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We've compiled the best of the best in Australia - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
A steel whale's tail sticking out of the ocean and retro kettles cunningly disguised as penguins strapped to a huge rock being lashed by waves are some of the imaginative artworks that have wowed visitors to the annual show called Sculpture by the Sea. Since 1996, artists have positioned more than 100 sculptures on and under rocky outcrops and on hilltops along the much-trodden Bondi-to-Bronte Coastal Walk. This free exhibition runs for two weeks beginning in late October.
Australia's oldest arts festival takes place annually for 2½ weeks in February and March. It's a cultural smorgasbord of outdoor opera, classical music, jazz, art exhibitions, film, a writers' festival, and cabaret presented by some of the world's top artists; it's held across the city at a variety of venues.
The Fringe Festival, held over four weeks during mid-February and mid-March, is the second largest of its kind in the world. It's an open-access arts festival, featuring cabaret, street performances, comedy, circus, music, visual art, theater, puppetry, dance, and design, all across Adelaide and its surroundings, while regional offshoots take the party all around the state.
For outdoor performances, the grass terraced Quarry Amphitheatre is a unique and popular venue, particularly during the Perth International Arts Festival and warmer months.
The flashy, gilded State Theatre Centre of Western Australia is home to the 575-seat Heath Ledger Theatre and Studio Underground, a flexible performance space. Outdoor events are held in the multipurpose Courtyard. The State Theatre Centre presents contemporary performing arts, both theater and dance, and is the home of the Perth Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company.
