We're considering our eighth trip to Australia this coming December. For this trip, we hope to focus our time in places where we could enjoy wildlife, hike, and enjoy nature. One of the places that is calling to us is the Eyre Peninsula. We're also looking at SE Queensland. For wildlife, our most memorable have been Kangaroo Island and Cradle Mountain. For hiking, we've done multiple trips to the Blue Mountains and have had wonderful experiences at Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Please let us know what comes to mind to you. We're looking for some ideas, knowing we won't have time for it all but continue to sample what the lucky country has to offer. Flying around will be fine. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

When in December is critical for suggestions of best places to visit. December school holidays are very busy outside of the cities, particularly coastal areas. SE Queensland can be hot and humid and probably not the best time to visit. Eyre Peninsula is over 7 hours driving from Adelaide and accommodation options may already be in limited supply.
My suggestion to tick your boxes would be Victoria. Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island, Wilsons Prom, The Grampians. After Christmas, I would withdraw the suggestion unless you plan your itinerary & accommodation ASAP.

Hello Tripplanner001,
Lovely to see you planning another trip to see more of Australia.

I'd suggest you have a look at Lamington National Park, in the Gold Coast hinterland. It's a beautiful area with two lodges where you might like to stay.

I've attached some links - the one for O'Reilys is primarily about the tree top walk but has other info.https://www.queensland.com/au/en/thi...-tree-top-walk

https://www.binnaburralodge.com.au/

https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/lamington

Martin335577, thank you. We've had two very enjoyable visits to the Great Ocean Road and one to the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island so I will likely miss this time. Will look at the other places you've suggested. For the Eyre Peninsula, we would fly from Adelaide to Port Lincoln.

Bokhara2, thank you. Good to see you, as always. We'll take a look at your suggestions. The Scenic Rim is definitely why I'm considering SE Queensland. Given the time of year, we're going to skip the Northern Territory. Sydney is a sure bet, but in addition to the city, we're looking at the surrounding areas, perhaps the Southern Highlands. We've been to the Blue Mountains several times so it's not a must - still a possibility though as we always have a good time and there's many bits we haven't hiked.

December is not an ideal month but better than not coming at all 😄 its the start of the main school holidays of the year, Christmas and New Year break, and is also likely to be hot and humid in Queensland. But you've been here before, so know to dress for the weather, wear a hat etc.

We stayed at Springbrook, inland from the Gold Coast, and had pademelons in the garden, only a few feet away from us (like a very small wallaby). They were gorgeous and the only place I've ever seen them.

Two other places that are good for seeing wildlife are The Grampians (suggest staying in Halls Gap) and Magnetic Island, a ferry ride from Townsville. Magnetic Island has a permanent population, as well as tourists, you can get around by public bus or hire a car, lots of hiking and we saw rock wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, curlews, tiny sunbirds, etc.

Tripplanner01 - I'm a great fan of the Northern Rivers area - just over the Qld /NSW border into NSW, and in particular Murwillumbah. It's a charming town, with the wonderful Tweed Regional Art Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre (the latter a recreation of part of Margaret Olley's house in Paddington (Sydney)) - and some excellent eateries.

gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au
The Tweed River House and Bistro Livi are both superb.
https://www.tweedriverhouse.com.au
http://bistrolivi.com

Also ...The Northern Rivers Rail Trail - https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/

It's a bit trickier without a car, but your group has managed some spectacular trips around that little challenge in the past and I'm sure you're up to it again if you decide to explore the Northern Rivers/Far North Coast of NSW. It would be hotter than Lamington National Park, which is a more hilly - dare I say "mountainous" area without you snorting with laughter? Anyway - it's higher than the coast.

Tripplanner01 - and anyone else planning a trip to Australia:

There's a great program on ABC TV called, "Backroads". As the name suggests, the presenter/s go out & about on the "roads less travelled" to lots of lesser known places, meet interesting people and generally give all of us (locals too) an insight into places we probably don't know .... but might put on our own Trip Planners.

You can see it on ABC iview https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2527V001S00

KayF, thank you for your suggestions. Yes, we're aware of the challenges of travelling around Australia in December. We've been a few times in December. With you on the pademelons; saw them when we were in Tasmania.

Bokhara2, thank you. LOL on mountainous. While we don't think of Australia as "mountainous" per se, except perhaps the Blue Mountains, Cradle Mountain was one of the most challenging hikes we've done. Had no idea on the Northern Rivers. Will definitely take a look.

Also looking at Far North Queensland - Daintree Rainforest, Atherton Tablelands. It's not the best time of year, we know. Assuming it will be similar to Darwin in December, which is comparable to Washington, DC, in our summertime.

Wow, eight trips! You’ve clearly seen more of the 'Lucky Country' than most. Since you loved Kangaroo Island and Cradle Mountain, the Eyre Peninsula is a fantastic choice. It’s often called the 'Galapagos of Australia' for a reason.

If you go, don't miss Coffin Bay for the scenery and Baird Bay if you're up for swimming with wild sea lions and dolphins—it’s a much more raw experience than the typical tourist spots. For hiking, the Gawler Ranges offer that stunning 'outback meets red earth' vibe similar to Kata Tjuta but with far fewer crowds.

Since you'll be flying between regions (especially if you combine it with SE Queensland), just a small tip for the logistics: My colleague started using Ozly eSIM for his recent AU trips. It’s much cheaper than the big international providers (plans from $1) and it’s great to have data active the moment you land in those smaller regional airports without hunting for a shop.

Enjoy the planning! SE Queensland in December will be lush, though definitely keep an eye on the humidity in the Lamington National Park rainforests!

If you liked Cradle Mountain, you’d probably love the Grampians too - solid hikes + kangaroos everywhere, just keep an eye on weather ‘cause it flips quick.

It's a great program

johant2 and duckies, thank you both.

Honestly, I’d lean Tasmania again - December’s perfect there, fewer crowds and the hikes hit different when you’ve got wallabies just chilling nearby.