January 2012: From prestigious events to world-class cultural encounters and fabulous natural attractions, here are 12 defining reasons to include Hamilton Island (www.hamiltonisland.com.au), the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, in an Australian itinerary in 2012:

January 2012: To mark Australia Day, the South Australian Tourism Commission (www.southaustralia.com) has teamed up with Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.co.uk tel 0844 800 8609) offering an exclusive Flash Sale consisting of 100 flights to Australia at an unbeatable, rock bottom price of just £549.