Win 2 Roundtrip Business Class Tickets & 7-night Stay in Australia! c/o Qantas

[sillypepper]

The Wonders of Australia await! Qantas and Luxury Link have teamed up to fly one lucky winner and a guest to Australia for one week of luxury. Sign up today to take advantage of this unprecedented offer.

Win 2 Roundtrip Business Class Tickets & 7-night Stay in Australia! c/o Qantas and Luxury Link

* 3 nights at The Observatory Hotel
* 2 nights at Lillianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa
* 1 night at the Tower Lodge
* 1 complimentary night

The sweepstakes ends April 30, 2008. The sweepstakes winner will be announced on May 6, 2008.

See more details here

Note: Thank you dear moderators for the indulgence. I know this isn't a "deal" but thought it appropriate to share it with everyone in the deals section. Good luck to us all!

[Charlotte0505]

Location Australia is the world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; it's slightly smaller than the 48 contiguous United States. The highly urbanised population is heavily concentrated along the eastern and south-eastern coasts. Australia is bordered on the northwest, west, and southwest by the Indian Ocean, and on the east by the South Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea lies to the southeast, while the Great Barrier Reef lies to the northeast. Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Indonesia are Australia's northern neighbours, separated from Australia by the Arafura Sea and the Timor Sea.
Australia is mostly arid and semi-arid: the centre is desert and much agricultural land is poor quality by the standards of continents with richer soil. The south east is temperate and the north tropical. Australia was massively deforested for agricultural purposes: forest areas survive in extensive national parks and some other areas.
Australia is prone to severe drought and water restrictions are currently in place in some areas, however these shouldn't affect travellers as they mostly relate to watering gardens and washing cars.
As a large continent a wide variation of climates are found across Australia. The north is hot and tropical, while Melbourne has a much cooler Mediterranean temperate climate. Western Tasmania has a climate similar to England, although Tasmania's capital Hobart is the second driest Australian capital. Temperatures in some southern regions can drop below freezing in winter.
As Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the timing of the seasons is reversed with respect to Europe and North America. In other words, June-September is winter in Australia while December-March is summer. So Christmas actually falls in the summer in Australia, instead of in winter like in North America or Europe.
Australia has an area of 7,682,300 square kilometres (2,966,152 sq mi) and most Australians live on the coast. Many travellers underestimate the enormous distances between cities and towns.