Famous+Places

Australia has many places for people to visit. Its a beautiful country with many famous landmarks. Some of the 'must see' landmarks are as follows:
=== Sydney Opera House - The Sydney Opera House is probably Australia's most instantly recognizable landmark. With its soaring, sail-like arches that dominate its unique construction, the Sydney Opera House has come to represent Australia just as the Eiffel Tower represents France or the Roman Colosseum represents Italy. Queen Elizabeth II opened the structure to the public on October 20, 1973 and since that time the Opera House has become the busiest public venue in the world with some 3000 performances each year and a yearly audience of over 2 million. Guided tours are available, and over 200,000 people a year visit the architectural marvel each year just to tour it.===



=== Sydney Harbour Bridge - The Sydney Harbor Bridge is the world's most massive steel arch bridge with the highest point soaring 134 meters above the harbor below. The bridge opened in 1932 and stands as an architectural marvel to this day. Images of the bridge are instantly recognizable around the world. Visitors to the area can take advantage of the Bridge Climb where, for a fee, they are escorted into the network of catwalks to the top of the span in the center. From here, the most spectacular view of Sydney Harbor can be experienced. The Bridge Climb can be taken during the day, twilight, or night for different perspectives.===



=== Uluru/Ayers Rock - Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is the world's largest monolith, or single piece of stone, on the planet. Uluru is the traditional name given to the monolith by the local Pitjantjatjara people of the region who greatly revere the structure and attach significant spiritual importance to it. Uluru stands in stark contrast to the desert scrub surrounding the huge sandstone formation. Much like an iceberg in the cold seas, much of Uluru's mass is hidden underground, but above ground Uluru soars 348 meters high and has an elliptical shape with a circumference of 9.4 kilometers. Guided walking tours are available of this geological marvel and Uluru is particularly notable for its striking appearance at different times of the year as it appears to change colors with the different light angles.===



=== Kangaroo island - Kangaroo Island is a pristine natural haven teeming with Australia?s unique wildlife. The wildlife here thrives in its natural state with koalas sleeping away their days in the trees, platypus occupying local streams, and wallabies and kangaroos hopping across the open spaces. Kangaroo Island is a must see for tourists to the area, there is no other spot on the Australian continent where wildlife viewing is so plentiful in a natural setting. This natural wonder is dotted with caves and striking rock formations. The area is also rich in history in locations such as Reeves Point on the island which was the first European settlement in South Australia.===



=== The Bungle Bungles - The Bungle Bungles are unique, beehive-shaped sandstone formations located in Purnululu National Park that was created after the discovery of the structures. Long known to the local Aborigines, the Bungle Bungles were only discovered by outside civilization in the 1980s when a television crew came upon them. This fact can help the reader understand how remote the Bungle Bungles are in the heart of the Australian Outback some 250 kilometers south of Kununurra. It's a tough trek getting there as one must first venture along 80 kilometers of dirt roads only navigable by four-wheel drive. The trip is well worth it as the area is a breathtaking natural environment with the Cathedral and Piccaninny Gorges, and the Echidna Chasm.===