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.
109 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Fort Glanville Conservation Park is a heritage-listed site in Adelaide, South Australia, preserving a 19th-century coastal fortification. The park contains the remains of Fort Glanville, constructed as part of colonial Australia's defensive network against potential maritime threats.
New Farm Park is a public park in Brisbane, situated in the inner suburb of New Farm. The park occupies a prominent riverside position along the Brisbane River, making it one of the city's more notable green spaces.
Rippon Lea Estate is a heritage property in Melbourne’s Ripponlea suburb, combining a nineteenth-century mansion with extensive pleasure gardens.
Adelaide Botanic Gardens
Adelaide Botanic Garden is a major public garden in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1855, it occupies a significant site on the edge of the city centre.
Belair National Park is a protected area within the greater Adelaide metropolitan region, managed by the South Australian Department for Environment and Water. Established in 1891, it holds distinction as one of Australia's oldest national parks.
Organ Pipes National Park is a protected natural area in Melbourne’s north-west, centred on a striking formation of basalt columns beside Jacksons Creek. Ancient volcanic activity shaped the dark, closely packed pillars that give the park its name.
South Bank Parklands is Brisbane’s riverside public parkland on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, beside the city’s cultural precinct.
Sherwood Arboretum is a public park and botanical collection in the Sherwood suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Established in the 1920s, it occupies riverside land along the Brisbane River.
Bathers Beach is a coastal area in Fremantle, the port city at the mouth of the Swan River within the greater Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia.
Anstey Hill Recreation Park is a protected natural area in the Adelaide metropolitan region, managed by the South Australian Department for Environment and Water through the Parks SA network.
Bronte Beach is a coastal beach within the Sydney metropolitan area, located in the eastern suburbs. It forms part of the sequence of beaches along Sydney's southeastern coastline.
Marmion Marine Park is a protected marine area located off the coast of Perth, Western Australia. Established to conserve marine ecosystems, the park encompasses coastal waters, reefs, and islands that support diverse marine life.
Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is a botanical garden situated in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. It forms part of the network of botanic gardens managed under the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia.
Royal Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is Melbourne Gardens, a living botanical landscape beside the city centre rather than a single indoor attraction. Its identity comes from planted collections, lawns, lakes and winding paths that make the garden itself the experience.
St Kilda Beach is a sandy beach located in the inner-southern suburb of St Kilda, approximately six kilometres from Melbourne's central business district.
Davies Park is a public park in Brisbane, Queensland, managed by Brisbane City Council. It serves as recreational green space within the metropolitan area and is included in curated visitor rankings for the city.
Birrarung Marr is a public park in Melbourne situated along the Yarra River. Its name derives from Woiwurrung language, with Birrarung meaning river of mists and Marr referring to the side of the river.
Black Hill Conservation Park is a protected natural area within the Adelaide metropolitan region. The park forms part of the Mount Lofty Ranges and serves as a significant conservation reserve preserving native vegetation and providing habitat for local wildlife.
Brownhill Creek Recreation Park is a public park situated within the Adelaide Park Lands system. It occupies a portion of the extensive Park Lands that encircle the central business district of Adelaide, South Australia.
Hallett Cove Conservation Park is a protected coastal reserve in the Adelaide metropolitan area, South Australia. The park preserves significant geological formations and Aboriginal cultural heritage along the shoreline of Gulf St Vincent.
Marino Conservation Park is a compact coastal reserve in metropolitan Adelaide, 18 km south of the city. It protects native vegetation while remaining accessible from surrounding streets and the Seaford railway corridor.
Morialta Conservation Park protects a steep gorge landscape in the Adelaide Hills, about 10 kilometres northeast of central Adelaide. Fourth Creek, rocky cliffs, eucalypt woodland and seasonal waterfalls create a substantial bushland destination close to the city.
Roma Street Parklands
Roma Street Parklands is a landscaped urban parkland in central Brisbane, immediately beside Roma Street station and the Brisbane Coach Terminal. Its character comes from connected planted areas, lawns, paths, hillside levels, the Spectacle Garden and the Rainforest Walk.
Supreme Court Gardens is a public garden in central Perth, Western Australia, beside the Supreme Court of Western Australia. The garden forms part of a significant civic and heritage precinct within the city’s central business district.
Williamstown Botanic Gardens is a historic public garden in Melbourne's western suburb of Williamstown. Its nineteenth-century origins and Victorian landscape character make it a calm counterpoint to the waterfront's maritime attractions.
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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