25 Best Places to Visit Australia, From Cities to the Outback
Filter by category or scroll through the full collection of the best places to visit Australia has to offer. Every entry includes what makes it special, when to go, and why it earned a place on this list.
Sydney is the city that sells Australia to the world. The harbour is the star, but the real joy lies in the coastal walks, inner-city villages, and the food scene that keeps evolving. Take the ferry to Manly, walk Bondi to Coogee, and climb the Harbour Bridge at dawn for a perspective you will never forget.
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Melbourne is Australia’s cultural capital. It is a city of laneways, coffee, sport, and neighbourhood personality. Wander Hosier Lane, catch a game at the MCG, visit the National Gallery, and drive south for day trips to the Mornington Peninsula or the Yarra Valley.
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Brisbane is warm, relaxed, and perfectly positioned between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. The river defines the city, with walks, ferries, and rooftop bars along its banks. South Bank’s man-made beach is a local icon, and the nearby hinterland offers waterfalls and rainforest escapes.
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Perth is the sunniest capital city in Australia and one of the most isolated. That isolation is part of its charm. Swim at Cottesloe Beach, explore Kings Park, and use the city as the launch point for Rottnest Island, the Swan Valley, and the vast road north.
See Perth to Exmouth itinerary →
Adelaide is elegant, compact, and surrounded by wine. The city centre is walkable, the food scene is ambitious, and the Adelaide Hills are only twenty minutes away. Use it as a base for the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Kangaroo Island, and the Great Ocean Road.
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Hobart is small, atmospheric, and one of Australia’s most beautiful cities. The waterfront is lively, MONA is world-class, and the surrounding hills offer quick escapes into wilderness. Salamanca Market and the Battery Point cottages give the city its distinctive character.
See Tasmania loop itinerary →
Darwin is Australia’s northern gateway, tropical, multicultural, and deeply connected to the outback. The city has excellent markets, a strong Indigenous art scene, and some of the best sunsets in the country. From here, Kakadu, Litchfield, and the Kimberley are within reach.
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Canberra surprises first-time visitors. The city is built around Lake Burley Griffin and is home to the national museums, Parliament House, and the Australian War Memorial. It is also a great base for hiking, wineries, and the Snowy Mountains in winter.
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The Gold Coast is where high-rise meets high waves. It is famous for Surfers Paradise, but the real appeal spreads north and south along 57 kilometres of beaches. Burleigh Heads, Coolangatta, and the Hinterland’s Springbrook National Park offer a quieter, more local experience.
See Sydney to Brisbane drive →
The Sunshine Coast is more relaxed than the Gold Coast, with beach towns like Noosa, Mooloolaba, and Caloundra spaced along a sunny stretch of coast. The hinterland is lush, with boutique towns, waterfalls, and the dramatic Glass House Mountains on the horizon.
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Byron Bay has transformed from a sleepy surf town into Australia’s most famous coastal destination. The beaches are beautiful, the lighthouse walk is essential, and the hinterland villages offer a slower, greener contrast. It is busy, but the natural setting still shines through.
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Port Douglas is a low-rise tropical town where the rainforest meets the reef. It is quieter and more upscale than Cairns, with easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Four Mile Beach is one of the most beautiful stretches of sand in the country.
Explore the Great Barrier Reef →
Cairns is the northern launch pad for the Great Barrier Reef and the Atherton Tablelands. The city is unpretentious, hot, and surrounded by tropical rainforest. From here you can dive, snorkel, white-water raft, or head north toward Cape York and the Daintree.
See Cairns to Cape York itinerary →
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the planet’s greatest natural wonders. Whether you dive, snorkel, sail, or fly, the scale and colour are overwhelming. Choose a responsible operator, visit outer reefs for better coral, and consider a liveaboard for the full experience.
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Uluru is the spiritual heart of Australia. The massive monolith changes colour from ochre to deep red as the sun moves, and the surrounding desert is silent and vast. Respect the cultural significance of the site, walk the base instead of climbing, and stay for the Field of Light.
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Kakadu National Park is a vast living cultural landscape. It is home to ancient rock art, crocodiles, wetlands, waterfalls, and extraordinary biodiversity. The best time to visit is the dry season, from May to October, when roads and waterfalls are most accessible.
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Tasmania is a compact island of dramatic extremes. From Cradle Mountain to Wineglass Bay, from ancient forests to the Tasman Peninsula, it feels wild and untouched. Add a thriving food scene, cool-climate wine, and welcoming locals, and you have one of Australia’s most rewarding destinations.
See Tasmania loop itinerary →
Margaret River is world-famous for wine, surf, and caves. The region sits on a rugged cape with over 100 wineries, excellent restaurants, and beaches that face the powerful Southern Ocean. It is one of the best places in Australia to combine fine food with wild nature.
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The Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s great road trips. It hugs the southern Victorian coast through rainforest, surf towns, and sheer cliffs before reaching the Twelve Apostles. Allow at least two days, stop for koalas at Kennett River, and walk the clifftop paths.
See Melbourne to Adelaide itinerary →
The Blue Mountains are Sydney’s mountain escape. The blue haze comes from eucalyptus oil in the air, and the views at Echo Point, Wentworth Falls, and Govetts Leap are genuinely spectacular. There are easy walks, hard hikes, cosy villages, and excellent gardens.
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Fraser Island, known as K’gari, is the world’s largest sand island. It has rainforests growing on sand, crystal-clear lakes, dingoes, and 75 Mile Beach that doubles as a highway. A four-wheel-drive trip here is an adventure unlike anything else in Australia.
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The Whitsundays are 74 tropical islands set in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. Whitehaven Beach is the headline, but the sailing, snorkelling, and island resorts make the region a complete beach holiday. Day trips and overnight sailing trips both work well.
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Kangaroo Island is a wildlife haven off the coast of South Australia. Sea lions, koalas, echidnas, and kangaroos are easy to spot, and the landscapes range from granite coasts to Remarkable Rocks. It is one of the best places in Australia to see animals in the wild.
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Broome is where the Kimberley meets the Indian Ocean. Cable Beach is famous for camel rides at sunset, but the town also has a pearling history, dinosaur footprints, and a gateway position for the Gibb River Road and Horizontal Falls. It is remote, romantic, and unforgettable.
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Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s other great reef, and it is accessible right from the beach. Swim with whale sharks, snorkel with manta rays, and drift over coral just metres from the shore. It is less developed than the Great Barrier Reef and feels more wild and intimate.
Read marine safety tips →With 25 destinations across every state and territory, the hardest part is choosing where to start. Our itineraries connect the places you most want to see, and our travel tips help you prepare for the road ahead.