Australia, Australasia and Oceania travel resource.

Australia,Australasia and Oceania.

Sleek tour buses were already idling in the parking lot when we saw a handful of mud-caked camper vans pull up -- fuel cans and lawn chairs strapped to their roofs. We heard the motorcycles before we saw the riders climb off and straighten their jeans. But the noise didn't seem to bother the caravan of camels loping in the distance. We were all assembling for one of Australia's greatest shows: sunset at Ayers Rock. Yes, it's become something of a circus. But watching the scalloped monolith go from reddish-brown to a haunting burnt-orange against the desert sky is still a magical, some say spiritual, experience.
Much of Australia's vast "red center" has been tamed and put on a tour, but the Outback hasn't lost its frontier allure. The same can be said for much of the rest of this country that's also a continent. Sydney may have joined the ranks of the world's top cities, but its architecture, stunning harbor and electric, manic personality keep it singular: You won't mistake it for anywhere else. From the craggy peaks of the Blue Mountains to the lush tropics of Queensland and the coral treasure land of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia has something unusual, something special to offer visitors -- even those traveling by tour bus.