South Pacific Islands Oceania

For Australians, the neighbouring islands of New Caledonia and Fiji present a mix of landscapes and cultures that's at once familiar, and yet quirkily different. Oceania is a vast, arbitrarily defined expanse of the world where the Pacific Ocean – rather than land borders – connects the nations. It is home to glistening white beaches, coconut palms swaying in the breeze, beautiful coral reefs, and rugged volcanic islands rising out of the blue ocean. Its diverse nations have both some of the world's most cosmopolitan and internationalised cities such as Melbourne, and some of its most remote and culturally isolated villages. Spend time wandering along a beach, paddling a canoe or mountain biking through the wilderness. The rolling hills and hedgerows collude with the irreverent, easy-going locals to disarm, distract and delight. The cultures are potent, the surf is world class, and the nature is awesome. It's hard to visit and not fall in love!