The Apostles,The Twelve Apostles are the most famous of all formations along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and has been formed over many years by the action of the sea against Limestone and Volcanic rock although there are only eight of the original twelve still standing. Located within the Port Campbell National Park and just a reasonable drive from Melbourne these formations make a spectacular sight at either high or low tide with considerable viewing platforms available to the public.

Melbourne Cricket Ground Hallowed turf, the home of Australia's own brand of football Australian Rules, and cricket. Built in 1853, it was the main stadium for the 1956 Olympic Games. With a record crowd of 104 000, the MCG regularly fills with 100 000 people for the football finals. Its Gallery of Sport houses an Olympic exhibition and other sporting displays

Uluru (Ayers Rock),Uluru formerly known by the name Ayers Rock is the world’s largest monolith and a dedicated Aboriginal sacred site. Uluru is located in the Uluru-Kata-Tjuta National Park some 450 kms South-West of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Walking tours to the top of Uluru are conducted by the local Anangu Aboriginal custodians with recognition of Uluru in the dreamtime of the local people who also include the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people. This most striking of landmarks changes in colour and perception depending upon season and time of day with the "Rock" being a most magnificent backdrop in sunsets, sunrises and tropical rainfall where there is a continual feast of miniature waterfalls.

Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most famous beaches and among the world's most well-known beaches. It is located in the Municipality of Waverley in east Sydney. The beach, roughly a kilometre long, is enclosed at the north and south by headlands. Every day of the year lifeguards patrol the beach between the yellow and red flags. Take a stroll along the beachside promenade, along with dogs with style and babies with attitude. Away from the beach there are numerous cafes and restaurants, as well as hostels, hotels, a great variety of shops, and even a small golf course.

Royal Botanic Gardens The gardens occupy 36ha on the southern side of Melbourne's Yarra River with 10 000 plant species displayed on landscaped lawns, garden beds and lakes and inhabited by about 50 species of birds. The Gardens were commenced in 1846 and their beauty is the result of the work of curator William Guilfoyle. They are recognised as one of the finest pieces of urban garden landscaping in the world.

Flinders Street Station Opened in September 1854, it is still a major city landmark and meeting place in Melbourne. Festooned with fairy lights as it was for the 1954 Royal Visit, its facade is one of the city's most historic.

Opened in March 1990, it is the most modern, versatile and best equipped convention centre in the South Pacific region. It consists of two auditoriums and a banqueting hall seating 6 000 people in a variety of spaces and configurations. By the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne's central business district, the World Congress Centre shares a 1.4 ha site with the adjoining 384-room Centra Hotel.

Rialto Towers Observation Deck Set on level 55 of the Rialto building, the Observation Deck compares favourably with its international counterparts. It affords visitors spectacular views of the city and surrounds from the Southern Hemisphere's tallest building. The new Observation Deck is the city's first tourist viewing platform and high-powered binoculars ensure visitors are treated to breathtaking views.

The Sydney Opera House was designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzorn and was opened by Queen Elizabeth the Second on the 20th October 1973. This most distinctive building with its multiple "sail" rooftop is located at Bennelong Point near Circular Quay close to the heart of Sydney. The Opera House is said to be the busiest performing arts centre in the world with over three thousand events per year with an audience in excess of 2 million per year and attracting over two hundred thousand tourists of guided tours per year. The building consists of in excess of 1,000 rooms and many events such as opera, film, ballet, music recitals, exhibitions and conventions are held there.After an exhaustive Worldwide competition for the design of the Opera House the Danish Architect Jorn Utzon was declared the winner in 1957 and he commenced work on the building in 1959. As the design was new even as a structural model to architects, there were many problems with construction and after irreconcilable breakdown of relations between Utzon and the then NSW Government, Utzon left Australia never to return until years later. The construction was completed by a trio of Sydney architects under the control of the Government.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932 after nine years of construction by the then Premier of New South Wales, Mr Jack Lang. The Sydney Harbour Bridge which is the largest single arch bridge in the world is nicknamed the "Coathanger" because of its distinctive look. The Sydney Harbour Bridge which is now a major landmark in its own right has a span of 503 metres, a height of 134 metres and is 1149 metres in length. As an added attraction, it is now possible to climb to the top of the Bridge as part of an organised tour.

The Great Barrier Reef is located off the Eastern seaboard of the State of Queensland and is the largest coral reef in the world covering approximately 345,000 sq kms, approximately 2,000 km in length and supporting some 1500 species of fish.The Barrier Reef Marine Park was declared in 1975 and has stringent controls on fishing and tourism alike under Federal Government legislation. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is the leading agency and main adviser to the Federal Government on the day to day care and control of the reef. As part of its role, the Authority manages access, permits and environmental practice for the 1.5 million annual visitors who engage in various pursuits including sailing and scuba diving.

National Tennis Centre A world class sporting and entertainment venue built in 1988 in Flinders Park, it comprises a 15 000 seat main stadium with a retractable roof and other outdoors courts.

The Three Sisters is one of the major features and certainly the most visited of the Blue Mountains National Park which is located to the West of Sydney. The formation is named after the mythical legend of three sisters named Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo who lived with their father.The Blue Mountains National Park area itself was originally formed many thousands of years ago from the sediment of a very large river system which over the years have eroded the surrounding landscape to form the multitude of deep valleys and relatively high peaks we find today. Within the Park itself there is literally hundreds of local wildflowers and other flora not to mention the enormous range of fauna. The Three Sisters themselves are viewed from the natural viewing platform named Echo Point.

Wave Rock is a large stone formation, which takes the appearance of a wave, hence the name and is located in Western Australia. This formation is said to be 27 million years old and contains strips of grey and red granite in the wave formation, which reaches 15 metres in height and extends 110 metres in length. The general area itself has considerable historical significance for Aboriginals with a selection of rock paintings in Bates cave, which is located nearby.

The largest of the Kangaroos species is the Red Kangaroo , the males are called 'Boomers' and are a deep browny red colour . The females are called 'Blue Fliers' and are a bluey grey colour . As with all of the macropods the females are much smaller in size than the males , but with this Red Kangaroo species the male may grow to be twice the size of the female . The average male weighs 65kg but can be as heavy as 85kg and females weigh only around 26kgs . When born a Red Kangaroo is only about 1.5 cms long but will grow to be bigger than a tall man .In full flight a Boomer may bound at speeds of around 65km/h in leaps as long as 12 metres . The Red lives in the dry hot inland areas of Australia keeping away from the dense bush but will shelter under a tree in the middle of the day to avoid the heat .

Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii,There are about 65 Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats left alive. This animal is Australia's most critically endangered mammal. Once found over a broad area, the Hairy-nosed Wombat is now found in only one place - 300ha of Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland. There has been no appreciable increase in the population size since 1985.

The platypus has several reptilian characteristics which include using the same opening for reproduction and eliminating waste products, the ability to lay eggs, cervical ribs, and local ascorbic acid synthesis in the kidney. Even though the platypus has these reptile characteristics, it is overall much more mammalian than reptilian. This unique animal has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.

The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which averages about 9kg (20lb) in weight. It's fur is thick and usually ash grey with a tinge of brown in places. The koala gets it's name from an ancient Aboriginal word meaning "no drink" because it receives over 90% of it's hydration from the Eucalyptus leaves (also known as gum leaves) it eats, and only drinks when ill or times when there is not enough moisture in the leaves. ie during droughts etc. The koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalytus leaves.Koalas today are found in Queensland , New South Wales , Victoria and South Australia . Their range extends from the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns in Qld to islands off the coast of Victoria and South Australia in the south, and west to central and western Qld, NSW and Victoria.Koalas live in societies, just like humans, so they need to be able to come into contact with other koalas. It is because of this they need to have areas of suitable eucalypt forest which are large enough to support a healthy koala population and to allow for expansion by maturing young koalas. Koalas are highly territorial and in stable breeding groups, individual members of koala society maintain their own "home range" areas.Since European settlement, approximately 80% of Australia's eucalypt forests have been decimated. Of the remaining 20% almost none is protected and most occurs on privately-owned land. Settlers favoured the rich fertile lands along the eastern seaboard to have their farms and urban developments. Unfortunately, this is where the majority of koalas are already living because they also like to live in trees which are growing in fertile soils.

The scientific name for Kangaroos and Wallabies is ' Macropods' this means 'big foot' they are Marsupials which means they have pouches and they are Mammals which means they produce milk for their babies .Kangaroos usually live in family groups called Mobs . These Mobs can be as large as 100 , many of the smaller Wallabies and Kangaroo Rats live alone .When living as a family group or Mob , some Roos act as guards and look out for danger . If they sense danger they will bang their tails on the ground and leap suddenly scattering the Mob . When a female with a Joey senses danger she will often hide her Joey in some bushes and leap away to draw the predator after her and away from her Joey in order to protect it .There are about 60 species of Macropods the largest of these is the Red Kangaroo which can reach up to 7 feet (over 2 metres ) in height and the smallest is the Kangaroo Rat which will grow to only 6 inches (15cms) tall .

Tasmanias only true Kangaroo is the Eastern Grey or 'Forester' it is a protected species and may not be hunted . The Forester is only marginally smaller than it's cousin the Red Kangaroo with not such a marked difference in sizes between males and females as with the Red . A Forester male may grow up to 2.1m and the female to 1.8m . They can reach speeds of up to 64km/h on open ground with records showing they can jump as far as 13.5m in a single bounding leap , although this is unusual , the average leap would be 7-9 metres . The Forester has remarkable endurance , one was reported to have been chased at high speed for 30km by a man on horseback after which it was said to have swum out to sea for another 3km . The Eastern Grey dislikes hot weather and will spend most ot the day resting in the shade of trees or shrubs , if the day is exceptionally hot they will dig out a hollow in the ground and rest in the cooler exposed soil .

The Kookaburra is about 45 cm (18 ins) long and weighs about .5 kg (1 lb). Its got a big square head and really huge beak.The Kookaburra is the worlds biggest kingfisher. I don't know why they call it a kingfisher because it doesn't eat fish. It eats small animals, snakes, large insects and lizards. The way it eats snakes is neat. It swoops down and grabs the snake from behind its head and then flies up high into the air and then drops the snake to kill it. Sometimes it bashes the snake against a branch to kill it.The Kookaburra has a very strange voice. It almost sounds like a person laughing. That's why it is sometimes called a Laughing Kookaburra. Kookaburras can get really noisy when arguing with each other about who is in someone else's territory. They wake us up early in the mornings sometimes with their loud babbling.

Australia's Coat of Arms

Big Apple - located at Stanthorpe QLD

Big Avocado - located at Byron Bay NSW

Big Bottle - located at Mangrove Mountain NSW

Big Cow - located at Nambour QLD

Big Lobster - located at Kingston VIC

Big Pineapple - located at Nambour QLD