Lonely Planet releases new guide to Australia

Travellers planning a trip to Australia in the future will be able to make use of a new Lonely Planet guide to the country.

The publisher announced that the 15th edition in its series of books on Australia aims to highlight the nation's "diverse culture and extreme geography".

Justine Vaisutis, the guide's coordinating author, revealed that one theme of the book is the country's diversity, particularly in terms of its biggest cities - Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Readers will also be able to learn about some of the distinctive outdoor settings and landscapes that they will encounter during their travels.

"Vulnerable to violent climatic extremes, this savvy landscape learned to manipulate voracious fires, long droughts and desperate floods to carve some of the world's most dramatic terrain," Ms Vaisutis said.

"These origins, harsh, resilient and beautiful, remain emblematic of the diversity of life Australia has created ever since."

The new Lonely Planet guide was written by 15 authors who spent a total of 65 weeks travelling all over the country.

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