What if we told you there was a destination where you can snorkel at the world's largest coral reef, roam alongside extraordinary endemic wildlife, and trade your winter snowstorms for sunny beaches?
Say G'day to Australia. A globetrotting paradise where every road trip, rail journey, beach escape, and active adventure feels new and exciting, no matter how many times you visit.
The best part? Your next Australian vacation is much closer than you think. Direct flights from North America mean you can hop on board, enjoy dinner, a movie or two, a sleep, and wake up in Australia. Favourable exchange rates also mean dining, shopping, and the experiences you can only find Down Under are quite affordable.
Here are some of our favourite places to visit in Australia, perfect for your first or hundredth visit. Join us, the leader in tailor-made travel to Australia for 55 years and counting, on this journey across Australia and begin planning your next trip to Australia today!
- Book one of our featured itineraries or customize your own tailor-made trip to Australia today:
Signature Australia: Sydney, Rock, Reef and Rainforest
Discover Australia: Sydney, The Red Centre, The Great Barrier Reef and Melbourne
Highlights & Wildlife: Sydney, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Cairns
Sydney & Melbourne
What better place to start than in two of Australia's most dynamic and iconic cities? The exciting urban energy of Sydney and Melbourne is accentuated by dramatic coastal scenery and iconic landmarks. Guided walking city tours are the perfect way to familiarize yourself with both cities, taking you to places like the Sydney Opera House, Sydney's historic Rocks district, Melbourne's famous graffiti laneways, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and much more. You'll also enjoy a nearly endless collection of world-class museums and dining options in both cities.
What awaits you just outside these two cities is just as much of a draw. The Blue Mountains National Park outside of Sydney will leave you speechless as you wander beneath the lush eucalypt forest, listening to flowing ravines and laughing kookaburras. Meanwhile, you'll find local seal and penguin colonies on Phillip Island, only a two-hour drive south of Melbourne. Both are great day-trip options, offering you the chance to experience the wilder side of these two amazing cities.
Sydney and Melbourne always have something new and fresh to offer, whether it's your first or hundredth visit. Plan a custom trip to Sydney and Melbourne today.
Book a custom tailor-made trip to Sydney and Melbourne today.
Tasmania & Adelaide
Sydney and Melbourne may be iconic, but they're also only the beginning, with the wild and beautiful island state of Tasmania only a short flight away from Melbourne.
The island's compact size makes it easy to experience a remarkable diversity of landscapes in only a few days. Explore the vibrant harbour city of Hobart, where you’ll find the avant-garde Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) and browse the lively Salamanca Market. Then, delve into the island's dramatic past at the haunting Port Arthur Historic Site. Discover Tasmania's wild side by venturing into the World Heritage-listed wilderness of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, where breathtaking hikes are often shared with wombats and Tasmanian devils. The journey continues from the rugged pink granite peaks of Freycinet National Park down to the pristine, crescent-shaped shore of Wineglass Bay.
Head back to the mainland and make your way to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Adelaide is a relaxed, walkable city within a park, featuring many leafy boardwalks, exciting events, award-winning restaurants, and nearby beaches. The city is also perched at the foot of three of Australia's premier wine regions: Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and the Adelaide Hills. It's the ideal place to slow down, indulge, and soak up the best of South Australia.
Adelaide is also a legendary rail hub, serving as the midpoint of the iconic Indian Pacific journey (running from Sydney to Perth) and one of the two starting points for the legendary Ghan, which travels north to the Top End and south from Darwin. For now, let's board the Ghan and head inland to the Outback.
Book a custom tailor-made trip to Tasmania and Adelaide today.
The Red Centre & Northern Territory
A trip aboard the Ghan is one of the most spectacular ways to travel across Australia's bleeding red heart. This iconic five-star rail journey will whisk you across the island continent from the valleys of South Australia to the tropical coastlines in the Northern Territory in just three days. You'll enjoy all-inclusive meals, regionally inspired menus, beautiful private cabins, and excellent customer service while aboard the train; however, it's what's awaiting you outside that will leave you speechless.
The Ghan offers once-in-a-lifetime excursions showcasing the spirit of the Outback, but those choosing to travel across the Outback on a road trip are just as lucky. Step outside your vehicle and wander among the towering domes of Kata Tjuta near Alice Springs, marvel at sweeping views of Kings Canyon, or immerse yourself in the magic of Uluru at sunset. Witness the landscape come alive as night falls with the award-winning Field of Light show, where thousands of glowing stems illuminate the desert under a starlit sky. Wake up early to watch the sunrise over Uluru and uncover the history of the world's oldest living culture, before moving on to explore the rest of the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory is defined by raw natural scenery, 65,000 years of Aboriginal heritage, and laid-back tropical cities. The Katherine region showcases the beautiful convergence of the Outback and the tropics, featuring several gorges, hiking trails, hot springs, and limestone caves. Darwin features a laid-back tropical city lifestyle, excellent waterfront dining, and more street art murals per capita than anywhere else in Australia. Meanwhile, festivals like the three-day Barunga Festival celebrate the country's Aboriginal culture through storytelling circles, traditional sporting events, and performances by some of Australia's best Aboriginal musicians and dancers.
Book a custom tailor-made trip to the Northern Territory and Outback today.
The Sunshine State: North & South
By now, some travellers might feel like they've had their fill of Australia's stunning natural scenery, exciting cities, and immersive cultural experiences. But we globetrotters know things are just getting interesting.
The nearby Sunshine State, Queensland, is a cradle of some of Australia's—and the world's—most spectacular experiences and natural scenery, which is saying a lot, considering where we've been to already on this journey. In Tropical North Queensland, Cairns and Port Douglas serve as gateways to the Great Barrier Reef, home to some of the world's top snorkelling and diving experiences. Explore the ancient Daintree Rainforest, where winding trails and mangroves are crawling with unique wildlife at every turn. Further north, Cape Tribulation offers the rare thrill of standing where rainforest meets reef, a uniquely Australian landscape unlike anywhere else in the country.
Queensland's urban and coastal blend will continue to impress you further south. Brisbane is Australia's fastest-growing city, offering a wealth of arts, culture, and delicious dining options along its riverfront. A side trip to the nearby Gold Coast is equally captivating, with plenty of coastal towns, iconic surf beaches, and shopping to keep you happy and busy. Continue to the Sunshine Coast and unwind on even more world-class beaches, in local surf towns, and lush hinterlands. Together, Tropical North Queensland and the southern coastal regions offer the perfect mix of adventure, culture, and leisure for every globetrotter.
Book a custom tailor-made trip to Queensland today.
Perth & Beyond
We couldn't forget Western Australia. This is Australia's largest state, which means there's plenty of room to avoid the crowds. Perth, the capital city and sunniest city in the country, is nestled on the southwestern corner of the country, almost exactly opposite Sydney. A cruise along the Swan River to the Swan Valley Wine Region is a must while in Perth, as well as an excursion to Rottnest Island to visit the historic Wadjemup Lighthouse and spot adorable quokkas. You'll also enjoy exploring Kings Park, one of the world's largest inner city parks, larger than New York's Central Park.
The beaches near Perth alone make visiting Australia's western shores worth the trip. You'll find endless stretches of beaches only 20 minutes from the city, with plenty of beachside cafes, restaurants, and bars to entertain you after long days lounging in the sun and swimming in the warm ocean.
A short journey south of Perth leads you to the world-renowned Margaret River, one of the world's only major wine regions nestled directly on a coastline. Here, you’ll find vast and acclaimed wineries just moments from stunning beaches and ancient forests.
Head north and you'll encounter some of Western Australia's most inspiring scenery. The Kimberley, an area three times the size of England, boasts some of the country's most raw and untamed landscapes. Meanwhile, the UNESCO-listed Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef offer unforgettable encounters with whale sharks and vibrant coral reefs. Broome wraps it all up with sun-drenched beaches and striking red cliffs at Cable Beach.
Australia's sheer size and diversity of culture, nature, and experiences inspire your imagination to run wild. It's a world class destination that's closer and more affordable than you think. Trade your winter blues for a classic Aussie adventure. You won't regret it.
Book a custom tailor-made trip to Perth and Western Australia today.
Born to two parents who met travelling, Sael has always wanted to travel the world. Sael has hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, visited blue-footed boobies on the Galapagos Islands, stood on both hemispheres of the equator in Ecuador, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, hiked the base of Uluru, surfed Pacific Ocean waves in Mexico, and skydived over the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns. Meeting new people and sharing stories are some of Sael's favourite parts of travelling, and he hopes he can help ignite this passion for discovery in others.
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