Australia

Drinkers from New Zealand have long enjoyed it. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd loves it. And now it's the leading white wine sold across the "Ditch", as some Kiwis call the Tasman Sea — the body of water between Australia and New Zealand.

The weather in Sydney is warm. It will be mostly sunny today. Sydney enjoys more than 340 sunny days a year. The average minimum temperature in the winter months of June to August is nine degrees Celsius. The warmest winter month is January.

A 16-year-old Australian girl sailed her yacht out of Sydney Harbour in October, beginning an attempt to become the youngest person ever to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe unassisted.

It is among the top 10 most livable cities in the world says The Economist. Spotlight's Janina Schneider-Eicke, who spent a year studying in Australia, shares her photos and impressions of the most spectacular city in the land down under.

Focus: Australia's Rainbow Region
The myth of the Rainbow Serpent (see p. 34)

Language
Pass the test (see p. 14)

The Sydney Opera House was opened by Elizabeth II, queen of Australia, on 20 October 1973. The architect, Jørn Utzon, was not invited to the ceremony, nor was his name mentioned. The opening included a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Byron Bay's beaches stretch along the northern coast of New South Wales. Most of them offer great surfing. Here, where the Coral Sea meets the Tasman Sea, Cape Byron extends into the Pacific Ocean and offers stunning views of the Border Ranges.