Small Boutique hotels in AUSTRALIA

Australia is a country of intriguing juxtapositions: a vast land with a small population; home to the world's oldest surviving human culture and some of its newest cities; tropical rainforest in the north, dry red earth in the centre, temperate in the south; it also boasts the world's largest coral reef and the largest monolith. Australia is a land worth exploring.

Canberra is the capital but it is the coastal cities of Sydney and Melbourne that compete as most populous and popular. Sydney offers a vibrant mix of contemporary architecture and beach culture with small luxury hotels notable for their sleek interiors. Melbourne has a mellower feel with its Continental café culture and elegant boutique hotels.

Queensland occupies the north-west corner of Australia and is renowned for the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island and its wet tropical forests, all of which are World Heritage Sites. Here, eco-lodges built on stilts are the de rigueur accommodation. In the north, the area around Darwin offers a pre-historic wilderness of astounding natural beauty, particularly The Kimberley and Kakadu.

In the east, across the Outback via the emblematic red rock of Uluru, are Perth and the idyllic wine-growing region around Margaret River. Finally, off the south coast, the island of Tasmania is remarkable for its unique flora and fauna, much of it protected as nature reserves and national parks.