At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell 36.43 points, or 0.61%, to 5,941.08. The broader All Ordinaries dropped 43.77 points, or 0.72%, to 6,045.50.
Stocks sensitive to travel and tourism were mostly lower. Webjet (WEB) fell by 3.7%, The Star (SGR) dropped by 2.23%, Flight Centre (FLT) declined by 1.34%, Sydney Airport (SYD) fell by 0.92% and Qantas (QAN) lost 0.6%.
Shares of the heavyweight financial sector finished lower with ANZ the worst of the big banks, down 1.2% at A$18.42.
The materials sector also weighed, but the iron ore giants all came out ahead thanks to strong prices for the bulk metal. BHP added 0.3 to A$37.08, Rio Tinto gained 1.4% to A$101.25, and Fortescue Metals finished at A$15.51, a new record high close.
Blood giant CSL lost 0.9% to A$278.9 to weigh the health sector down, though Fisher and Paykel pulled the other way with a 0.5% climb to A$33.92.
Consumer staple was the only sector to finish in the black. Supermarket Coles rose 0.3% to A$17.96 and a2 Milk edged 0.2% higher to A$19.64.
CURRENCY NEWS: The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.6944 after turbulent trading on Monday that saw it at levels above $0.698.
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