We’ve all got our own preconceived notions of what Australia is like.  Loads of great weather, beautiful beaches, and bouncing kangaroos were definitely a few of  my top expectations, and to my surprise, they all turned out to be spot on.

But there’s much more than beaches and kangaroos here, and even after a few years in this country, I’m still amazed at what’s on offer for travelers.  Here are a few of my favorite things about traveling in Oz.

If you love those golden rays, then Australia won’t disappoint.  The sunshine and weather, in general, are beautiful pretty much year round.

Just follow the backpacker rush that occurs from Sydney and Melbourne in May and June up the coast to Cairns to migrate with the warm weather.  Australia’s dependably sunny weather means 365 days a year of beaches, surfing, camping and hiking no matter what season you arrive in.

Language barriers cause problems of all sorts during international travel, keeping some people from doing it altogether.  The fact that Australia is an English-speaking country helps take it to the top of many “exotic places to visit” lists even as the Australian accent and vocabulary is a tourist attraction in its own right.

However, be prepared to listen hard and ask locals to slow it down the second time around as Australian English’s not always so easy to understand.  The amount of slang present in an Aussie’s vocabulary is enough to make your head spin.

Being the multi-cultural country that it is, it’s easy to find good quality ethnic food down under.  Thai, Indian, Turkish, Spanish – you name it; you can find these foods here at their best, but the real experience comes when introducing your taste-buds to home-grown Australian ingredients.

Kangaroo, known for its lean meat quality, makes it on many restaurant menus across the country, while crocodile and emu are somewhat harder to come by.  For a more mainstream delight, there’s every Aussie’s favorite, Vegemite, which can be found at any shop or convenience store nationwide.

So much of Australia is untouched and left to be viewed in its natural state.  Is your idea of paradise bathing under a tropical waterfall, lounging on a beach all day or diving the Great Barrier Reef?  You can pursue all of these amazing options in Oz pretty much year round.

From coast to coast, it offers up beautiful views whether it be by camping under the outback stars or looking out across its many national parks.  Where else can you find a landscape resembling Mars that meets with a sky as blue as the sea?

Where would Australia be without its iconic wildlife?  Kangaroos, koalas, and wombats are just a few of the fun creatures that wander on the land, but cockatoos and kookaburras rule the sky.  There’s a fine line to walk when dealing with the wildlife.

In Australia there are animals that you’ll hope to never see up close unless you’re in the safety of a zoo or aquarium.  Note:  Don’t let the Crocodile Dundee movies fool you into thinking otherwise.

The Aussie lifestyle runs at a refreshing pace; everyone calls you mate, and holidays are never missed.  This laid-back culture reveals itself in all facets of life, even in the way people are allowed to speak on television.

But locals don’t seem to mind, so why should you? Take a breath, and a night off and live like a local in Australia.

One of the coolest features of Australia’s big cities is the fact that you’re never too far from a great beach.  Besides that, they just have a lot going on from great shopping and tasty restaurants to live music and awesome nightclubs.

Overall, the cities are quite easy to breathe in.  In Sydney, for example, you can use the transport to quickly pop over to some of the various ethnic areas to explore, some of which leave you feeling as if you are in another country altogether!

If the Aussie accent makes you a little weak in the knees, you’re not alone.  It seems that many tourists – men and women, can’t get enough of it.

America’s favorite take-home chef, Curtis Stone, can be found on television almost daily, and he is on par with the likes of the hunky Bondi vet and Bondi Beach lifeguards.  Guys, don’t think I left you out here.  Just head on over to the beach and soon enough you’ll see some very pretty ladies.

Did you know that you can drive 15 hours west of Sydney and still be in the state of New South Wales?  What many travelers don’t understand until they arrive is Australia’s vast size.  There’s a lot of land to cover, and once you get out of the big cities, you quickly come to the realization of just how stark it is in terms of population.

 To feel as though there’s nothing around for miles in any direction can be calming to the soul, but whatever you do when planning an Aussie road-trip, do not watch the movie Wolf Creek first.

Art, music, film, or food — the Aussies have a festival for it.  Every year, music lovers flock to Big Day Out and Splendour in the Grass to get their fill of their favorite bands.

Food lovers have their pick of festivals from those that deal with international foods or just one ingredient in particular like the Mango Festival held Novembers in Broome.

People seeking more of a party vibe can embrace their inner divas at Sydney’s Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Photo Credits: zstock, Allkin,  Brian Kinney, Anna Levan, Taras Vyshnya, Bernd Leitner Fotodesign, mroz.