Australia & New Zealand & Singapore

Dieter Wiedelmann
Author - Business Specialist - Travel Consultant
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Australia- & New Zealand books and travel itineraries

Tip: My top book on Australia is titled:
Things to Know About Australia (German: Wissenswertes zu Australien)
Six States - Three Territories - 608 pages - Dimensions (L/W/H): 30.3/21.5/4.3 cm
Weight: 1919 g - Language: German
Available in all bookstores with ISBN: 978-3-8194-2158-7!

Australia - There are plenty of unique features in Australia:
Ayers Rock is said to be the largest monolith in the world.
In 1871, Uluru ("Shade-Giving Place"), as it called in the Aboriginal
Language, was named Ayers Rock by the European explorer William
Gosse (after the then South Australian President Sir Henry Ayers).

The red sandstone monolith is 3.6 km long and 2.4 km wide, rising 348 meters
from the australian outback. But this is just the tip, the rest, up to sixthousand
meters deep, is said to lie beneath the earth`s surface. Uluru has a circumference
of 9.4 kilometers and the road, that circles Ayers Rock, is 11 km long.

Ayers Rock consists of red, almost smooth sandstone and, depending on the
sunlight, presents a magnificent array of colors, made possible by the
rock`s extremely high iron content.

By the way: Since October 2019 climbing Ayers Rock has been prohibited.

Australia - Please ring the bell

New Zealand - The New Zealand Alps
The backbone of the South Island is formed by the Southern Alps, which are
believed to have formed approximately 130 million years ago. A total of 24 Mountains
rise above 3.000 meters. The 24th to surpass 3.000 meters is Glacier Peak
at 3.002 meters. It lies right next to the highest mountain in the country, Mount Cook
(Aoraki in Maori) in the NP of the same name, which reaches 3.754 meters. In total,
26 mountains here are higher then Germany`s highest mountain , the Zugspitze.
And a total of 30 mountains are higher than 2.950 meters.

The Southern Alps are glaciated, which also explains the high number of Glaciers.
While in the 1960s it was assumed there were around 370 Glaciers, the first
topographical measurements carried out in the 1980s revealed approximately
nine times that number. There are said to be around 3.100.
3.155 was the last figure I read.

It should be noted, that this number is constantly changing, as small glaciers
disappear and new ones constantly form - or may cease to exist in the
future due to global warming.

On the North Island, the number of Glaciers is given as between 8 and 16,
all of which are located on Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park.

All other Glaciers are located in the southern Alps. There are many well-known
Glaciers, such as e. g. Godley, Hooker, Mueller, Murchison (18 km), Tasman
(27 km long, up to 3 km wide and lies entirely within Mount Cook NP).

New Zealand - Please ring the bell

Singapore - City of Festivals
Singapore celebrated the 60th anniversary of its independance from
Malaysia on August 9, 2025. It seems incredible that the singapore
we know today, the modern metropolis, the world`s leading
city-state, has only existed for 60 years, but yes, it`s true.

Incredible, what six decades can achieve.

Australia was one of the first countries to recognize Singapore in 1965.
Therefore, these two countries are celebrating 60 years of friendship,
respect and cooperation. Government representatives from both
countries visit each other every year.

In 1965, Singapore`s future was uncertain: Many People doubted its
chances of survival as an indepedent state. Today it is an extremely
successful financial and cultural center, which has taken in so many
different Peoples: From Chinese to Malays, from Indians to Europeans
and created something unique and beautiful from their efforts.

Singapore ist not only a popular travel destination and an ideal
stopover on the route between Europe and Asia.
Today, Singapore offers unique attractions, that are well worth
a significantly longer stay than just a stopover.

Singapore - Please ring the bell

Last Update: January 5th, 2026

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