Best Places to Visit in Australia: A Region-by-Region Guide

The best places to visit in Australia depend on what you want to see: the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Uluru in the Red Centre, the remote Kimberley coast, or South Australia's wine country and wildlife. Many Australia trips focus on one region or pair two, and you may travel overland or by small ship.

Where Should You Go on Your First Trip to Australia?

For a first trip, Sydney paired with Queensland’s reef and rainforest covers 3 World Heritage sites in about a week: the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Wet Tropics. Seasons differ widely between the tropical north and the temperate south, which shapes the best time to visit Australia region by region.

Queensland: The Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest

  Tropical Queensland is where you may snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and stroll through the Daintree, where rainforest meets reef at Cape Tribulation. Both the reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest are World Heritage sites.

On Great Barrier Reef trips, a marine biologist may lead snorkeling and glass-bottom boat outings around Lizard Island and the Ribbon Reefs. Land trips may add the Atherton Tablelands and a night safari in the rainforest.

Sydney and New South Wales

  Sydney offers a World Heritage landmark, the Opera House, with a harbor you can see from the water or from above. You may take a VIP tour of the Opera House, climb the Harbour Bridge, or cruise the harbor, and trips heading south may add a wildlife safari in the Southern Highlands.
Sydney trips may also link the city with Cairns or Melbourne.

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

  Victoria combines Melbourne with the Great Ocean Road, which passes the Twelve Apostles, and with the waterfalls and wildlife of the Grampians. On a 10-day trip, the route may continue from the coast and the Grampians on to Sydney.

Tasmania

  Tasmania suits you if you'd like to walk, cycle, or kayak through wild coast and mountain country, including the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Cradle Mountain and the Overland Track
A 6-day guided trek may take you from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, with Mount Ossa and Hartnett Falls along the route.

The east coast and Flinders Island
On the east coast, you may cycle the Freycinet Peninsula, paddle a kayak, hike to Wineglass Bay, and visit Maria Island. Flinders Island adds coastal walks and a climb up Mt Strzelecki, and Tasmania trips also include cruises around the island's coast.

South Australia: Adelaide, Wine Country, and Kangaroo Island

  South Australia brings together Adelaide, the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills wine regions, and Kangaroo Island's wildlife. On trips through the region, you may spend private days in the cellars of the Hills and the Barossa before flying to Kangaroo Island, home to an endangered sea lion colony at Seal Bay.

The Red Centre: Uluru and the Larapinta Trail

  Central Australia is red desert country, where you may see sunrise at Uluru, visit Kata Tjuta, follow the rim of Kings Canyon, and set out on sections of the Larapinta Trail through the West MacDonnell Ranges. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is on the World Heritage List.
On Northern Territory trips, a 7-day tour may include all of these. If you’d like to go further, the full 223 km Larapinta Trail takes 14 days on foot.

The Top End: Kakadu and Arnhem Land

  Australia's tropical north centers on Kakadu National Park, where you may cruise the Yellow Water billabong, see Jim Jim Falls, and view ancient Aboriginal rock art. Kakadu also holds World Heritage status.

A 6-day walking trip from Darwin may take in all three on Australia land tours, while Darwin trips by small ship may reach Arnhem Land.

The Kimberley

  The Kimberley is a remote coast in Western Australia's far north, explored by small ship from Darwin or Broome. Over 9 to 11 days, Kimberley Coast cruises may visit King George Falls, Horizontal Falls, and Montgomery Reef, along with galleries of Gwion Gwion and Wandjina rock art.

Western Australia's Coral Coast and Southwest

  South of the Kimberley, Western Australia's coast runs past Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay to the southwest, where Margaret River and Albany may join whale encounters and coastal walks. The Ningaloo Coast, Shark Bay, and the Murujuga Cultural Landscape are all World Heritage listed.

Western Australia cruises from Fremantle may head north to the Abrolhos Islands, Shark Bay, and Ningaloo, or south to Albany, Margaret River, and the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. To see the coast port by port, the guide to popular ports to visit in Australia describes each stop.