Touched by an Emu

Meanwhile, the cheapest flight we can find from the States lands in Brisbane, a two-hour plane ride north of Sydney. Given our 23-hour connecting flight from Washington and a 14-hour time difference, we figure we might as well rest up there a day or so.

In other words, we did the forced march -- the "If it's Tuesday, it must be Perth" version of an Australian trip. Of course we knew that Australia is nearly as large as the continental United States, even though it has fewer than 20 million people, compared with more than 280 million in the States. We realized we couldn't possibly glimpse all the highlights in two weeks. That's why we crossed off three-fourths of the items on our must-see list. The key lesson I can now share: You can't even reasonably glimpse a quarter of the highlights in two weeks.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until our return that a friend gave us an invaluable piece of advice: No matter where in the world you go, pretend during your visit that one day you'll return, even if the prospects of doing so are dim.

Alternatively, like me, you could do a dawn-to-dusk frenzy and not realize what a great time you had until you come home and develop the pictures.

On the last night of our trip, in a Sydney hotel, my 10-year-old expressed the thought I was having at that very moment: "We went to way too many places," she said. I agreed but asked her what she would have left out. We both thought long and hard and came up with the same answer: "Nothing."

Koala Cuddling in Brisbane

I presume airfare to Brisbane was cheap because the city is not high on most tourists' must-do lists. But it should be. Three-story turn-of-the-century buildings painted in blues, greens and yellows mix easily with more modern structures. Water taxis crisscross a broad river that runs through the city. Our hotel faces the Brisbane River on one side, and on the other, an immaculately groomed public park with palm trees and a giant statue of Queen Victoria. A block-long casino is housed in a graceful Renaissance-style building that was once the treasury office.

Strolling around the capital, I notice a small scrap of paper on the sidewalk -- notable because it's the only tidbit of trash on streets devoid of so much as a discarded cigarette butt. It's a sign of civility we are to find in every Australian city and town.

Should you have only a day to spend in Brisbane, come on a Sunday, when morning brings hundreds of flea market stalls to a big swath of the city. It's my first introduction to the great shopping opportunities Australia offers, and although I bought more than I could afford or easily carry, I still think of particular crafts, artwork, jewelry and clothing I wish I'd added to my credit card.

After overspending, we head to the outskirts of the city, to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I know I'll be seeing loads of animals in the wild, but the prospect of holding a koala, however briefly, is like a stiff cup of coffee to my jet-lagged self.

Hold off on the angry letters: Only koalas that seem to like being held are used for the koala-cuddling photo opportunities, the brochures promise. No koala gets cuddled by visitors more than 30 minutes a day, and they get every third day off. Besides, my koala seems to genuinely like me, and hugs tight and close to my face. If any living being in this exchange is a tad nervous, it is me, even though the koala is no bigger than a bear cub. My only advice is to save the koala sanctuary until near the end of your trip, because once you've cuddled a koala, you can't get as excited as you should about spotting them in the wild, high in the top reaches of giant eucalyptus trees.

On the other hand, the visit to Lone Pine turned out to be my only chance to see a Tasmanian devil, which is much cuter than its name implies, and to view a brushtail possum, whose huge eyes make it look more like a Hobbit than the creepy American opossum.

Kowabunga Yungaburra

Yungaburra isn't mentioned in any of the guidebooks I consulted, but add it to your list. The drive on Gillies Highway alone makes the side trip worthwhile. The so-called "highway" is basically just a paved-over Aboriginal trail that starts near Cairns, then winds through steep mountains and past stunning views before reaching Yungaburra, 2,500 feet above sea level in North Queensland.