Best places to visit in Australia

Australia is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. It is known as a major backpacking, camping, and driving destination, but no matter what your travel style is, there is something to draw you here. The continent is filled with incredible natural beauty from Uluru to the outback, rainforests to pristine white sand beaches. Sydney’s Harbor Bridge and Opera House are iconic man made wonders. Coupled with world class surfing, and it is no wonder people never leave.

Australia is the only nation to occupy an entire continent. Its land mass of nearly 7.7 million square kms is the flattest and (after Antarctica) driest of continents, yet it has extremes of climate and topography. There are rainforests and vast plains in the north, snowfields in the south east, desert in the centre and fertile croplands in the east, south and south west. About one third of the country lies in the tropics. Australia has a coastline of 36,735 km. Isolation of the Australian island-continent for 55 million years created a sanctuary for the flora and fauna. Marsupials were saved from competition with more highly developed mammals. Birds unique to Australia also survived, and distinctive trees and plants developed.

The continent is best-known animals are the kangaroo, koala, platypus and spiny anteater. Of more than 700 bird species listed in Australia, 400 – including the large, flightless emu – are found nowhere else. Australia has over 20,000 species of plants, including living fossils such as the cycad palm and the grass tree, and brilliant wildflowers such as the waratah, Sturt’s desert pea, the flowering cones of banksia trees, and the red and green kangaroo paw.

We highlights the best places for you when you decide to visit Australia. Please see below on where to go:

WAGGA WAGGA, AUSTRALIA

Wagga Wagga is located in New South Wales. Wagga Wagga has wonderful parks, rivers and gardens. There are various galleries and museums. The Council’s Regional Art Gallery is one of the most favoured galleries. Another gallery to visit is the National Art Glass Gallery which displays Australia’s greatest collections of studio glass.

If visiting during summer, The Wagga Beach is the best place to cool off otherwise, the Oasis Regional Aquatic Centre will be ideal too as it is said to be one of the best swimming facilities in Australia. The Botanic Gardens is a must visit. It consists of different sections such as the flora section with naturally grown shrubs, a railway, tree chapel, kiosk, zoo, museum, music bowl, picnic area, a play area and several different gardens.

ORANGE, AUSTRALIA

Orange is located in the Central West region of New South Wales. For body pampering, Anula Healing is the place to pay a visit. This natural healing centre is an oasis of relaxation and nurturing. Some of the services offered there are: massages, beauty treatments, bowen therapy, chakra cleansing, herbalism, theta healing, iridology, reiki, hypnotherapy and counselling. Due to the volcanic soils and cool climate, stone fruit and grapes are grown.

There are several wineries that in Orange. The Cook Park was planted over 120 years ago has a dome where bands often play, swings and a sunken rose garden. If travelling with children, the Adventure Playground would be the ideal place. Children will have the opportunity to activities such as wall climbing, swinging, sliding and play in a timber tree house. This playground also has barbeque and picnic facilities. For fresh local produce, the Orange Region Farmers Market with over 40 stalls has it all. Flowers, plants, gourmet preserves, cheeses, olives, oil and much more are available at the Orange Region Farmers Market.

HERVEY BAY, AUSTRALIA

Hervey Bay is a coastal city and is located in Southern Queensland. Whale watching is the most popular activity in Hervey Bay. Whale watching is a seasonal activity usually from July to October. There are usually several tour options to choose from during the whale watching season. Two of the leading tour companies are the Blue Dolphin Marine Tours and the Freedom Whale Watch. For those who might be interested in swimming with whales can make bookings for such an activity.

The Harvey Bay beach is the ideal place to go to for relaxation and to have a peaceful time and a breath of fresh air. The Hervey Bay jetty is fascinating spot. It was built in 1917 and is 868 metres long. For those who might easily tire, there are benches along the jetty. The Botanical Garden has beautiful Chinese themed gardens and a pond with turtles and spotting fish which is often fancied by children. The Reef World Aquarium is an extraordinary aquarium. It is a natural setting type of aquarium and the people visiting can feed the sea turtles, sharks and reef fish with supervision.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Sydney is one of the largest cities in Australia and is the capital of New South Wales. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is popular across the globe. It is said to be the tallest steel arch bridge in the world. People usually experience this magnificent landmark helicopter tours or with bridge climbing. You can go on a cruise and whale watching in the Pacific Ocean which is seasonal and is from May to November.

Water taxis and water limousines are available for transporting people to and from any location on the Sydney Harbour. Other pick up and drop off areas are private jetties, ferry wharves and public pontoons. The most recognisable building in Australia is said to be the Sydney Opera House which took 16 years to complete the building. It is located within a magnificent harbour setting. This building has been internationally declared as an architectural icon of the 20th century.

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA

Newcastle is a harbour city and is located in New South Wales. The Blue Gum Hills Regional Park is a bushland location with barbeque and picnic areas. You can also play cricket or go bike riding. For wine lovers, The Inner City Winemakers is the ideal place as both visitors and locals can sample a wide variety of wines at the cellar door and winery. Art exhibitions, food and wine events also take place at the Inner City Winemakers.

For golfers, Beresfield offers a social and casual way of playing golf and also offers a foot-golf sport which is football on the golf field. Carts and clubs are available for hire and kiosk and barbeque facilities are onsite. There is an open air gym which is close to the river with an amazing view of the river. Discovery Museum is must visit if you want to learn about the history of Newcastle told through temporary exhibitions and permanent displays. The Pet Corner has different animals such as rabbits, birds, goats and alpacas.

ROCKHAMPTON, AUSTRALIA

Rockhampton is a city located in Queensland. The Rockhampton Zoo has more than over 50 species of exotic and native animals. This is the perfect place to see these animals in their natural environment. The Capricorn Caves are extraordinary and are above the ground in limestone ridge. There are severasl tours ranging from walking, wheelchair accessible caves to wild caving adventure tours.

The Koorana Crocodile Farm is a commercial crocodile farm with approximately 4000 crocodiles. The Nob Creek Pottery has wonderful wheel thrown ceramic pieces.Rockhamptons Botanic Gardens are said to be one of the best provincial gardens in Australia. Another must see is the Japanese Gardens which was designed by a Japanese landscape architect. The Gracemere Saleyards handles the largestcattle beef export in Queensland.

Cattle auctions are also auctioned at the Gracemere Saleyards. The Yeppoon Aquatic Centre has an indoors heated pool which perfect for winter and other pools to swim in during summer.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Gold Coast is located in the South of Brisbane and is a metropolitan region. The Gold Coast has a 57 kilometres of coastline. There are sandy beaches at which you can watch the sun rise. The Surfers Paradise has a lot of seaside fun to offer such a variety of drinks and ice cream. For those who like to surf, you can catch great waves at the Spit or Mermaid Beach. Surfing lessons are also offered for those who might be interested in learning to surf.

There are also water parks, rollercoasters and theme parks with the most popular movie characters. Coast tours are available for those who want to jet ski. There are several great schools along the coast if you’re interested in learning to surf or paddleboard. You can also see stingrays, turtles and seahorses while you dive. Gold Coast has some of the best boutiques and markets. The Carrara Market has about 500 stalls and plenty of entertainment. For all your shopping, Harbour Town Outlet Shopping Centre is the largest in Australia and has over 240 shops.

ALICE SPRINGS, AUSTRALIA

Alice Springs is situated in Australia’s Northern Territory and is a remote town. There is so much to experience in Alice Springs such as going quad biking, going on hot air balloons, camel tours, mountain bike tours and buggy thrill rides. The National Road Transport Hall of Fame has various vehicles that made its construction and thriving construction. This is one of the most far reaching collections of trucks, trains and cars in Australia.

It is a variant and resourceful mixture of machines on both wheel and rails that are all remarkably well documented and organised making an educational experience fascinating. The Red Ochre Grill Restaurant serves authentic Australian seafood, game meat, bush food and regional cuisine. Another Australian cuisine is with traditional native berries, fruits and the best Australian wines and beers. Casa Nostra Restaurant has the best signature vanilla sliced desserts which are pre-ordered.

MOUNT GAMBIER, AUSTRALIA

Mount Gambier is located in South Australia. Mount Gambier is famous for its Blue Lake. This lake is said to be the only lake in the world which dramatically changes colour in that way. The Sunken Garden was at one point a cave formed through a dissolution of limestone and was created when the top of the chamber had collapsed downwards. The Centenary Tower is 190 metres above sea level with an amazing view of the lakes and the city.

The tower also displays old photographs of the lakes area. Inside the Tantanoola cave is a myriad of amazing colours. Port MacDonnell is a seaport where you can go fishing and has a range of nautical sights. You can go on a cruise or canoe trip at the Glenelg River and booking in advance is highly recommended. The Apple Farm Gardens tea rooms with apple orchard and grape vines where you can pick grapes and apples during their season.

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA

Townsville is located in the dry tropical region on the north-eastern coast of Queensland. The Town Common Conservation Park is a large natural display of a wildlife environment which has not been altered in any way and is close to a city. The park has about 280 species of bird life.

The Stage Door Theatre Restaurant hosts great comedy shows if you would like to have a night of laughter. To witness the popular cane toads race, visit the Arcadia Island Tavern on Wednesday evenings at 8pm. There are large fig trees in which you can buy the most delicious, creamy and freshly made ice cream in several different flavours. The Paleo Café is big on breakfast. They serve delicious smashed avocado on toast, wholesome and organic foods. They cater for both vegetarians and meat eaters offering fresh salads, smoothies, acai bowls.