Australia vacations, New Zealand vacations

Events Calendar - Australia
Please enjoy our selection, whilst not intended to be a definitive listing, we feel it reflects the flavor and diversity of upcoming events in Australia for 2007 and beyond.

Perth - Hyundai Hopman Cup - January
The Hyundai Hopman Cup is the third arm of the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) International Team Events consisting of the Davis Cup for men, the Federation Cup for women and the Hopman Cup for men and women. Originating in 1988 the Hopman Cup was named after legendary Australian tennis coach - Harry Hopman, who captained Australia to 15 Davis Cup victories.

Lancelin - Cougar XS Ocean Classic - January
The Cougar XS Lancelin Ocean Classic is the largest and longest running windsurfing event in Australia and attracts competitors from all over the world. Lancelin is the windsurfing mecca and the small crayfishing town with a population of 800 swells to over 8000 people for the four day event.

Adelaide - Jacob's Creek Cycling Tour Down Under - January
Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, attracting about 100,000 spectators who line the streets along the 800-kilometre route. If you missed the Tour de France, the chances are you'll see the same top international teams competing for victory here in South Australia Each of the six stages of the race brings its own natural beauty and challenge as it winds up mountains, through valleys and across rivers.

Melbourne - Australian Open Tennis - January
Top international tennis players congregate at Melbourne Park for the first Grand Slam of the year. Whatever the weather, world class tennis action is guaranteed with the retractable roof permitting play on the main stadium courts during day and dramatic night sessions.

Sydney - Australia Day - January
Australia day is a truly nationwide day with events in most towns and cities. The largest single public event in the country takes place in Sydney on Australia's national day, 26 January. Tall ship and ferry boat races, military flyover and free outdoor concerts bring Sydney Harbour to life, while fireworks dominate the night sky over Darling Harbour.

Melbourne - Heineken Golf Classic - February
This prestigious golf tournament, held at the famous Royal Melbourne Golf Club attracts the top golfers from the Australian, Asian, European and US PGA tours. Watch the pro-am events or the 4 days of competition form Thursday to Sunday.

Sydney - Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras - Late February
Events are scheduled all week leading up to Mardi Gras which attracts up to 500,000 people to the Oxford Street parade. Glitzy and loud, the parade is a celebration of gay and lesbian rights and lifestyle and has become a nationally televised event.

Rugby Union - February thru August15-18 March 07
Club, provisional and international fixtures are combined throughout the rugby union season. Super 14 Rugby consists of five teams from New Zealand, five from South Africa and four from Australia (NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT), and each team plays all the other teams once during the yearly tournament. Bonus points are given to any team scoring four tries or more, putting the emphasis on strong, attacking rugby. Tri Nations rugby sees Australia, New Zealand and South African national sides compete on a home and away format.

Adelaide - Adelaide Fringe Festival - all March
The largest independent alternative festival in Australia, this biennial event offers a diverse range of performances from cutting-edge and experimental cultural artists. The festival also includes a statewide regional arts program.

Broken Hill - Outback and All That Jazz Festival - March
Outback and "All That Jazz" Festival located in Broken Hill is surrounded by tall rocky outcrops. This is an awesome outback location for Jazz under the stars, the ridge floodlit by night framing the stage, creates the perfect backdrop and ambiance, thus setting the mood for the entire evening.

Melbourne - Formula 1 Grand Prix 15-18 March 07
The FORMULA 1™ Australian Grand Prix is a four-day spectacle of speed, glamour and excitement around Melbourne’s picturesque Albert Park circuit. Apart from Formula One, there is action aplenty on track including the V8 Supercars, and other top national racing categories, as well as a host of entertainment off the track and in the skies.

Gold Coast - Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships - March
The Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships take place at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast. The free events include swimming, board and ski paddling, and surf boat races between Australia's top surf clubs.

Forster Tuncurry, New South Wales - Ironman Triathlon - March
The national and state championships, held during March in Forster Tuncurry, New South Wales, showcases Australia's toughest athletes. Attracting a field of 1,200, it's a qualifying event for the annual Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii.

Melbourne - Moomba Festival - January - March
One of Melbourne's most famous and longest running festivals is the Melbourne Moomba Festival. Named after an Aboriginal word, Moomba means 'Let's get together and have fun'. Moomba is a non-stop citywide fete amid food, performances, and events that attracts some 1.5 million people each year. From riveting and spellbinding physical and street theatre to top live music acts from around the country and beyond, the event brings together some of the best performers and entertainers both locally and internationally.

Australian Rules football - April thru September
The support for Aussie Rules is most passionate in Melbourne where club games commonly attract 40,000 on a Saturday or Sunday during the competition, April – September. Held over eight weeks, the final series attracts more than half-a-million followers with the grand final between the top two teams attracting close to 100,000 fans packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Cricket - all year - domestic and international
Cricket is the favourite national sporting pastime. From small clubs through state teams to international fixtures, cricket is passionately played and followed domestically and overseas. Games vary in format from limited overs one day fixtures to 5 day test matches. The national team play series in the summer at home, in the winter overseas and in the warmer northern cities of Darwin and Cairns. The one day internationals and the boxing day test match in Melbourne and new years day test in Sydney attract huge crowds.

The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive - April - June
Thousands of cattle were herded down the Birdsville Track in the legendary cattle drives of old. All the splendour and romance of these historic cattle drives is recreated in this epic journey involving 600 head of cattle, 120 horses and visitors from across Australia and around the world.

Festival of Chamber Music - July
For more than a decade the Australian Festival of Chamber Music has brought musicians and audience members from throughout Australia and the world to share in a unique musical experience. One of the world's premier chamber music festivals.

Melbourne - International Film Festival - July
For over 50 years, this prestigious festival has been introducing new films from around the world to Australian audiences. More than 300 films from 40 countries are screened.

Brisbane - Brisbane Festival - July
The Brisbane Festival, is a biennial festival that occurs on even numbered years. Brisbane's International Arts Festival is one of the top five in Australia and the biggest arts event in Queensland.Describing itself as a "vivid snapshot of world entertainment," the festival covers everything from comedy to kid's stuff, fireworks to artworks.

Darwin - Festival of Darwin - August
When Cyclone Tracy tore through Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974, 25,000 people were evacuated and there was talk of abandoning the city site altogether. However, the city was slowly rebuilt and in 1979 a festival was held to celebrate the town's revival and was aimed at uniting the community, reflecting the optimism of those returning to rebuild Australia's northernmost city and to encourage a new wave of tourists. The first celebration was a floral festival to promote the beautification of the city. It was initially called the Bougainvillea Festival, after the colourful and exotic plant that thrives in the tropics. Today the Festival of Darwin has grown into a vibrant arts and cultural event.

Alice Springs - Henley on Todd - September
The Henley-on-Todd is the original waterless regatta held in the dry river bed of the Todd River, Alice Springs. The boats are bottomless and are carried by competitors along the course.

Melbourne - Festival of Arts - October
The festival brings together many of the world's best-known actors, artists, writers and dancers for more than 400 performances, workshops, shows, and parties in 30 different venues. The Melbourne Fringe Festival runs at the same time as the Melbourne Festival of the Arts. The 'Fringe' showcases the experimental and the countercultural with street parades, performance art and parties in and around the bohemian Brunswick Street in Fitzroy.

Adelaide - Tasting Australia - October
Adelaide also hosts Australia's premier Food and Wine event, Tasting Australia. This event is attended by the 'who's who' of the epicurean industry and anyone who's passionate about food and wine. The event brings together the best chefs from Australia and abroad, putting their talents to the test in a variety of public cooking competitions and displays. Held biannually the 2005 event's theme is The Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

Melbourne - Melbourne Cup (horse racing) - November
Melbourne Cup Day is Australia's most famous Tuesday. It's a day when the nation stops whatever it's doing to listen to the race call, or watch the race on TV, and even those who don't usually bet, try their luck. In Melbourne, Cup Day is the peak of the Spring Racing Carnival, when champagne and canapés, huge hats and race track fashions sometimes overshadow the business of the day - horse racing.

Yarrawonga - Murray River Marathon - December
The world's longest canoe race is open to anyone over 13 years old. Starting at Yarrawonga and finishing at Swan Hill, the 404 kilometre event attracts some 4,000 participants from Olympic athletes to novice paddlers.

Sydney - Sydney to Hobart yacht race - Dec 26 (Boxing Day)
One of Sydney's best-loved events, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, is worth getting up early for! Secure a good vantage point around Sydney Harbour's foreshores on the morning after Christmas, ready to enjoy the spectacular sight of about 850 of the world's finest sailors steer their yachts through the headlands and into the Pacific Ocean. The great race south covers 630 nautical miles and takes several days, depending on the weather.

Hobart - Summer Festival - late December/all January
Among the many associated events is the Taste of Tasmania, the state's best known and loved summer attraction, showcasing a variety of Tasmania's celebrated food and wine. Set on Hobart's historic waterfront, the Taste presents a range of international cuisine in Tasmania's renowned style, and provides a forum for entertainers from around the world. Hobart's harbour really comes to life in the New Year when the boats from the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht race arrive after their gruelling trip down the east coast of Australia and across the Bass Straight. The race is regarded as one of the world's greatest ocean racing classics. Fireworks and celebrations mark their arrival.

About Us | Travel Agent | Privacy | Terms and Conditions | Testimonial