Queen Elizabeth - March 7, 2024

In Tasmania, the 'stones are time' and so are the trees, which are believed to be the oldest living things on earth. This small island-state has preserved one-third of its land as nature reserves to keep its many ecological treasures safe. You might even spot a platypus, a penguin, or even a Tasmanian Devil.

Say 'G'day' to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Stroll along the world-famous Bondi and Watsons Beaches. Tour the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, shop for Aboriginal art, or go on a photographic safari. This diverse land is home to crocodiles, koalas, emus, and, of course, kangaroos.

Rabaul was Papua New Guinea's most spectacularly-sited city - and perhaps its most beautiful - before it was destroyed by the September 1994 eruption of Tuvurvur. Today Rabaul is a weird wasteland buried to the waist in black volcanic ash. The broken frames of its buildings poke out of the mud like the wings of a dead bird. The town looks like a movie set for an apocalypse film or the X-files, and rubble and ruined buildings recede in every direction.

Guam is a United States territory seated in the Pacific Ocean, closer to Japan than to the U.S. Guam is a tropical paradise and a melting pot of Micronesian, Chamoru, American, and Asian cultures. Thanks to this diversity, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of excellent restaurants. The entire island boasts duty-free status, giving shoppers a chance to pick up inexpensive brand-name merchandise.

One of Japan's most historic cities, Nagasaki was a major port, trading with the Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th century. On a hill overlooking the bay, beautiful Glover Mansion, the setting of Madame Butterfly, is typical of the fine homes built by wealthy foreign residents. But a famous Chinese temple and numerous fine Korean and Chinese restaurants reveal Nagasaki's ancient ties with Korea and China.

Huge department stores brim with shoppers, neon flashes from dusk to dawn, and the entire world pays heed to the slightest fluctuation on the Nikkei Index. From the Imperial Palace and Meiji Shrine to the fabled Ginza district, 21st-century Tokyo is an intriguing composite of East and West. Japanese houses of wood and paper stand in the shadow of towering steel and mortar. Not far away, one of the world's most impressive sights soars 12,388 feet to its snow-clad peak: Mount Fuji, the majestic symbol of Japan.