Adelaide, South Australia

Calming Hills, crashing waves and a whole valley of wine....

When the early colonists arrived and began building Adelaide they used stone. They wanted to build a solid, dignified city, a civilised and calm place, with a manner no other state capital in the country could match. Nowadays, much to the wowsers' chagrin, pubs and nightclubs outnumber the churches.

Scratch the surface of the quiet achiever of Australian cities and you'll tap into its hedonistic vein. This epicurean playground celebrates the cultural, artistic, gastronomic and sporting. During the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the artistic flair of this progressive, city, truly emerges.

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Sydney, New South Wales

White beaches, blue harbours, gilded lifestyles and lots of flash...

Sydney is Australia's oldest city, the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country's capital in everything but name. It's blessed with sun-drenched natural attractions, dizzy skyscrapers, delicious and daring restaurants, superb shopping and friendly folk.

Although it's come a long way from its convict beginnings, Sydney still has a rough and ready energy, and offers an invigorating blend of the old and the new, the raw and the refined.

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