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
Royal National Park is a large protected landscape on Sydney’s southern edge, stretching between eucalyptus forest, sandstone country, coastal heath and the Pacific shoreline. Established in 1879, it is recognised as one of the world’s oldest national parks.
Royal Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is a major botanical garden occupying a prominent harbourside position in the Sydney central business district.
Hyde Park is a 16-hectare public park in the centre of Sydney, stretching between the city’s museum and civic precincts. Governor Macquarie proclaimed and named it in 1810, and the City of Sydney identifies it as Australia’s oldest park.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a protected national park located north of Sydney. It encompasses significant natural landscapes including bushland, waterways, and Aboriginal heritage sites.
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
City Botanic Gardens is a historic riverside botanic garden in Brisbane. The current curated ranking identifies the exact production place and prioritises it for garden paths, mature planting, lawns, and a river-edge setting beside central Brisbane.
Kamay Botany Bay National Park protects coastal landscapes and culturally significant places around Botany Bay in Sydney. Its two principal visitor areas are Kurnell and La Perouse.
John Forrest National Park is a protected bushland area in Perth’s Darling Range, offering a close-to-the-city escape into jarrah and marri forest. Established in 1900, it is one of Western Australia’s oldest national parks.
The Chinese Garden of Friendship is a traditional Chinese garden located in Sydney. It was established as a symbol of friendship between Sydney and its sister city in China, Guangzhou.
Fitzroy Gardens is a historic public garden in Melbourne, Victoria, situated on the city's eastern fringe near the central business district.
Anzac Square
ANZAC Square is a war memorial and public park in central Brisbane, Queensland. It commemorates Australian and New Zealand Army Corps personnel who served in conflicts.
Manly Beach is a broad ocean beach reached through the Manly peninsula, combining surf frontage with a harbour-to-ocean visitor route.
Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens
Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha is a major botanical garden located in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland. It serves as Brisbane's premier botanical collection and is distinct from the city's other green spaces.
Bondi Beach is Sydney’s broad, crescent-shaped Pacific shoreline, where a long sweep of sand meets surf, sandstone headlands and the busy Bondi promenade.
Stirling Gardens is a public garden and recognised heritage landmark in central Perth, Western Australia. It contributes to the city’s network of green spaces and offers a quieter setting within the metropolitan centre.
Treasury Gardens is a public park in Melbourne, Victoria. It sits adjacent to the Treasury Building on Spring Street, near the eastern edge of the central business district.
Fort Lytton National Park is a heritage-listed military precinct located at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Established in 1881, the site served as Brisbane's principal coastal defence fortification until the end of World War II.
Adelaide Himeji Japanese Garden
Adelaide Himeji Garden is a Japanese-style garden in Adelaide, South Australia. It was established as a symbol of the sister-city relationship between Adelaide and Himeji, Japan.
Araluen Botanic Park is a botanic garden in a sheltered Darling Range valley east of Perth. Its terraced gardens, heritage character and cooler microclimate create a garden experience distinct from the warmer coastal plain.
Cottesloe Beach is a coastal beach located in the western suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It sits along the Indian Ocean shoreline and forms part of the metropolitan area's beach network.
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.
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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