travel vegan
Australia
Australia is home to some fabulous natural wonders, plenty of unique wildlife, dazzling beaches, cosmopolitan cities, and large expanses of outback.
Our vegan travels
Australia is the country where we met the most friendly people, all willing to help us with our research. With a land area larger than Europe and an incredibly low population density, it’s no wonder that most Australians live in cities along the coast. Most tourists are going to travel along the east coast to catch the major attractions. We started in Adelaide, a charming coastal city with gorgeous beaches, lovely parks. It was our kick-off point for travelling the Great Ocean Road, taking in the 12 apostles and bringing us to Melbourne with it's charming European vibe and café culture. Tasmania should not be missed and has the highest amount of wildlife and top attractions. Heading on up to Sydney to discover it's iconic Opera House and a vibrant culture and beach life. Once you get to Brisbane you are in surfer land. Our last stop was Cairns, the gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Our Vegan Tours
Vegan Australia
How vegan friendly is Australia?
Australia is known traditionally as the land of the barbecue, where they love their meat. Well all that is changing fast. A recent study found the number of vegetarians in Australia is steadily rising, with 2.5 million people (12.1% of the population) now eating all or almost all vegetarian. There are one in three people already eating vegetarian or actively reducing meat. The dairy industry has been in crisis since 2014 and plant based milks account for about 7 per cent of all milk drunk in Australia.
The warm climate is conducive to an outdoor lifestyle and being close to nature. There are many animas welfare associations and shelters.
Vegan restaurants and cafes
Where you will find most vegan and vegetarian restaurants is in and around Melbourne, which is in the state of Victoria, Australia's most densely populated state. Next best place is in New South Wales, where you will find Sydney. Queensland is also good and you will have no problem in Brisbane and along the Gold Coast. These are also the most touristy areas. In other regions, there are still options available, but you will have less selection. See the regions MAP for details of each region Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Vegan News and Links
We have compiled lists of essential links and websites to check out. Find News&Communities including local Facebook groups, for latest tips, recommendations and getting in touch with the local experts. We show you where you can learn about the latest Events. Lots more including Fashion, Beauty, Shops, Brands, Business and volunteering with Animal sanctuaries.
Want to follow the top Australian Influencers and keep an eye on social media? We have all the top vegan lifestyle, chefs, bloggers, youtubers who are living the vegan lifestyle in Australia.
We have Articles with more in depth look at what's going on in Australia for vegans travellers.
Guest articles are always welcome.
Apps for Eating Vegan in Australia
Is It Vegan?
Is It Vegan is a tool for anyone interested in eliminating animal products from their diet.
Simply scan the UPC bar code on the package of any food or beverage product, and you'll see:
Whether the product is vegan, vegetarian, or neither.
There are hundreds of thousands of products already available on the app and you can help out the community by uploading something new.
Get the app on iPhone | Android
Vegman
Eating out has never been easier for vegetarians and vegans as the number of restaurants catering to us continues to grow. The Vegman App helps you find vegetarian and vegan, as well as VEG-friendly restaurants - and wherever you are in the world, it tells you how to get to them.
You can also leave a review on their website
FoodSwitch
Packaged foods can be surprisingly high in salt, saturated fat, added sugar and kilojoules/calories. FoodSwitch has a database of packaged foods to help you identify those that are better for you.
In three simple steps, FoodSwitch can help you towards better health by reducing the salt, fat and sugar in your diet.
Wildlife
Australia hosts a rich biodiversity. Compared to other regions of the world, it has a unique wildlife. Australia is one of the most important nations on Earth for biodiversity. In fact, it is one of only 17 ‘megadiverse’ nations and is home to more species than any other developed country. Most of Australia’s wildlife is found nowhere else in the world, making its conservation even more important. Endemic animals roam freely in the wild. Some of them are Australia's cultural icons such as the kangaroos, koalas, and emus.
Among the animal species that can only be found in Australia are the monotremes, which are mammals that lay eggs! The platypus and two species of echidna are the world's only egg-laying mammals.
Australia has almost 400 mammal species and about 140 species of marsupials. Marsupials carry their young in their pouches.
Half of the birds that live in Australia, can only be found there. Among the typical Australian bird species are the kookaburras, the emu and the rainbow lorikeet
Bushfire Crisis
Australia’s bushfire crisis has taken an enormous toll on wildlife, with huge numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and other species killed. It has been estimated more than a billion animals have died around the country.
Recovery will take decades and that it assuming that the fires will not come back in coming years.
Koala
Koalas live in eucalyptus forests along the eastern coastline. They are fragile animals, grow up to 80 cm. Baby koalas are called joeys and hide in their mothers’ pouch for the first six months. Koalas eat lots of eucalyptus leaves and sleep up to 20 hours!
Dingo
Dingos are wild dogs that feed mainly on small animals. For the most part of its life, a dingo stays alone, but during mating season it is known to mingle with other wild dogs and hunt in packs of three to twelve animals.
Kangaroo
There were about 50 million kangaroos living in Australia, that meant there were many more kangaroos than people living in Australia! There are 55 different species of kangaroos.
Platypus
The platypus is a very shy animal and quickly hides underwater if approached. If they are attacked and cannot flee, however, they inject poison through spurs in their hind legs. The poison is so strong it can kill a dog!
Tasmanian Devil
As tall as a small dog, but very shy and nocturnal. Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous marsupials and have powerful jaws and teeth.
Kookaburra
This bird is the world’s largest kingfisher bird and grows up to 46 cm from beak to tail! It is known for its chuckling voice which sounds like human laughter.
Wombat
This burrowing animal can quite commonly be spotted in the Blue Mountains National Park near Sydney.
Echidna
The Echidna is a monotreme which grows only up to 40 - 50 cm long and weigh about 5 - 6 kg.
Emu
The emu is the tallest bird in Australia. It reaches up to 2 m in hight and can run really fast, up to 50 kmh. However, emus cannot fly, just like an ostrich.
Crocodiles
Two crocodile species can be found in Australia. The freshwater crocodile which only can be found in Australia and the saltwater or estuarine crocodile.
Great White Shark
Along Australia’s coastline there are about 5 500 great white sharks. They can detect the scent of blood from about 5 km away.
Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
The world’s deadliest spider. The funnel-web spider injects a deadly poison when it bites and death occurs within an hour.
Retreats
If you love healthy delicious food, then this one's for you!!
Beautifully presented raw meals and snacks, fresh cold pressed juices and superfood smoothies for complete nourishment and indulgence!
Daily energising yoga and meditation, personalised nutritional and lifestyle advice from our experienced Naturopath, as well as nurturing massages and foot reflexology.
Get involved in our fun interactive raw food 'cooking' class where you'll learn how to make simple delicious meals the whole family will love!
$1,249 (twin share/couples) per person
$1,349 (single)-own room
Back 2 Earth is a raw plant-based, organic health retreat, farm stay & animal sanctuary in Berry, NSW. We offer many different massages, EFT and Reiki
Day Visits
Whichever day of the week, book a day visit and come have some fun.
Have a fruit juice, homemade cake, a smoothie or a salad with us. Spend time feeding and petting the farm animals, come pick fresh, seasonal fruit for your afternoon tea, or just relax listening to the birds fly overhead.
As a special treat whilst the kids are having fun, give Mum or Dad that well deserved relaxing massage.
Birthday parties are loads of fun on the farm; arrive at 1 pm for a raw, nutritious finger food lunch, and delicious cake. Take time to get to know the farm animals.
You are welcome to use the garden to play running games. This is an afternoon of fun for all ages and will keep people talking for a long time afterward. The day finishes at about 3.00pm.
📍 Borrowdale Close, Berry, New South Wales
