If you're not particularly fond of the winter cold — winter begins in Australia and New Zealand on June 1 — consider a trip north to Australia's tropical regions.

For those wishing to visit the Great Barrier Reef, one of the destinations of choice is Cairns in Queensland which is a popular jump-off point to the Reef.

If you're driving north along the Pacific coast, there are many coastal Queensland cities and towns from which you can take a ferry to one of the resort islands on the Reef.

• Great Barrier Reef
• Getting to the Great Barrier Reef
• Cairns: Gateway to the Reef
• Islands in the Sun

On the other side of the continent, there's Broome and Cable Beach in Western Australia to consider, and in the Northern Territory there's Darwin and Kakadu.

Photo: Snorkeling off Heron Island, courtesy P&O; Australian Resorts

Two hundred forty-one years ago, on April 29, 1770, English explorer Captain James Cook arrived on the Endeavour at Australia's Botany Bay.

This first landing on Australian soil by the English explorer led to his claiming Australia for the English Crown, although the first English settlement at Sydney Cove, in what is now The Rocks district, was to come 18 years later.

Captain Cook's landing place is now part of Botany Bay National Park which is not only a historical site but a place for seaside picnics and many leisure activities as well.

The Endeavour is usually docked at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Sydney's Darling Harbour.

• The New HMB Endeavour
• Botany Bay National Park
• Australian National Maritime Museum
• The Rocks: Birthplace of Australia
• Walk into History at The Rocks

Photo: Replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour, courtesy Australian National Maritime Museum

"They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest we forget."

Anzac Day, April 25.

Photo: Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park, Sydney © Larry Rivera licensed to About.com, Inc

Easter Sunday this year falls on April 24. Some schools get a long weekend, some get a full week off... If you're traveling on Easter weekend, Family Vacations Guide Teresa Plowright says pretty much any destination will offer some family fun on Easter Sunday.

In Sydney, the Royal Easter Show, first held in 1823, is a carnival-type event with thrill rides, parades and animal events, and a showcase of some of the finest livestock and farm produce.

It is held in Sydney for two weeks in the Easter season and is a major drawcard for locals and visitors alike. This year the Sydney Royal Easter Show continues until April 27.

• Easter 2011: Events Around the World
• Easter in Sydney
• Sydney Royal Easter Show
• Sydney Royal Easter Show in Pictures

Photo: Carnival ride at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, courtesy Easter in Sydney Festival