563 Best Sights in Australia

In this helpful visitor center there's also a museum that concentrates on local subjects and isn't afraid to tackle such controversial issues as past conservation battles over the area's rivers and the fate of Tasmania's Aborigines. Don't miss the rowdy and exuberant performance of The Ship That Never Was, based on a true story of convict escape and a loophole in British justice at the amphitheater daily at 5:30 pm. there are also great displays on the timber and mining history of the wild West Coast.

Oxenford's Wet 'n' Wild Water World boasts magnificent, adrenaline-pumping waterslides including the tallest water-park tower in Australia, the Double Barrel two-person body slide, and the Surfrider that simulates the sensation of surfing the world's biggest waves. Kids love Buccaneer Bay, a pirate-themed aquatic playground with multiple levels, and the new Wet 'n' Wild Junior area, featuring another eight kid-friendly slides, including mini versions of the park's most popular thrill rides. Select pools and slides are heated May through September, when days are often still sunny and warm. The park is ½ km (¼ mile) down the Pacific Highway from Warner Bros. Movie World.

It's less than a 10-minute drive from the historic former penal colony of Port Arthur to the pristine white sands of beautiful White Beach, a wild, unspoiled, crescent-shape beach often named one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia. The breathtaking views from the beach are among the most beautiful in all of Tasmania, stretching as far as the eye can see across Wedge Bay to Storm Bay and then beyond to the Hartz Mountains. The local trails are worth exploring, not far from the usually deserted 3-km (2-mile) beach, although world-class diving is also available at Eaglehawk Neck and decent surfing at Roaring Beach. White Beach Tourist Park fronts directly onto the beach, and the general area has a number of cafés and restaurants offering excellent local Tasmanian cuisine. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); toilets. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; sunrise; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

This Sydney attraction brings thousands of Australian animals right to the heart of Sydney. Kangaroos, koalas, and dozens of other species come together under the one huge roof—in nine separate habitats—next door to the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and the new Madame Tussauds. All three attractions are run by the same operator, Merlin Entertainments, and all are able to be visited on one combination ticket. In Devil's Den you'll see the famed Tasmanian devils; in Wallaby Cliffs there are yellow-footed wallabies and hairy-nosed wombats, while you can walk among the eastern grey kangaroos and agile wallabies with their joeys and the spiky echidnas in Kangaroo Walkabout. Watch out for Rex, the 16-foot saltwater crocodile in the Kakadu Gorge habitat. A popular spot is Gum Tree Alley where you'll meet koalas, while the endangered (and very cute) greater bilby is in the Nightfall nocturnal zone.

The best deals for stand-alone tickets or combination tickets with other Merlin Entertainments attractions are online. There are savings of around A$12 for a single ticket, while the current combo ticket is A$69.

You can watch demonstrations of the cultured pearling process—including the seeding of a live oyster and a boat ride to the marine farm—at Willie Creek Pearl Farm, located about 38 km (23½ miles) north of Broome. Drive out to the farm yourself (you must make reservations first and a four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended on this unsealed road), or join a five-hour bus tour that'll pick you up and bring you back to your in-town accommodation. There's also the option of taking a scenic helicopter ride while on the property for an additional fee, and tours offer breakfast (A$25 more per person) and lunch add-ons (A$30 more per person) depending on the time of day you visit. At the end of the tour, you'll have a chance to view and try on gorgeous pearl necklaces worth more than A$20,000 and peruse the gift shop.

Nothing seems to have changed in the atmospheric town of Wollombi, 24 km (15 miles) southwest of Cessnock, since the days when the Cobb & Co. stagecoaches rumbled through town. Founded in 1820, Wollombi was the overnight stop for the coaches on the second day of the journey from Sydney along the convict-built Great Northern Road—at that time the only route north. The town is full of delightful old sandstone buildings and antiques shops, and there's also a museum in the old courthouse with 19th-century clothing and bushranger memorabilia.

This fascinating museum—which happens to be housed in the Old Alice Springs Gaol simply because it’s a historic building—tells the stories of the brave, strong women of the Red Centre, with exhibits showing the important role women played during WWII, and how women of all races helped shape Australian politics, education, medicine, aviation, sports, and pretty much every aspect of today’s society. You’ll also be able to tour the old jail, which began as a prison for both sexes but became an all-male prison in the 1980s, and hear the stories of its former inhabitants through an interactive audio display.

Extending south of Gordonvale to the Palmerston Highway near Innisfail, this is one of the most densely vegetated areas in Australia. Rain forest rules, from the lowland tropical variety to the stunted growth on Mt. Bartle Frere (at 5,287 feet, the highest point in Queensland). Walking tracks range from the stroll-in-the-park Tchupala Falls and Josephine Falls circuits (30 minutes each) to the challenging Walshs Pyramid track, just south of Cairns, and the grueling two-day Bartle Frere trail. You may camp throughout the park with permits.

This cute small town, 23 km (14 miles) northeast of Beechworth, shot to fame after the release of the lighthearted comedy Strange Bedfellows, starring Paul Hogan. The town's pretty historic buildings (including the two pubs, the post office, and the bank) were used as settings, and many of the town's 700 residents were movie extras. The town (Yack, to its friends), isn't looking to the past: it aims to be a carbon-neutral town by 2022.

Sure, it’s nice to cuddle a koala in an enclosure, but it’s far more exciting to see them in the wild, just above your head. Take the 787-foot Koala Board Walk through native bush with your eyes raised skyward to see one of the state’s largest populations of koalas. Watch for western grey kangaroos on the 2-km (1.2-mile) wetland walking trail around Loch McNess lake and then escape summer’s heat by joining one of several daily underground tours of Crystal Cave, where cooling caverns open up to impressive stalactite galleries and clear water pools. The park is also a lovely picnic spot, and there's a hotel and café within the grounds.

Yanchep National Park is a 45-minute drive north of Perth and is open every day of the year; book tours and get walk trail information at McNess House Visitor Centre.

Victoria's first vineyard still has plenty of rustic charm, and it's a delightful place to eat, drink, and stay. An 1859 redbrick building is home to the busy cellar door, where you can taste its renowned Pinot Noirs and Shiraz Vioginers, or take a guided tasting, from A$10. The property's architectural and gastronomical pièce de résistance is the winery building, which houses the Wine Bar Restaurant. It's a sweeping, hand-hewn stone building with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking spectacular valley scenery. Yering hosts an annual sculpture exhibition from October to December, and a farmers' market takes place on the third Sunday of the month.

Pubs are not generally known for their artwork, but climb the steps to the first-floor bar of the 160-year-old hotel to see Chloe, a painting that has scandalized and titillated Melburnians for many decades. The larger-than-life nude, painted by Jules Joseph Lefebvre in Paris in 1875, has adorned the walls of Young and Jackson's Hotel (which now specializes in Australian craft beers) since 1909.

You can hand-feed hundreds of fish at this beach on the north-western end of the Esplanade. At high tide people wade into the water with buckets of bread to feed the schools of batfish, bream, catfish, milkfish, and mullet that come inshore in a feeding frenzy.

Blackbird Café is great place to take a break while exploring Darling Harbour. The weekday lunch specials are all under A$20 and a good value, while happy hour (3–6 pm) has beers and cocktails at similarly affordable prices. There are great views from the balcony, so try and nab a table there. The à la carte menu includes starters of haloumi and vegetable stack or grilled prawns and crab, and there's a wide range of pizza, pasta, burgers, and grills.

Botanic Gardens Restaurant is a lovely place to have lunch during the week or brunch on the weekend. Wide verandas provide tranquil views over the gardens, and the sound of birdsong fills the air. The menu changes seasonally and may include starters such as grilled quail with roast quince, and main dishes of fettuccini with pine forest mushrooms and macadamia nuts. The downstairs café serves lighter more casual fare and is open daily from 8:30 am to 4 (and later in summer). The restaurant is open for lunch from noon weekdays and brunch on the weekends from 9:30, where decadent eggs Benedict is best accompanied by a glass of bubbly. The restaurant is within the Royal Botanic Gardens; it can be accessed from either the Palace Gate on Macquarie Street or from Lion Gate on Mrs. Macquarie's Road.

The view from the top of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia and only a 10-minute drive south of Augusta, allows you to witness the meeting of the Southern and the Indian oceans. In some places this alliance results in giant swells that crash against the rocks; in others, you'll spot whales surfacing (in season: May–September). While the ocean can be chilly, small coves are blessed with calm waters ideal for swimming. The lighthouse precinct is open daily 9–5 (last entry 4:30 pm, includes self-guided audio tour; A$8). Guided tours to the top of the lighthouse (via a lengthy stairway) cost A$20 and run daily every 40 minutes. The last tour is at 4:20 pm.

At the northern end of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park stands Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. A 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) trail leads from Cape Naturaliste to Canal Rocks, passing rugged cliffs, quiet bays, and curving beaches. You can opt for guided tours, on request (various routes and costs); the cape to cave trail wraps in Ngilgi Cave and a stunning stretch of coastline. Migrating whales are often spotted along this stretch, and from the lighthouse. This is also the start of the coast-hugging 135-km (86-mile) Cape-to-Cape Track, for which there are also guided tours (Cape to Cape Tours are recommended for extended hikes; 0459/452–038, v26495593capetocapetours.com.au). Four major cave systems are easily accessible within Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.

A narrow, winding, unsealed road off South Coast Road, 46 km (29 miles) west of Seal Bay Road, ends at this perfect little sandy cove. Rocky headlands on either side protect the gently sloping beach so swimming is safe. To the east are several secluded beaches; these are more exposed, though, and riptides make swimming dangerous. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking; surfing.

Rustic timber cottages and historic buildings characterize the small town of Nannup, 100 km (62 miles) east of Margaret River. Several scenic drives wind through the area, including the Blackwood River Tourist Drive, a 10-km (6-mile) ride along a section of river surrounded by hills with karri and jarrah forests. You can also canoe on the Blackwood River and wander through the Blythe Gardens. A map of the buildings used in the 2013 surf movie, Drift, is also available from the Nannup Visitor Centre (open daily, 10–4; v26495625www.everythingnannup.com.au). At various times of the year look out for Nannup's popular festivals: music, flower and garden, and art and photography. The Festival of Country Gardens displays an artist's palette of WA's spring and autumn colors.

Thrice weekly, crowds flock to haggle for handmade crafts and gifts at the busy Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets.

This surprising artisanal producer smack dab in the middle of vineyards and olive trees is an aromatherapy feast. Inside a converted machinery shed (the soap factory), you'll find a chemical-free range of soaps and body care products hand blended with natural organic ingredients, as well as yummy olives, tapenades, dukkahs, and pestos all without preservatives or artificial additives. This is a place for gastronomes and purists. Sniff, rub, scrub, pamper, and taste to your heart's content!

Once connected to Tasmania, this park on the southernmost point of mainland Australia is a haven for birdlife and native animals. A granite peninsula of more than 123,000 acres, it contains many kangaroos, koalas, and wombats that can be spotted around Tidal River, the main camping and accommodation area in the south of the park. Mountains, fantastic granite boulders, beaches, wetlands, lakes, and plains make it a hiker's paradise, and many walkers set off on the famous all-day inland trek to the windswept lighthouse. Active types can book a bed in the restored lighthouse keepers' cottage (A$137.50 per adult per night, off-peak A$123.80), though you must bring your own bedding. Other, less historical cottages are also available, or bring your own tent to any of the Prom's campsites (from A$50 per adult per night). Would-be lighthouse guests should bear in mind that the walk is 19 km (12 miles), one-way, from Telegraph Saddle car park, or 23 km (14 miles) from Tidal River. There are more than 30 self-guided walks that take you from an hour to a day to complete.

To get to Wilsons Promontory National Park, take the Princes Highway to Dandenong, then the South Gippsland Highway to Meeniyan or Foster. Tidal River is another 70 km (43 miles). There's no public transportation to the park.

Picture perfect views, transparent water, clean, honey-color sand, and a gentle pool of ocean that protects you from the waves beyond: what's not to love about this wide beach, out the front of the hillside town of Yallingup? Parts of the ocean have soft seaweed growing thick on the bottom, making for interesting snorkeling. Surf breaks are near but elsewhere, at Smiths, Three Bears, Super Tubes, Injidup, and Rabbits. Ask the locals for directions as only some are signposted. There are limited food and drink options nearby, so come prepared. Amenities: lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming; walking.