Mention "Sydney, Australia" and most people think of the Opera House. Shaped like huge shells or billowing sails, this famous building on Sydney's Bennelong Point graces the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is one of the world's great architectural icons.The location is stunning. Water surrounds the structure on three sides, and the Royal Botanic Gardens border it to the south.Danish architect, Jørn Utzon won an international competition for its design but withdrew from the project after technical and financing problems. Construction was finally completed in 1973 at a cost 10 times the original budget. By this time, Utzon had left the country, never returning to see his magnificent creation.Touring the interior of the Sydney Opera House is rewarding, but its striking architecture is perhaps best appreciated from a distance. One of the best sites to photograph this top Sydney tourist attraction is Mrs Macquarie's Chair in the Royal Botanic Gardens, or you can hop aboard a harbor cruise or ferry and capture a photo from the water as you glide past.Currently, the Sydney Opera House is undergoing a 10-year, $275-million upgrade, but it will continue to operate during the restoration.

Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, is a popular stop on many Australian itineraries – especially for culture vultures. Galleries, theaters, restaurants, shops, and its distinctly European feel are the main draws of this sophisticated city on the Yarra River. It's also a green city, with parks, gardens, and open spaces occupying almost a third of its total area.The cultural highlights of Melbourne are many. Gape at the masterpieces at the National Gallery of Victoria, watch a performance at Arts Centre Melbourne, or head to Federation Square. Here, you can browse Australian artworks at the Ian Potter Gallery and learn about the nation's screen culture at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).Feel like getting back to nature? Follow the Aboriginal Heritage Walk at the Royal Botanic Gardens. And if sports culture is top of your agenda, catch a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In summer, cricket is the sport of choice; in winter, it's Australian Rules football.Melbourne is also rich in history. You can see it in the Grand Victorian buildings funded by the Gold Rush, and you can feel it as you shop in the elegant arcades and the Queen Victoria Market, which has been selling goods to Melburnians for more than a century.

Bronzed bodies, blond sand, backpackers, and surf – throw it all together and you get one of the world's most famous beaches. Only 15 minutes by car from Sydney's city center, Bondi Beach is a great spot for a taste of Sydney's beach culture. Bask on the golden sands, surf the breaks, or take a cool dip on a hot summer's day (but stay between the flags).Away from the shore, you'll find plenty of things to do in Bondi. Take a stroll along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk. It begins at the southern end of the beach and follows the coastline for six scenic kilometers along sandstone cliffs. And if you work up an appetite, you'll find plenty of cafés and restaurants nearby. You can also hunt for bargains at the Sunday markets or swim some laps in the ocean pool.Bondi also has a wild side. Crowds of tourists and locals gather here to celebrate Christmas, and ring in the New Year. It's a favorite spot for travelers.A word to the wise: If you're taking a dip at Bondi, make sure you swim between the red and yellow flags. Strong rip tides often sweep unsuspecting swimmers out to sea, especially at the southern end of this kilometer-long strand. There's a reason the Aussies made a reality TV show called Bondi Rescue.

World Heritage-listed K'Gari (Fraser Island) is one of the most unique places to visit in Australia. Sitting between Bundaberg and Brisbane off Australia's east coast, this is the largest sand island in the world. Here, you'll find seemingly endless stretches of sand and sea, turquoise lakes, emerald rainforests, rippling dunes, and fascinating wildlife.Looking for an adrenaline rush? A 4WD trip along its surf-thrashed shores is one of Australia's top outdoor adventures. Along windswept Seventy Five Mile Beach, you can see the rusted hulls of shipwrecks, the colored sandstone cliffs of The Cathedrals, and the bubbling fish-filled rock pools called Champagne Pools.enturing inland is just as exciting. Highlights include crystal-clear freshwater creeks and lakes, some fed by springs, others perched amid towering sand dunes; and ancient rainforests filled with an amazing diversity of plants and animals.

Blessed with year-round warm weather and sunny skies, Australia’s glimmering Gold Coast lies just to the south of Brisbane on Queensland’s southeastern coastline. The coastal city is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country thanks to its lively yet laid-back vibe and alluring sun, sea, and surf.Surfers Paradise is the area most people flock to. ‘The capital of the Gold Coast’ is home to large shopping malls and pounding nightclubs as well as countless restaurants, bars, and accommodation options. Glittering high rises tower above its expansive beach, which is great for sunbathing, swimming and watersports.While it is often called a tacky tourist-trap, the Gold Coast has loads going for it, with beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets a given. In addition, it also boasts exhilarating amusement parks, water parks, and nature reserves, while its surf breaks are out of this world.