Australia Books

In a Sunburned Country

Bill Bryson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 409 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.

Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.

Frommer's Australia 2008 (Frommer's Complete)

Ron Crittall, Marc Llewellyn, Lee Mylne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I am planning a second visit based on descriptions in Frommer's Australia 2008 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 23 people found this review helpful.

This well-organized book breaks down places to see in Australia by thier states. The sixteen Best of Australia lists; descriptive reviews of hotels and suggested itineraries; and 'Fun Facts' such as where to cuddle a koala are interesting to note. I am already planning to go back for a second visit because I cannot see it all in two weeks.

As always, Frommers delivers - excellent for first-timers 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I have been using Frommers for many years. So naturally I chose this book to prepare for our first trip to Australia. It is the only guide book that you will need, though you might want to pick up a free AAA guide after you arrive if you need hotel info as Frommers can't cover every property.

This book will provide basic info on all the major sites. In addition, you will find a great deal of info on smaller towns that you may visit if you decide to do any driving. It was invaluable for providing info on the fly.

If you buy one guidebook, this one should be it.

Editorial Review:

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

• From the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef and everywhere in between, let our expert authors guide you around Down Under.

• Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.

• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.

• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Australia (Country Guide)

Justine Vaisutis, Becca Blond, Lindsay Brown, Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, George Dunford

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A valueable asset 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wealth of information all contained in one volume. The travel tips, itineraries and even restaurant information are well researched. My only complaint is I'd like to see more detailed maps of some of the more off the beaten path areas - such as Kirra Beach, were I am going. Other than that, this book is a great product and I'd highly recommend it for anyone going to Australia for their first time.

Editorial Review:

Discover Australia

Feel the wind in your hair as you cruise the world's longest road; tips for driving across this magnificent, monster country.
Find out where Lonely Planet's favorite Australians would rather be.
Seek refuge in Cape Tribulation's Wet Tropics where the rainforest greets the sea.
Join the dots; hear about Aboriginal culture from Australia's first people.

In This Guide:

12 intrepid authors, over 70 weeks on-the-road research, 204 maps, one possum in a tent.
Wine regions boxed and packaged, brilliant food in every state, decent coffee every 300kms!
Visit lonelyplanet.com for reviews, daily updates and traveler suggestions.

Australia (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Good Supplemental Reference 3 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

The DK Eyewitness Travel book for Australia is a decent travel guide, which includes a lot of pictures to help the traveler see what the attraction is while doing their planning. This 2006 revised edition runs over 600 pages, and includes an introductory section as well as 8 sections on the various areas of Australia, including one for Sydney by itself. It also has a section for Travelers' needs, which include accommodations, restaurants, and shopping information, and a section titled "Survival Guide" which contains a lot of useful information for travelers.

While the pictures are quite striking, they do seem to come at a price of more information about each of the attractions as well as the general areas. For my trip, I found the section on Tasmania to be rather sparse. The section on Melbourne was significantly better, but even there it would have been nice to have more information. I also question the practice of grouping all the hotels and restaurants together in a single section for the entire country. It seems as if the traveler would be better served if information of that sort was included in each of the sections rather than all together. They do organize the items by region within those sections, but in a hurry one might not notice if they stray outside of their area.

This is a useful reference, but I think it works best as a supplemental reference along with other material. If one needs a single reference, you should look elsewhere.

Editorial Review:

Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautifully commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell.

SONGLINES

BRUCE CHATWIN

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Songlines 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 15 people found this review helpful.

As i never wanted to go to Australia, i have to say that after reading this book i have not changed my mind, but it is not a point. It is not a book about traveling in Australia. It is more a book about walking, for example. As i like walking, i have found in this book so many great examples of what the walking is about, it is not just moving from one point on the Earth to another, it is also philosophy. And so on...this book is highly recommended for those who knows what the word "travel" means. In present time many people travel, but just a few ones deserve to be called "traveller". Bruce Chatwin is among them.

Bruce Chatwin wrote half a book... 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The Songlines really captured my attention. Human ecology, cultural anthropology, human evolution, cultural imperialism, Songlines, Native Australians ("aborigines"), travels... this is a book with information about a people and a place. I enjoyed the flow and pace of the story, and I hope I learned the reality of Native Australian culture.

However, Bruce Chatwin chose to use this book to publish assorted observations, quotes, and reflections from other travels. For me (me), they affected the flow of his storytelling, my ability to focus on the theme - Australia, not nomads - and the ending. Perhaps this is a style thing, and I don't know if Chatwin applies this style in his other books.

Didn't work for me. I wanted a conclusion to his original story.

Tracks

Robyn Davidson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Writing from the Guts 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The integrity of this writing, this soul-baring, reminded me of Doug Peacock's Grizzly Years: a flight from the insanities of civilization into the healing refuge of nature's raw dangers. Tracks was written by a rare bird; this is writing from the guts. For a first book, exploding out of nowhere, chronicling a soul in search of what is ultimately significant, Robyn Davidson has got the write stuff. Intrepid is the word.

The crystalline expressions of her soul match the purity and desolation of the Outback landscapes. Even a guy like Edward Abbey was swept up in admiration for the courage of this person to embark on her 9 month odyssey. Truly a remarkable book - 5 plus stars.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Editorial Review:

A cult classic with an ever-growing audience, Tracks is the brilliantly written and frequently hilarious account of a young woman's odyssey through the deserts of Australia, with no one but her dog and four camels as companions. Davidson emerges as a heroine who combines extraordinary courage with exquisite sensitivity. 16 pages of photos.

Sydney (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

DK Publishing

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent all round guide 5 out of 5 stars.
35 of 35 people found this review helpful.

I must say I am pretty impressed by this travel guide to Sydney. And I can doubly assure you of that it is excellent because I live here in Sydney! The reason I got this book was because in my experience the best travel guides are generally the ones from DK and this one didn't dissappoint. A travel guide like this is great for people who come to Sydney and stay with me. I can lend them this book to get around town during the weekdays while I am at work - but that said, even I find it useful.

I do a fair bit of travelling around internationallly and tend to take Sydney for granted. Reading through this book there are great little accounts of it's history as well as interesting suggestions for good restaurants and bars. When you've lived in a place for a long time you tend to frequent the same favorite spots over and over so it's nice getting tips for 'best restaurants and bars' that differ from those from other sources. One of the best things here are the walks at the back. I know most of the areas on them modestly well but I must say they are brilliantly planned. Also, as always, the maps of every suburb listed here are excellent for the novice to navigate around this city.

As for shortcomings, these are few and far between but even then it seems you can't please everyone. You can easily list things that could have been covered in better detail - but then again most people who visit here just won't have enough time to cover them all. Chinatown for one gets covered rather superficially. Also there is excessive coverage of St Mary's Cathedral - you can find plenty of far older and architechturally grander churches in any town in Europe. Churches of this size are rare here in Australia so for Australians it is considered worthy of mention but otherwise don't even bother going there. Ditto for the Art Gallery of New South Wales - compared to Boston, New York or any major European city it is laughable, except of course for the wonderful Aboriginal section there. As for the rest of it, I find it an embarrassment that the authors insist on dwelling on it.

Lastly, as for budget restaurants, there are plenty of them listed in this book. There is a book here in Sydney called 'Cheap Eats' if you really wanted a book that listed the best budget restaurants in town. Also if you really think about it, an exceptionally expensive top notch restaurant here is regarded as costing around $70-100 Australian per person, which is around $50-75 US dollars. By European and especially by UK standards - this is pretty damned cheap. Reviews I have read of the finest Sydney restaurants in the international press have all been glowing as well. The ones listed here are pretty good picks although the Sydney Morning Herald guide provides a more up to date view of Sydney cuisine. It's all also a matter of taste and opinion too.

So if you are thinking of visiting this beautiful city buy this book with confidence. Even I learned more than a thing or two from it.

Editorial Review:

Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautifully commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell.

Sydney (City Guide)

Peter Dragicevich, Jolyon Attwooll

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Editorial Review:

Discover Sydney

Stand proud at the apex of Sydney Harbour Bridge and drink in the spectacular view of the city, the Parramatta River and the South Pacific.
Chow down the freshest catch of the day at a waterfront restaurant in Circular Quay.
Relax on a sun-warmed rock after a swim as you watch the waves gently wash over the walls of Coogee's ocean pools.
Head into the Blue Mountains to discover why the Three Sisters turn so many heads.

In This Guide:

Over 1000 hours of research by two expert authors (one long-term resident, the other Sydney-born-and -bred)
Plan your time with our comprehensive itinerary builder, easy-to-navigate neighborhoods chapter and inspirational highlights.
Find the best places to shop, eat, drink, stay and play for every budget.
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights.

Australia For Dummies (Dummies Travel)

Marc Llewellyn, Lee Mylne

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Editorial Review:

From the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef to glorious, sophisticated cities like Sydney, this guide helps you find the Australian adventures and attractions that are right for you, whether you’d like to cuddle a koala, explore a shipwreck, swim with whale sharks, or climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It gives you the scoop on:

• The mysterious Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Red Center that has awed people for thousands of years
• Where to spot all kinds of wildlife, including kangaroos, platypuses, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, wombats, marsupials, and man-eating crocodiles
• The best places to take a beach walk or a bushwalk, where you’ll wind beneath dripping tree ferns and pounding cascades
• All kinds of activities, from boomerang- and spear-throwing instruction to hiking to snorkeling over dazzling reefs, fishing for coral trout, or discovering Australia’s best wines
• Great accommodations, ranging from luxury hotels to an African-style safari camp with air-conditioned tents to a motel with underground rooms reached by a maze of tunnels dug out of the rock
• The best places to experience Aboriginal culture and find Aboriginal arts and crafts

Like every For Dummies travel guide, Australia For Dummies includes:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip
• The best hotels and restaurants for every budget
• Lots of detailed maps

East Coast Australia (Regional Guide)

Lindsay Brown, Ryan Ver Berkmoes

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sunscreen: check! Surf gear: check! Lonely Planet: check! Make the great Aussie pilgrimage up the eastern seaboard – sun-kissed realm of beaches and buzzing cities, wilderness and wildlife, country retreats and wineries. Our definitive guidebook gives you detailed regional coverage for the perfect coastal odyssey.

Cruise The Coast – coverage of the best beaches from St Kilda Esplanade to the Great Barrier Reef, and beyond

Embrace The Outdoors – whether it’s boating or bungee jumping, cycling or surfing, we’ll help you to an adrenaline high

Suss Out The Cities – inside information on how to make the most of magical Melbourne, sassy Sydney and breezy Brisbane

Taste The Tucker – freshly shucked rock oysters, snags sizzling on the barbie or fresh mangoes, whatever you fancy, we’ll have you salivating

Go Your Own Way – 95 maps to help you navigate from sports event to market to beach, and detours to escape the crowds