| Most Brits associate Christmas with cold weather, | | | | biodiversity, warm clear waters and its accessibility |
| little sunlight, snow, families cosying up indoors and | | | | from the floating guest facilities, the reef is a very |
| traditional Christmas cuisine such as turkey and mulled | | | | popular destination for tourists, especially scuba |
| wine. But if that all sounds as appealing as that | | | | divers. The reef is accessible via boat tours and |
| knitted reindeer jumper re-gifted through the family | | | | cruises, from single day trips to longer voyages. |
| since time memoriam, Australia can provide an | | | | Glass-bottomed boats and underwater observatories |
| alternative Christmas holiday with things to see and | | | | are also popular, as are helicopter flights. |
| experience to suit anyone's tastes - whether you're | | | | Ayers Rock (or Uluru) is one of Australia's most |
| looking to experience the cities, beaches or the many | | | | recognisable natural icons. The sandstone formation |
| natural sights. | | | | stands 1142ft high, with a circumference of 5.8 mi. It |
| The most popular city among tourists visiting | | | | has great cultural significance for the A?angu |
| Australia is Sydney, and it's not hard to see why. As | | | | landowners, who lead walking tours of the area, |
| one of the most iconic cities in Australia it's most | | | | informing visitors of the local bush foods, flora and |
| well-known attractions include the Sydney Opera | | | | fauna and Aboriginal dreamtime stories. The |
| House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Royal | | | | sandstone formation is notable for appearing to |
| Botanical Gardens, Luna Park, Sydney Tower and its | | | | change colour throughout the day and year |
| many beaches. Bondi Beach in particular has proven | | | | depending on the light and weather, glowing red at |
| to be popular with British and Irish tourists looking to | | | | sunset and silver-grey when it rains. |
| spend the holiday in the sun and the beach has many | | | | In addition to the mainland there are several islands |
| cafes, restaurants and hotels, giving spectacular | | | | to check out, including Tasmania. Promoting itself as |
| views of the beach. Other major cities in Australia | | | | the Natural State and the Island of Inspiration, almost |
| offering a similar experience include Melbourne, | | | | 37% of Tasmania is in reserves, National Parks and |
| Adelaide and Perth. | | | | World Heritage Sites. Despite its small size, there are |
| No trip to Australia would be complete without | | | | plenty of sights to see, and Tasmania attracts many |
| visiting the Great Barrier Reef. It is the largest coral | | | | tourists for its trout fishing possibilities and the iconic |
| reef system and the biggest single structure made | | | | Overland Track bush walk. |
| by living organisms in the world. It composed of | | | | So if you're looking to skip the cold climes of the UK |
| roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands | | | | and spend Christmas in the sun, a festive holiday in |
| stretching for 1615 miles over an area of | | | | Australia is an ideal destination. |
| approximately 132,974 sq mi. Due to its vast | | | | |