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: A City by City Guide
Author : Roberta Duman
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Excellent!

This book is an invaluable guide. It's packed full of useful info and tips on getting by Down Under - concise, up-to-date and beautifully put together. I have only been back from Australia a couple of weeks and quite frankly I wouldn't have survived without it!

Title : Australia (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Author :
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A beautiful, informative guide to Australia

This guide is one of the best travel information books I have come across. It follows a slightly different line to the likes of the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet series, as it contains hundreds (if not thousands) of colour photographs, yet still manages to provide detailed information. If it's in-depth information you're looking for as you set out on your travels, you'd be better taking one of the previously mentioned travel guides, but the Eyewitness slogan 'The guides that show you what others only tell you' is spot on.

The book begins with an overview and map of world heritage areas of Australia, as well as full pages of information on Aboriginal culture, Australian artists and writers, wines and beach culture. Another useful section involves a month-by-month guide to Australian entertainment (for example, October includes the Melbourne Marathon, Writers Festival and Carnival of Flowers), as well as information on climate: temperatures, hours of sunshine and rainfall in major cities for each month of the year. There is a fifteen-page summary of Australian history, with photographs, a timeline, artwork, maps, vintage posters and museum pieces.

The section covering Sydney is an impressive one hundred pages in length, with key segments including maps and many superb photographs regarding Sydney's best museums and galleries, best architecture, best architecture and reserves. Key streets, such as 'The Rocks' and places of interest there (includes admission prices, opening times and contact information where applicable). There is even a room-by-room guide to the prestigious Powerhouse museum. Also included are a mini- shopping directory, and guide to where the best stores can be found, as well as a beach guide (listing Sydney's top thirty beaches, and points are awarded for amenities such as windsurfing, scuba diving, barbeque facilities and restaurants). The chapter ends with six pages of detailed colour maps depicting Sydney's main streets. The other main chapters cover key cities and states of Australia in a similarly impressive fashion.

There are pages at the back of the book with a twenty-five-page guide to the best hotels in Australia, a section of the same length describing the best places to eat (both parts providing contact information, and a list of facilities.) One of my favourite pages was the guide to Australian delicacies such as Yum Cha (a mini Chinese feast), Char-grilled Kangaroo Fillet and Baked Ricotta Cake (including rosella buds). A photograph accompanies each explanation of the dish. Practical information, such as what different bank notes look like, how the public phones work and public transport information can be found on the final pages. All in all, the DK Eyewitness guide is indispensable; although my only criticism is that it is rather heavy, so not really suitable for those hoping to travel light.

Title : Ashes 2005: The Full Story of the Test Series
Author : Gideon Haigh
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Great summary of a great summer

Haigh is a genuinely witty writer who has a clear love of the game.

The book is a collection of essays written as the test series was taking place and so gives a good feel for the glorious twists and turns of the games in contrast to some of the other Ashes books written with perfect 20:20 hindsight. As an aside, this is probably the only Ashes 2005 book that namechecks the Ramones.

PS: the howler on page 51 (who won the Edgbaston test by 2 runs) has been fixed in the reprinted editions.

Title : The Fatal Shore: History of the Transportation of Convicts to Australia, 1787-1868 (Harvill Panther S.)
Author : Robert Hughes
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Emancipists and Currency

The Fatal Shore is a thorough investigation into the convict system between Great Britain and Australia with a strong slant from the perspective of the convicts themselves through letters written home as well as the use of documentary evidence.
Robert Hughes has clearly researched the subject matter in intricate detail and the end product is a fascinating insight into the few positives of the convict system and the many negatives (made up primarily of the story of Van Diemans land and Norfolk Island's arbitary punishment system, ie. floggings and other sadistic 'routine' punishments).
A word of warning. This book is extremely detailed in its views and portraits of all the main characters involved in the system and for the amateur it can become confusing mixing the various phases of the convict system and the variety of governor genarals of the colony. However this small detail aside, it did not detract from the enjoyment and interest level of the subject matter and everyone who reads this book is guaranteed to learn some incredible details about the lives of the convicts that they were unaware of before picking the book up.
A well worth the read book but be prepared for a marathon of information!

Work In Australia and Australia online resources.