Developed by Gabriele Petrone, Australia Travel features some pretty comprehensive information and awesome pictures to boot. Whether you’re interested in the best bars in Sydney, what types of crocodile you can expect to see in the outback, what tourist attractions there are in Cairns or where to surf near Melbourne, you’ll find it all explained here.

Available for iPhone and iPad, this app carries up-date-information for travelling in Oz, including reviews centred on its major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns and Broome.

It also carries data on Australia travel packages, tourism, flights, foodie news and lots of tips besides. What’s more, it’s absolutely free to download and is available via the iTunes store.

After ranking number one in our own review, this app gets a big thumbs-up and comes top for us. But, if you’re not convinced, there are a number of other Australia travel apps to try – but bear in mind they aren’t all free:

• MyCityWay – an impressive 30 apps in one based around your chosen city
• Australia Offline with directU – free offline map browser
• Aussie Slang (Australian Slang) Dictionary – a fun app featuring more than 700 colloquial phrases used in Australia every day

Happy exploring!

The post Revealed: The best app for travelling Down Under appeared first on MyTravelMoney.co.uk.

Go on, open an ice cold beer, throw another shrimp on the barbie (or pour a glass of mulled wine and get the soup heating on the AGA?) and check out our top data from Down Under…

10 facts about Australia you didn’t already know:

1) Despite being the sixth largest country in the world, more than 90 per cent of Australia’s entire landscape is flat, dry and arid – making any form of agriculture impossible in around three quarters of the country.

2) Sydney is Australia’s first and largest city – sometimes dubbed ‘Sin City’ on account of the number of convicts shipped there. Both Sydney and Melbourne made a bid to be the country’s capital but Sydney was refused because of its Sin City stigma. Instead, officials built a new capital city – Canberra – almost equidistant between the two rival cities.

3) ‘Waltzing Matilda’ is Australia’s most famous song but the term is actually German for carrying a backpack.

4) Ironically, though travellers now flock to Australia to surf, swim and enjoy its beautiful beaches, a law was passed in 1838 which made swimming at public beaches during the day illegal. But, lucky for us, this law was quashed in 1902.

5) Australia is, of course, home to some of the most amazing and unique wildlife in the world but one of its most impressive species is the Lyre Bird, which can mimic the calls of 15 different types of bird and has even been known to impersonate mobile phones.

6) Australians often refer to English people as ‘poms’ or ‘pome’ – an acronym for ‘Prisoners of Mother England’ again harking back to the number of criminal Brits exiled to Australia. Pomegranate is also convict rhyming slang for ‘immigrant’ – but don’t worry it’s all friendly and usually used in jest.

7) Australians read more newspapers than any other population but it must be primarily good news. Despite being founded by convicts, the crime rate is surprisingly low with a murder rate 400 per cent less than that of America.

8) The illegal cannabis industry in Australia is twice the size of its wine industry with 50 per cent of teenagers believed to be users – but don’t let that put you off!

9) It’s common to encounter blue-tongued lizards, huntsman spiders, scorpions, snakes and giant moths – sometimes the size of small birds – in and around the average household or in any rented villa or apartment.

10) Each winter, the Snowy Mountains – otherwise known as the ‘Australian Alps’ – receive more snow cover than Switzerland. They’re part of the Great Dividing Range and span 3,500km across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Heading down under? For the best australian dollar exchange rates, check out our comparison tables where we aggregate live rates on a minute by minute basis.

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Oz is a hotspot for serious surfers and has some pretty famous beaches because of it.

In fact, there’s only one place to go for the biggest breaks in the world and that’s Down Under. Check out our top five Australian beaches for catching some waves:

1) Surfer’s Paradise
True to its name, this beach is definitely a surfer’s paradise with its warm Pacific Coastal waters making it ideal for surfers of all aptitudes because of the variation in the size of its waves. Beginners, amateurs and pros will all feel at home and there are lots of bars, restaurants and shopping hotspots too.

Kirra Point, Australia

2) Kirra Point
The large waves at Kirra Point make this a better choice for more intrepid surfers who can take on the challenge. There are a few waves for amateurs too but you’re likely to upstaged by the professional boardies. It’s a gorgeous place, however, to make a splash and try your hand at diving.

3) Burleigh Heads

This is another haven for extreme surfers and can get very busy during peak season and at the weekends. This is the place to be to watch all the knowledgeable, die-hard boarders who come here rather than the likes of Surfer’s Paradise.

4) Bells Beach
Long and fast waves have put the beach firmly on the map as one of Oz’s most iconic surf destinations. It’s also made surfing history exactly for that reason and is home to the annual Rip Curl Pro – the oldest professional surfing competition in the world.

5) Jan Juc Beach 

Jan Juc isn’t far from Bells Beach but its rips and exposed beaches mean more dangerous surfing. Take advice from the Jan Juc Surf Lifesaving Club before you set out and leave well alone unless you’re confident enough to handle it.

Surfing at Jan Juc Beach, Australia

Before you set off on a long-haul flight for Australia, make sure you compare exchange rates well in advance. Visit MyTravelMoney.co.uk for the most Australian Dollars for your money.

The post Australian Adventures: Top 5 Surf Spots Down Under appeared first on MyTravelMoney.co.uk.