom places are far more fun than he seemed to appreciate. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Title : The Fatal Shore: History of the Transportation of Convicts to Australia, 1787-1868 (Harvill Panther S.)
Author : Robert Hughes
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A history of The Convict Stain

From Captain cook's discovery of Botany Bay and The First Fleet's cargo of convicts this is comprehensive history of the transpotation system and the earliest days in the fledgling Australia. Factual and detailed the author desribes the gradual genocide of the primitive Aboriginal race, the precarious settlement of Sydney, the floggings and horrors inflicted within the harshest prisons on Tasmania and Norfolk Island. A tale of Britain's attempt to sweep an entire unwanted section of the communtity 'under the carpet'- which stopped only when they started getting rich on the proceeds of the newly discovered Australian goldfields. Wealth which could never quite remove 'The Stain' of a convict origin.

Title : Dangerous Creatures of Australia (Michelin Green Guides)
Author : Marty Robinson
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Don't visit Australia until you have read this book

Researching Australia for an impending trip, I heard all kinds of horror stories about how I could end up being injected with poison by innocent-looking toads, ripped to pieces by blood-thirsty tiger sharks or even have a couple of bites taken out of me by cute-looking caterpillars. What I discovered by reading Dangerous Creatures of Australia however, was that that is all they are; stories. In fact, on the first page the author's opening statement is 'Many people believe that Australia is full of dangerous wild animals. Although it is true that we have many potentially dangerous creatures, most of them are rarely encountered and indeed even hard to find.' Whilst he goes on to admit that 'Australia has more venomous snakes than any other country, both the world's most venomous spiders and the world's most venomous octopuses,' Robinson covers many pages on reassuring the reader via a table of statistics regarding accidental death, that you are more likely to be murdered, poisoned or even struck by lightening than you are to die from a snake bite. There is also material regarding precautions the reader can take to avoid being attacked by a dangerous animal and many maps showing the precise locations of the creatures' whereabouts.

The author splits the book into the following sections: Large land animals (including feral pigs and snakes), small land animals (spiders and scorpions), large water animals (sharks and crocodiles) and small water animals (jellyfish and octopuses). One thing that particularly enthralled me about the book was the strange and sometimes downright bizarre creatures that can be found in Australia. The sea snake, for instance, with its paddle-shaped tail, single lung and short (yet deadly) fangs. Fire coral, as the name suggests, is a type of coral which looks no different than the regular kind, yet one brush against it could cause nasty stinging.

I found the full colour photographs together with the information very useful, as I could get a clear picture of exactly what was being described, should I be unlucky enough to come across the creature in question. Those with a tendency for being faint-hearted should steer clear of the rather nauseating pictures graphically depicting injuries sustained from encounters with leeches and snake bites. Whether you are planning a short break in Australia or a backpacking holiday, the book is very small and lightweight, and therefore can slip into your bag without adding any significant weight. A down side however, is the price #8211; for a book so concise, I found the asking price a bit much.

Anyone with an interest in the fascinating country that is Australia may also like the wonderfully funny 'Down Under' (by travel writer Bill Bryson), or 'Wild Down Under: The Natural History of Australia' (by Damon Smith). Both are excellent, with the latter depicting the natural wonders of the country in hundreds of beautiful photographs. I sincerely hope that I won't bump in to any of the dangerous creatures shown in this book on my travels, but just in case, it's handy to have a copy nearby.

Title : The Fatal Shore: History of the Transportation of Convicts to Australia, 1787-1868 (Harvill Panther S.)
Author : Robert Hughes
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Well worth the read.

This book is an excellent read, both accessible and fluid in its writing as well as detailed and well researched.
I'm sure that this book will be an invaluable resource for those studying or interested in the transportation process and Australian history in general.
While the main focus is on the penal colonies, the book opens with fascinating insights into both the Aboriginal group around Sydney harbour at the time and also the Georgian "Working" and "criminal" class. Both of which give depth and range to the subject at hand.
Being a history teacher myself I can recommend this book for teachers who are looking for something new and interesting to spice up the industrial revolution. And for the general reader I would recommend this book as a fascinating and balanced insight into a very different world. One that is both part of and a world away from the Georgian world we so often hear about.

Cheap Holidays In Australia and Australia online resources.