1 Great Barrier Reef & the Daintree
Kaleidoscopic coral and ancient rainforest
The Unesco World Heritage–listed Great Barrier Reef is a complex, 2000km-long ecosystem populated with dazzling coral and tropical fish. Underwater nirvana! Back on dry land, the Daintree is another Unesco darling, enveloping visitors in prehistoric ferns and twisted mangroves spilling onto brilliant white-sand beaches.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
2 Uluru & the Outback
Big boulders and endless desert skies
No matter how many times you’ve seen it on postcards, nothing prepares you for the burnished grandeur of Uluru as it first appears on the outback horizon. With its remote desert location, deep cultural significance and dazzling natural beauty, Uluru is an essential Australian pilgrimage. Equally captivating is Kata Tjuta, with mystical walks, sublime sunsets and ancient desert cultures.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
3 Kakadu National Park
Wilds and wildlife in the tropical Top End
Kakadu is like another world. This staggering array of Aboriginal art (and living Aboriginal culture), lush wetlands, ancient gorges and abundant wildlife is spread across nearly 20,000 sq km of Australia’s Top End. Visitors – whether they choose to simply dip in with a day’s guided tour or take the plunge on a longer camping trek – find it hard to shake this land that time forgot.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
4 Sydney
An iconic city that’s beachy and beautiful
Sydney’s big-ticket sights – the Sydney Opera House, the Rocks and Sydney Harbour Bridge – top most people’s lists. But to really catch Sydney’s vibe, spend a day at the beach. Stake out some sand at Bondi Beach and plunge into the surf; or hop on a harbour ferry to Manly for a swim, a surf or a walk along the sea-sprayed promenade to Shelly Beach. Ahhh, this is the life!
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
5 Great Ocean Road
A classic Australian road trip
The Twelve Apostles − craggy rock formations jutting out of wild waters − are one of Victoria’s most vivid sights, but it’s the ‘getting there’ journey along the Great Ocean Road that doubles their impact. Drive slowly along roads that curl beside spectacular Bass Strait beaches and holiday villages, then whip inland through temperate rainforest studded with small towns and big trees.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
6 Byron Bay
Counter-cultural mecca by the sea
Australia’s most easterly point, big-hearted Byron Bay (just Byron to its mates) is an enduring icon of Australian culture. Families on holiday, hippies, surfers and sun-seekers from across the globe gather by the foreshore at sunset, drawn to this spot by fabulous restaurants, a chilled pace of life and an astonishing range of activities on offer. But mostly they’re here because this is one of Australia’s most beautiful stretches of coast.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
7 The Whitsundays
Set sail through a tropical archipelago
You can hop around a whole stack of tropical islands in this sea-faring life and never find anywhere with the sheer beauty of Queensland’s Whitsundays. Travellers of all monetary persuasions launch yachts from party-town Airlie Beach or from sprawling Hamilton Island and drift between these lush green isles in a slow search for paradise (you’ll probably find it in more than one place).
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
8 Melbourne
Soul, style and substance down south
Why the queue? Oh, that’s just the line to get into the latest hot ‘no bookings’ restaurant in Melbourne. The next best restaurant, chef, cafe, barista, bar or food truck may be the talk of the town, but there are things here the locals would never change: the leafy parks and gardens, the crowded trams and the passionate sporting allegiances. On alleyway walls, the city’s world-renowned street-art scene expresses Melbourne’s fears, frustrations and joys.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
9 Margaret River
Wild coast and world-class wines
South of Perth, the Margaret River region showcases two quintessential Aussie love affairs. For a start, this is one of Australia’s most respected wine regions, with all manner of other culinary highlights on show. And then there’s a rather dramatic coastline where big breaks attract surfers and landscape photographers alike. It’s a fine combination and one of Western Australia’s best-loved escapes.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
10 Adelaide & South Australia’s Wine Regions
Fine wines and refined urban vibes
Flying enticingly under the tourist radar, ‘SA’ is home to Adelaide – a charming city with burgeoning arts, food and laneway bar scenes – and a cavalcade of world-class wine regions. Sip shiraz in the Barossa Valley or McLaren Vale, or pinot noir in the cool Adelaide Hills. Happy days!
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
11 Hobart
History and hip culture hand in hand
Hobart is Australia’s second-oldest city, and perhaps its prettiest. The city’s idiosyncratic island culture has been boosted of late by flourishing food and arts scenes, with MONA at the helm – an innovative, world-class museum described by its owner as a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’. But Hobart’s antique vibes endure: Salamanca Place and Battery Point evoke colonial days that somehow don’t seem so far gone.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP
12 Canberra
Australia’s cultural and political heart
The major drawcard in Australia’s purpose-built capital city is a portfolio of lavishly endowed museums and galleries. Institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia, National Portrait Gallery and Australian War Memorial offer visitors a fascinating insight into the country’s history and culture, both ancient and modern.
