Discover Australia & New Zealand

As the world’s largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 1,800 miles. The massive marine park runs from the southern Australian coastal town of Bundaberg to beyond the northern tip of Cape York. It ranges from nine to 93 miles off the coast of Queensland. Visible from space, the Great Barrier Reef is approximately half the size of Texas.

Australia and New Zealand, two neighbors of the Southern Hemisphere, boast rich and diverse culinary traditions that reflect their geography, colorful histories and natural resources. From fresh seafood and hearty meats to locally grown fruits and vegetables, their dishes offer a little something for everyone. A few of the top dishes from this region of the world include:

• Meat Pie
  A traditional snack dish in both Australia and New Zealand, this tasty pie can include steak and cheese or minced meat and vegetables. Kiwis get even more creative with this meal, often adding other fillings like Thai curry or Indian butter chicken.
• Barramundi
  One of Australia’s most prized fish, the versatile barramundi is light, delicious and   can be served grilled, pan-seared or cooked in the Indigenous method of wrapping in paperbark.
• Crayfish
  A delicacy in New Zealand, these crustaceans are renowned for their meaty flavor with just a hint of sweetness.
• Whitebait
  A Māori seafood dish, whitebait is usually prepared as a fritter by frying small fish with eggs, which can then be eaten on toast or as a sandwich.
• Pavlova
  There is an ongoing debate between Australians and New Zealanders over who invented this beloved meringue. From backyard barbecues to Christmas Day celebrations, this dessert is almost always served on special occasions. Pavlovas are commonly topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream or presented in alternating layers to create a cake.

The first Māori arrived in New Zealand around the year 1280. The people’s oral history tells of a mythical Polynesian homeland, Hawaiki, from which ancestors arrived in large ocean-worthy canoes called waka. Hawaiki may be the stuff of legend, but the waka were very real, serving as the preferred migratory vehicle of the Māori throughout the South Pacific as far back as 3,000 BC.

Over generations, the New Zealand Māori developed their own culture based on that of their Polynesian roots. As the population increased, competition for resources grew fierce. Hill forts (pā) and larger waka were built as the Māori went on the defensive with their brethren. Europeans stepped into this tense environment in the 18th century, bringing with them new technology and weapons. With British-provided muskets newly in hand, intertribal warfare surged from 1800 to 1843. These “Musket Wars” marked a turning point, cutting the Māori population in half.

In 1840, Queen Victoria sent William Hobson to draw up an agreement that would quell growing tensions. The result, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed in the Bay of Islands by some 500 tribal chiefs and several British officers, giving the Māori the rights of British subjects and ownership of their land. After a period of population decline, the Māori today are experiencing a cultural revival. Many hold vital roles in New Zealand’s society, even as they preserve their beloved traditions.

Australia is famous for its fascinating wildlife. Here are some of the most notable species that live down under.

Fauna of Australia:

Kangaroo—Australia’s most famous marsupial, kangaroos carry their young (called joeys) in a pouch. These native mammals can jump an impressive three times their own height.

Emu—Australia’s tallest native bird, emus are up to six feet tall. These flightless birds are found only in Australia and live in the coastlands and the mountains.

Koala—Like kangaroos, koalas are marsupials with pouches for their young. They eat and get water from eucalyptus leaves and live in eastern Australia where these trees abound.

Wombat—Common wombats are found in Tasmania, East Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. These adorable creatures sometimes sleep on their backs with their feet in the air.

Platypus—This egg-laying mammal has a duckbill, making it highly unusual. Found in eastern Australia, males also have venom that can be fatal to small dogs or cats.

Echidna—Like the platypus, the echidna is an egg-laying mammal. Also known as spiny anteaters, echidnas can live up to fifty years because of their slow metabolism.

Tasmanian Devil—As its name suggests, the Tasmanian devil is an inhabitant of Tasmania. Fierce and nocturnal, they are the only surviving carnivorous marsupials.

Cassowary—Another flightless bird, the cassowary, calls the rainforest in northern Queensland home. Smaller than ostriches, cassowaries have a powerful kick and can swim up to two miles.

Fauna of New Zealand:

Kiwi—Native to New Zealand, kiwis inhabit both the North Island and South Island. Although they are the smallest flightless bird, kiwis lay the largest eggs relative to their body size.

Tuatara—Called the “living fossil,” its closest relatives are an extinct group of reptiles. Found only in New Zealand, tuataras (meaning “spiny back” in Māori) have spiky scales on their backs and tails.

Straddling the southeastern shores of the island state of Tasmania, Hobart may seem far removed from the rest of Australia. But its cultural heart beats as vibrantly as that of any city on the mainland, and as one of Australia’s oldest cities, it boasts a rich and fascinating past.

Salamanca Place

The colonial-era buildings that line Salamanca Place feature well-preserved sandstone facades, and Georgian and Victorian styles evoke the bustling days of merchants, sailors and trade. Today, this quaint, historic corner of Hobart is vibrant with shops, galleries and outdoor cafés.

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Established in 1818, Hobart’s renowned gardens are most notable for their Sub Antarctic Plant House, the only one of its kind in the world. Its climate-controlled environment mirrors the chilly fog, mist, moisture and cold of the high southern latitudes, allowing the area's unique plants to grow.

Brooke Street Pier

This refurbished 4-story floating pier (“both a building and a boat,” some locals say) rises and falls with the tide. This innovative space, inspired by the maritime heritage and architecture of its seaside locale, offers fashionable dining venues and an open market space that hosts boutique local businesses.

Mt. Wellington

Rising to 4,170 feet, Mt. Wellington is snow-covered for much of the year, but an ideal outdoor playground with forested trails and dramatic rock pillars nicknamed “Organ Pipes.” A glass-enclosed lookout at the summit offers stunning views of Hobart and the Derwent River estuary.

MONA: The Museum of Old and New Art

Opened in 2011, MONA is the largest museum built with private funds in the Southern Hemisphere. Featuring ancient, modern and contemporary art from the collection of David Walsh, its dramatic setting on a Berriedale Peninsula cliffside is as innovative as its exhibits.

A vibrant arts scene

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is one of the finest in the world, the 1837 Theatre Royal is the continent's oldest continually operating theater (lauded by the likes of Laurence Olivier) and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery chronicles the island’s culture and history.

World-class wineries, breweries and distilleries

A cooler climate provides ideal conditions for growing pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc grapes. Fine wines are bottled at Moorilla Estate Winery and at Puddleduck Vineyard. Hobart’s Cascade Brewery, founded in 1824, still produces premium lagers and pale ales. Craft whiskies and gins are distilled at Sullivans Cove and Shene Estate & Distillery, respectively.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 1,400 miles (2,300 km) along the country’s northeastern coast and consists of more than 2,500 individual reefs and 900 islands. It is one of the few living formations visible from space. The reef was formed some 20 million years ago and has continued to evolve due to climate shifts, sea level changes and coral growth patterns.

Renowned for its biodiversity, the Great Barrier Reef is home to approximately 1,500 species of fish and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. It also supports a variety of seabirds and is a habitat for several mammals, including marine turtles. The reef holds great cultural significance to Indigenous Australians, who have a deep connection to the land and sea.

The preservation of this iconic reef is essential for Australia, due to its ecological, cultural and economic importance. Today, conservation efforts focus on sustainable practices and scientific research to protect this amazing natural wonder for future generations.