Дарвин расположен в верхней половине Северной территории, земле изолированной от остальной части нации тысячами миль суровых условий пустыни. Это страна «Крокодила Данди», пограничным городом которой является Дарвин. Это земля крайностей, отличающаяся двумя сезонами: сухим и влажным, или, скорее, засухой и наводнениями. Последнее также характеризует ее местных жителей, которые в среднем выпивают около 60 галлонов (227 литров) пива в год на одного. Город был назван в честь натуралиста Чарльза Дарвина, который остановился здесь во время его исторического путешествия на борту M.S.Beagle. Во время Второй мировой войны, Дарвин играл важную роль в качестве основной военной базы союзников и пережил многочисленные атаки японской бомбардировки. В декабре 1974 года город был разрушен серией свирепых циклонов, в результате чего было снесено почти 60 процентов его зданий.

Kwatisore Bay is a 2 km wide bay located west of Kwatisore Peninsula at the southwestern end of the wide Cenderawasih (bird of paradise) Bay. An area of 1,453,500 hectares, a great part of the bay, has been declared a national park. Within the national park is Indonesia’s largest marine national park. Some dive companies claim that Cenderawasih Bay is the whale shark capital of the world, and the area near Kwatisore Bay is one of the few places in the world where encounters can almost be guaranteed. View less The whale sharks seem to be permanent residents of the protected marine park and as the locals believe whale sharks are under the protection of spirits and will bring good luck, not only has fishing them been traditionally prohibited, the fishermen actively encourage their presence by feeding them small amounts of their catch. Therefor the best places and time to look for the whale sharks –and to swim or dive with them- are the local fishing pontoons during the early morning hours.

Only about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Indonesian border, Vanimo is the capital of the Sandaun (or Sundown) Province. It is one of only two towns in this remote region of Papua New Guinea. Although the Sepik River originates in the province, it bypasses Vanimo far to the south. The Sandaun Province is relatively undeveloped, but Vanimo has lovely beaches and some picturesque villages in the vicinity. The interior is covered in rainforest and logging is an important activity putting to use Vanimo’s port and protected bay.

Ali Island is one of the four islands located close to Aitape, off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The eastern shore of Ali Island has a beautiful white sandy beach and offers swimming and snorkeling. The five villages on the island connect via well-maintained trails that lead to the school and Catholic church closer to the northern end of the island.

Восточная половина острова Новая Гвинея — второго по величине в мире — была разделена между Германией (на севере) и Великобритании (на юге) в 1885 году. Последняя область была передана Австралии в 1902 году, которая занимала северную часть во время Второй мировой войны и продолжала управлять объединенными областями до провозглашения независимости в 1975 году. Девятилетнее сепаратистское восстание на острове Бугенвиль закончилось в 1997 году и унесло около 20000 жизней.

The volcanic island of Garove is part of the Witu Islands and once had a 5-kilometer-wide (3.1 miles) caldera. The island was historically used to produce copra and cocoa, and in fact, still is today. Most of the villages are located around the exterior of the volcano. Steep cliffs explain why there is only one area settled on the inside. A promontory at the entrance’s southwestern corner is taken up by the school and the catholic church of the village of Widu, the only village inside the caldera.

If surreal and unique experiences are your thing, then the Papua New Guinean town of Rabaul should tick your travel boxes. Found on the north eastern tip of New Britain Island (the largest island off mainland PNG) Rabaul, the former provincial capital, has quite a remarkable location. The town is inside the flooded caldera of a giant volcano and several sub-vents are still quite active today! The lively city was almost entirely devastated by Mount Tavurvur in 1994, covering the city in ashfall, but thankfully costing no lives. View less Since then, thanks to Rabaul’s deep-water port, commerce has been on the up, and a few shops and hotels have managed to find an audience. However, Rabaul’s remote location together with the volcano still being one of the most active and dangerous in Papua New Guinea means tourism in not rife. Rabaul has an impressive WWII history which includes a 300-mile network of tunnels dug by Japanese POW designed to conceal munitions and stores. After the Pearl Harbour bombings, the Japanese used Rabaul as their South Pacific base for the last four years of WWII, and by 1943 there were about 110,000 Japanese troops based in Rabaul. Post war, the island was returned to Australia, before it was granted independence in 1975. It should be noted that patience is a virtue here. However, that is not all bad. The slow pace of transportation allows travellers to marvels at the quite astonishing landscape. Divers will also be richly rewarded – the marine life of the island is extraordinary.

Kennedy Island is a small uninhabited island in the Solomon Islands that was named after John F. Kennedy, following an incident involving Kennedy during his World War II naval career. Kennedy Island lies 15 minutes by boat from Gizo, the provincial capital of the Solomon Islands Western Province.

Port Mary is the name of the bay adjacent to Ghupuna, the main village in Santa Ana. A bright white sand beach with huge shade-giving trees runs along the shoreline in front of the tidy village. The houses here are made with local materials and most are built on stilts. Islanders generally welcome visitors with traditional songs and dances performed by members of the three different villages on Santa Ana. Some local people will also set up stands offering souvenirs for purchase. View less The Solomons are best known for strings of traditional shell money and elegant carvings based on local stories and legends.

Unlike Espiritu Santo with its raised coral reefs and white sand, Ambrym is a volcanically active island with dark sand beaches. Ambrym is known as the island of magic and is the source of five local languages that all evolved on Ambrym. This handful of languages contributes to the well over 100 languages of Vanuatu. Some of Ambrym’s magic takes place in the lush greenery of the local community of Ranon. Here the people perform a very special and traditional ‘Rom’ dance. Participants prepare their masks and costumes in secrecy and the dance is reserved for special occasions.

Лаутока часто описывается, как сахарный город. Сахарный тростник является основной отраслью Фиджи, а Лаутока является его главной базой. Здесь находится штаб-квартира, крупнейший сахарный завод, современные удобства загрузки и большая пристань. К услугам гостей 70 километров дорог, почти все из которых вымощены, замечательный ботанический сад и королевские пальмы, которые украшают основные улицы города, атакже Vitogo Parade. Муниципальный рынок является еще одной достопримечательностью. Фиджи — это типичный образ рая. Люди живут здесь также, как и много веков назад, сохраняя свои древние традиции и простой и беззаботный образ жизни, поддерживаемый щедрым урожаем и благодатным морем.