BOOKS TO GO : Lonely Planet’s at Home on the Subject of Australia

When it comes to writing guidebooks about Australia, it isn’t surprising that Lonely Planet takes the task seriously. After all, the company is based in Melbourne.

Lonely Planet publishes more than a dozen titles about the country Down Under, including the 1,024-page “Australia” guidebook, “New South Wales & the ACT [Australian Capital Territory],” “Queensland,” “South Australia,” “Western Australia” and “Outback Australia”--not to mention “Bushwalking in Australia” and “Islands of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.”

Two city guides are offered--”Sydney” and “Melbourne”--and maps for both. There is even an “Australian Phrasebook.”

Lonely Planet’s Pisces Books division publishes “Diving and Snorkeling Australia: Coral Sea & Great Barrier Reef” and “Diving and Snorkeling Australia: Southeast Coast & Tasmania.”

The main “Australia” book ($24.95) was updated a year ago as a ninth edition. The Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia are covered, and opening chapters provide essential facts and tips on getting around. Many pages and photos are in color, and there are more than 150 maps.

Among the interesting tidbits:

* At 1,240 miles long, the Great Barrier Reef is the biggest structure in the world made from living organisms.

* Without a four-wheel-drive vehicle or a camel, it is often not possible to go far from the few main roads in the Australian Outback. Entry permits are required for large parts of the northwest, which are either aboriginal land or the Woomera Prohibited Area.

* The name koala is an Aborigine word meaning “no water,” which refers to the koala’s alleged ability to meet all of its moisture requirements from gum leaves. (It also drinks water from pools.)

The book includes recommendations for places to stay and places to eat suitable for a variety of budgets. It provides information about bushwalking in the national parks, as well as scuba diving, camel trekking, skiing, bungee jumping and whale watching.

The smallest of the Australian books is the “Australian Phrasebook,” compact enough to fit in a pocket despite its 254 pages. It explains that a “Darwin stubby” is a giant (75-ounce) beer bottle; “Moonface” is the nickname for Bert Newton, a popular host on Australian TV; and “bubble and squeak” is leftover vegetables that have been mashed and fried.