563 Best Sights in Australia

Declared public land by Governor Phillip in 1792 and used for the colony's earliest cricket matches and horse races, this area was turned into a park in 1810. The gardens are formal, with fountains, statuary, and tree-lined walks, and its tranquil lawns are popular with office workers at lunchtime. The park has two sections, with Park Street (a traffic street) dividing the two halves. Several events, such as the Night Noodle Markets (open-air Asian food markets) in October, are held in the park.

Before Governor Macquarie arrived, convicts were left to roam freely at night. Macquarie was determined to establish law and order, and in 1819 he commissioned convict-architect Francis Greenway to design this restrained, classically Georgian-style building. Today the Barracks houses compelling exhibits that explore behind the scenes of the prison. For example, a surprising number of relics from this period were preserved by rats, which carried away scraps of clothing and other artifacts for their nests beneath the floorboards. A room on the top floor is strung with hammocks, exactly as it was when the building housed convicts. The barracks are part of the Sydney Living Museums collection of 12 historic buildings.

This marine interpretative center houses a large open tank with one of the few self-contained coral-reef ecosystems in the southern hemisphere—and it's been growing on its own for more than 20 years. Other exhibits include a static display of rare, deepwater coral skeletons and an exhibit explaining the effects of global warming on the planet. Night tours, which begin at 6:30 on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, take you by ultraviolet flashlight to view the biodiversity of the fluorescing reef and live venomous animals; the colors the coral produce are astounding. You'll also get a four-course seafood dinner, followed by a nocturnal coral reef tour of the exhibitions. Bookings are essential.

Known locally as Millionaires' Row for its fabulous real estate, Island Beach is the quintessential beach holiday location. Framed by dense bushland, the sandy beach is secluded, stretches almost as far as the eye can see, and provides very safe swimming. Walking along the coast toward American River yields plenty of bird-watching opportunities. Amenities: food and drink; parking. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

This barbecue stands out, with its island entertainment and freshest seafood, as a Norfolk Island tradition. A few operators run this event, which kicks off at 5 pm at Puppy's Point, high above beautiful Anson Bay on the island's northwest side. Visitors can turn up with their own picnic and snacks or join an organized fish fry, such as the one run presented by Pinetree Tours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Fish, salads, homemade bread (including yummy local coconut bread), and desserts including coconut pie and some intriguing banana dishes are served. It's a family evening out and the sunsets are, weather-permitting, absolutely stunning. After the fish fry, Pinetree Tours conducts a Mutiny on the Bounty show at a different venue.

Since 1881, this operation has been brewing some of Australia's finest beer in an imposing brick building, in which weekday brewery tours are run. Visitors learn the entire process, from brewhouse to packaging, and end with beer tastings (plus a cheese platter if you book the more expensive option). Bookings are essential.

Cooktown, in its heyday, was a gold-mining port, with 64 pubs lining the 3-km-long (2-mile-long) main street; a significant slice of this colorful history, including mementos of Cook's voyage and Indigenous artifacts, is preserved at this National Trust–run museum. The former convent houses relics of the Palmer gold-mining and pastoral eras, including a Chinese joss house; canoes; and the anchor and one of six cannons jettisoned when the HMS Endeavour ran aground. The surprisingly good on-site shop sells books and souvenirs. It's recommended that you allow at least an hour to pore over the exhibits.

More than 900 pearl divers are buried in the Japanese Cemetery, located on the road out to Broome's deepwater port. The graves testify to the contribution of the Japanese people to the development of the industry in Broome, as well as to the perils of pearl gathering in its early days.

The best way to gain a true appreciation of the natural beauty of Kakadu is to visit the waterfalls running off the escarpment. Some 39 km (24 miles) south of the park headquarters along the Kakadu Highway, a track leads off to the left toward Jim Jim Falls, 60 km (37 miles) or about a two-hour drive away. The track is rough and unpaved, and you'll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to navigate it. From the parking lot, you have to scramble 1 km (½ mile) over boulders to reach the falls and the plunge pools they have created at the base of the escarpment. Note that after May, the water flow over the falls may cease, and the unpaved road is closed in the Wet.

The best way to see these falls at their best is on a scenic flight from Jabiru during the wet season (from A$250 per person for an unforgettable one-hour trip).

John Flynn, the Royal Flying Doctor Service founder, is memorialized at this spot along Larapinta Drive just 6½ km (4 miles) west of Alice Springs in view of the majestic West MacDonnell range.

This park covers the top third of K'gari. Beaches around Indian Head are known for their shell middens—shell heaps that were left behind after Buchamba feasting. The head's name is another kind of relic: Captain James Cook saw some Buchamba people standing on the headland as he sailed past, and he therefore named the area after inhabitants he believed to be "Indians." Farther north, past Waddy Point, is one of K'gari's most magnificent variations on sand: wind and time have created enormous dunes. Nearby at Orchid Beach are a series of bubbling craters known as the Champagne Pools.

This striking series of buttes and jagged hills centered on the Moon Plain is of great cultural and spiritual significance to the traditional owners but to the untrained eye is reminiscent of most spectacular parts of the American West. There are fossils and patches of petrified forest in this strange landscape, which has appealed to makers of apocalyptic films; Mad Max 3—Beyond Thunderdome was filmed here, as was Ground Zero. The scenery is especially evocative early in the morning or at sunset when the colors come alive, and can get very windy so be sure to bring appropriate clothing. Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park is 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Coober Pedy.

Permits to explore the area cost A$10 per vehicle and can be purchased at the Coober Pedy Tourist Information Centre in the District Council Office on Hutchinson Street or from Underground Books.

Award-winning and internationally known Kilikanoon produces multilayered reds such as the dense, richly colored Oracle Shiraz that has been named best in the world; Prodigal Grenache is another beauty. Tiered tastings allow you to choose 7 or 14 wines highlighting the diversity of soils and microclimates in the Clare Valley, or book ahead for the premium Revelation Experience (A$60) that steps things up a notch with access to Kilikanoon's most exclusive wines including the ultrapremium Revelation Shiraz.

One of the most recognizable and popular wineries in the Clare Valley, Knappstein is located in the original 19th-century Enterprise Brewery, a Heritage-listed building and a well-known landmark of a township that's oozing with history. The four Rieslings are consistently excellent, and the same could be said for the Cabernet and Shiraz wines lovingly handcrafted here.

At this excellent wildlife center you can stroll along treetop-high boardwalks and view koalas in their natural habitat. At the visitor center, learn some fascinating things about the cute furry creatures—such as how they sleep 21 hours a day. It is located just a short drive from the tourist information center at Newhaven; follow the signs along Phillip Island Tourist Road.

At this private park in Sydney's northern outskirts you can feed a kangaroo or get close to a koala. (Koala presentations are daily at 10:20, 11:45, 2, and 3.) The sanctuary also has dingoes, wombats, emus, penguins, and wallaroos. There are sheep-shearing and boomerang-throwing demonstrations.

With its swimming hole, 295-foot waterfall, picnic grounds, and walking trails, Kondalilla National Park is a popular local attraction. Three bushwalks begin near the grassy picnic area: Picnic Creek Circuit, Rock Pools Walk, and the Kondalilla Falls Circuit. They're all rated easy to moderate and range from 2 km (1 mile) to 5 km (3 miles) in length. The Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk (58 km [34 miles]) is accessible from the Falls Loop track, and links with parks farther north. Download maps from the Queensland Government Parks and Forests website. Camping is not permitted within the park.

Nature hikes here lead past rock engravings and paintings by the Guringai Aboriginal tribe, the area's original inhabitants for whom the park is named. Created in the 1890s, the park mixes large stands of eucalyptus trees with moist, rain-forest-filled gullies where swamp wallabies, possums, goannas, and other creatures roam. The delightful trails are mostly easy or moderate, including the compelling 3-km (2-mile) Garigal Aboriginal Heritage Walk at West Head, which takes in ancient rock-art sites. From Mt. Ku-ring-gai train station you can walk the 3-km (2-mile) Ku-ring-gai Track to Appletree Bay, while the 30-minute, wheelchair-accessible Discovery Trail is an excellent introduction to the region's flora and fauna. Leaflets on all of the walks are available at the park's entry stations and from the Wildlife Shop at Bobbin Head.

The historic Kuranda Scenic Railway makes a two-hour ascent through rain forest and 15 hand-hewn tunnels to pretty Kuranda village, gateway to the Atherton Tableland. Book a simple Heritage Class seat; get a cool towel and souvenir pack; or splurge on a Gold Class ticket with fine local food and wine, table service, swanky decor, and a souvenir guide. Several tour packages are available, from full-day rain-forest safaris, and visits to local Aboriginal centers and wildlife parks to simple round-trips combining rail and cable-car journeys.

Officially called Lady Bay, Lady Jane is the most accessible of the nude beaches around Sydney. It's also a popular part of Sydney's gay scene. Only a couple of hundred yards long and backed by a stone wall, the beach has safe swimming with no surf. From Camp Cove, follow the path north and then descend the short, steep ladder leading down the cliff face to the beach. Take Bus 234 or 325 from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay. From there walk along Cliff Street toward Camp Cove. Amenities: toilets. Best for: nudists; solitude; swimming.

You either like the style of this modern complex with cellar door or you don't—it provokes strong opinions on the Canberra wine trail. Its wines are generally popular, however. As it is more than 2,600 feet above sea level, it produces mostly red cool-climate varieties. After your tasting, don't miss the barrel room, which holds approximately 250 barrels of maturing wine.

When it was built in 1859 on the plain beside the Murrumbidgee River, this wonderfully restored homestead from pioneering days was the centerpiece of a self-contained community. Many of the outbuildings and workshops where servants and the homestead's convict labor lived have been similarly well preserved. The gardens are lovely to wander around in, too.

This family-run enterprise overlooking (the usually bone-dry) Lake George specializes in biodynamic Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir varieties. After your tasting, have lunch at the restaurant (weekends only, bookings essential) and sit out on the deck that looks out over the vines.

Entry is free at Lasseters Casino, where the action goes late into the night with more than 300 slot machines, plus blackjack, roulette, craps, and baccarat tables. Choose from six restaurants and bars, each with its own style ranging from exotic eats at Tali to tapas at Tempo. The Juicy Rump is known for live music, Stadium 93 for its sports bar atmosphere. The Goat & Bucket is a beer lover's paradise, while Casbah is perfectly positioned should you need a break from betting.

This national park clutches one of Western Australia's most spectacular coastlines, from Cape Naturaliste in the north, to Cape Leeuwin, near Augusta, in the south. The park is not a composite destination, rather a narrow patchwork of protected areas along the coast, intersected by beach access roads and small beachside villages, and traced by the Cape to Cape Track.

The mostly unspoiled coastal vistas are as awe-inspiring as any in the world—on a calm day the view northward from Yallingup past Sugarloaf Rock toward Cape Naturaliste is nature at its best and it's often sprinkled with surfing dolphins. Farther south, between Cowaramup Bay and Karridale, scenic lookouts allow you to access coastal cliffs and rocky shoreline that bear the brunt of giant ocean swells generated across thousands of miles of Indian Ocean.

Use extreme care when hiking or fishing cliff-side.

About 45 km (28 miles) out of Canberra, this highly respected winery is as famous for its design by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Glenn Murcutt as it is for its mid-price bottles. Try the Proprietor's Selection if its available at the cellar door—the Chardonnay is excellent. The tasting room and adjoining café, which serves light seasonal meals, enjoy lovely views over the often dry Lake George. Visitors, in groups of six or more, who make an appointment in advance can take either a 40-minute or 60-minute tour of the winery followed by tutored wine tasting priced from A$7.50 to A$12.50 per person.

When spring is in the air in the mountains, one of the most beautiful places to be is Leura. Dozens of cherry blossoms line the main street, and private gardens are open for viewing. Make a date for the weeklong Leura Garden Festival in early October. The gardens are adorned with the work of local artists keen to win the annual art prize. A village fair caps off the celebrations. One ticket (A$25) buys entrance to all the gardens on show.

Gold-mining entrepreneur Claude de Bernales built this quaint outdoor shopping arcade in 1937. Today it's a magnet for anyone with a camera wanting to recapture the atmosphere and architecture of Tudor England, and for those looking for Australian souvenirs. Along its length are statues of Sir Walter Raleigh and Dick Whittington, the legendary lord mayor of London. Above the arcade entry in Hay Street Mall, costumed mechanical knights joust with one another when the clock strikes the quarter hour.

The Genuine UGG boot store is popular with tourists.

This stretch of the Victorian coast is sometimes called The Shipwreck Coast, with reputedly up to 700 ships at rest offshore. Lorne itself has a shipwreck plaque walk along the foreshore, giving the history of local disasters and near-misses dating from 1854. The Lorne Surf Life Saving Club patrols the southern end of popular Lorne Beach, which runs south from the Erskine River for 1.2 km (¾ mile). Care must be taken when the waves are high as the undertow and rips can be dangerous: swim in the patrolled areas between the flags. The beach has parking for 250 cars, a lookout, shade trees and shelters, barbecue and play areas, and a cycle track. The Lorne Beach Pavilion has a swimming pool, large playground, outdoor trampoline, and skate park as well. A camping ground and caravan park are also near the beach. Parking is available at the junction of Bay Street, Mountjoy Parade, and the Great Ocean Road, or along the Great Ocean Road itself. Other entrances to the beach are via Grove Street or William Street. The Mantra Lorne resort, with 12 acres of gardens and a range of rooms and apartments, is directly on the beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); restrooms; showers. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

Opened in 1935, this classic amusement park, with its supersize clown-face entrance, can be seen from any angle of Sydney Harbour. It's a fun afternoon no matter your age, with traditional fair rides, like the ghost train and dodgems. The tourist attraction reopened in 2021 after a A$30 million face-lift, with brand-new rides and stylish places to eat. It's located just at Milsons Point Wharf, with regular ferries departing from Circular Quay.