Australia

Top Sights

1. Sydney

Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia's largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform, the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.

2. Melbourne

Melbourne is the coastal capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. At the city's centre is the modern Federation Square development, with plazas, bars, and restaurants by the Yarra River. In the Southbank area, the Melbourne Arts Precinct is the site of Arts Centre Melbourne – a performing arts complex – and the National Gallery of Victoria, with Australian and indigenous art..

Bondi Beach

The sweeping white-sand crescent of Bondi is one of Australia’s most iconic beaches. Reliable waves draw surfers while, nearby, hardy locals swim in the Icebergs ocean pool year-round. Trendy, health-conscious Sydneysiders head to laid-back cafes around Hall Street, while hip backpackers frequent the area's casual pubs. Walkers and joggers use the clifftop Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, with its dramatic scenery.

4. Brisbane

Brisbane, capital of Queensland, is a large city on the Brisbane River. Clustered in its South Bank cultural precinct are the Queensland Museum and Sciencentre, with noted interactive exhibitions. Another South Bank cultural institution is Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, among Australia's major contemporary art museums. Looming over the city is Mt. Coot-tha, site of Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

5. Cairns

Cairns, considered the gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, is a city in tropical Far North Queensland. Its Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park tells the stories of indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with music and dance. Cairns Esplanade, lined with bars and restaurants, has a swimming lagoon. Northwest of the city, Daintree National Park spans mountainous rainforest, gorges and beaches.

6. Perth

The Gold Coast is a metropolitan region south of Brisbane on Australia’s east coast. It's famed for its long sandy beaches, surfing spots and elaborate system of inland canals and waterways. It’s also home to theme parks such as Dreamworld, Sea World and Wet’n’Wild. Inland, hiking trails crisscross Lamington National Park’s mountain ridges and valleys, home to rare birds and rainforest.

7. Gold Coast

8. Broome

Broome is a beach resort town in western Australia’s Kimberley region. Along its Indian Ocean coastline, the white sands of 22km-long Cable Beach offer a dramatic backdrop for sunset camel rides. At Gantheaume Point nearby, dinosaur tracks are revealed in the beach’s red rocks during low tide. Broome’s historic Chinatown overlooks Roebuck Bay, a jumping off point for cruises to local pearl farms

9. Fraser Island

Fraser Island, off Australia’s eastern Queensland coast, is the world's largest sand island, stretching over 120km. Panoramic viewpoints include Indian Head, a rocky outcrop on the island's easternmost tip, and the Cathedrals, a cliff famous for sculpted ribbons of coloured sand. It's a camping and ecotourism destination, with beaches and swimming sites at Lake McKenzie, Lake Wabby and other freshwater pools.

10. Purnululu National Park

The Purnululu National Park is a World Heritage Site in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The 239,723-hectare national park is located approximately 300 kilometres south of Kununurra, with Halls Creek located to the south.

11. Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park is an enormous, biodiverse nature reserve in Australia’s Northern Territory. With terrain encompassing wetlands, rivers and sandstone escarpments, it’s home to some 2,000 plant species and wildlife from saltwater crocodiles and flatback turtles to birds. Aboriginal rock paintings, dating to prehistoric times, can be viewed at sites such as Nourlangie, Nanguluwur and Ubirr.

12. Adelaide

Adelaide is South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital. Its ring of parkland on the River Torrens is home to renowned museums such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, displaying expansive collections including noted Indigenous art, and the South Australian Museum, devoted to natural history. The city's Adelaide Festival is an annual international arts gathering with spin-offs including fringe and film events.

13. Blue Mountains National Park

Blue Mountains National Park is a vast region west of Sydney, Australia, and part of the Great Dividing Range. The Echo Point lookout, near the town of Katoomba, has panoramic views of Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters, a towering sandstone formation and sacred Aboriginal site. Trails lead through bushland, home to lyrebirds and crimson rosella parrots, to the Giant Stairway, which descends to Jamison Valley.

14. Darwin

Darwin is the capital of Australia's Northern Territory and a former frontier outpost. It's also a gateway to massive Kakadu National Park. Its popular waterfront area has several beaches and green areas like Bicentennial Park. Also near the water is the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, displaying Southeast Asian and Pacific art, plus a pearling lugger and other seafaring vessels.

15. Whitsunday Islands

The 74 Whitsunday Islands lie between the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef, a massive stretch of coral teeming with marine life. Most of the islands are uninhabited. They're characterized by dense rainforest, hiking trails and white sand beaches. The town of Airlie Beach on the mainland is the region's central hub.

16. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia. The park is home to both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It is located 1,943 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways.

17. Hobart

Hobart, capital of Australia's island state of Tasmania, sits on the River Derwent. At its fashionable Salamanca Place, old sandstone warehouses host galleries and cafes. Nearby is Battery Point, a historic district with narrow lanes and colonial-era cottages. The city's backdrop is 1,270m-high Mount Wellington, with sweeping views, plus hiking and cycling trails.

18. Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain is a mountain in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Tasmania. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. At 1,545 metres above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mountain in Tasmania.

19. Nitmiluk National Park

Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Previously named Katherine Gorge National Park, its northern edge borders Kakadu National Park.

20. Byron Bay

Byron Bay is a coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. It’s a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and scuba diving sites. Cape Byron State Conservation Park is on a headland with a lighthouse. Between June and November, humpback whales can be spotted from headland viewpoints such as the Captain Cook Lookout.

21. Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall.

22. Port Douglas

Port Douglas is a town on the Coral Sea in the tropical far north of Queensland, Australia. It's known for its beach resorts and as a base for visits to both the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest reef system, and Daintree National Park, home to biodiverse rainforest. In town, Macrossan Street is lined with boutique shops and restaurants. Curving south is popular Four Mile Beach.

23. Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island lies off the mainland of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Over a third of the island is protected in nature reserves, home to native wildlife like sea lions, koalas and diverse bird species. In the west, Flinders Chase National Park is known for penguin colonies and striking coastal rock formations, like the sculpted Remarkable Rocks and the stalactite-covered Admirals Arch.

24. Grampians National Park

Grampians National Park is a nature reserve in Victoria. It’s known for its sandstone mountains, wildflowers and wildlife including echidnas and wallabies. Near the village of Halls Gap, the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre gives insight into local Aboriginal history and rock art. Trails lead to waterfalls like towering MacKenzie Falls and lookouts such as the Balconies, with views of the Victoria Range.

25. Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast encompasses beach resorts, surf spots and rural hinterland in southern Queensland, Australia. It stretches from the coastal city of Caloundra, near Brisbane, north to the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park, home to multicoloured sand dunes, mangrove forests, and shallow lakes. Upscale Noosa Heads has boutique shops, waterways, and walking trails through Noosa National Park.

26. Phillip Island

Phillip Island, a popular day trip from Melbourne, lies just off Australia’s southern coast. At Summerland Beach, spectators gather daily at sunset to watch the Penguin Parade, when Little penguins come ashore in groups. The Nobbies outcrop is the viewing site for Seal Rocks, home to a large colony of Australian fur seals. The Phillip Island Circuit is a well-known track for motorcycle and car racing.

27. Hartz Mountains National Park

Hartz Mountains National Park is located in the south of Tasmania, Australia. It is one of 19 Tasmanian National Parks, and in 1989 it was included in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, in recognition of its natural and cultural values.

28. Kuranda

Kuranda is a mountain village near Cairns, in Queensland, on Australia's northeast coast. It's known for the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which winds along forested hillside tracks carved out by early settlers. The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway offers ocean-view gondola rides above a tropical rainforest. In the rugged Barron Gorge National Park, the imposing Barron Falls tumble over craggy rocks into the Barron River.

29. Great Ocean Road

300 km long road going through the Port Campbell National Park with rock formations known as the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, the Arch, and Loch Ard Gorge

30. Freycinet National Park

Freycinet National Park is on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. It comprises a peninsula defined by a Schouten Island and a granite mountain range known as the Hazards. Trails lead up to a lookout for panoramic views over Wineglass Bay. White stretches of sand include the Friendly Beaches. Honeymoon and Sleepy bays form secluded coves. Views from Cape Tourville Lighthouse stretch over the Tasman Sea.

31. Trephina Gorge Nature Park

Trephina Gorge is a gorge in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Hart in the East MacDonnell Ranges about 85 kilometres east of Alice Springs.

32. Garig Gunak Barlu National Park

Garig Gunak Barlu is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia on the Cobourg Peninsula and some adjoining waters about 216 kilometres north-east of the territory capital of Darwin. It was established by joining the former Gurig National Park and the Cobourg Marine Park

33. Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation is a remote headland and ecotourism destination in northeast Queensland, Australia. A coastal area within Daintree National Park, it offers a combination of rainforest and beaches. Boat tours are available to the Great Barrier Reef, lying to the east. Walking routes include boardwalks and a ridge trail on Mount Sorrow. Bird-watching and jungle zip-lining are popular activities.

34. Royal National Park

Royal National Park is inland from the eastern coastline of Australia, just south of Sydney. It’s characterised by coastal cliffs, secluded beaches and eucalyptus-rich bushland. Trails crisscross the park. One path leads to Bungoona Lookout, with views of Hacking River. The Uloola track showcases spring wildflowers and passes Uloola Falls. The park is inhabited by kookaburras, lyre birds and echidnas.

35. Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River.

36. Devils Marbles

Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Warumungu about 105 km south of Tennant Creek, and 393 km north of Alice Springs. The nearest settlement is the small town of Wauchope located 9 km to the south.

37. Margaret River

Margaret River is a small town south of Perth in western Australia, known for its craft breweries, boutiques and surrounding wineries. Beaches and surf breaks line the nearby coast, whose waters host migratory whales (Jun–Nov). Stretching between 2 lighthouses north and south of the town, the long-distance walk, the Cape to Cape Track, fringes the limestone caves and sea cliffs of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.

38. Simpsons Gap

Simpsons Gap is one of the gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located 18 kilometres west from Alice Springs, on the Larapinta Trail. The gap is home to various plants and wildlife, including the black-footed rock-wallaby. It is the site of a permanent waterhole.

39. Townsville

Townsville is a coastal city in northeastern Queensland, Australia. The Strand esplanade, with its pier and water park, is popular. The Reef HQ Aquarium has marine life and coral from the Great Barrier Reef, plus a sea turtle hospital. Southeast of the city, the Billabong Sanctuary wildlife park is home to koalas, wombats and crocodiles. Offshore, Magnetic Island has coral reefs and a national park full of wildlife.

40. Hamilton Island

Hamilton Island is one of the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia, close to the Great Barrier Reef. Most of the car-free island is covered in bushland, and the coast is fringed by coral reefs. Tours offer up-close sightings of koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and kookaburras. Trails lead up to Passage Peak in the east, with views of the surrounding islands.

41. Great Otway National Park

Great Otway National Park is in southern Victoria, Australia. It covers rugged coastland, beaches and the mountains of the Otway Ranges. Waterfalls dot the park, including the 3 cascades of Triplet Falls. Boardwalks lead through temperate rainforest at Maits Rest. The 1848 Cape Otway Lightstation perches on cliffs overlooking Bass Strait. Great Ocean Walk leads through the park to the Twelve Apostles rock formations.

42. Litchfield National Park

Litchfield National Park, covering approximately 1500 km², is near the township of Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Each year the park attracts over 260,000 visitors

43. Springbrook National Park

The Springbrook National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Gold Coast hinterland of Queensland, Australia. The 6,197-hectare park is situated on the McPherson Range, near Springbrook, approximately 100 kilometres south of Brisbane.

44. Overland Track

The Overland Track is an Australian bushwalking track, traversing Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It's walked by more than nine thousand people each year, with numbers limited in the warmer months.

45. Karijini National Park

Karijini National Park is a vast wilderness area in the Hamersley Range of Western Australia. In the park’s north, Oxer Lookout has views of the Weano, Red, Hancock and Joffre gorges. At the edge of Weano Gorge, a trail leads to Handrail Pool. To the east are the red rocks of Dales Gorge and the cascades of Fortescue Falls. Indigenous wildlife includes Australian goshawks, ring-tailed dragons and desert tree frogs.

46. Cataract Gorge Reserve

The Cataract Gorge is a river gorge in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, approximately 1.5 km from the city centre. It is one of the region's premier tourist attractions. It is found at the lower section of the South Esk River.