The Rough Guide to Australia (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

Margo Daly (Author), Anne Dehne (Author), David Leffman (Author), Chris Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2009 | Series: Rough Guide Travel Guides

"The Rough Guide to Australia" is your indispensable guide to one of the most unforgettable countries on earth. This title is packed with practical information on Australian once-in-a-lifetime experiences; from sunrise walks around Uluru; viewing Kangaroo Island's wild seals, sea lions, kangaroos and koalas, bush-camping safaris in UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, exhilarating helicopter flights down the dramatic gorges of Aboriginal-owned Nitmiluk National Park to the stunning harbour side bars and restaurants of Sydney. Written by a team of widely-travelled, dedicated authors discover the best hotels in Australia, recommended Australian restaurants and cafes, shopping and festivals around the country, for every budget. "The Rough Guide to Australia" gives you the lowdown on everything from sunset fish-and-chips at Fremantle harbour, surfing at the best local beaches, spectacular road trips across this vast country, to travelling in style on the 3-day Indian Pacific train from Perth to Sydney. You'll find expert background on Australia's history, wildlife, cinema, and fascinating aboriginal culture and the clearest maps of any guide. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Australia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The holiday-makers' favourite guidebook series The Sunday Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Margo Daly was born and grew up in Sydney, and after a decade based in London, now lives in her native city again, which she covers in this guide. David Leffman is an established Rough Guide author and inveterate traveller. He is co-author of Rough Guides to China and Iceland. Anne Dehne has lived in Melbourne since 1989, and has written for several publishers, mainly on Australia. Chris Scott covers NT and WA. His other books include ''Sahara Overland'' and ''Desert Travels''. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1156 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 9 edition (November 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848360738
• ISBN-13: 978-1848360730
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not travel to Australia without this book, July 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Australia (4th Edition) (Paperback)

This book was a lifesaver for us on our three week vacation to Australia. The maps within it were fantastic especially on our four day drive up the coast. It was very helpful with regard to accommodation, and finding tourist information offices. We didn't leave our room without it on any day of our trip.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Typical Rough Guide consistensy, March 5, 2007

By 

Jon L. Albee "Faulkner Wannabe" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Australia 7 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

As with many things Aussie, this book has an outdoorsy bent. There's far less history and social content than some other Rough Guides but that said, this book is typical Rough Guide density with encyclopedic coverage. The best thing about this book is that you're not likely to find a place in this vast country without at least a few words written about it. The chapters about particularly remote sections of the country are well done and fascinating to read. A good guide book should make you more anxious to get on with your trip. This one has that effect on me.

I'd like to see a bit more narrative about significant architecture and important institutions, and the book needs a nice new set of maps. There are few really good ones in here.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Gives a few great places a bit of a rough treatment, June 26, 2003

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Australia (4th Edition) (Paperback)

This is another guide written in the same sort of format as Lets Go and Lonely Planet. It is a lot thicker than the Lets Go version and believe me, weight and space are important when lugging the thing around a whole continent. Let's Go also has a fair bit more information than Rough Guide in fewer pages. I also don't like the paper the pages are made of in this book as it's not a nice texture, is very thin and the pages stick together when the book's been inside a hot backpack and just don't feel nice turning the pages when it's a bit humid. Rough Guide is also rather opinionated on everything from each hostel to local information booth staff friendliness. I must say I do agree with some comments but a lot I never had the same experiences. That's the thing about travelling one person can have a great experience with a tourism operator and the next not so good. It depends who else is on the tour, in the room, which staff member you get and so on. If this was a constantly updated website that encourages feedback and changed the information regularly than I would see a place for it but not in a guide book. If you follow the author's opinion you'll miss out on some great experiences and even the places he recommends you may still have a bad time at. That's just the way tourism is. I'd recommend Lets Go over this for backpacking around Australia.