Top 10 Best Places To Visit In Australia | Travel Guide

Famous for its sandy beaches, sunshine and marsupials, located between the Pacific and Indian Ocean, Australia is a dream trip for many travelers worldwide. But visitors are often pleasantly surprised to find that the lucky country has much more to offer than they'd expected. From barren outback to lush rainforests, extraordinary flora and fauna, two of the world's most exciting fossil sites and world-class museums, Australia really has something for everyone. So, here's a look at the best places to visit in Australia. 1. Sydney Sydney is Australia's answer to New York, a cosmopolitan which never sleeps but also boasts gorgeous beaches such as Bondi Beach. Fantastic weather in mild winters, Sydney has over 4 million residents, making it Australia's largest city and is also the most tourist destination in the country. One of the world's great icons, the Sydney Opera House is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the star attraction on the glittering harbour. This graceful building shaped like shells or billowing sails perches on a finger of land surrounded by water. You have several options for visiting the Sydney Opera House. Snap a photo while gliding by on a harbour cruise, relax at one of the restaurants, stroll around its exterior or take an organized tour of this magnificent structure. Inside you'll find theatres, studios, exhibition rooms, a concert hall and cinema. The Darling Harbour is a popular recreational complex adjacent to Sydney's city centre with breathtaking river views and plenty to keep you well-fed and entertained. There's a massive variety of attractions in the harbour, but some favorites include the serene Chinese Garden of Friendship and its lovely tea house The Carousel, the National Maritime Museum and the beautiful Dockside Pavilion. Paddy's is the biggest market in Sydney, with over 1,000 stalls between the Haymarket and Flemington locations. You'll find very reasonably priced souvenirs, as well as a great atmosphere and tasty food. 2. Melbourne Multicultural Melbourne is a hip, dynamic metropolis with an exciting city centre, inner-city neighborhoods that are full of unique character, and lush green parks and mountain ranges where you can enjoy Australian nature at its finest. Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens are among the finest of their kind. Established in 1846, the gardens encompass two locations, Melbourne and Cranbourne. The Melbourne Gardens lie in the heart of green parkland, covering an area of 93 acres. They are home to more than 10,000 plant species from around the globe, including many rare specimens. Melbourne is renowned for its world-class shopping. In particular, Chapel Street is popular with both local and international celebrities for its excellent range of high-quality clothing. Or visit the former Melbourne Government Post office which now functions as a shopping mall. Bridge Road in Richmond is a great spot for outlet shopping, great food at budget prices, and excellent homewares. Fitzroy is well-known for its eclectic vintage finds and further afield. Highpoint and Chadstone are excellent large shopping malls with a wide range of Australian and international brands. Moving on to number three, Perth. Definitely one of the best perks of living in Perth is its beaches. Backed up to the Indian Ocean, Perth is home to crystal-clear water and glistening white sand. Sailing, swimming, fishing, and boating are all popular things to do in Perth, and in the center of the city, beautiful Kings Park brims with natural bushland and panoramic views. With beautiful views of the Swan River and Darling Range, Kings Park and Botanic Garden is an oasis of peace near the heart of the city. Boasting a mix of European and Aboriginal heritage throughout the gardens, it's well known in the fields of horticulture for its conservation efforts and scientific research. It's also one of the largest inner-city parks in the world. Fremantle Markets is the most famous weekend market in Western Australia. It offers fresh and local produce, handcrafted souvenirs, clothing, delicious meals, and an eclectic atmosphere of over 100 years of culture and heritage. Perth has several fantastic art galleries, with the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and Aboriginal Art and Craft Gallery being the best. The Art Gallery of Western Australia has more than 17,000 pieces of art, with exhibitions including indigenous and contemporary art from Western Australia. Number 4. Adelaide Elegant, culture-rich Adelaide sits between the rugged south coast of Australia and the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. European immigrants founded this tidy capital of South Australia, and its layout was carefully crafted around the River Torrens, imparting a welcome sense of order balanced by a laid-back vibe. Adelaide quickly became known as the city of churches for the large number of churches erected in the city. Many of these are still around and are even still used today, and their beautiful architecture is a fascinating insight into the city's past. Parliament House, at the intersection of King William Street and North Terrace is perhaps the most imposing building in Adelaide with its monumental colonnade. Just down the street, cheek by cheek, the State Library of South Australia, the South Australian Museum, and the Art Gallery of South Australia offer a triple dose of art and culture and are three of the city's top tourist attractions. Number 5. Brisbane Australia's third-largest city, Brisbane, offers sophisticated big city attractions in a sun-splashed riverside setting. Although the city's history dates back to 1824, Brisbane rose to the world stage after hosting the Commonwealth Games in 1982 and World Expo in 1988. Visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to gardens in Brisbane. Lush parks and gardens punctuate every corner of the city, and Brisbane's botanic gardens are renowned for their impressive collections of subtropical plants. For one of the best views of Brisbane, drive up to the Brisbane Lookout Mount Kootha. Here, you can breathe in a breathtaking panorama over the entire area, with the city's skyscrapers sprouting in the distance. The Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art occupies two adjacent but contrasting buildings along the waterfront in the South Bank Cultural Precinct. Together, they display more than 1,700 works of art from around the world, with a special focus on Australia, the Pacific, and Asia. Now, before you plan your next trip to Australia, make sure to check out the first link in the description where you can find the best deals for your flight, hotel, and car rentals in Australia. Moving on to number six, the Great Barrier Reef. You can't leave Australia without seeing the Great Barrier Reef. This World Heritage-listed natural wonder is one of the largest living structures on the planet, stretching from the northern tip of Queensland South to the coastal town of Bundaberg. It's so vast, you can see it from outer space. For divers, snorkelers, island aficionados, and nature lovers, it's a bucket list destination. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was established in 1975 to protect the reef's fragile ecosystems. Within its borders lie more than 2,900 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays, and many mangrove islands. Strung along the Great Barrier Reef, the 74 tropical islands of the Whitsunday Group are great bases for exploring the wonders of the reef. Six national parks protect their fragile ecosystems, and several are home to eco-retreats, campsites, and luxury resorts. Number seven. Cairns. Cairns is a thriving tourist hotspot in tropical North Queensland. The city boasts mild winters, gorgeous beaches, stunning scenery, and great nightlife. If you're visiting Queensland, Cairns is a must. Its botanical gardens are considered to have one of Australia's best exhibitions of tropical plants, and the plant life here is strikingly different from what you may have seen in botanic gardens at cooler climates. There's also lots of native animal and bird life to spot in the grounds, walking tracks to explore and informative tours to learn about the species you'll find in the gardens. Another spot, Cairns Aquarium holds 16,000 species of animals across 10 different ecosystems and 71 different exhibits while also owning the bragging rights as the only aquarium in the world to showcase wildlife from two World Heritage listed sites. Not only can you expect the regular behind-glass aquarium style experience, you can also go diving with the sharks or take a marine life encounters tour which involves a personal guide through the aquarium including back of house and the newly created turtle hospital. 8. Tasmania In the north of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park is the jewel in the Crown of the state's many natural wonders. Glacier-carved cracks, glittering lakes, beech forests, and jagged dollarite peaks including Mount Asa are some of its most breathtaking features. Occupying a peninsula just south of Coles Bay, Freysenet National Park is a prime spot for bird watching, camping, and scenic drives. The park also features white sand beaches surrounded by pink granite peaks that are just as popular with photographers as they are with swimmers, kayakers, and snorkelers. Tasmania is home to some of the world's most unique wildlife, and one of the island's best places to catch a glimpse of these critters is Bonnerong Wildlife Sanctuary. Situated in Brighton, Bonnerong is a facility that treats injured and orphaned animals before returning them to the wild. Some of the animals temporarily housed at the sanctuary include wombats, Tasmanian devils, quolls, koalas, and emus. 9. Uluru-Katak Tjuta National Park Uluru is the spiritual heart of Australia. The nearby gems of Katak Tjuta and Kings Canyon make up this region's world-renowned nature and culture trifecta. Along Lasseter Highway is a magnificent sandstone monolith standing more than 340 meters high and shining bright red. This is Uluru, the red heart of the Australian continent. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a rich connection to Australia's indigenous culture in the past. Just 16 kilometers away is the Katak Tjuta, another geographical wonder made up of 36 conglomerate rock domes that have existed for 500 million years. The entirety of Uluru-Katak Tjuta National Park stretches around 1,300 square kilometers of arid land ecosystems that are home to vast species of flora and fauna only found in dry settings. Try to catch as many sunrises and sunsets as you can while at Ayres Rock. Both Uluru and Katak Tjuta are exceptionally stunning when the first and last sun rays of the day touch its surface, and this real-time color transformation is one of the main reasons for a visit. The color of the rocks changes from light orange to crimson red and finally to violet dusk, and creates an incredible spectacle. 10. Kakadu National Park Half the size of Switzerland and Australia's largest national park, Kakadu's abundance of natural wonders, wildlife, and rich aboriginal culture makes this UNESCO World Heritage Park impossible to pass up visiting while discovering the Northern Territory. Kakadu is a fascinating experience for the budding archaeologist. The area has been inhabited by the local indigenous population for at least 40,000 years, with evidence of settlements such as over 5,000 ancient art sites. More than 500 aboriginal Australians live in the park, and they maintain much of their traditional cultures and customs. From cliffs and gorges to billabongs and waterfalls, there's a diverse range of scenery to enjoy here. The flora is particularly stunning as it's home to one-third of Australia's bird species, one-fifth of Australia's mammals, along with 120 species of reptiles and 300 kinds of fish.