Fodor's Australia 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this guide book to help me plan and execute a route through Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Since I did not want to buy three books (one for each state) I opted for this one from Fodor's. It's probably one of the least useful guidebooks that I have ever owned. While it IS difficult to make a guide book on an area as large as Australia, the authors spend an awful lot of space on describing single restaurants that they fancy in detail, while leaving out other helpful listings. So if you are not into the same food that evening you stay in a particular town, you are on your own. The authors have a tendency to list a lot more luxurious places instead of a nice mix across all budgets.
The section on Sidney is still acceptable but western Victoria, South Australia (which pretty much does not exist east and south of Barossa) and Tasmania are so bad, I trashed the book in Sydney rather than taking it home (I have never done that before!).
The book can be used for general planning purposes (which part of Australia do I want to visit in which season and roughly what are the major things that I could see along the way) but while you travel its place is on your bookshelf at home and not in your glove compartment of your campervan.

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Fodor's. For Choice Travel Experiences.Fodor's helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. While you're at the helm, Fodor's offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It's like having a friend in Australia!•Updated annually, Fodor's Australia 2009 provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guide book.•Fodor's Australia features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.•If it's not worth your time, it's not in this book. Fodor's discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor's Choice designations, ensure that you'll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Australia.•Experience Australia like a local! Fodor's Australia 2009 features information from local experts.•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include "Top Reasons to Go," "Word of Mouth" advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.•Crisp, clean maps with more depth and detail to make it easier than ever to sail in, out, and around town.Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

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Lonely Planet Australia (Country Travel Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)Since the late 90's Lonely Planet have been dwindling down the number of destinations and hostel listings in these guides and replacing that space with more five star hotels, fine dining and other useless information backpackers will never use. In this edition Lonely Planet lists the most expensive Hotel in Australia, Palazzo Versace in their Gold Coast accommodation listings. They are so out of touch with their target market now it is not funny.
Buy the Backpackers Ultimate Guide (BUG) Australia instead as it is what Lonely Planet and Lets Go used to be. A comprehensive coverage of all hostels in a destination, not just the one or two that pay to be listed and no weight increasing space taking up useless information that we backpackers do not want to lug around an entire continent.
If you can find an old copy from ten years ago buy it otherwise give Lonely Planet a miss!


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No one knows Australia like Lonely Planet'remember, we live here! We know where Sydney's best surf beaches are, where to get the best coffee in Melbourne's cobbled lanes, and how to cross the great red plains in a van without getting scorched.Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip.In This Guide:Full Coverage. Bustling cities, outback trails and everything in between.Road Atlas. 16-page color map section, to navigate the country's highways and bywaysUnique Green Index to help make your travels as ecofriendly as you wish

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Lonely Planet East Coast Australia (Regional Travel Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)Just received this newly updated August 2011 edition. We are planning trip next year to East coast of Australia. We haven't traveled yet, so can't vouch for the reliability of the data. But, on initial review it looks quite good. Well organized. Easy to find stuff based on location or interest. Good maps. A lot to digest... but I think this will be the one guide we take with us on our trip next year. Compared to another East Coast Australia guide we bought, this one seems to have a lot more bang for the buck.

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'Beautiful beaches, cosmopolitan cities, rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef are just a few reasons why so many fall under the spell of Australia's east coast." - Regis St. Louis, Lonely Planet WriterOur PromiseYou can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, and you can rely on us to tell it like we see it.Inside This Book'8 authors94 maps1 Big Banana18,000 km of coastlineInspirational photosClear, easy-to-use mapsAt-a-glance practical infoYour Reef Trip planning featureComprehensive planning toolsIn-depth background

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Lonely Planet Discover Australia (Full Color Country Travel Guide) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)At the outset, you have to realize that this sort of a guidebook just can't contain enough information on any particular location to serve adequately to guide a newcomer to a country as vast as Australia. Imagine trying to cram a guide to the United States -- the lower 48 states are about the size of Australia -- into 400 pages. A guide like that could give you the high spots of some of the bigger cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles -- and paint with a broad brush over vast areas of the country like New Mexico and New Jersey -- just to give you an idea of what the authors are up against.
It's very much the same with this pretty guide to Australia. The photographs are excellent, beautifully reproduced; the authors are almost all Aussies very knowledgeable about their country; and the itineraries for specific areas are excellent, based on my own travels in this fascinating country.
At the same time, much detail must be left out. One reviewer here rightfully criticizes the book for giving short shrift to the the wonderful Kangaroo Island -- only four pages -- but that is one percent of the entire book -- and at least the authors let you know that wonder exists.
That's the way I would use this book: read it over before actually travelling to Australia. Once you've decided on where you want to go, get a more detailed guide to actually make your plans. Or, use it like I did this morning: just page through it and remember what I've already seen and wish I could go again and find new discoveries.
Robert C. Ross 2010

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Experience The Best of AustraliaMake the most of your trip abroad - Lonely Planet's full color Discover guides highlight the best a country has to offer while still providing an authentic and memorable experience.Full Color ThroughoutFull of color images and maps - makes planning as inspiring as the journey itselfColor-coded navigationEasy-To-Use StructureEasy-to-use tools include: color-coded chapters, color thumb tabs, dynamic color spreads on major highlights andEasy-to-read planning sections throughoutHighlightsSpecial front-of-book chapter on the top 25 can't-miss experiencesFeatures the must-see attractions and unbeatable experiencesFocuses on key cities and regionsItinerariesCountry-wide itineraries take you step by step though the country - broken out by interest, theme and length of tripRegion-specific itineraries help you plan more deeply for the regions you are most interested inLocal Experts Major attractions include insights from local experts on what not to miss

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The Rough Guide to Australia (Rough Guide Australia) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was a lifesaver for us on our three week vacation to Australia. The maps within it were fantastic especially on our four day drive up the coast. It was very helpful with regard to accommodation, and finding tourist information offices. We didn't leave our room without it on any day of our trip.

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"The Rough Guide to Australia" is your indispensable guide to one of the most unmissable countries on earth. It is packed with practical information on once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Oz, from sunrise walks around Uluru to viewing Kangaroo Island's wild seals, sea lions, kangaroos and koalas; bush-camping safaris in UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to exhilarating helicopter flights down the dramatic gorges of Aboriginal-owned Nitmiluk National Park - not forgetting the stunning harbour side bars and restaurants of Sydney. Written by a team of widely-travelled, dedicated authors, this "Rough Guide" will help you to discover the best hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops and festivals around Australia, whatever your budget. Plus, you'll find expert background on Australia's history, wildlife, cinema and fascinating aboriginal culture and the clearest maps of any guide. Make the most of your trip with "The Rough Guide to Australia".

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