Ask anybody for trip ideas in Australia, and you're likely to get a limited range of answers that includes a trip to the beach, petting a kangaroo, and taking a photo in front of the Sydney Opera House.
But with a landmass twice the size of Europe and climates ranging from sweltering desert to tropical rainforests, there's much more to Australia than koalas and a souvenir didgeridoo.
Matador has compiled firsthand knowledge about volunteer opportunities in the country, favorite road-trip routes, and nightlife guides to Australia's metropolitan areas to help you learn more. But if you really want, definitely purchase that souvenir didgeridoo.
Time to bring Australia out of the imagination and into your travel plans.
Also, it's hundreds of millions of years old. No biggie.
You don't have to sleep on the beach to visit the reef.