STREWTH! PRINCE HARRY WILL CALL AUSTRALIA HOME

Prince Harry, the young and rebellious son of the heir to the British
throne, is set to touch down in Australia to begin his outback adventure.

While details of his arrival remain a closely guarded secret, it is
expected the 18-year-old royal will fly into Australia - probably
Queensland - today or tomorrow.

Provisions have been made for media from England and Australia to
attend a press conference with the prince on Tuesday, at a time and
place to be notified.

Harry is following in the footsteps of his father, Prince Charles, by
spending time in Australia's rugged outdoors before returning to
England to begin his adult life, either at university or in the army.

In 1966 Charles attended Timbertop, the country campus of the
exclusive Geelong Grammar School, for a year before attending
Cambridge University.

One of Charles's most trusted aides, deputy press secretary Colleen
Harris, who has served the royal family for five years, is expected to
accompany Harry on his Australian trip. His party will include other
royal officials and a large security contingent.

As a sports fan, and one who has inherited his family's enthusiasm for
equestrian pursuits, Harry is expected to attend the Melbourne Cup.

The Rugby World Cup is another lure, with England, ranked No.1 in the
world, the tournament favourites. The English will play in several
cities, including Perth and Sydney, and Harry may join the team as a
spectator.

While Harry's adventures in Australia will undoubtedly be well
documented in the media, the trip will move him out of the immediate
orbit of the scandal-hungry British press.

Two years ago, newspapers revelled in the story of the young royal's
experimentation with soft drugs.

His use of marijuana earned him the sobriquet "Harry Pothead". But
Charles also won praise for his handling of the problem, acknowledging
it had occurred and then taking his errant son to the Featherstone
Lodge drug rehabilitation clinic in South London.

Charles also gave him a stern lecture about underage drinking,
something else for which Harry had become known.

In June, Harry completed his final exams at Eton, Britain's most
exclusive private school, which still requires its students to wear
starched collars and tailcoats.

He will find the Australian ambience markedly different. The young
prince has reportedly developed a passion for Aboriginal art and some
of his own paintings have drawn inspiration from the earth tones and
reptiles of the outback.

There has been talk that Harry might spend time working with, and
learning from, Aboriginal communities.

Some Aboriginal elders remember his father, known for having a liberal
social conscience, who has visited many communities on previous
Australian tours.

Two years ago Harry's older brother, William, spent several months in
South America working on projects for disadvantaged people. He is now
studying at St Andrews University in Scotland.