Destinations

Getting Cultural ‘Down Under’

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Tourism Australia says Australia’s tourist trade can take the rough out of roughing it when it comes to learning about the country’s first inhabitants.

Tourism Australia spokeswoman Julie Earle-Levine says those wanting to experience Aboriginal culture can easily do so in Australian cities, rather than head for the largely sparsely populated Outback.

The “culturally vibrant” cities have “really great programs and experiences” revolving around “one of the world’s oldest living cultures,” she said during a Wednesday Toronto gathering.
However, many considering Australia vacations believe that to see Aboriginal people’s lifestyles firsthand they’ll have to endure “hot and dusty” conditions in remote areas, she added.

Meanwhile, Robert Keddy, Tourism Australia’s head of commercial partnerships, the Americas, is welcoming Air Canada’s announcement that it will begin service from Vancouver to Brisbane – popular with those seeking Australian beach experiences – in mid-June.

Air Canada now links Vancouver with Sydney and tourism officials note that those wanting to travel from the BC city to Australia can also do so with Air New Zealand, first flying to Auckland, and then continuing on from that New Zealand city to points throughout Australia.

Pictured are Keddy, Earle-Levine and Paul Larcher of VoX, which represents Tourism Australia in Canada.