Best places to travel in Australia | Top 10 Picks My Experience.
I want to share with you my favorite places, so here is my Australia Top 10! Australia is a massive country, home to some of the world’s most beautiful and diverse landscapes. From the pristine beaches of Esperance to the tropical island of Lord Howe, Australia is waiting to be experienced.
#Tasmania:
Located off Australia’s southeast coast, Tasmania is an island home to some of the country’s best nature and wildlife. I spent a few days road-tripping around Tasmania, and I was blown away by the beauty of this place. One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was to visit Cradle Mountain. It’s located in the central highlands of Tasmania, and the area is part of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. It’s home to some of the most beautiful scenery in Tasmania.
What really drew me to the area was the wombats. They’re the cutest animals I’ve ever seen! There’s this place called Ronny Creek where you can go on these raised walkways, and we saw at least 20 wombats. I mean, it was so peaceful to hear them munching on the grass — talk about nature ASMR.
Another incredible place in Tasmania is Cape Raoul, located on the Tasman Peninsula. Cape Raoul is home to some of the tallest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere. You can reach it by a 10 km hike, but we decided to take a boat tour out to Cape Raoul. It took us about an hour to get there, and the views along the way were amazing. Once we reached Cape Raoul, I was just amazed by the size of the rocks and sea cliffs. It was such a spectacular area.
#Western Australia:
Before I came to Australia, I thought it would be feasible to road trip across the country in a day or two, until I realized it was a 40-hour drive from Sydney! The 4-hour flight is definitely a faster option, but if you want to do a week or two road trip, it would be an incredible drive.
Now, the capital of Western Australia is Perth, which is the fourth most populous city in the country. What I particularly liked about Western Australia is its coastline. The beaches are home to white sands, crystal-clear waters, and kangaroos just chilling on the beaches. The area around Esperance is particularly beautiful; it’s home to some of the whitest sand in Australia and the world. I mean, I couldn’t believe the beauty of this place.
A special thanks to my friend Earthw Tom for sharing his footage of Esperance. He makes great videos about Australia, and I’ll link his channel in the description so you can check them out. One of my favorite beaches in Esperance is Twilight Beach. It’s located 10 minutes outside the town of Esperance and has this massive rock just off the coast that’s popular for cliff jumping.
Another beautiful place in the area is Cape Le Grand. It’s a pristine coastline home to untouched beaches, and maybe you’ll see some kangaroos roaming around.
#the Outback:
After this, we’re going to head into Australia’s center to visit the Outback. When you look at Australia from space, you’ll notice that basically all the cities are on the coast, but the interior of the country is an orange, desolate landscape with hardly anyone living there — and that’s the Outback.
The most iconic landmark in the Outback is Uluru, or Ayers Rock. It’s a massive monolith made of sandstone. You can reach the area by flying into the nearby town of Yulara or by making the 4-hour drive from Alice Springs.
Now, Uluru is a sacred site for the Indigenous Australians, and it’s believed to be a resting place for ancient spirits. There’s definitely an energy there, and it’s just bizarre how it sits alone in the desolate Outback.
#Brisbane:
Afterwards, we’re going to head over to Brisbane. Located on the East Coast, Brisbane was founded in 1824, and today it’s the third most populous city in Australia and the capital of Queensland. It’s a beautiful city built on the Brisbane River and enjoys an average of 260 days of sunshine per year.
Just an hour from Brisbane is the Gold Coast, which is this incredible city with a huge beach contrasted by skyscrapers. If you want a more natural setting, you can embark on a trip to the Glass House Mountains, located about an hour’s drive from Brisbane. The Glass House Mountains are a group of 13 volcanic peaks and are some of the most peculiar mountains I’ve ever seen. The tallest is Mount Beerwah, with an elevation of 556 meters. If you want to see them from the air, you can take a scenic plane tour to witness the unique formations.
#Whitehaven Beach:
After this, we’re going to visit Whitehaven Beach, regularly voted as one of the best beaches in the world. Whitehaven Beach is located on Whitsunday Island, and you can reach it by taking a boat or seaplane. The boat tour is the most affordable option, and you can get to Whitehaven by departing from places such as Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour on the mainland.
Once you arrive at Whitehaven, you’ll be amazed by the surrounding scenery. The sand is made up of silica, giving it its white color. When combined with the blue ocean water, it creates this swirly turquoise mix that winds back into the island’s inlet — it’s just incredible to look at. You can get an elevated view of the area from Hill Inlet Lookout. I mean, this place is on another level.
#Cape Hillsborough National Park:
Another incredible destination on the nearby mainland is Cape Hillsborough National Park. When I imagine Australia, kangaroos on the beach always come to mind, and Cape Hillsborough is one of the best places in the country to see them roaming along the coast.
If you want the best chances of seeing them, wake up around 5:00 a.m. to witness the kangaroos and wallabies on the beach at sunrise. It’s such an incredible setting, with the rising sun and the kangaroos feeding on the mangrove seed pods and seaweed.
#the Great Barrier Reef:
After this, we’re going to head back to the ocean to visit probably one of the most famous places in Australia — the Great Barrier Reef. It’s located off the northeastern coast of Australia and is the biggest reef system in the world, stretching over 2,300 km. It can even be seen from space and is the world’s largest structure made by living organisms.
It’s easy to see why it’s one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The reef is home to over 10% of all the ocean’s fish species, and there are also plenty of whales and sharks. I mean, it would be a dream to scuba dive here one day.
A potential city to access the Great Barrier Reef from is Cairns. It’s located near some of the most prime coral reefs and islands of the reef, and you can reach it by taking a 40-minute boat ride from Cairns.
#Daintree Rainforest:
Afterwards, we’re going to head up north to visit the Daintree Rainforest, located about a 3-hour drive from Cairns. The Daintree Rainforest is a stunning combination of massive mountains, pristine beaches, and possibly the oldest rainforest in the world, which began over 110 million years ago.
The rainforest is home to animals such as the southern cassowary. I particularly like the area around Cape Tribulation. It’s just so scenic, with mountains covered in lush vegetation. It’s definitely one of my favorite places in Australia when it comes to natural beauty.
#Sydney:
After that, we’re going to head back to Australia’s cities to visit Sydney. Located on the southeast coast, Sydney was founded back in 1788 as a British penal colony, and today it’s the most populous city in Australia, with around 5 million people. It’s home to the world-famous Opera House, which opened in 1973.
I really like the beaches around Sydney. One of the most famous ones is Bondi Beach. It’s located just 20 minutes outside of Sydney, and it’s a massive beach with some really cool pools alongside the ocean. Just down the coast is Bronte Beach. It’s smaller than Bondi Beach but has its own charm. There’s this really cool public pool called Bronte Baths that you can enjoy if you don’t want to swim in the ocean.
A beautiful place outside of Sydney is the Blue Mountains. They are located about an hour-and-a-half drive from Sydney. It’s an incredible mountain range that has a famous distinct color due to a combination of eucalyptus oil droplets from the forest mixing with water vapor and dust, creating a blue hue.
A great lookout point in the mountains is from the Three Sisters. It’s only a short walk to the lookout, and you get an amazing view of the rock pinnacles and the mountains in the background.
After Sydney, we’re going to head to Melbourne. Located in the state of Victoria, about a 9-hour drive from Sydney, Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia. It was ranked the world’s most livable city for seven years in a row.
There’s a lot to do around Melbourne, such as taking a drive through the scenic Black Spur Forest. The next area is the Twelve Apostles, located about a 3-hour drive from Melbourne. The Twelve Apostles is a set of limestone sea stacks. There were originally eight of them, but one collapsed in 2005 due to constant erosion from waves and wind. While you’re there, you can marvel at the stacks from the boardwalk and various viewpoints.
#Lord Howe Island:
For our final destination, we’re going to visit Lord Howe Island, located in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. You can reach Lord Howe Island by taking a 2-hour flight from Sydney. The island is just insanely beautiful. It’s called “The Hawaii of Australia,” and after visiting it, I understand why.
There can only be 400 tourists on the island at a time. Another interesting fact about Lord Howe is that it’s the largest island ever to eradicate all its rats, which in turn has allowed the birds and wildlife to flourish.
One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Lord Howe Island was to visit Ball’s Pyramid. It’s the tallest sea stack in the world, with a height of 572 meters. It’s one of the wildest rock formations I’ve ever seen as it sits alone in the desolate ocean.
To get to Ball’s Pyramid, it was about an hour boat ride from Lord Howe Island. We went with a tour company called Reef and Beyond EcoTours, and it was an adventure getting there. We boated around the entire sea stack, and I was just baffled by the scale of this place. I felt like Jack Sparrow discovering a treacherous island.
We planned to snorkel in the water, but the sea was too rough, so it wasn’t possible. After exploring Ball’s Pyramid, we headed back to Lord Howe Island and got some incredible views on the way.
While we were on Lord Howe, we used bikes to get around and did some amazing hikes. One of my favorites was Malabar Hill. There were some incredible views of the sea cliffs. Then we walked along the ridgeline to Kim’s Lookout, where we got an amazing view of the entire island. I mean, this place is paradise.
Another one of my favorite activities on the island was snorkeling. Lord Howe is home to the southernmost coral reef in the world, so there are tons of great snorkeling spots. We went to Ned’s Beach and had a great time swimming in the warm, clear waters. We saw plenty of fish and a few sea turtles.
For sunset, I loved going down to Lagoon Beach to watch the sun light up the mountains of Lord Howe. Places don’t get more perfect than this island.
Well, that’s it for my Australia top 10. I’m barely scratching the surface—there’s so much to see in this incredible country. Let me know where your favorite place is in Australia in the comments below. You can find me on Instagram @dreamytravelersofficial/.
