The Wizard of Oz
Australia the destination has long been the rage. Now the destination has hit the big screen sharing screen and credit with two of its own, Jackman and Kidman. But look closer as there are several Aussie stars, be it indie or major, they are everywhere, on screen and throughout the country.
Victoria, Australia only around 3% of Australia’a land mass is home to 25% of Australia’s population. Melbourne has a population of 4 million and is expected to outgrow Sydney by 2020. Victoria is also the economic powerhouse of the Australia, producing 25% of the country’s GDP and handling over 40% of all of Australia’s container traffic.
For sport savvy travelers, Melbourne is the sporting capital, one of the great sporting capitals of the world, with the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Australian Open, Australian Masters, Melbourne Cup, AFL Grand Final and President’s Cup, Boxing Day Test (to name a few) all being held in Melbourne. The Melbourne Cricket Ground, home of cricket and Australian Rules football, is the largest spectator stadium in the world.
For those in search of cultural kicks, Melbourne also boasts the largest integrated cultural precinct with Hamer (Symphony) Hall, the State Theatre (Opera), the Playhouse, National Gallery and Melba Recital Hall all collocated in the Melbourne city precinct. Already world-class facilities, they are spending a further $180m to upgrade Hamer Hall and surrounds over the next 2 years.
The city has a fabulous European look and feel, with endless cafes (serving the world’s best coffee), boutique bars and fantastic restaurants, both in the central part of the city and the surrounding neighborhoods.
For the foodie and wine enthusiasts, Melbourne is no longer a close kept country secret. Within short reach of Melbourne is an amazing and diverse countryside
including 22 wine regions (such as Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Heathcote and Grampians). Wines are world-class quality, with our Chardonnays, Rieslings,
Pinot Noirs, Cool Climate Shiraz and Muscats and Tokays. Many wines enjoy Parket scores in the 90-100 point range.
Not at a loss for natural wonders and beauty, the region boasts the world’s best rock climbing (Grampians), the stunning Great Ocean Road, Championship surfing (Bells Beach, Woolamai), Snow Skiing (Falls Creek, Mt. Hotham), Murray River and a large range of national parks, from rainforests to deserts.
Qantas flies directly to Melbourne from LA 7 nights a week and has been doing so since the late 1990’s. The flight leaves LA at 11.40pm and arrives into
Melbourne at around 8am the next morning. You have time for a drink, meal,
movie and a good sleep and awaken to have a full day of activity on arrival.
Karen
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