Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, as well as enablers from several other units.
When and why: July for Exercise Talisman Saber and various mil-to-mil engagements and cultural exercises as part of the Army's regionally-aligned forces concept. Talisman Saber is scheduled to take place throughout Queensland, in the northeast part of Australia. As long as Pathways rotations continue to take place, expect additional opportunities to spend time Down Under.
About the area: A former British colony, Australia is one of America's closest allies. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy, according to the CIA World Factbook. In recent months, the Marine Corps has increased its presence there, signing an agreement for 2,500 Marines to rotate through the continent to work with Australian forces. Currently, about 1,200 Marines move through Australia on a rotational basis, but the U.S. wants 2,500 to rotate through Darwin by 2016.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, and it is home to 10 percent of the world's biodiversity. A great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. Among Australia's best-known animals are the kangaroo, koala, echidna, dingo, platypus, wallaby, wombat, saltwater crocodile and the Tasmanian devil.
Australia is generally arid to semiarid; it is temperate in the south and east and tropical in the north.
Its terrain is mostly low plateau with deserts, but a fertile plain in the southeast.
Activities: Ayers Rock is one of Australia's most impressive landmarks. A huge chunk of sandstone, it is in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, close to the geographic center of Australia, according to Uluru Australia, a website dedicated to the rock. Signature attractions in Australia's largest city include the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour, and Bondi Beach. The Australian War Memorial combines a shrine, a world-class museum and an extensive archive in the country's capital of Canberra. The Three Sisters in Australia's Blue Mountains is another popular attraction. Located at Echo Point Katoomba, the rock formation represents three sisters who, according to Aboriginal legend, were turned to stone, according to the Blue Mountains' website.
Watch out for: Robberies, burglaries, assault and auto theft are common in Australia's larger cities, according to the State Department. Visitor in popular tourist areas are targets for pickpockets, purse-snatchers and petty thieves.
Bring back some: Sheepskin and wool products such as boots, socks, scarves and rugs. Akubra hats, which are wide-brimmed bush hats, and boomerangs also are popular. Another staple is the didgeridoo, the distinctive wind instrument developed by Australia's Aboriginal people.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
