Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So much to do..., 26 Jan 2004
This book proved a useful ally while travelling around Australia (From Northern Victoria, up to Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon, across the Northern Territory to Cairns, down the east coast to Sydney and finally to Melbourne). It consistently recommended reliable hostel accommodation, cheap places to dine out and insightful information about all of the areas visited.If there is one criticism, it would be the concept of the book itself- that is an attempt to condense all the useful information about a country the size of North America in to one volume. The enormity of this task means that the book treats some subjects a little briefly, although it is a small criticism, as this single volume did seem to contain information on even the smallest towns and villages I encountered in the Northern Territories, for example. All in all, a useful book. Ideal for anyone considering travelling the country over a large period of time, although not ideal for anyone only visiting one or two places- but if you take my advice, you'll want to spend a few months out there, and take in as much of the country as it is possible to!
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120 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Direction for Lonely Planet, 3 Feb 2004
This new ed. marks a change in style for Lonely Planet and a new direction for their guides. Crammed with a new colour photo section, more detailed maps and a fantastic 'itineraries' section, this guide is by far the best book about Australia on the market. It has extended entires on places to stay/eat/socialise and more on what to do- including tours/sports/culture/festivals etc. It also includes much more detail on travel specifics, like rail/bus/boat times, and gives advice on the best ways/times to go- essential for anyone planning to backpack or do their own thing. Even the most remote areas have some coverage and though there's a lot to fit in one book, this guide does it with style! The book is easy to read and the information is accessable yet it is still interesting, and at times amusing,- the perfect travelling companion.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Starting Point, 6 Jun 2006
No single guide to an entire continent could ever be comprehensive, but the Lonely Planet guide has a good stab at it.
The guide is well presented and well organised, being divided up by state. City and Town sections are presented in the standard Lonely Planet way, with an introduction, maps, lists of places to sleep, shop, eat, drink etc. For me the standout feature is that the guide supplies a web address (where there is one) for every listed establishment, museum, tour company etc. This provides a great starting point to find out if what they suggest might really be for you or not, and to plan your trip. Crucially all of the information that I have relied on is up to date.
Having also looked at the Lonely Planet East Coast, Queensland and Sydney guidebooks I would say that there is enough information in the Australia guide book to preclude purchasing a more specific one.
The only major problem, as I believe with all Lonely Planet books, are the awful town and city maps. While they are just suitable for establishing if a bar you're interested in is anywhere near your hostel, they don't really provide a means of getting you there with much chance of success. The tiny versions of the public transport networks for Sydney and Melbourne are a nice idea, but not practical unless you were to go to the effort of making an enlarged photocopy version. In contrast however, the larger scale maps are quite deceent and fairly useful.
In conculsion I was extremely pleased with this guide, which made an excellent starting point for deciding what to see do and experience in Australia.
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