Our tour guides would use a tone of hushed reverence when mentioning it. And in downtown Alice Springs, I got up close with many of them even though we are not supposed to look them in the eye—a habit that may sound quaint to Westerners but not so to Chinese because in Chinese culture it is also a sign of aggressiveness.

The vastness of Australia's Outback, plus its glaring colors, sometimes gave me the illusion that I was on another planet—an illusion broken only by the pestering of flies.

Wearing a fly mask may seem like an approximation with wearing a veil for an aristocratic woman, but out at the Outback the real aristocrat is Mother Nature.

Contact the writer at [email protected].

IF YOU GO

Getting there:

There are several airlines with direct flights from mainland cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, to Sydney and/or Melbourne. China Southern has three weekly flights to Perth. If waiting time is not an issue, transits at Hong Kong or Singapore will give you more options.

Where to stay:

Hotels along the harbor provide the best possible views as well as easy access to many of the scenic sights in Sydney. Some rooms in Shangri-La Sydney offer a unique location with a view of the Harbor Bridge from one window and of the Sydney Opera House from another. Shangri-La also offers a special allure for Asian travelers, such as staff members who speak Asian languages and Asian food at the breakfast buffet.