Country guide
Australia covers 7,688,287 km², sixth largest in the world, and close to 4,000 km separate its east coast from its west. Nearly 28 million people live here, abo...
Photograph · Corey Leopold · CC BY 2.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Australia covers 7,688,287 km², sixth largest in the world, and close to 4,000 km separate its east coast from its west. Nearly 28 million people live here, about 80 per cent of them within 25 km of a mainland coastline 35,821 km long — which is the fact that governs any trip taken across it. The cities form a rim around an interior that stays largely empty; Sydney and Melbourne pass five million each, and Canberra, the capital, is neither of them. Six states and ten territories, and a sensible visit chooses two of them rather than the map.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Shkuru Afshar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Chris Olszewski · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Samuel Wiki · CC BY 4.0
Photograph · Photograph by Doug Barber · CC BY-SA 3.0
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
53 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Cleveland Point Lighthouse
Cleveland Point Lighthouse is a navigational aid structure located at Cleveland Point in the Brisbane metropolitan area. The lighthouse sits within the broader network of parks and gardens that characterise Brisbane's coastal and riverside landscape.
Hart's Mill is a historic industrial site located in Port Adelaide, South Australia. The building represents an important part of the region's maritime and milling heritage, situated within the Port Adelaide area that has undergone significant revitalisation.
Montsalvat is an artists' colony and cultural precinct located in Eltham, within the greater Melbourne metropolitan area. Established in the 1930s, it occupies a distinctive hillside property that has served as a creative community for multiple generations.
The Bell Tower
The Bell Tower is a landmark structure in Perth, Western Australia. It houses the Swan Bells, a set of eighteen bells from St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London.
The National Wine Centre of Australia is a visitor attraction in Adelaide dedicated to showcasing Australian wine culture and industry.
Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial located in Brisbane, Queensland. It stands as a commemorative structure dedicated to honoring military personnel who served and sacrificed in armed conflicts.
Brickpit Ring Walk
Brickpit Ring Walk is an elevated circular walkway over a former industrial brickpit in Sydney. The route lets visitors look down into the excavated landscape while remaining on a maintained structure above it.
Streets Beach is an artificial swimming beach in South Bank Parklands, a rare city-centre lagoon where sand, water and Brisbane’s urban skyline meet.
Werribee Park Mansion is an Italianate-style nineteenth-century mansion in the western part of Greater Melbourne. Built in the 1870s, it reflects the wealth of Victoria’s pastoral era and stands at the center of the wider Werribee Park precinct.
Woodbridge House
Woodbridge House is a heritage property in the Perth metropolitan area, representing nineteenth-century domestic architecture and the region's colonial settlement history.
Bare Island Fort is a preserved coastal defence structure on a rocky island in Botany Bay, reached from La Perouse by a narrow causeway. Built in the late nineteenth century, it forms part of Sydney’s military and maritime heritage.
Centre Place is a narrow pedestrian laneway in central Melbourne, running between Flinders Lane and Collins Street.
The Clipper Ship City of Adelaide is a historic sailing vessel and museum ship located in Port Adelaide, South Australia.
Eureka Skydeck, locally known as Melbourne Skydeck, is a prominent observation deck and visitor destination in Melbourne. It offers elevated city views from one of Australia's tallest buildings.
North Head Sanctuary is a protected coastal headland area located at the northern entrance to Sydney Harbour. The site forms part of the traditional lands of the Gayamagal people and holds significant Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Old Petrie Town is a heritage precinct in Brisbane's northern suburbs, preserving historical buildings and rural Queensland character. The site functions as an open-air museum and community gathering place, showcasing relocated and restored structures from the region's pioneering era.
The Round House is the oldest surviving public building in Western Australia, constructed in 1830-1831 shortly after the Swan River Colony was established.
Shark Island is a small harbour island within Sydney Harbour National Park. Its name refers to historical maritime associations, while the visitor experience centres on vegetation, rocky shoreline, picnic areas and views across the harbour.
Story Bridge is Brisbane’s 1,072-metre steel road bridge across the Brisbane River, linking the central city side with Kangaroo Point.
Tangalooma Wrecks is a collection of deliberately sunk vessels located off the coast of Moreton Island, near Brisbane. These shipwrecks were scuttled to create a breakwall for small boats and have since become a significant marine attraction.
Ten to fourteen days should cover one coast, one city pair or one city plus a nearby landscape, not the continent. Sydney and Melbourne can share a southeastern route; Perth, the tropical north and the Red Centre each demand separate flights and more time.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs is the authority for Visitor visas and electronic travel permissions. Select the product for the passport and purpose, complete required declarations, and remember that visa approval does not remove Australia’s strict biosecurity obligations.
Flights are usually the efficient link between distant states. Rail and coaches serve selected corridors, cars become important outside cities, and urban fare cards are local rather than national; remote drives require fuel, water, communications and realistic distance planning.
Australia’s seasons and hazards vary dramatically by latitude. Southern-city summers, tropical dry seasons and Red Centre heat create different windows, so choose dates for the selected region and check official fire, cyclone or flood advice before road travel.
The Australian dollar is the sole recorded currency. Contactless payment is common, but remote roadhouses and small services justify a backup card or cash; check surcharges at the point of sale and budget fuel around long gaps rather than metropolitan prices.
Use 000 for urgent police, fire or ambulance assistance; Australia uses Type I power at 230 V. Treated public tap supplies are recorded as safe, but remote-site notices take precedence, and travellers should save the state emergency service relevant to their route.
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