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Those who live in Australia call it “Oz.” The name fits. This is a land so different from any other that it can sometimes seem as if it were conjured rather than created. It casts its spell through paradoxes: it's a developed, forward-looking nation, yet it's largely unpopulated—a land of vast frontiers and a frontier spirit that was lost in other nations long ago, when life became crowded, or comfortable, or both. Its cities can be at once sophisticated and unpretentious, as can its people. If you love outdoor recreation, imaginative cuisine, natural beauty seemingly without limit, and the idea of an English-speaking nation actually being exotic, Australia was made (or conjured) for you.