Australia

I haven't gone to Australia yet, in the planning stages but I do plan on going to many of the places from this book.

This is a well written and nicely laid out and easy to use guide for Australia. I've used many of the different name-brand travel guides out there over the years, and the DK guides are fairly new to me, but I've been impressed with the ones I've seen. One nice thing they do is there's a "useability page" where the different features of the guide are described on a two- page spread. This makes it easy to learn the special features of the guide and also to use it. This is a good idea and more guide publishers should do it. The DK guides are always beautifully designed, with great photos and good use of space, text, and graphics on the page. They don't seem to cram too much or too little information onto a page. The different regions of Australia are covered in alphabetical order, with color coded tabs at the top of the page so you can skip to the next one if you want without having to look in the index. I was looking especially for information on Hobart and Tasmania, which most people seem to miss on their first trip to Oz, but I am planning on going there, and the section on that was very helpful. No one book on a country as big and diverse as Australia can cover everything, but this guide is a great place to at least start your research and learn about the most important places and sights you want to see and visit. The guide concludes with accommodations, restaurant recommentions, and advice for the traveller sections, including safety considerations (Australia is very crime free but the environment can be harsh and unforgiving), medical care, banking, driving, etc. Overall this is another fine guide book from DK.

As a result of spending a summer in Australia, I own numerous travel guides about the country, and this one is one of the best. If you, like me, need color pictures in your travel guides, then you won't want to miss out on this guide. The photography is extensive and wonderful. The book is divided into multiple sections, each covering a specific region of Australia. There is a brief overview of each region, and then the book lists multiple attractions in that region, with a brief description of each one. At least half of the attractions listed have photographs, and buildings such as museums and government buildings usually have photographs of the interior and the artwork inside. Each attraction also lists the telephone number, opening and closing hours, and the rail/bus/subway stop that you will need to use. At the beginning of the book, there is a brief history of Australia, and information on traveling around the country, money, food, etc. is at the end. The book does list some hotels and restaurants, but does not really cater to the budget traveler (buy Let's Go for this). The book also does not have extensive maps, so don't count on finding those in here either. I always buy multiple guides when I travel, so this was not a problem for me, but I can see how it would be for some people. Even though the price is a bit more than some other guides, I would not miss out on buying this book, or any other Eyewitness Guides. I consider them an absolute necessity for travel, and one of the best series out there.

As an Australian, I recommend this for its accuracy and good, straightforward coverage of the country. It is annoying to read inaccuracies and clangers about your own country, and it is pleasing to note that this guide avoids that. I have written in very glowing terms also about the Sydney guide.These are guidebooks I prefer to use in travelling my own country, which is a great recommendation.

Pictures, references to specific historical and some lesser known places, explicit detail on mannerisms and etiquette--this book is everything that you would want out of a travel guide. DK has always done a wonderful job with their books, but this one has truly outdone all others!

In preparation for our trip to Australia, we checked 4 Australian travel books out of the library. After reading them, this is the one that we thought was worth owning (definitely). If you want lots of facts, brief history, maps and beautiful pictures, we recommend this guide.