The following maps will give you an idea of the size of Australia compared to the USA and Europe.

Although Australia is an island it should be noted that its land area is approximately the same size as the United States.

Some visitors before coming to Australia have requested day trips from Sydney to Alice Springs or the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns is one of the gateways to the Great Barrier Reef and is 296I kilometres from Sydney, and Perth the capital of Western Australia is as far away from Sydney as Los Angeles is from New York. Visitors should realise this is a big country with vast distances between major centres and attractions. For those wishing to travel after exchanges, good, air, rail and road services exist between major centres and are reasonably priced. Services are available to remote areas and can be expensive depending on the areas visited. Below is a map showing the major highways around Australia with a legend of kms or miles to give you some perspective of distances between major cities in Australia and just how big Australia really is.

A Table of Distances Between Capital Cities

Distance Between Capital Cities (km) (miles ≈ km ÷ 1.6)