Australia attractions

At the heart of the Great Sandy National Park, the Cooloola Recreation Area provides wild landscapes and coastal views to rival neighboring Fraser Island. Adventurers that choose to stay on the mainland can explore woodlands, waterways, and wildflower-blanketed headlands bordered by towering sand dunes and rocky cliffs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Army Museum North Queensland—also known as the Jezzine Barracks Military Museum—presents the history of the Australian military in the region through exhibits, artifacts, and interactive displays. This Townsville museum includes information from the establishment of the Australian Army in North Queensland in the late 19th century through more recent conflicts.

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.

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.

Townsville’s Jezzine Barracks (also called the Kissing Point Fortification) was in continuous use by the military from 1870, the year it was built, until 2006. Now, the former barracks area is administered by a community trust, and offers a range of outdoor, cultural, and historic attractions within landscaped park land.

Located within Windjana Gorge National Park, these ruins built from local limestone in 1884 are all that is left of the Lillimooloora homestead and police station—the site of the historic clash between the region’s Aboriginal residents and settlers. Today, only the ruined sandstone walls of the police station remain—sitting on a plane with cliffs rising behind them, they seem out of place in the wild surroundings.

On the northeastern coast of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, Waddy Point offers seclusion away from the crowds along with opportunities for such outdoor pursuits as fishing, surfing, swimming, kayking, and hiking. Offering campgrounds and a hotel, it’s also possible to spend the night.

With more than 300 varieties of palms on display over 42 acres (17 hectares, Townsville’s The Palmetum represents almost every species of palm that exists throughout the world. Visitors can meander along walking paths through the trees and admire the tropical birds that thrive in this lush tropical environment.

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.