Australia Pavilion

Over 70 million people are set to learn about the Land Down Under at the Shanghai World Expo this year, but visitors would be forgiven for thinking the Australia Pavilion is a rusty tool shed.

Located in Zone B of the Expo, the pavilion features sculptured curving walls and a red ochre exterior, inspired by Northern Territory's famous Uluru, formerly known as Ayer's Rock.

And while the architects probably had good intentions, you can't help but wonder why you'd spend more than AU$80 million on a brown slab and go to the effort of importing Australian rocks into China to scatter around the pavilion.

Despite this, the 4,800 square-metre pavilion, which can handle 40,000 people per day, does have some cool features, with its red exterior made from special weathering steel that changes colour depending on the temperature and humidity.

Under the theme 'ImagiNation', the site is divided into three sections named 'Journey', 'Discover' and 'Enjoy', educating visitors about Australia's culture, economy, history, indigenous community, heroes and way of life. Each section is linked by ramps which are enclosed by amber-coloured glass, making it seem like a hot desert day as the light shines through.

Visitors can also enjoy cultural performances inside the pavilion's 1,000-seat theatre and view a mini-documentary series called "Sisters". It focuses on the success stories of 21 inspirational women from Australia and China and is aimed at displaying the connections and similarities between the two countries.

The pavilion's final touch is probably the most ingenious, with its final "Enjoy" section featuring several retail and food outlets selling Australian food and wine, literally leaving visitors with a taste of Australia in their mouths.

The journalist was a guest of Helen Wong's Tours who is the Official Ticket Sales Agent for World Expo 2010.