Australia is a country of amazing diversity and awe-inspiring beauty. From grand cities to ancient coralreefs, there is no end of star attractions in the land ofOz; and the best way to see them is to book yourself onan Australia cruise.

Sydney and its world famous harbor is a good startingpoint for an Australia cruise, although it is of coursepossible to start at other Australian ports, and alsoat ports outside of Australia. For instance, you couldjoin the US to Australia leg of a round-the-world cruiseat Los Angeles and find yourself in Sydney, Australia30-days later. From Sydney you could depart on a smallercruise around Australia and/or New Zealand.

Cruise routes around Australia normally concentrate onport stops along the East and North coasts. Brisbane,the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Port Douglas,Townsville and Darwin are the main ports of call, withcruise durations typically of between 7-10 days. FromDarwin, a few cruise lines offer services westwardstowards Broome. Cruises along the southern and westerncoasts are less popular. Here, the main ports of callare Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. A port stop inTasmania is also incorporated into many an Australiacruise, as are ports of call in New Zealand, such asAuckland and Dunedin, and sometimes ports of call inIndonesia.

So, what great treasures await those who adventure toAustralia on a cruise? Sydney, Australia's capital andthe jewel in the crown of Australia's south-eastcoastline, offers a whole host of sightseeingopportunities just on its own. Sydney harbor, the OperaHouse, Bondi Beach and Watson's Bay are among the topattractions. Sydney is also bursting with museums,fine restaurants and excellent shopping facilities.Two hours outside of Sydney is the world renownedHunter Valley wine region, where you can sample someof Australia's finest wines.

Further to the North, the Gold Coast - one of theworld's hottest surfing locations - and the city ofBrisbane await. In Brisbane you will have many shoreexcursions to choose from, including boat trips up theBrisbane River and a bushwalking experience in Brisbanedistrict's forests.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's mainattractions. You can dive the reef to experience itsfull glory, join a snorkeling tour of the reef or see thereef from the air. There are also opportunities forlandward adventures into the great Australian outback.

Cairns offers a further experience with the Great BarrierReef, as well as beautiful sandy beaches, while Darwin- one of the hottest coastal regions in Australia duringthe summer - is another great place in which to relaxunder the hot Australian sun..

John Metcalfe http://www.azcruises.com

Submitted by: John Metcalfe John Metcalfe is the webmaster for http://www.azcruises.com which is the No1 resource for Cruise related Information on theInternet. Be sure to visit his complete archive of articles here:http://www.azcruises.com/newsletter-articles