The Highway One Travel Companion Book shows you all the country towns, historic interests, attractions etc that have been bypassed and may have been forgotten.

The book is highly detailed with maps and step by step text  for every section you drive, every town or attraction is described so you can visit the things you want to. The book includes beautiful hand drawn illustrations of local buildings or attractions.

 Volume One  is the first of a series of Five books

Melbourne to Tweed Heads in New South Wales on the East Coast

To find out more about the book go to the website

http://www.highwayone.net.au/

I have been to Sydney several times, seeing the bridge, harbour and the Opera House are always the highlight. Every New Years Eve the Sydney Harbour Bridge is centrepiece for the fireworks display.

If you are visiting Sydney and want to the best view of the Harbour be adventurous and do the Bridge Climb.

This website link below has all the information about the Sydney Harbour Bridge being built and some excellent photos of its construction.

http://www.sydneyharbourbridge.info/

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Each book has a link so you can check out more details about each book, remember to check info like how many pages and size as they all vary.

Travel Australia book from Readers Digest

Explore Australia by Caravan and Motorhome

1000 Great Places Travel with Kids in Australia

Explore Australia 2012

Budget Camps and Stops Australia

Free postage to Anywhere in Australia

I have been told it is a real photo, what do you think?

The Story Bridge is an icon in Brisbane that goes over the winding Brisbane River. The bridge was built in the Great Despression to boost morale and employment and it remains to be the largest steel bridge in Australia. It was designed and built mostly by Australians from Australian materials.

Sydney Harbour Bridge has an adventure climb and so does the Story Bridge. The climb takes and 2 and half hours, along the way you will learn about the bridges and Brisbane’s history. At the highest point of the bridge you will enjoy stunning views of the city, the winding Brisbane River and the mountainous landscape beyond Brisbane.
www.storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au/

 
Brisbane Botanical Gardens at Mount Coot-tha

The Brisbane Botanical Gardens are at the foothills of Mount Coot-tha which is about a 8 kilometre drive from the Brisbane city centre. The gardens where started in the mid 1970s and it has over 20,000 specimens of plants. Which include many native Australian plants, exotic herbs, shrubs and trees. the garden has many interesting features to see like a Japanese garden, a Tropical display dome, a lagoon and bamboo grove, a fern house, a National Freedom Wall which celebrates 50 years of peace.

There is also a Planetarium, you will see stunning views of Brisbane, the river, More and Stradbroke Islands, the Glasshouse Mountains, there are also walking trails and picnic areas for a great day out. www.brisbane.qld.gov.au

 
Treasury Casino & Hotel

The Treasury Casino and hotel is in the heart of the city, both the casino and hotel are in beautiful heritage buildings. The Treasury Casino occupies the historic Treasury Building and the hotel is located in the Lands Administration Building.

Both buildings are just a short walk away from the inner city botanical gardens, historic walks and bikeways, department stores, specialty shops and cinemas. Also the airport is only 25 minutes away.

The Casino is open all day and night with more than 100 gaming tables and more than 1,000 gaming machines, with several restaurants and bars to keep all visitors entertained.
www.treasurybrisbane.com.au/
Not everyone can get to a casino easily as they are usually only in the cities so a fun alternative is to try online casinos from home.
www.onlinecasino.com.au and if you want to play on a Mac
www.onlinecasino.com.au/mac   
The Heritage Treasury Hotel is luxury accommodation at its best, the casino is a few steps away and so is the Queen Street Shopping Mall. The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Performing Arts Complex, CityCat ferry terminal, South Bank Parklands, the City Botanic Gardens, the Performing Arts Complex are all very close to the Treasury Hotel.  http://www.treasurybrisbane.com.au

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was started in 1927 is one of Brisbanes most visited tourist attraction. It doesn’t just have koalas, it has many Australian native animals like Kangaroos, possums, dingoes, emus, Australian birds and reptiles. The park has over 100 koalas and you can get your photo taken with a koala for a small fee.
http://www.koala.net/

Hanging Rock Picnic Races, Festival of Sydney, Australian Open, Country Music Festival, Midsumma Festival, Tunurama Festival, Australia Day Concert, Chinese New Year, Cricket Test Match Sydney.

FEBRUARY

Festival of Perth, Leeuwin Estate Winery Music Concert, Adelaide fringe, Adelaide Festival of the Arts,

MARCH

Australian Formula One Grand Prix, Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, Yarra Valley Grape Grazing, begonia festival Ballarat, Moomba festival Melbourne, Easter Fair Maldon, International Flower Garden Show Melbourne, Bright Autumn Festival, Anzac Day.

APRIL

Melbourne International Comedy festival, Royal easter Show Sydney, Rip Curl Pro Surfing Competition Bells Beach,.

MAY

Australian Celtic Festival Glen Innes, Kernewek lavender Cornish Festival, Torres Strait Cultural Festival.

JUNE

Three Day Equestrian Event Gawler, Sydney Film festival,Laura Dance and Cultural festival, Darling Harbour Jazz Festival.

JULY

Yulefest Blue Mountains, Brass Monkey Festival Stanthorpe Queensland, Alice Springs Show, Cairns Show, Melbourne International Film Festival,  Camel Cup Alice Springs.

AUGUST

 Almond Blossom Festival Mount Lofty, City to Surf Race Sydney, Shinju Matsuri Festival Broome, Melbourne Contemporary Art Fair, Mount Isa Rodeo.

SEPTEMBER

Open Garden Scheme, Mudgee Wine Festival, Festival of the Winds Bondi Beach, Royal Melbourne Show, Australian Football League Grand Final, Tulip Festival Bowral, Carnival of Flowers Toowoomba.

OCTOBER

Melbourne Fringe Festival, Australian Rugby league Grand Final, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Henley on Todd Regatta Alice Springs, Melbourne marathon, Lygon Street Fiesta.

NOVEMBER

Sculpture by the Sea Bondi Beach, Great Mountain Race of Victoria Mansfield, Melbourne Cup.

DECEMBER

Carols by Candlelight Melbourne, Christmas at Bondi Beach, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Boxing Day Test Match, New Years Eve.

For starters, you can schedule your move on a day when you expect the traffic to be relatively light. Few things can make moving day more stressful than being stuck in traffic on a hot and humid day. So you need to make sure that you know which days to avoid and the best time of the day to make the move.

Another good idea is to hold a garage sale before you move. This could easily cut down your moving inventory by half. The benefits are even greater if you happen to have a hoarding habit. Talk to all your family members and ask them which objects they cannot bear to part with, and which ones they can let go of. If the garage sale doesn’t sell all the items, you can just give them away to your neighbors or to charity.

You should also ask your neighbors about their experiences with local truck rental services. This alone can save you a lot of money. It’s one thing to read about customer feedback about a company online. It’s another thing to hear about the shortcomings of a company from someone who lives right next to you. Ask about the problems they encountered not just with the truck company but with the move itself. You won’t have to prod them too hard; they’ll be more than happy to share whatever horror stories they’ve experienced.

Finally, try to relax. Choose a motorhome hire Australia service that will consult with you and that looks out for your best interest.

The Weather

If you like hot weather you will love Sydney – it is generally quite hot there and there are great beaches at Manly and Bondi Beach. Indeed, there are few big cities so well set up for those who like to laze by the seaside. The same cannot be said for Melbourne and though there is a nice beach at St. Kilda’s the weather is less than ideal. The city sees a fair bit of rain, and you may never get the warmth you can expect further north.

Nightlife

Sydney certainly has some great nightlife with many bars and great clubs, yet Melbourne has a more interesting scene with alley-way bars and fun clubs everywhere. Section 8 is a particularly fun place to visit, as this former car park is one of the trendiest spots in town.

The Food

Both Melbourne and Sydney have access to great eateries. Restaurants like Aria in Sydney provide haute cuisine which leads the charge of Australia’s newly gained reputation for culinary greatness. Melbourne has a slightly different feel as many people like to head to China Town to sample cheap and delicious fare.

Travelling On

Of course there is more to see in Australia than these two cities, and it is important to fly into one which is surrounded by things that interest you. If you head to Sydney you can drive north up to the Gold Coast to enjoy the lovely beaches and the serenity of Byron Bay. If you base yourself in Melbourne you will be able to drive on to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island via The Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park.

If you are looking to fly into Sydney and Melbourne you should be able to choose between these two great metropolises. Then again, the best situation would be to take in both cities as they are both truly exciting, in their own unique ways.