You could watch the Ashes live in Australia!

Tourism Australia have answered every cricket fan’s prayers by launching a brand new ‘Go Ashes’ app for your iPhone.

The app lets you access every nuance of information about the Ashes series. From in-depth city guides (invaluable if you are lucky enough to be able to travel to Australia to watch the series live), live updates, team news and video feeds from Australian cricket legends such as Damien Fleming.

What’s more the app is absolutely free – giving you the very best, exclusive information on behind the scenes and news as it happens for nothing!

And if that’s not enough they are also giving one lucky winner the chance to travel to Australia to watch the start of the test live in Brisbane! That’s right, you can be there for the historical start to one of the most famous cricket series in the world!

The lucky winner will receive 2 return flights to Australia for a 2 week stay in glorious Brisbane where they will receive VIP treatment, fantastic accommodation and a 5 day Gold category ticket for the Ashes as Brisbane.

So what can you do for the other 9 days that you are there? Well the question should be, how can you fit Brisbane into just 9 days (not including the 5 cricket days!)? The city is awash with bars, cafés, cinemas, shops, museums and of course – the beach. In fact Brisbane just happens to be the capital of the famous Gold Coast, renowed for its pristine beaches and water sports.

You haven’t done Australia if you haven’t tried your hand at just a few of the numerous water sports on offer. Only then will you appreciate why the Gold Coast is referred to as Australia’s playground.

So not only do Tourism Australia pull out all the stops to give you exclusive Ashes information, they also give you the chance to travel to Australia and have the experience of a lifetime!

To enter you need to score a century – well not literally! Just answer two questions daily on cricket and Australia to be in with a chance to win! The only problem you’ll have is deciding who gets that extra ticket…..!

Ben Southall was the winner of the hugely popular Best Job in the World!

Tourism Queensland have every reason to celebrate today, after being named as ‘Best National Tourist Office’ for the third year running!

The awards are given out by the Australia Federation of Travel Agents and the National Travel Industry Awards. They ask travel agents and industry suppliers to nominate tourist offices based on who gives the best service. And because Tourism Queensland have scored the hat-trick they get the extra acclaim of being on the NTIA hall of fame.

Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor praised the tourist office: “To be named the leading state tourism organisation for the third year running and being inducted into the hall of fame is a fantastic achievement and Tourism Queensland couldn’t be happier.”

“More than 3000 votes were cast and this acknowledgment from industry peers is one of the greatest honours Tourism Queensland can receive.”

Well they will certainly be popping the champagne corks after their victory! Tourism Queensland deal with more than 17 million international and domestic tourists each year. On average more than $15.6 billion is spent by tourists in Queensland alone. All thanks to the efforts of the dedicated staff who work tirelessly to promote Queensland both domestically and internationally.

Tourism Queensland had a hugely successful year in 2009 with the launch of the Best Job in the World – won by Brit Ben Southall. It was so successful that it spawned many more copycat competitions around the world, all hoping to emulate the success of Queensland, but there can be only one original!

The campaign attracted more than 8.6 million viewers of the website and over 34,000 applications for the role of caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef on a salary of $150,000 for a six month position. Ben Southall has been so successful that he has secured a job working for Tourism Queensland and may even live in Australia permanently – well who wouldn’t fall in love with Australia?

The Best Job in the World campaign recently won the coveted 2010 Golden World Award for excellence in public relations, and very well deserved it was too!

So many congratulations Tourism Queensland from all at Embrace Australia!

Emirates have attractive travel deals to Australia.

Emirates are offering special Economy Class return fares

to a wide range of Australian travel destinations – but get your skates on, the offer ends on the 2^nd of August.

For those wanting to take advantage of the travel offer to Australia, all flights depart from 6 main UK airports; Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow.

You can fly from any of these airports to Perth from only £876, Melbourne from £877, Sydney from £888 and Brisbane from only £890. Flights are valid from the 11th of August to the 30th November, just in time to catch the glorious Australian spring.

So why travel to Australia during these months? Well if you get to Brisbane between September and October you can catch the fantastic Brisbane Festival which is now a hugely popular event and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year with their magnificent shows, events, fireworks and carnival atmosphere.

The Melbourne International Arts Festival kicks off in October and has now been afforded a formidable reputation in the fields of dance, theatre, music and arts. For fashionistas the annual Perth Fashion Festival in September is the place to see new artists showcase their designs whilst models strut their stuff on the catwalk.

And of course who could miss the Sydney International Food Festival in October where the cream of the crop of chefs tickle your tastebuds with their culinary delights.

So take advantage of Emirates great offers and book your holiday of a lifetime to Australia!

Taxi driver Doug Slater pick up his fares for the extraordinary taxi ride.

The Extraordinary Taxi Ride through Western Australia has finally come to an end in Broome after travelling over 13,000km.

The journey was organised by Tourism Western Australia to promote the state. People from all over the world entered a competition to complete part of the extraordinary journey with Taxi driver Doug Slater.

11 pairs of winners emerged, among them was 57 year old Joe Senior from Britain. Joe has been blind since the age of six and travelled with his brother who created a mental image of the sights of Western Australia. Mr Senior had said he wanted to “feel and hear the power of nature” during his trip, explaining; “People with sight can see the world through TV and such visual aids. We, without sight can only appreciate the world through our ears or fingers.”

Mr Senior has certainly done that – tasting lemongrass at One Arm Point, smelling the medicinal eucalyptus scent at Cape Leveque and hearing the parrots and lorikeets as they sang from their treetop homes.

60 million people logged onto the specially created website set up by Tourism Western Australia in which they got to follow the extraordinary taxi ride as it travelled through the many sights of Western Australia. All of Doug’s passengers gave the journey the thumbs up – including two Kiwis who had to swap the taxi for a 4×4 for leg 10 of the journey along the Gibb River Road.

The total cost of the taxi ride would have been $20,000 but the cost of the project for Tourism Western Australia was much more, around $2.6 million. Yet they say it was worth every penny as the media coverage has proved successful, people have been following the journey and talking about it on social networking sites.

For the passengers it was the trip of a lifetime, and an emotional journey for some. Especially for Mr Joe Senior who summed up the trip eloquently: “I can feel the enormity of it. I can hear the birds singing their melodies. I can hear the sound of the waves lapping against the shore.”

To find out more about what Western Australia has to offer, visit the Tourism Western Australia website.

The Chinese prefer to holiday in Australia.

Australia is officially top of the travel charts in China after a survey commissioned by PATA Travel Intention found that more than half of all travellers from China were intending to holiday in Australia.

The survey also questioned the travellers on what criteria would they choose a holiday destination, the results were natural scenery, sunshine and beaches – all of which are abundant in Australia!

360,000 visitors from China travelled to Australia during the year ending in March of this year, generating a staggering $2.3 billion for the economy.

Over the past few years Tourism Australia has worked hard to build links within the Chinese travel industry and it seems that their hard work has paid off, as Managing Director Andrew McEvoy says: “Since gaining Approved Destination Status in 1999 the China travel market has grown exponentially for Australia to become one of our top five sources of international travellers.”

“Over the coming year we are doubling our efforts in the market and working closely with our airlines partners to ensure that we continue to grow the market further.”

The hugely successful tourism campaign ad ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ will be launched in China next month and hopes are high that the ad campaign will be a resounding success. Recent ad previews shown in Shanghai received a positive result, with 90% of those watching the ad saying they were more likely to travel to Australia as a result.

If you want to find out what has captured the imagination of the Chinese, then don’t put off your holiday to Australia – the earlier you make your booking, the cheaper your flight to Australia will be. Log onto the Tourism Australia website for lots of great holiday ideas and travel itineraries.

Dolphins playing catch with puffer fish? Only in South Australia!

A South Australia travel survey by Tourism Research Australia reveals that international visitors are staying longer and spending more.

South Australian tourism saw 361,000 overseas visitors during the year ending March 2010, an increase of 3% on the year before and what’s more is that the visitors stayed on average 14% longer soaking up the sights and sounds of all that South Australia has to offer. And so impressed were they on what was on offer that visitors spent $188 million in total in 2009, that’s 13% more than in the previous year.

And just what are the attractions that keep visitors happy in South Australia? Award-winning lodges and hotels, sumptuous restaurants, spectacular national parks and fantastic wildlife – like the pod of dolphins that were spotted playing ‘catch’ with a group of puffer fish!

The guys at Temptation Sailing offer visitors the chance to get up close and personal with dolphins, not only watching them at play but also getting the opportunity to swim with these magnificent creatures too!

The guides and visitors watched amazed as the pod of dolphins they had spotted started playhing ‘catch’ with a small group of puffer fish. The dolphins would harass the fish until they puffed up and floated to the surface, whereupon the playful dolphins with then toss the fish to each other as though they were balls – to the delight of the assorted onlookers!

For your chance to see all that South Australia has to offer, visit the South Australian Tourist board and find out for yourself why increasing numbers of visitors are spending more time and money here than anywhere else!

Backpackers travelling to South Australia can now take advantage of special ‘surf & sun’ deals that enables to them take part in unique, fun and exciting tours and experiences specially tailored for students and backpackers!

Those adventurous travellers wanting to experience the Australian surf can now learn to surf on day courses or at special surf camps where you can bond with fellow surfers on some of the best surfing beaches in Australia at either Adelaide or on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Or how about hiking the 1,200km Heysen Trail? You could do this as a personal challenge or as a sponsored activity, with mates or by yourself. The trail extends from Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula to Parachilna Gorge in the Flinders Ranches. You’ll be taking in some of the most spectacular scenery in that part of Australia and getting up close and personal with some of Australia’s unique wildlife! And if you don’t fancy doing the whole stretch, you can do smaller walks as a day tripper.

Or how about meeting some of the locals on Kangaroo Island? There are two and three day tours for visitors on the island, giving you a chance to meet kangaroos, wallabies, Australian sea lions, New Zealand fur seals, penguins, possums, whales and dolphins. Nowhere else could you see such a spectacular range of wildlife – all on your doorstep!

To take advantage of the latest special offers and deals available, go to the Surf & Sun website and check out their amazing deals! Go walkabout around Australia and have yourself the experience of a lifetime. Don’t just backpack around Australia – experience Australia!

Visit the South Australia tourist board for more exciting Australian holiday ideas!

A lot has been made lately of Australia’s ex Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s vision of a ‘big Australia’, but whilst everyone assumed he was talking about population and immigration – perhaps not? After all Australia is famous for other ‘big’ things that are popular on the tourist trail. They range from the bizarre to the downright silly and we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the best ‘big’ things in Australia!

New South Wales

Nestled in the valley beside the tranquil Peel River with the Great Dividing Range in the background is the town of Tamworth, famed for its annual country music festivals that are the second largest in the world. It is in celebration of these country music festivals that the good people of Tamworth decided to build what is now the World’s Biggest Guitar, called the big Golden Guitar. It was built just outside the famous Longyard Hotel in 1988 and stands as a symbol of Australia’s celebration and dedication to country music.

Every year country musicians are honoured in front of the big guitar in a recognition ceremony of their achievements. Each musician is awarded a smaller replica of the Golden Guitar.

The great guitar itself stands some 12 metres high. But unfortunately you cannot play this guitar as it has never had any strings, which is a shame as I’d love to have a go at playing it! So next time you are in NSW, make sure you catch the Tamworth Country Music Festival and join the 3.6 million tourists that have taken snapshots of themselves stood alongside the Golden Guitar.

From big guitars we make a seamless leap to big sheep and to the Big Merino in Goulburn, New South Wales. This giant 15 metre tall sheep contains a wool display (what else?) and a gift shop located on its two floors inside the sheep itself.

The Merino sheep is highly favoured by Australian farmers for its resistance to drought and its fine wool coat. In fact almost all sheep reared in Australia now are 100% merino. Examples of the high quality of the wool can be seen in the wool display where visitors are given a brief tour of the history of the wool trade in Australia and are shown the various implement and methods adopted to sheer sheep. Merino wool products can then be purchased in the gift shop as a lasting souvenir of the great Merino Sheep!

Northern Territory

Well what do you think the biggest thing in the Northern Territory is? Surely one of the most famous and iconic of all landmarks – Uluru.

Uluru, formerly Ayres Rock, is a huge sandstone rock formation that is all the more impressive because it looms out of the surrounding flatlands like a giant blister. It stands at 348 metres tall and measures 9.4km in circumference. Because it is made of sandstone it also catches the light in a truly magnificent and breathtaking way, turning a deep, vibrant red during sunset.

Uluru is of special significance to the local Aboriginal people who view it as a sacred place containing the souls of their ancestors. It features highly in the Dreamtime stories. Visitors to Uluru can still climb the great rock, although the Aboriginal people do frown upon it. There have been calls to ban the climbing of the rock after some tourists have been leaving litter there and generally treating Uluru with disrespect, but so far no ban has been put in place. Tourism Australia recently commissioned a huge walkway to encircle part of the rock, giving visitors fantastic vantage points at varying parts along the walkway. Uluru is now a World Heritage Site and attracts over 4000,000 visitors each year.

Queensland

The sunshine state of Australia and here amid the tropics and dazzling sunshine grows a very special crop – pineapple. So what better way to celebrate the growing of pineapples than to build a giant one that stands 16 metres high?

It all started in 1971 when Mr and Mrs Bill Taylor bought a small pineapple farm at Woombye in Queensland. For reasons known only to themselves, the couple started to erect a huge pineapple that would become the World’s Biggest Pineapple. It took them just six months and the Big Pineapple was officially opened by the then Minister for Labour and Tourism in August 1971.

It’s now a major tourist attraction and features rides, tours of the plantation, a small zoo, a restaurant and a souvenir shop where you can buy everything pineapple related!

South Australia

Larry the Lobster has to be up there as one of the most impressive ‘big things’ in Australia. Every detail is perfect and as you stand there you almost expect Larry to suddenly wave his claws around and make a bid for freedom – which would be quite something as he stands at 17 metres tall – the biggest man made structure we’ve featured on our ‘big things’ so far.

It was built to attract visitors to the lobster visitor centre in Kingston, South Australia and it has certainly helped to do that! The story goes that the original lobster was meant to be much smaller, but that the measurements, which were written in feet, were misread as being in metres. It is modelled on a real lobster that the designer caught and had stuffed especially for the purpose.

The complex now boasts a large restaurant and wine tasting area, a visitors centre and will soon be adding accommodation, so you can boast that not only have you seen the world’s biggest lobster, but you stayed there and possibly even ate a bit too!

Now if you like children’s toys, or you are holidaying in Australia with children you’ll want to go and see the Big Rocking Horse in Gumeracha, South Australia. It stands on the site of a wooden toy factory, wildlife park and cafe and beats the pineapple by 1.3 metres, standing tall at 18.3 metres high, although admittedly some of that is the wooden structure at the base of the horse – so does that count?

Although it is painted to look like it is made out of wood, it is actually made from steel and no, unfortunately it doesn’t rock, more’s the pity. However it does incorporate three viewing platforms at the head, saddle and the rockers, for those who are scared of heights. The views over the town are spectacular and the authentic attention to detail on the horse really is quite something to behold.

Victoria

Now we all know that Winston Churchill was famous for his penchant for good cigars, but I doubt any of them were as big as the Big Cigar in Churchill, Australia. The town of Churchill is in a wonderful location surrounded by the awesome Jeeralangs mountain region south-east of Melbourne. It was originally called Hazelwood but was renamed Churchill after the death of the famous wartime Prime Minister.

The giant cigar was erected as one of five planned to be built around the town, but perhaps they wisely decided to stop at one. It is a replica of the kind that Churchill used to favour and just by the base is a wall plaque that commemorates the names of the first settlers to the town.

So there you go. There are many many more big attractions in Australia, we simply couldn’t list them all! I doubt if Kevin Rudd’s ‘big Australia’ can ever compare to these wacky attractions, but perhaps he thought that since the Aussies were so keen on big things, he might persuade them to the idea of a big Australia. Nice try Rudd. For more holiday ideas in Australia look at our travel section and if you have been to any big attractions in Australia then let us know – send in a picture!

Book a big holiday to Australia this year, home of the ‘big things’!

The sights of Sydney, Canada. Spot Harbour Bridge!

When Italian couple Valerio Torresi and Serena Tavoloni set off on their dream holiday to Sydney, Australia they were rather perplexed to see, instead of Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and Bondi beach – a cruise ship port and flocks of Canada Geese!

To their horror the couple realised that instead of sending them to Sydney in Australia, their travel agent had mistakenly booked them to go to Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada!

Their dreams of lying on the beach and seeing all the sights of Sydney had to be swapped instead for the charms of the world’s largest fiddle and the Glace Bay Miners Museum.

The couple initially thought, as the plane touched down in Canada, that they were stopping for a plane change, not quite realising that they were 10,500 miles from their planned destination and quite on the opposite side of the world! Mr Torresi told the UK Daily Telegraph of his thoughts when he realised just where they were: “The first reaction was fear,” he said. “And the second reaction is, ‘No, it’s a joke.’ But unfortunately it’s true.”

The couple had to try and make the most of their time in Sydney, Canada. Luckily their plight came to the attention of a local hotel who offered them free accommodation.

Perhaps they will be heartened to know that in 2002 a British couple made the very same mistake. They too thought they were having the holiday of a lifetime in Australia, only to end up in the small town in Nova Scotia, Canada. Perhaps next year they might consider a holiday in Melbourne – Derbyshire, or how about Darwen in Lancashire? Or for the weather I hear Perth in Scotland is very nice this time of year!

The beautiful leopard shark glides through the water.

Two lovesick leopard sharks are travelling across Australia today in the search for love.

The two female sharks have been living in Townsville, Queensland since they were born, but they have now almost outgrown their old tank at the Reef HQ aquarium and it was decided that they should do as nature intended and find a mate to breed with.

That lucky chap is currently living in Melbourne where he’s been just as lonely. It is hoped that the sharks will hit it off and Melbourne Aquarium will soon be hearing the tiny patter of little fins. Although for now the sharks will only be able to eye each other at a distance, as these females are still too young to breed. They measure up at around a metre long, but need to be at least 1.7 metres before they can reproduce. An adult leopard shark can grow up to 3 metres long.

 It’s all part of a breeding programme at Melbourne which has proved unsuccessful for many other aquariums. Because of the lack of such programs, leopard sharks still need to be collected from the wild for display in aquariums. However the good news is that the leopard shark is not in any danger of depletion in the wild, with recent figures suggesting that the leopard shark population is increasing by around 3 – 6% annually.

The sharks have a long journey through Australia ahead of them. They will travel by road to Cairns and from there will take a flight to Victoria before being transferred by road to Melbourne Aquarium and their new home. Let’s hope this is one love story that has a happy fin.