Head to Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, a celebration of friendship and goodwill for all participants, on and off the track. From 15-26 March 2006 a record 4500 elite athletes from 71 nations will take centre stage, accompanied by the largest and most vibrant cultural festival ever held in Australia.

Be part of it
If you're planning to travel to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games, official travel agents have been appointed around the world to help you plan your Games holiday experience in Australia, with travel and accommodation packages as well as the top Games tickets available.

Find out more about Games travel and accommodation packages and your country's appointed agents for the best tickets.

If you're already travelling to Melbourne in March 2006, make sure you don't miss out on all the Games action – tickets are available now. You can either have your tickets sent directly to you, or if you prefer you can pick them up from Federation Square when you arrive in Melbourne in March. Get your tickets now.

The home of sport

The centrepiece for the Games will be the magnificent, internationally-renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Athletics will be held and the Marathon will start and finish. The MCG is one of the world’s largest and most outstanding outdoor sporting grounds, with a long history of hosting track and field competition, most famously the 1956 Olympic Games.

See all the action of your favourite sport or something new – 24 disciplines in 16 sports (12 individual and 4 team sports) will be contested including Aquatics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Basketball, Shooting and Triathlon.

The main ‘Games Precinct’ will include the MCG and its surrounding venues, including Melbourne Park and Olympic Park, as well as Telstra Dome, and will merge with Melbourne’s arts and cultural precinct through the Birrarung Marr Gardens that stretches along the Yarra River to Federation Square, the new heart of the city and a Commonwealth Games live site.

Festival Melbourne 2006
Throughout the Games, Melbourne will be alive with a free cultural festival, celebrating the diverse contemporary cultures of the Commonwealth. Soak up the non-stop music, dance, exhibitions, street theatre and circus from every region of the Commonwealth in the city's superb parks, gardens and galleries.

Getting around is easy
Visitors attending the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games will find getting to venues quick and easy, with 14 sports contested at venues within three kilometres of Melbourne’s CBD, and all events easily accessible by public transport. Melbourne’s metropolitan public transport system that uses Metcard is free to Games ticket holders, and a wheelchair-accessible shuttle service will also be available to help people with limited mobility to reach Games venues.

There has never been a better time to visit friends and family in Australia, explore the many faces of Melbourne and experience the international sporting action of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Australien überrascht uns immer wieder. So auch dieses Mal mit einer aussergewöhnlichen Werbekampagne!

Aufgrund des gewöhnungsbedürftigen Kampagnen-Slogans "Where the bloody hell are you?" sah sich Australiens Tourismusministerin Fran Bailey gezwungen, verteidigend in die Bresche zu springen: "Das ist ein großartiges australisches Adjektiv. Wir alle benutzen es, das ist Teil unserer Sprache!."

Ganz nach dem Motto: Erlaubt ist, was gefällt!

Der praktische Taschenkalender mit vielen Informationen und farbigen Bildern. Ein Muss für Australienfreunde und –reisende!

Aus dem Inhalt:

Kalendarium: Jahres-, Monatsüberblick Wochenkalendarium bis März 2007

Allgemeiner Teil: Erste Hilfe, Geburtstagskalender,Adress- und Telefonregister

Australien-Infos: Reisecheckliste, Geschichte,Aborigine-Kultur, australisches Englisch, Medizinische Versorgung, Autofahren in Australien, Freizeit- und Veranstaltungstipps
Dieser Australien-Taschenkalender richtet sich an Australienfreunde und -reisende. Er bietet Wissenswertes rund um Australien und die Australienreise und unterhält mit vielen in den Wochenkalender eingeflochtenen Informationen aus Geschichte, Kunst, Kultur, Lifestyle und Reise. Natürlich enthält der aktuelle Kalender viele Farbfotos, die z.T. von Australienreisenden stammen.

Das ideale Geschenk für Australienfreunde und Australienreisende!

Den Australien-Taschenkalender gibt es hier zu kaufen!

Event
26 Feb - 4 Mar 2006



Address
Various venues throughout Melbourne
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone 03 9654 5599
Fax 03 9654 9679
Email fashion@lmff.com.au
Web http://www.lmff.com.au

Held annually each March, L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival is a large scale fashion event of extraordinary richness and diversity. LMFF launches Australia's autumn/winter collections to retail buyers, the public and the media.

LMFF provides a rare opportunity for the public to experience the excitement and theatre of a major fashion event. Over 170,000 people attend LMFF's events each year.

The festival program includes runway shows, business forums, performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, retail events and glamorous parties.

Wednesday 15 March - Sunday 26 March

Welcome to Festival Melbourne2006 - twelve days of non-stop music, dance, circus, street theatre and visual arts from all the corners of the Commonwealth that will add an extra sparkle to your whole Games experience. Best of all, everything's free!



A comprehensive listing of all the performances, events and exhibitions that are part of Festival Melbourne2006. Commonwealth Games Live Sites will be operating at outdoor venues around the city providing central locations for people to meet and enjoy the spirit of the Games.
Check out the main Festival locations, find out what events are being held where, and get tips on how to get there. Reaching out across with Victoria with festivals in Ballarat, Bendigo, Moe and Geelong. Discover more about the regional festivals.



Over 2,500 world-class performing artists from across Australia and the Commonwealth will descend on Melbourne for the duration of the Games as part of the largest free cultural festival ever held in Australia. So when you come to cheer on the world’s elite athletes you can also catch a concert, see a circus, stroll amongst street performers, be dazzled by visual spectacles, celebrate Victoria’s Indigenous culture, enjoy an array of exhibitions and even join in yourself with public classes of dance from around the Commonwealth in Federation Square.

The city will be buzzing day and night at Federation Square, the Alexandra Gardens, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, around the Arts Centre, at Docklands and right across the CBD. The excitement will also reach out across the state, with regional festivals in Ballarat, Geelong, Moe and Bendigo. And all the great experiences of Festival Melbourne2006 are free!

Festival Melbourne2006 is proudly supported by the Victorian and Australian Governments and is an integral part of the Melbourne2006 Commonwealth Games.

Blechpferde und Hunde im Pick up

Blechpferde am Rande des Highway oder Toiletten-Ausstellungen: Westaustralien hat nicht nur unberührte Natur und traumhafte Strände zu bieten. Der größte Bundesstaat Down Unders ist auch Heimat der verrücktesten und witzigsten Veranstaltungen und Sehenswürdigkeiten.
Hunde und Pick ups sind das Markenzeichen Westaustraliens. Und so kommen jedes Jahr im April mehr als 1500 Pick up Fahrer mit ihren Hunden nach Corrigin, einem kleinen Örtchen im Südwesten des Landes. Ziel der Veranstaltung ist es, jedes Jahr aufs Neue den Weltrekord zu brechen. Dafür müssen möglichst viele Pick ups auftauchen, die hinten auf der Ladefläche einen lebenden Hund haben. Natürlich geht es nicht nur darum sondern vor allem auch darum, einen Tag lang zu feiern. Das Geld, das dabei zusammen kommt, wird für wohltätige Zwecke in der Region verwendet. Mehr Infos hier.

Westlich von Perth liegt das kleine Nest Kulin, das berühmt für seinen Blechpferd-Highway ist. Monatelang basteln die Bewohner der Region phantasievolle Pferde aus Blech, die jährlich ab Oktober am Straßenrand, dem so genannten Tin Horse Highway, aufgestellt werden: Tin Horse Highway.

Wer schon einmal auf Reisen in abgelegenen Regionen war, kennt das Problem: Wo gibt es eine saubere Toilette? Auf dem Weg von Perth nach Kalgoorlie finden Reisende nicht die typischen Outback-Toilette mit knarrender Tür und Spinnenweben an der Decke, sondern eine ganze Toiletten-Ausstellung mit den neusten und komfortabelsten „Buschklo“-Modellen Westaustraliens zur Ansicht und Benutzung. Zusammengetragen und aufgestellt von den Besitzern des Two Dogs Hardware Shop in Merridin.
Mehr Informationen zu Westaustralien gibt es unter Tourism Western Australia.

SUELLEN JERRARD

The sleepy town of Boddington, 130km south-east of Perth, is experiencing a modern-day gold rush as it prepares to host what will be Australia's biggest gold mine. Property prices have skyrocketed, vacant land has been snapped up and confidence in the area is at an all-time high as the owners of the Boddington Gold Mine finalise their plans to spend $1.8 billion reopening and expanding the project.

Since the mine was closed in 2001, gold prices have soared and a final decision is due within a fortnight. But detailed planning is already under way to accommodate a construction workforce of 1000 at a camp on the outskirts of Boddington. During the two-year construction phase, it is estimated $39 million could be injected into the Peel region and $410 million into the WA economy. During its 15-year life, the mine is expected to add $550 million to the Peel economy and $770 million State-wide.

It is predicted another 300 homes will be needed in Boddington to house up to 60 per cent of the 650 permanent workers needed at the mine from 2008. The rest are expected to travel from as far away as Perth and Mandurah. Boddington Shire chief executive Peter Bradbrook said serious infrastructure shortfalls had to be fixed if the town was to cope with the predicted doubling of its population of 1000.

Further housing development could not take place until there was an upgrade of the water supply and the infill sewerage program was brought forward. Mr Bradbrook said these and other needs would be included in a submission to State Cabinet. The area was also seeking a new medical centre, an indoor recreation centre, assistance to attract and house support staff, along with plant and equipment.

Peel Development Commission chief executive Maree De Lacey said the organisation had briefed new Peel Minister Norm Marlborough on the issue this week. Boddington real estate agents say house prices have skyrocketed in the past six months and they are fielding endless calls from investors and prospective employees. There has also been a flow on to surrounding towns.

Lisa Carrotts, from CRT Rural and Metro Realty, said a year ago four-bedroom, two-bathroom homes were selling in Boddington for about $140,000. Today they were more than $300,000. Two years ago she had up to 30 listings, she now has one. Ms Carrotts and husband Paul, the deputy shire president, are about to start work on a four-unit retail development, the first of its kind in the quiet main street.

Next door, a new post office is about to be built while the local hardware store has doubled its floor space. "Everyone in business here is getting a bit excited and hoping to get a slice of the cake," Cr Carrotts said. As a local of 45 years, Cr Carrotts described it as an exciting time for Boddington. We have been waiting nearly six years for this," he said. "They have done a couple of studies but this is the best one."

US gold giant Newmont this week bought out Newcrest Mining's share in the mine for $225 million.
Newmont now holds two-thirds of the mine and AngloGold Ashanti one-third. If the final go-ahead is given on February 27, Boddington could rank alongside Newcrest's Telfer gold mine in the Pilbara as Australia's biggest, producing almost a million ounces of gold and 32,000 tonnes of copper a year.

Brisbane 12 January 2006: Virgin Blue has reassured Hamilton Island of its plan to continue and expand flights to the island haven after growing demand in the past six months and a record month in December.
The airline launched flights between Brisbane and Hamilton Island in June 2005, and following strong bookings, upgraded its aircraft from a 144 seat Boeing 737-700 to a 180 seat Boeing 737-800 series aircraft and added extra flights over the current Christmas-school holiday period taking its schedule to a double daily service.
Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, says the move has paid off.

Herzlich willkommen bei travelnews - dem Blog für Neuigkeiten und aktuelle Infos aus Urlaubsgebieten.



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• Aktuelles aus Urlaubsregionen
• Neuigkeiten von Reiseveranstaltern

und vieles mehr.

Alle Neuigkeiten kommen aus erster Hand, das heisst direkt aus den entsprechenden Urlaubsregionen, beispielsweise aus Hamilton Island.

Starten werden wir mit Australien, dem geographisch am weitesten aber auf die Urlaubsfreude bezogen gar nicht weit entfernten Urlaubsland. Lassen Sie sich von unseren Themen überraschen, helfen Sie mit Ihren eigenen Erfahrungen mit und kommentieren unsere Beiträge - und schauen Sie vor allem regelmässig vorbei - es lohnt sich!

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