| Australian Education Office Guide to Australian Short Courses |
States and Territories |
| ACT | NSW | SA | NT | QLD | TAS | WA | VIC |
The ACT is an enclave within the state of New South Wales, about a three hour drive from the center of Sydney and is the seat of Australia's National Government. Designed by American Walter Burley Griffin and heavily influenced by the US Capital Washington, DC, in Canberra you will find bicycle paths, parks, and gracious government buildings which display Australian and international works of art. The National Library contains a copy of every book published in the country. The Snowy Mountains and the beaches of New South Wales are a two hour drive from Canberra. The city is safe, friendly and has a healthy outdoors appeal.
Canberra's summer is relatively hot and dry with average temperatures ranging from 55F - 82F. Average winter temperatures range from 33F - 55F with days that are often sunny.
New South Wales, is the most populous and heavily industrialized state in Australia. Sydney, its capital, is Australia's largest city and financial center. This cosmopolitan and international city is set on a stunning harbor that is often referred to as one of the world's most beautiful. Sydney will host the Olympic Games in the year 2000. Natural features divide the state into four distinct zones: seaboard, tablelands (consisting of plateaus), western slopes (fertile and rugged), and western plains (little rainfall and difficult conditions).
NSW lies in the temperate zone and the climate is generally free from extreme heat and cold. Sydney's summer is warm to hot with some humidity. Temperatures range from 65F - 78F . Winter temperatures are mild and range from 46F - 63F.
The SA landscape varies from lush farmland to desert. The capital city of Adelaide is surrounded by parkland, and is often referred to as "Australia's cultural capital". It claims besides its quality of life an old-world feel with bi-annual international arts festivals and the World Music Festival. One hour's drive north is the fertile Barossa Valley producing more than 30 percent of Australia's wine. Other geographic features include the Murray River, the south-east's rich farming and grazing land.
Adelaide's climate is mediterranean with a hot, dry summer; a mild autumn; a cool wet winter and a mild spring. Average summer temperatures range from 61F - 86F and average winter temperatures from 45F - 59F.
The NT covers nearly one-fifth of the continent, with outback that varies from ranges of bare rock, to massive canyons, great sand dunes, deep lagoons, winding rivers, sinewy gorges and towering cliffs. Darwin is its capital. Within such close proximity to Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore, Darwin is an extremely culturally diverse city with outdoor markets, food stalls and festivals year round. Ayers Rock - "Uluru" in native Aboriginal - is the world's largest monolith or single great stone rising out of the flat plain is located within NT. The Olgas, a grouping of smooth, red rock domes are also in NT.
Inland NT temperatures are extreme with a very hot summer. Coastal temperatures, around Darwin, are tropical. Average summer temperatures range from 77F - 94F . Average winter temperatures range from 67F - 87F.
Queensland is the is second largest state and the third most populous. More than one-third of its people live in Brisbane, the capital and the third largest city in Australia. Activity centers round the Brisbane River, with riverfront restaurants, markets, parks and river walks. In the waters off QLD, is the Great Barrier Reef. This 1,250 mile coral reef consists of thousands of smaller reefs containing 30,000 species of marine life. The town of Cairns is a well situated tropical coastal city surrounded by the Daintree Rainforest as well as the reef. An hour either north or south of Brisbane places you in great beach locations.
This subtropical state enjoys sunshine through most of the year with average summer temperatures from 69F - 85F and average winter temperatures from 49F - 68F.
Tasmania, the island state south of the Australian mainland, is surrounded by several smaller islands the most important of which are King and Flinders Islands. Almost 40 percent of Tasmanian's live in and around Hobart, the capital city. Mountains cover much of the landscape of this state and hiking and outdoor recreation are extremely popular. The Midlands are one of the state's richest agricultural areas. Mount Wellington overlooks Hobart, a refurbished colonial city which still reflects its British heritage.
Tasmania has a temperate, maritime climate. Hobart's average summer temperature ranges from 53F - 71F. Average winter temperatures range from 40F - 52F.
Western Australia is the largest Australian state with about one-third of the total area of the country, although it contains only one-twelfth of the population. Perth, the state capital, is about 1,500 miles from Adelaide (the nearest major Australian city). Much of Western Australia is closer to cities in southeast Asia than to major metropolitan centers in Australia. Its beauty and multiculuralism rival that of San Francisco with a lower cost of living. WA is a rich mining area that accounts for about one-quarter of the country's total income, and has produced an extensive air network but also boasts 11 million acres of national parks and reserves.
The climate, similiar to that of Southern California, has average summer temperatures of 63F - 85F and average winter temperatures of 48F - 63F.
Victoria is the second smallest Australian state, yet the most densely populated. About 26 percent of Australians live in Victoria, and of those, most reside in Melbourne, the nation's second largest city. About 36 percent of the state is forest. The highest mountain peaks are Mount Bogong and Mount Feathertip - both over 6,000 feet. Victoria's vast coastline extends over 1,000 miles, bordering the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait, and separating the Australian mainland from Tasmania. Melbourne is a world-renowned cultural, artistic, financial and communications center. Other metropolitan centers include Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.
Melbourne's average summer temperatures range from 57F - 78F. Average winter temperatures range from 42F - 56F.
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