Map of Australia

• New South Wales (capital city: Sydney)
• Victoria (capital city: Melbourne)
• Australian Capital Territory (capital of Australia: Canberra)
• Queensland (capital city: Brisbane)
• Western Australia (capital city: Perth)
• South Australia (capital city: Adelaide)
• Tasmania (capital city: Hobart)
• Northern Territory (capital city: Darwin)

Australia is a country of dramatic landscapes, sun drenched beaches, coral reefs, tropical rain forests, deserts and bushland. All this contrasts with its cosmopolitan cities and metropolitan skylines. Australia is the world's largest island continent and is approximately the size of mainland United States.

New South Wales (capital city: Sydney)
New South Wales is perhaps the most varied of all States. It offers snow-capped mountains with excellent skiing facilities to stunning golden sandy beaches. The climate ranges from subtropical in the north of the State to cooler temperatures in the south.
Sydney (population 4 million), Australia's oldest city, is Australia's business and finance capital. Built on the shores of Port Jackson, Sydney offers the most spectacular setting for a city. The city is world famous for the Sydney Opera House, home to Australia's opera, ballet and theatre companies and symphony orchestras. Sydney is a dynamic, thriving multicultural city with a skyline that rivals that of Manhattan. Other attractions include the Harbour Bridge, Taronga Zoo, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Sydney will be host city for the 2000 Olympics.

Victoria (capital city: Melbourne)
Victoria's capital city, Melbourne (population 3.3 million), is a diverse and cosmopolitan city. Melbourne has a reputation for its shopping complexes and sophisticated boutiques, restaurants, cafes and bars. It is regarded as one of the cultural, culinary, sporting and shopping capitals of Australia with a great selection of events and festivals to entertain locals and visitors.
Melbourne has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Summer temperatures often reach 30 degrees, while the winter average is 15 degrees. Only a few hours from Melbourne is the Victorian Snow Country and from June to October several ski resorts provide excellent skiing and snowboarding. Only a short drive from Melbourne you will also find some of Australia's most spectacular surf beaches.

Australian Capital Territory (capital of Australia: Canberra)
The establishment of a national capital was determined with Australian federation in 1901, and the site was selected in 1908. Canberra is strategically located between arch rival cities Sydney and Melbourne.
Canberra's population has grown to nearly 300,000 and is home to many national buildings including the National Library, the National Gallery, the High Court of Australia and Parliament House. The city enjoys a thriving arts, music and caf¨¦ scene.
Autumn (March to May) in Canberra is beautiful. The days are sunny and crisp, the trees are changing and everything looks lovely. Canberra winter is cold but the sky is usually blue and sunny. Summer temperatures can be quite high.
There are many study opportunities in Canberra, including the Australian National University, Canberra University and Canberra Institute of TAFE.

Queensland (capital city: Brisbane)
Queensland, home of the Great Barrier Reef is also known as the 'Sunshine State'. Queensland offers rainforests, island resorts and fantastic diving. Brisbane, the state's capital, has a hot humid climate. While the summer maximum average is only 30 degrees, there are extremely hot days during the summer months. Brisbane winters are mild and very pleasant. Most winter days are sunny with average daytime temperatures around 20 degrees.

Western Australia (capital city: Perth)
Western Australia, the largest state in the world, covers one-third of the Australian continent, over 2.5 million square kilometres. Western Australia is so big that the climate varies from north to south. When it is warm and dry in the north, it is cool and wet in the south. Perth (population 1.4 million), the capital of Western Australia, is one of the most isolated cities in the world although it offers all modern conveniences. Perth offers white sandy beaches, lots of sunshine and a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Residents of Western Australia enjoy a relaxed lifestyle.

South Australia (capital city: Adelaide)
Adelaide (population 1 million) is the capital of South Australia, also known as the Festival State. Adelaide hosts a variety of national and international festivals each year and has some of Australia's finest restaurants and produces some of the country's best wine. The climate is distinctly mediterranean and is a climate perfect for living. Summers are hot and dry while winters are cool and mild. The average summer temperature is around 28 degrees, and in winter is 15 degrees.

Tasmania (capital city: Hobart)
Hobart (population 160,000) is Australia's southern most - and smallest - capital city. Hobart is a riverside city with a busy harbour and surrounding mountains. It offers a relaxed atmosphere, numerous parks and attractive homes, making it one of Australia's most charming and enjoyable cities. Although many Australians regard Hobart as conservative and provincial, it does have a thriving arts scene. Tasmania offers heritage wilderness and unspoilt natural beauty and is known as one of the last great wilderness areas in the world.

Northern Territory (capital city: Darwin)
Darwin is the bustling tropical capital of the Northern Territory. Residents of Darwin enjoy a relaxed, tropical lifestyle with wonderful sunsets, city streets shaded by palms, mango trees and plenty of flowering tropical shrubs. The climate is tropical with dry months from May to September and the wet season from December to March. Temperatures range from 25-33¡ãC in summer and 20-30¡ãC in winter.