Australia & the Pacific attractions

Looming over the hinterlands north-west of Byron Bay, the 3,792-foot (1156-meter) peak of Wollumbin (Mount Warning) is not only the region’s highest peak but also, due to its proximity to Australia’s easterly point, the first area of the mainland to receive sunlight. The chance to be the first to see the sunrise has long enticed hikers to scale its summit, and the 5.6-mile (9 km), four-hour round-trip hike is a scenic route, weaving through subtropical rainforest and offering spectacular views out over the coast and the surrounding Wollumbin National Park. Wollumbin (Mount Warning) also has a long historic significance, named by Captain James Cook to warn approaching seamen of the coastal reefs at Point Danger, and boasting a rich Aboriginal heritage, home to the indigenous Bundjalung people.

Perched at the top of Sydney Tower, 88 stories above the streets of the Central Business District (CBD), the rotating restaurant 360 Bar and Dining ensures that every corner of the city is visible right from your table. It takes exceptional food to draw your attention away from the view, but the chefs have mastered the challenge.

The Myilly Point Historic Precinct comprises a group of four houses built in the 1930s by B.C.G. Burnett—the only remaining of this pre-WWII housing style in Darwin. Built for top-tier civil servants, the light and breezy homes are raised for ventilation and painted in pale colors to fit the tropical climate.

Stretching almost 22 miles (35 kilometers) across the Bellarine Peninsula, the Bellarine Rail Trail takes cyclists on a scenic ride from Geelong through quiet countryside to the bayside town of Queenscliff. This bike trail follows the region’s historic train line, providing a cycling route that’s suitable for all levels of riders, including beginners and families looking to avoid riding on roads.

In northwest Adelaide’s Port Adelaide suburb, the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide pays tribute to all things locomotive. Climb aboard a small train for a ride around the museum; admire steam engines and retro carriages; be immersed in Australia’s rail history; discover a model railway; and stock up on train-related souvenirs at the shop.

The white-water rafting on the North Island of New Zealand is considered some of the world’s best. This wild river to the south of Rotorua has 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) of raging rapids that are consistent for most of the year. Visitors can splash, bounce, and paddle their way down the Rangitaiki River with a guide.

The Coromandel Peninsula is a popular destination, but away from the beautiful beaches, the Coromandel Forest Park covers large parts of the peninsula’s interior. At the park’s center are the rugged Pinnacles, volcanic peaks with a range of long- and short-distance hikes available. Waterfalls, rivers, and relics from the Coromandel’s gold-mining and kauri-logging days are other park highlights.

With a second branch in Darwin, Mbantua Fine Art Gallery and Cultural Museum (Mbantua Aboriginal Art Gallery) is a privately owned gallery in the heart of Alice Springs specializing in Aboriginal artworks. Buy everything from affordable souvenirs to investment-grade pieces by noted artists, via bark paintings, boomerangs, and gifts, or browse their permanent collection.

A short walk from the Hobart waterfront, the elegant Parliament House houses Tasmania’s Parliament. It was built in the Georgian style using locally quarried sandstone and was initially designed as a customs house. It’s one of many Hobart buildings designed by John Lee Archer and is worth visiting for its architecture alone.

While you may need to jostle for space among other tourists at many of the Blue Mountains National Park’s lookouts, Pulpit Rock Lookout is not one of those places. The multi-tiered lookout perched on a blade of rock will test your tolerance for heights, but it offers almost 360-degree views across the forest-covered Grose Valley and Govetts Leap.

Once the hideout of “gentleman” bushranger (outlaw) Harry Power, Powers Lookout offers views across the mountains and valleys of Victoria’s High Country. The Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve is home to a range of wildlife, including superb lyrebirds and wedge-tailed eagles, which you can sometimes spot from the lookout.

Perched on a hilltop looking out over Battery Point and the River Derwent, St. George's Anglican Church is one of the neighborhood’s most prominent historic landmarks. Dating back to 1838, it’s among the oldest churches in Hobart and still holds regular services.

With a land area similar to Switzerland, the triangular Eyre Peninsula juts out into the Southern Ocean, with Port Lincoln, its adventure capital, near the tip. The east coast is known for oysters; whales, dolphins, sea lions, and great white sharks draw travelers to the west. On land, enjoy pristine national parks and Indigenous culture.

Among George Town's most popular attractions, the Bass and Flinders Maritime Museum focuses on the region's seafaring history. The museum is named for George Bass and Matthew Flinders, the first Europeans to circumnavigate Tasmania. Its star attraction is a replica of the ship they used to do it: the Norfolk.

With rugged mountains and wildflower-covered valleys, Stirling Range National Park in the southwestern corner of Western Australia draws hikers, climbers, and campers. Located in a region with no shortage of national parks, this one is known for being home to one of the tallest peaks in the state.

The Launceston Planetarium is part of the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery (QVMAG) within Launceston’s Inveresk neighborhood. Various films and projections related to astronomy, space exploration, navigation, and natural history are projected onto the domed screens of the planetarium. Although it’s located within the broader QVMAG, visitors can see the planetarium independently if they prefer.

Founded by French settlers in the 19th century, the small harbor town of Akaroa shows its Gallic roots with French street names and tricolor flags. Overlooked by craggy volcanic hills, Akaroa Port serves as a gateway to the wildlife-rich Banks Peninsula. It’s also a common starting point for wildlife cruises and trips that link the peninsula with Christchurch and the wider Canterbury area.

Kauri trees are a native New Zealand species with trunks that are usually, well, approximately round. But not the Square Kauri Tree in the Coromandel Forest Park, which is square-ish, as the name suggests. The unusual shape is not the only thing interesting about this tree: it’s estimated to be around 1,200 years old.

Just outside Port Lincoln, in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, Glen-Forest Tourist Park offers attractions from minigolf and Segway rides to vineyards and wildlife encounters. For most, animals will be the major draw. The park is home to koalas, dingoes, wombats, kangaroos, emus, and more, and many species can be hand-fed.

You would think that a place with the world’s largest amount of rock carvings would be popular and swarming with visitors. Murujuga National Park, however, in Australia’s northwestern corner, wasn’t even protected until 2013 (when it became Western Australia’s 100th National Park), and even today is sparsely visited because of its remote location. Located on the Burrup Peninsula outside the town of Dampier, Murujuga National Park spans 12,000 acres and houses rock art up to 30,000 years old. As is the case with ancient drawings, there’s far more here than what meets the eye when briefly glancing at the drawings—which in this case often depict wildlife and plant life that lived on the Burrup Peninsula. Look a little bit deeper, however, and visit with a local guide, and it’s possible to weave a human history of tens of thousands of years, from the types of weapons and tools used to hunt, to the changing proximity of land from the coast, caused by a rise in the seas. This corner of Australia—while largely industrial, with nearby chemical and gas plants —is truly fascinating for its wealth of drawings and windows into the past, and still remains largely under the radar, just waiting to be enjoyed.

Perched on the banks of the River Hutt, Hutt Valley is home to wildlife reserves, forest parks, historic harborside settlements, and walking and cycling trails, all of which make it a popular weekend escape from Wellington. The valley is home to several Lord of the Rings filming locations and is therefore a magnet for Tolkien fans.

This island halfway between Australia and Antarctica is the only place in the world where rocks from the Earth’s mantle are exposed above sea level—a rocky formation known as the Macquarie Ridge. The remote island hosts seasonal migrations of penguins and seals, as well as some 3.5 million seabirds of 13 different species.

Set on a rocky headland looking out across the ocean, Kissing Point Fortification was built in 1870. For more than 100 years, the fort defended colonial Queensland from such perceived threats as Russian and French forces. Today, it offers sweeping views.

Geelong’s 1850s Cunningham Pier has had many uses throughout the years, including as a railway line, a naval depot, an event center, and a dancefloor. Nowadays, it contains cafés, restaurants, and bars, and plays a role in many of Geelong’s large public events. Offering great views across Corio Bay and the foreshore, Cunningham Pier is a must-visit destination in Geelong.

The sea has always been vital to the life and commerce of coastal Townsville. Learn more about the city’s maritime and naval history at the Maritime Museum of Townsville. Located in the heritage-listed Port Building and with various annexes and gardens, the museum’s galleries present a detailed history of everything from local pearl diving and shipwrecks to the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II.

Hemming a stretch of coastline in Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island, Waimarama Beach serves as a magnet for beachgoers while still exuding a sense of splendid isolation. Here, eggshell-white sands, topaz seas, white breakers, and ocean views unfurl for around 4.3 miles (7 kilometers) past the wooden bungalows of Waimarama village, tempting sunbathers, young families, surfers, and sightseers.

Learn about the history, culture, and environment of Northern Queensland at the Queensland Museum Tropics. A branch of the Queensland Museum Network, this government-run museum educates locals and visitors about this unique part of the country through permanent exhibits, temporary exhibits, talks, and tours.

A low red canyon formed by a creek that’s usually dry, Sacred Canyon (Yura Mulka) is, as its name implies, a site sacred to the Indigenous Adnyamathanha people. A walk down the riverbed, where red gums provide a little shade, reveals ancient Aboriginal engravings, sadly intermingled with more recent vandalism.

At the mouth of Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania, Bonnet Island is a tiny isle that only opened to tourists in 2009. As such, it’s still a relatively undiscovered location that once served as a tiny, remote outpost, home to resilient lighthouse keepers and their families.

One of Australia’s most beautiful gardens, this private 5-acre (2-hectare) respite in the Blue Mountains National Park offers a secluded world of cool-climate plants and flowers. Follow the walkways around the dewy lawns, relax by the cascading ponds, and admire the parterre and other artistic features.