Château de Chillon

The climax of a journey around Lake Geneva, and one of the highlights of a visit to Switzerland, is the stunning thirteenth-centuryChâteau de Chillon (daily: April–Sept 9am–7pm; March & Oct 9.30am–6pm; Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec 10am–5pm; last entry 1hr before closing; Fr.7; SMP; www.chillon.ch). This impressive specimen, among the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, is in Veytaux, only about 3km south of Montreux; whether you opt for the 45-minute shoreline walk, bus #1 from Vevey or Montreux, a bike, or best of all a boat (which run year-round), your first glimpse of the castle is unforgettable – an elegant, turreted pile jutting out into the water, framed by trees and the craggy mountains. You could easily spend a half-day soaking up the atmosphere.

History
Although the scenery all around the castle is impressive enough, the location of the building is more impressive still – and is the key to its history. The mountains in front of the castle fall directly into the lake, with only the narrowest of through-routes between the sheer rock wall and the water. Directly opposite the defile, a razor-edge, sheer-sided islet rises from the water, of which only the very top is visible. This is where Chillon sits: if you were to drain the lake, the castle would teeter above an incredible drop of over 300m, as high as the Eiffel Tower. Such depths are cold and the lake’s weather is capricious, making attack from open water extremely unlikely. Equally, the road is narrow, the heights are virtually unscaleable, and there’s no other way to pass, making it impossible to avoid the castle. Whoever controlled the castle could control the traffic, and exact tolls from a position of unassailable security.

In Bronze Age times, there was no path around the lake – travellers had to climb the steep, 200m slopes at Chillon to a village on the heights above, then drop back down to rejoin the path. The Romans cut a narrow ledge along the lakeshore, and also opened up the Grand-St-Bernard pass over the Alps further south, turning the road past the unfortified islet just offshore into the only route connecting northern and southern Europe through the mountains. By the Middle Ages, the quantity of traffic meant the road had to be widened and also that a form of toll could be set up. The village above was abandoned in favour of a new town (ville neuve, today’s Villeneuve) built on open, accessible land a little way south on the valley floor. First surviving mention of a “guardian of the stronghold of Chillun” dates from 1150.

The Counts of Savoy, particularly Pierre (1203–68), made Chillon a princely residence, also developing Villeneuve into a major trading centre which poured tolls and customs duties into Chillon’s coffers – in 1283, on average, one horse rider and perhaps a dozen foot travellers were crossing the Grand-St-Bernard pass every hour of daylight, on every day of the year. Pierre’s architects and engineers transformed Chillon, rebuilding the half facing the shore as a fortress with three strong towers and a keep, and filling the half facing the water with grand halls and royal apartments. As the Savoyards extended their influence north to the Aare and began to threaten the Habsburgs, Chillon became their military and naval headquarters. The castle was both the centre of court life and a much-feared prison: when plague broke out in Villeneuve in 1348, the town’s Jews were accused of plotting with Christian accomplices to poison the water supply, and large numbers of both were tortured in Chillon’s dungeons before being burned alive. By this time, the Gotthard Pass further east was in use, and the transfer of traffic away from Chillon and the Grand-St-Bernard led to the castle’s terminal decline as a military fortress, although it remained handy as a secure jail. In 1530, the Savoyards imprisoned a Genevois scholar, François Bonivard, at Chillon for inciting the Genevois people to form an alliance with the Swiss against Savoy. They left him shackled to a pillar in the dungeons for six years, until his release in 1536, when the Bernese army swept down from the north, briefly bombarded the castle from above with their newfangled mobile artillery, and took control. The chief legacy of the Bernese bailiffs’ 200-year residency at Chillon was an abundance of painted bears (the symbol of Bern).

Fortunately for posterity, Chillon became a quiet backwater. In 1816, after Vaud had won independence from Bern, Byron (aged 28) and Shelley (24) visited the castle on their tour of the lake. A guide took them into the dungeons where Bonivard had been shackled and wove enough of a tale around him, and around the castle’s history, to catch the poets’ imagination. While bad weather grounded them in a hotel in Ouchy, Byron scribbled out his Prisoner of Chillon, a long narrative poem supposedly spoken by Bonivard (but entirely fictitious throughout), which celebrates the cause of individual liberty, and which brought Chillon to the attention of the wealthy tourists who were starting to explore the Alps. Archeologists and historians launched renovations of the crumbling infrastructure in the late nineteenth century, which restored a great deal of the castle’s original grandeur. Work to maintain the castle continues today.

Jungfraujoch railway

Switzerland’s most popular (and expensive) mountain railway excursion is unmissable. Trains trundle through lush countryside south from Interlaken before coiling spectacularly up across either Wengen or Grindlewald’s mountain pastures, breaking the treeline at Kleine Scheidegg and tunnelling clean through the Eiger to emerge at the JUNGFRAUJOCH, an icy, windswept col at 3454m, just beneath the Jungfrau summit. It’s the site of the highest train station in Europe, and offers an unforgettable experience of the mountains. You’d be missing out if you decided against shelling out the exorbitant sums necessary to reach the place.

However, good weather is essential – if there’s a hint of cloud you’d be wasting your time heading up. Check the pictures from the summit, broadcast live on cable TV throughout the region, for an idea of the weather conditions, call the Jungfraujoch weather line (033/828 79 31) or ask your hotel or nearest tourist office for the latest forecasts. Remember, too, that it takes two and a half hours to reach the summit from Interlaken, and weather conditions can change rapidly. Coy though it sounds, even if you plan nothing more adventurous than looking out of the summit station window you should still bring sunglasses with you: the snows never melt up here, and if the sky is blue, the sun’s glare and glitter can be painful.

There are two routes to the top. Trains head southwest from Interlaken Ost along the valley floor to Lauterbrunnen, from where you pick up the mountain line which climbs through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg; different trains head southeast from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald, where you change for the climb, arriving at Kleine Scheidegg from the other direction. All trains terminate at Kleine Scheidegg, where you must change for the final pull to Jungfraujoch – the popular practice is to go up one way and down the other.

Currently, the adult round-trip fare to Jungfraujoch from Interlaken is a budget-crunching Fr.159 – the Jungfraubahnen Pass, and the broader Bernese Oberland Regional Pass, both pointlessly stop short at Kleine Scheidegg, requiring passholders to shell out an extra Fr.50 to reach the summit. One way to cut costs is to take advantage of the discounted Good Morning ticket (Fr.120; Eurail Fr.105; Swiss Pass Fr.94), valid if you travel up on the first train of the day (6.35am from Interlaken), and leave the summit by noon (or Nov–April: first or second train plus later departure permitted).

Walking some sections of the journey, up or down, is perfectly feasible in summer, and can also save plenty, with fares from intermediate points along the route considerably lower. The undiscounted Good Morning ticket from Grindelwald is Fr.103, from Lauterbrunnen Fr.102, from Wengen Fr.91, and from Kleine Scheidegg Fr.58. Excellent transport networks and vista-rich footpaths linking all stations mean that with judicious use of a hiking map and timetable you can see and do a great deal in a day and still get back to Interlaken, or even Bern or Zürich, by bedtime.

Jungfrau Region

The JUNGFRAU REGION south of Interlaken is the rather uninspiring title foisted on what is perhaps the most dramatic, certainly the most memorable, mountain scenery in the whole of Switzerland. The Matterhorn may be more recognizable, Davos and St Moritz may be flashier, but the quantity and sheer scale of the awesome giants on offer here at close quarters takes your breath away.

The area is dominated by the mighty triple crest of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (Ogre, Monk and Virgin) – three giant peaks rising side-by-side to 4000m and seemingly always mentioned in the same breath. The Jungfrau is the focus, partly because it’s the highest (at 4158m), and partly because the network of mountain trains from Interlaken Ost culminates at the Jungfraujoch, a saddle below the Jungfrau peak that claims the honour of being the site of the highest train station in Europe. The ride up to the summit – dubbed the “Top of Europe” – is touted endlessly in Interlaken and beyond as being the highlight of a Swiss visit and, despite the hype, it’s not far wrong. However, plenty of equally stunning scenery is also to be had at lower altitudes. The region is focused on two valleys, which divide a few kilometres south of Interlaken. To the west is the famous Lauterbrunnen valley, celebrated with justification as the loveliest mountain valley in Europe, with its alluring resorts of Wengen and Mürren. To the east, the narrow Lütschen valley widens out on its way to the bustling town of Grindelwald, perfectly placed for its many visitors to take advantage of the hiking and skiing possibilities all around. Excellent transport around all these places – mostly trains, but also taking in cable-cars, funiculars and the odd bus – means that you can roam to your heart’s content, which, with the quality of natural scenery on offer, may take a while.

Mountain trains throughout the Jungfrau region are operated by the Jungfraubahnen (033/828 71 11, www.jungfraubahn.ch). They have a Jungfraubahnen Pass, valid for free travel on their entire network apart from the Kleine Scheidegg–Jungfraujoch section (on which passholders travel for half the full fare). The pass, valid for five consecutive days, costs Fr.133, or Fr.85 to holders of the Swiss Half-Fare Card.

Eurailers get a 25 percent discount on all Jungfraubahnen trains, except where mentioned in the guide text. Swiss Pass holders get free travel on trains to Mürren, Wengen and Grindelwald, and a 25 percent discount on journeys higher up. InterRail brings no discount at all, apart from on the few occasions mentioned in the guide text.

The Beach

Most of Australia's population lives close to the coastline and the beach has long occupied a special place in the Australian identity. The Australian coastline is where three of the world's great ocean's meet: the Pacific, Indian and Southern oceans. The beach is also a place where people from all over the world meet, mix and live.

The coastline of the Australian mainland stretches more than 30,000 km. With the addition of all the coastal islands this amounts to more than 47,000 km. The coastal landscape ranges from broad sandy beaches to rocky cliffs and mangrove swamps.

A beach can be defined as a stretch of sand longer than 20 metres and remaining dry at high tide. Based on this definition, the Coastal Studies Unit at the University of Sydney has counted 10,685 beaches in Australia.

Natural formations
Over time, the waves breaking on the coast of Australia have created countless coves and caves as well as remarkable formations, such as the Twelve Apostles limestone stacks off the coast of Victoria.

Sand and silt deposits have produced long, sandy beaches such as Ninety Mile Beach in the Gippsland region of south eastern Victoria, and Western Australia's Eighty Mile Beach which is approximately halfway between Broome and Port Hedland.

History of the beach
The recorded history of people in their interaction with the beaches of Australia is peppered with disaster, tragedy, discovery and delight.In the past 600 years, visitors as far away as China, Portugal, Spain and Holland visited Australian beaches. The evidence of their visits lies in the remains of ships wrecked along the coastline as well as artefacts, cave drawings and paper maps. It has always been risky sailing in Australian waters, and so many failed to reach their destinations. The Encyclopedia of Australian Shipwrecks records more than 16,000 wrecks.
Unknown photographer, Shell necklace, from the exhibition Strings Across Time. Copyright Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. Image courtesy of ABC.

For tens of thousands of years the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have fished the coastal waters. People on the north coast, from the Arafura Sea to the Torres Strait, used to trade with those from present day Indonesia and Papua New Guinea on the beaches of Australia. Until the present day, senior Goorewal women of New South Wales use their knowledge of the natural calendar, currents, winds and biology of the sea creatures to journey to the coast to collect shells for food. The making of necklaces from shells in family patterns has been passed down through the generations.

A place of work
For many Australians the beach is a place of work. Early occupations for people in coastal communities included pearling, oyster farming, whaling, sealing and fishing. Today, occupations associated with the coastal environment range from fishing, marine biology and national parks and wildlife rangers to the wide variety of occupations associated with the tourism industry.
Fish are a multi-billion dollar industry for Australia... - worth more than $2.2 billion to our economy every year. Fish are also a healthy source of food with Australians consuming around 16kg of fish and seafood per person each year, purchased from fish markets, supermarkets and food outlets.

The Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) is the third largest in the world, covering nearly nine million square kilometres. It extends to 200 nautical miles from the Australian coastline and also includes the waters surrounding our external territories, such as Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, and Heard and McDonald Islands in the Antarctic.The leisure industry is a major employer of people along Australia's coastline. A safe and enjoyable visit or holiday to the beach relies on local government maintenance personnel, retailers, campground operators and hoteliers, tourism operators, and the thousands of people who staff retail food and drink outlets close to popular beaches.

As a place for leisure
There are no privately-owned beaches in Australia - beaches are public places for all to enjoy. Australians make use of the coast as a destination for relaxation and fun. Many people live close enough to a beach to visit regularly, and others use the beach for annual holidays. Popular destinations range from crowded city beaches and popular holiday spots, to quieter beaches located in coastal national parks.

Some people go to the beach simply for the sun and surf. Others go to sail, parasail, fish, snorkel, scuba dive and beach comb. Coastal sight-seeing is a very popular pursuit for Australians and international tourists as there are many scenic coastal drives with well appointed lookouts.

Beaches around the country attract large crowds for celebrations such as New Year's Eve and Australia Day. City beaches such as Manly in Sydney and Glenelg in Adelaide provide entertainment and fireworks on New Year's Eve, and on Australia Day many beaches host citizenship ceremonies and provide family entertainment. It has become traditional for international visitors who are in Sydney at Christmas time to go to Bondi Beach where up to 40,000 people visit on Christmas Day.Many international visitors spend time at some of Australia's famous beaches such as Bondi and Manly in Sydney, St Kilda in Melbourne, Surfers Paradise on the Queensland Gold Coast, Cottesloe in Perth, and Glenelg in Adelaide.

Uluru

Uluru is the most famous icon of the Australian outback and a site of deep cultural significance to the Anangu Aboriginals. The 3.6km (2.2mi)-long rock rises a towering 348m (1141ft) from the pancake-flat surrounding scrub. It is especially impressive at dawn and sunset when the red rock spectacularly changes hue.

Uluru History
Debate continues on when the first Aborigines moved into the area but the best evidence suggests that it was at least 20 000 years ago.

The notes of Uluru National Park explain the Aboriginal understanding of Uluru in the following terms: 'In the beginning the world was unformed and featureless. Ancestral beings emerged from this void and journeyed widely, creating all the living species and the characteristic features of the desert landscape you see today. Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period. Anangu are the direct descendants of these beings and are responsible for the protection and appropriate management of these ancestral lands.'

The arrival of Europeans in the area was part of the exploration of the centre during the 1870s. Ernest Giles travelled through the area in 1872 and named both Lake Amadeus and Mount Olga. Giles returned to the area in 1873 but was beaten to Uluru by William Gosse who sighted the monolith on 19 July and named it after the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Giles also was the first European to climb the rock which he did accompanied by an Afghan camel driver.

The inhospitable nature of the terrain ensured that few Europeans ventured into the region. Pastoralists were defeated by the lack of water and the only Europeans to pass through the area were trappers, miners, and the occasional missionary. The area was declared the Petermann Aboriginal Reserve in the early 1900s and this existed until the 1940s.

Ayers Rock was created a national park in 1950. In 1957 Bill Harney came to the area and in 1958, when the rock was combined with the Olgas to form the Ayers Rock National Park, he was appointed the first official curator. In 1959 a motel lease was granted near the rock and soon after an airstrip was built. In 1976 the Commonwealth Government set up the lease at Yulara and in 1983-84 the old tourist locations near the rock were closed down. In 1985 the title to the rock was handed back to the traditional owners who, in turn, granted the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service a 99 year lease on the park.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef includes over 2,900 reefs, around 940 islands and cays, and stretches 2,300 kms along the Queensland coastline. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is 345,000 km2, that's larger than the entire area of the UK and Ireland combined!

The reef is immensely diverse with 1,500 species of fish, 359 types of hard coral, one third of the world's soft corals, 175 bird species, six of the world's seven species of threatened marine turtle and more than 30 species of marine mammals including vulnerable dugongs.

Add to that stunning marine life are 5,000 to 8,000 molluscs and thousands of different sponges, worms, crustaceans, 800 species of echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins) and 215 bird species, of which 29 are seabirds.

The Great Barrier Reef is listed under all four natural World Heritage criteria for its outstanding universal value.

A natural investment
Protecting the reef has benefits beyond conservation - it is also an investment that helps provide security for coastal communities and provides significant benefits to the Australian economy. Reef industries, which are reliant on a healthy environment in which to operate, contributed approximately $5.8 billion to the Australian economy in 2004 and employed about 63,000 people.

Protecting our marine wonderland
Historically, the Reef has been regarded as a well-protected, pristine wonderland - a place of delicate corals, abundant fish life and a haven for other marine life. As scientists came to understand more about the reef's complexities, a different picture emerged - overfishing, land-based pollution and coral bleaching exacerbated by increased sea temperatures due to global warming are all impacting upon its natural wealth.

Immediate action was required to protect the reef because only 4.6% of the reef was fully protected. As a result of public campaigning and pressure from WWF, the Australian Government committed to a plan to protect 33% of the reef.

What does 33% protection mean?
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) zoning plan was implemented in 2004. Its most significant feature is a network of marine sanctuaries that stretch from the Park's northernmost to southern boundaries. This is the world's largest network of marine sanctuaries and covers over a third of the Marine Park - protecting over 11 million hectares.

Scientists have identified 70 different distinct biological regions in the GBRMP, representing the entire range of its plants and animals. A minimum percentage of each biological region is protected from fishing in order to maintain the health and resilience of the ecosystem and to protect the full range of biodiversity in the marine park.

How is the Reef under threat?
The amount of sediment flowing from the land into the marine park from its catchment area has quadrupled over the past 150 years due largely to grazing and cropping expansion in the catchment and loss of native vegetation and wetlands.

The reef has experienced two mass coral bleaching events - in 1998 and 2002. Bleaching was more severe in 2002, with aerial surveys finding that almost 60% of reefs were bleached to some degree.

Not only is the reef subject to high levels of fishing pressure, other fishing practices such as seafloor trawling for prawns are still permitted in over half of the marine park, resulting in untargeted fish capture (by-catch) and destruction of the seafloor.

The Prater

The Prater is one of Europe's most popular fun fair. You can enjoy a magnificent view over Vienna from the giant Ferris wheel or do some sports and relax in an spacious area of parks, forest and fields.

The Prater is situated near Vienna city center and is ideal for walking, having fun, cycling, jogging or just lying on the grass. Furthermore you can find major sports and recreational facilities such as the Krieau harness racing track, the Prater Football Stadium, the Stadionbad, (a public swimming pool), the Freudenau flat racing track and the Pleasure Pavillion (Lusthaus) in the Vienna Prater.

Two further attractions of the Prater are the Vienna Wurschtlprater, a fun fair with the Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad), where you can enjoy a terrific view over Vienna from 60 meters altitude and the Lilliputian Railroad (Liliputbahn), a 2.6 mile amusement park line on a auge of old steam locomotives, providing transportation to the Trade Fair grounds and to the Prater Stadium of Vienna.

The Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) was built in 1897 for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Empereror Franz Joseph I. The Giant Ferris Wheel has 15 cabins and the upholding structure weigh a total of 430 tons and rotate at the speed of 0,65 m/sec. In 1944, at the peak of the World War II, the Giant Ferris Wheel burnt down but was rebuilt in 1945 - at the same time as St. Stephen's cathedral. The Viennese Riesenrad is the only giant ferris wheel of its time which is still in use today.

Burgtheater

The Burgtheater, which is also known as Burg or "Haus am Ring" (House at Ring), is situated in Vienna's first district (Innerstadt). In 1741, Empress Maria Theresia gave an old dance parlour to Sellier, a theatre company. In 1888, Sellier moved into a nearby house designed and built by Gottfried Semper and Hasenauer. Since then, this building was used as the National Theatre.

The beautiful facade of the Burgtheater is adorned with statues of famous writers of Austria like Goethe and Schiller and some allegoric figures depicting love and hatred.

The Burgtheater obtained a worldwide reputation for brilliant dramatic art and is one of the first theaters of German speaking countries. Over the years, its theatrical company of more or less regular members has worked out a traditional style and speech characteristic of Burgtheater performances.

Belvedere Palace

Two magnificient palaces of the Belvedere region lie in the middle of a magnificent park. Both Palaces were constructed for Prince Eugene of Savoy by Hildebrandt, a famous Baroque architect.

At the time they were built, the Belvedere Palaces were located outside Vienna's defensive walls but today they are a part of Vienna`s third district which is not far away from the centre of Vienna (Innerstadt). Design and architecture of the Belvedere Palaces are typical Rococo style.

In today's Vienna, both palaces house museums that features Austrian painting. The lower palace also called the "Österreichisches Barockmuseum" (Austrian Museum of Baroque Art) displays Austrian Art belonging to the 18th century. In the other, upper palace you can visit the Austrian art gallery that features a collection of 19th and 20th century Austrian paintings.

In 1803, Europe's first alpine garden was built in the huge park area of the Belvedere castle with the suggestion of Archduke Johann. Currently more than 4000 plants represent the diversified flora of the alpine ecosystem in Vienna.

The Anchor Clock (Ankeruhr)

The Anchor Clock of Vienna is situated on the oldest square of Vienna, the Hoher Markt, and represents a typical Art Nouveau (jugendstil) design.

The Anchor Clock forms a bridge between two parts of the historical Anker Insurance Company's building. The clock itself is covered with mosaic ornaments. In the course of every 12 hours, twelve historical figures or pairs of figures move across the bridge. Among these figures are Joseph Haydn, medieval lyricist Walther von der Vogelweide, Empress Maria Theresa and Prince Eugen of Savoya. Every day at noon, all this figures parade is accompanied by music from the various periods.

Town Hall

one of the grandest buildings in the city, Sydney’s immense Town Hall is worth a visit, if just to admire the architecture.

About the Building
Sydney's Town Hall, built in stages from 1869 to 1889, sits on ground that once served as the city’s burial ground. Designed by Tasmanian architect J.H. Willson, work commenced on the ornate building after the graveyard, which contained some 2,000 bodies, was closed because it was “too offensive” to the inhabitants of Sydney. All the bodies were supposedly exhumed and moved before construction commenced, though city officials note a stray skeleton or two has been found in the area when there’s an occasional need to dig!

Willson’s design is very high Victorian. He modeled the Town Hall on Philadelphia’s Second Empire-style City Hall. This style was very popular during the Victorian Era and the two buildings are remarkably similar.
Made from local Sydney sandstone, the excessive ornamentation popular at the time eventually caused the Town Hall to be nicknamed “The Wedding Cake Building.” (Some Sydney-ites of the 20th century even thought it should be torn down!)

Lots of Architects
Willson’s sudden death shortly after the project began prompted the hiring of a long string of architects who each contributed something to the Sydney Town Hall. Albert Bond designed the mansard roof and vestibule interior. Brothers Thomas and Edward Bradridge were responsible for Town Hall’s crowning glory, its clock tower, which upon completion and for decades afterwards, was the tallest structure in Sydney. Thomas Sapsford designed Centennial Hall, also known as “The Great Hall.”

Inside Town Hall
Inside the Great Hall is an amazingly large pipe organ, which caused great concern as far as the sturdiness of the building materials in this room. Architects feared that ceiling panels would fall on patrons during concerts – caused by vibrations from the organ – so a special metal panel system was devised for the hall. It was an engineering marvel of its time.

Plans for the organ were conceived in 1879 but it wasn’t installed until 1890. Built by William Hill and Sons, it was dedicated that same year and, ever since that time, Sydney has had a “City Organist” who is responsible for playing this beautiful instrument. After many years of wear and tear, the organ was rebuilt between 1973 and 1983 and free organ recitals are still held throughout the year.

The Town Hall was among the first buildings in Sydney to feature Australian flora as architectural decoration and visitors to the hall can browse its magnificent stained glass windows and try to recognize native flowers and animals. Be sure to see The Australia Window, located in the vestibule, and the equally as breathtaking Captain Cook Window. The stair railings also feature native flora.

Queen Victoria Building

The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is a modern shopping center located in a magnificent 19th century neo- romanesque building.

Construction
The QVB was originally built as the Queen Victoria Market and replaced an existing produce market. The building was designed by city architect George McRae and constructed between 1893 and 1898. At the time Sydney was in a deep recession and the government used the construction of this enormous building to employ a large number of craftsmen.The elaborate building is decorated with stained glass windows, wrought-iron balustrades, patterned floor tiles and large statues. Characteristic for the building are the glass roof over the central arcade and its many domes, one large and twenty smaller ones. The largest, central dome has a 20 meter diameter and consists of an inner glass dome and an exterior copper dome topped with a copula.

History
During the first half of the century the Queen Victoria Building saw many occupants come and go. The original concert hall was turned into a library and many commercial stores were converted into municipal offices.

By the 1950s the Queen Victoria Building was threatened with demolition despite its magnificent architecture. Fortunately plans to replace the fine building with a parking lot were finally abandoned in 1982 when the city council agreed to lease the QVB to the Malaysian firm Ipoh Garden Berhad for 99 years. Under the agreement, the government would create a car park under York Street and the Malaysian firm would restore the building.

The QVB Today
Four years and A$75 million later the Queen Victoria Building reopened as a shopping center. While the building was modernized with the installation of escalators and air conditioning, its historical restoration is exemplary. The tiled floors, stained glass windows, balustrades and arches are all restored with an eye for detail.

There are four shopping floors in the building with in total about 200 shops and boutiques, including retail covering fashion, jewelry, antiques and Australian crafts.

Australian Museum

The oldest museum on the continent, the Australian Museum houses an impressive collection of natural history and anthropological artifacts and information from around the world, concentrating heavily on the natural history of Australia and surrounding Pacific regions.

Established in 1827 as “a Publick Museum in New South Wales where it is stated that many rare and curious specimens of Natural History are to be procured,” this Sydney museum has become one of the finest of its kind in the world.

The Collections – Yesterday and Today
In the early days of the Australian Museum, the first organizers collected unique flora and fauna for display in the museum, hoping to entertain and entice the public. The museum quickly became renowned for its unique exhibits, especially its expansive ornithology collection. Indeed, most of the early curators of the museum were taxidermists who set up animal displays that wowed visitors. Soon, however, museum officials became interested in acquiring collections for research purposes and scientists were added to the staff.

It wasn’t until about 3 decades later that curators became interested in anthropology and collecting artifacts from the indigenous peoples of Australia. Eventually, site excavations were carried out and museum’s anthropological collection grew steadily. Historical collections were also expanded, many pertaining to the colonization of Australia. Research centers were added.

Today, displays are presented thematically and the Aboriginal collection at the Australian Museum is one of the most highly-acclaimed of all the displays in this vast museum. The museum has taken a keen interest in Australia’s environments and her biodiversity, educating the public about the continent’s unique natural resources and the cultures of her people.You’ll find sections dedicated to Earth Sciences including geosciences and paleontology; invertebrates and vertebrates; evolutionary biology; environmental sciences like marine and terrestrial ecology; and a fine ethnographic collection of more than 100,000 artifacts from indigenous Australia, the Pacific Region, Asia, Africa and America. Temporary exhibits also visit the museum and change several times a year.

Education
The Australian Museum offers all sorts of special programs and educational events for every member of the family, from lectures and workshops for adults to “Scientist for a Day” programs for the little ones.Performances by local musicians and dance companies are often featured on Sunday afternoons and are suitable for visitors of all ages.

Hyde Park

Australia’s Hyde Park, located in Sydney in the North South Wales section of the country, is named as such in tribute to London’s Hyde Park.

This park is a pretty green oasis in the middle of the city; a place for local “Sydneysiders” to hang out at lunchtime and a bevy of activity on the weekends and in the summer months.

About the Park
The land where Sydney’s Hyde Park now sits was once a racecourse and sporting ground, hosting all sorts of competitions year round. However, the park’s sporting days are long gone and the only active pursuits you’re likely to see these days are a father and son playing catch or residents and visitors enjoying a bike ride through the park.

Archibald Fountain
The central pathway through the park is stunning, lined with beautiful fig-trees that provide a natural canopy for the walkway. In the very center of Hyde Park, visitors flock to the Archibald Fountain, commemorating the collaboration of France and Australia during World War I. Carved statues of figures from Greek mythology grace the fountain, which was named for John F. Archibald, founding editor of the Australian weekly newspaper, The Bulletin.

Anzac War Memorial
The War Memorial is the other centerpiece of this pretty park. Art Deco in style, this memorial serves as a tribute to the Anzac soldiers who died during World War I. The memorial stands above the Pool of Remembrance, and underneath the monument, there is a photographic exhibition about the war.

More War Monuments
Near the Bathurst Street entrance on the west side of the park, you’ll find a 125-foot obelisk decorated in Egyptian style.Yet another war monument, donated by the Independent Order of Oddfellows and dedicated to Sydney residents who died in World War I, can be found in Hyde Park as well.Another monument which boasts a gun from the German light cruiser SMS Emden is located at the Oxford Street entrance to the park.

For a little fun while you’re enjoying the park, you can participate in a game of chess courtesy of the large play-able chess set that’s located on the western side of the park.

Entrance to the park and all the monuments is free.

National Maritime Museum

Situated in Sydney’s Darling Harbour, the Australian National Maritime Museum is the most-visited museum of its kind on the continent. Dedicated to “opening new vistas on Australia’s history and love of the sea,” this museum is a hit with all ages.

Development of the museum began in 1984 and it opened its doors in 1991. Exhibition development centered around five display themes - Discovery, Passengers, Commerce, Leisure, and Navy.

In addition, the USA funded a gallery of US-Australian maritime links as its gift to the nation for the 1988 Bicentenary celebrations.

Exhibitions
While there are some permanent exhibitions at the museum, many wonderful visiting exhibits come and go each year. One might find displays about particular kinds of ships, pictorial histories of Australia’s role in the World Wars, or an exhibition of artwork related to the sea.
There’s also a children’s interactive Viking Village, and a magnificent replica of Captain James Cook’s discovery ship, the HM Bark Endeavour, is also on display at the National Maritime Museum.

A number of special educational programs are available to visitors. There’s storytelling and an activity area for the little ones. For the adults, lectures and tours are offered on a variety of maritime-related topics. Special tours are available as well, centering on one particular section of the museum.

The museum’s Welcome Wall is a tribute to the more than six million people who have crossed the world to settle in Australia. An internet database stores historical information about the people named on the Welcome Wall— when and how they came, who they came with and where they lived. These stories are also accessible on a computer terminal in the Museum foyer.
More than a dozen vessels are docked in the water outside the museum, ranging from a Russian submarine to a Norwegian lifeboat to a New Zealand racing cutter.

Visiting the Museum
Entrance to the main galleries of the museum is free. However, there is an additional charge for visiting the ships docked in the Darling Harbour and for any special events at the museum.
A harbourside restaurant provides family-friendly fare to visitors, including scrumptious seafood dishes.

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour is a large recreational area near Sydney's Central Business District. It is home to a large number of attractions including some of Sydney's most popular museums.

History
During the 19th century Darling Harbour was Australia's largest seaport. Its first wharf was built in 1811 and the port prospered until the end of the Second World War. By then Botany Bay had become Sydney's main port.The lack of container terminals led to a significant decrease in commercial activity and by the 1970s Darling Harbour started to become dilapidated. In 1984 the government of New South Wales decided to redevelop the area and in 1988, during Australia's Bicentennial Celebrations, Queen Elisabeth II officially opened the renovated Darling Harbour.

Aquarium
The once industrial area is now a pedestrianized zone with plenty of hotels, restaurants and attractions. One of the most popular attractions in the area is the Sydney Aquarium. The aquarium - home to Australia's largest collection of marine animals - boasts a 145 meter (475ft) underwater tunnel from where you can see sharks, sting-rays and other fish up close.

Museums
There are also several popular museums in Darling Harbour: the National Maritime Museum, the Motor World Museum and the Powerhouse Museum.The National Maritime Museum is dedicated to Australia's Maritime history. There are a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions covering subjects such as the arrival of the First Fleet, the immigration waves, indigenous seamanship and sea trade. There are several vessels at the museum; the largest is the Vampire, a destroyer built in 1952.The Powerhouse Museum is an interactive museum housed in a former power station. It is essentially a science museum with a focus on technology. Exhibitions cover a wide array of subjects like space, design and computers.The Motor World Museum and Gallery has a collection of almost 200 cars and motorcycles, ranging from Vauxhalls to a Model-T BP tanker and a Delorean.

More Attractions
Darling Harbour is also home to the Sydney Convention Center, Star City (a hotel-casino), HarbourSide (a complex of shops, restaurants and cafes), an IMAX theatre and a beautiful Chinese Garden. A recent addition is Cockle Bay Wharf, an entertainment precinct developed in 1998.

Location
Darling Harbour can be easily reached. It is at walking distance from Sydney's Town Hall and Queen Victoria Building. The monorail has several stops in the area and connects Darling Harbour with Sydney's CBD.

Royal Botanic Gardens

Together with the Domain, the Royal Botanic Gardens form one large green oasis in the heart of Sydney along Farm Cove, between the Central Business District and the harbour.

The 30 hectares (75 acres) large Botanic Gardens is surrounded by the Domain, which acts as a buffer between the landscaped gardens and the city.

The Gardens
This is a very visitor-friendly park, it even has signs stating 'please walk on the grass'. It makes the Botanic Garden a great place for picnics, but it also allows you to walk close to the many magnificent trees and plants. The gardens feature a large number of plant species from Australia and abroad, displayed across a number of thematic gardens like the Palm Grove, Oriental Garden and Herb Garden. Some of the plants are very rare like the recently discovered Wollemi Pine - the 'Dinosaur tree' - and the cycads. There are also many birds and bats in the park. The Botanic Gardens are enclosed by fences and is only accessible during daytime. The Domain however can be accessed at any time.

Foundation
The Royal Botanic Gardens were founded in 1816 by Governor Macquarie as part of the governor's domain. The appointment of the first Botanist, Charles Fraser, in 1817, marked the establishment of Australia's oldest scientific institution. The gardens were expanded in 1830 with the construction of a sea wall and in 1831 they were opened to the public.

Palm Grove
Over the years different sections of the gardens developed. One of the first was the Palm Grove, established in 1851. It is one of the world's finest collections of palm trees, with more than 140 different species, including the cabbage tree palm, a Sydney native. Many of the gardens' numerous fruit bats (aka flying foxes) choose a spot high up one of these palm trees.Near the Palm Grove is the First Farm, the site of the colony's very first cultivated farmland.
In 1862 Sydney's first zoo opened in the Botanic Gardens but it relocated to Moore Park in 1883.

Garden Exhibition Palace
For Sydney's International Exhibition of 1879 the Garden Exhibition Palace - an enormous Victorian building with central dome - was constructed on the Domain. After the timber framed Palace was destroyed by fire in 1882 the two hectares of land - known as the Palace Gardens - were added to the Botanic Gardens.

Stagnation and more gardens
In 1901 a new herbarium opened, but the beginning of the 20th century marked the start of a long period of stagnation for the Botanic Gardens. It took until the last decades of the century before several more sections were developed like the Rose Garden (1988), the Herb Garden (1994) and the Oriental Garden (1997). There are many more topical gardens: the Rare and Threatened Plants Garden features plants that are rare or even on the brink of extinction; the Native Rockery displays a number of Australian native plants; the Succulent Garden features desert landscapes with plenty of cacti and the Rainforest Walk shows a variety of plants from the rain forest.

Tropical Centre
The Tropical Centre, which opened in 1990, consists of two glasshouses, one shaped as a pyramid and the other one as an arc. The glasshouse in the shape of an arc is devoted to exotic plants from tropical areas around the world. The pyramidically shaped glasshouse holds Australian tropical plants.

National Herbarium
At the eastern edge of the gardens is the National Herbarium, an important research institution which holds about a million different dried plants, including some specimens from 1770 collected by Joseph Banks, Captain Cook's botanist.

The Pond
The Botanic Gardens also features a large pond where the many ducks and other birds are fed by tourists ignoring the request to not feed them. Some of the birds found in the park are the Sacred Ibis, the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, the White-faced Heron and the Rainbow Lorikeet.

Government House
Also on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens is the Government House, the former residence of the Governor of New South Wales. The Government House grounds are open to the public. There are also architectural tours of the house, a mock castle built in 1845.
Entry to the botanic gardens is free, except for the Tropical Centre.