The Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Ayers Rock (Uluru). The Great Barrier Reef. The Daintree Rainforest. All these and more comprise the famous "Australian Icons" - the images and places of Australia that fill brochures and posters and the dreams of those who wish to visit the great Down Under.

When at last one begins to plan their own getaway to Australia, it is often the Icons they wish to see. But often the question remains: just where in the country are the Australian Icons? And is it feasible to plan an itinerary that includes all the Icons?

It's important to remember that Australia is approximately the size of the United States. It is fairly easy to traverse the country by airplane (just as it in the US), but an itinerary that includes, for example, the Sydney Opera House, Ayers Rock (Uluru), the Great Barrier Reef, and the Daintree Rainforest would be like visiting Atlanta, Kansas City, and New York City within the same trip. You want to spend at least three nights in each place, as you lose a day each time traveling, and even then, three nights would barely give you a taste of the destination before moving on. It can be done, of course, and many people have amazing trips squeezing in all of the Icons, but it certainly makes for a more fast-paced vacation.

The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are fairly obvious: they are located in the city of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales. The Icons of Sydney are easily seen, as the city of Sydney has a great transportation system, making it easy to get anywhere from any of the hotels within the city itself. The Rocks is most closely located to the Icons, and allow you to easily walk to them.

Bondi Beach is another famous Australian Icon, and perhaps one of the most famous beaches in the world. Luckily for those vacationing in Sydney, it is also easily reached by Sydney public transportation.

Ayers Rock (also called Uluru) is the big red rock of the Outback seen on so many posters and pictures of Australia. It is located in the true heart of the Outback, right in the smack middle of the country. While it is difficult to reach, in terms of time and distance from the other major sights to see, in my opinion, it is a stop well worth it. Flights leave from the major cities to Ayers Rock - you can also fly into Alice Springs. A true "Outback town," this town has a few sights of its own to see, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service (airborne doctor service for the Outback) and the School of the Air (over-the-radio school for children of the Outback).

For the Great Barrier Reef, most tourists head up to the city of Cairns in northern Queensland. The Daintree Rainforest (Australia's most diverse rainforest) and Cape Tribulation, two other big attractions of the region, are also right nearby, making it easy to see both "Reef and Rainforest" from Cairns (or one of the nearby cities of Palm Cove or Port Douglas). It's important to note that the Great Barrier Reef is not directly along the coast of Australia - visiting the Reef requires a day trip at least out to the Reef and back again.

However, many people don't realize that the Great Barrier Reef stretches 1250 miles along the coast of Queensland, from as far north as Cape York to as far south as Bundaberg. Thus, another option for visiting the Reef is to visit Southern Queensland, often bt starting in Brisbane. Many consider a trip to Brisbane a necessity in order to get in another, newer Australian Icon: Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. Though actually located in Beerwah, a couple of hours away from Brisbane, international flights to the US arrive and depart out of this city as well. Also, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is located in Brisbane, one of the few places that allow you to cuddle a koala (which can only be done in the state of Queensland; it is illegal to hold Koalas in the rest of Australia).

From there, it's also a short journey to Fraser Island (the world's largest sand dune island, and also the only to have a rainforest growing from it), and then finally to the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays are comprised of 74 islands "in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef", located off the coast of mid-Queensland. This is a wonderful way to visit the Great Barrier Reef, on an island in the midst of the reef. While certainly a place frequented by travelers, it is far less visited than the tropical North, and is thus a more pristine area of the Great Barrier Reef.

While there are many Australian Icons to see in this great country, the big (and perhaps most famous ones) are the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest, Fraser Island, Ayers Rock (Uluru) and, more recently, the Australia Zoo. With only a week in Australia, it would be difficult to visit all of them - two weeks is more doable, though it would still be a packed itinerary. As long as you are aware of the traveling time and distances, and ready to make the most of your time, a trip to Australia to visit the famous Icons would certainly make a rewarding and memorable vacation.