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.
110 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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.
Bicton Baths is a riverside swimming facility in Bicton, on Perth's Swan River. It belongs to the tradition of enclosed river swimming places that make the metropolitan foreshore distinctive.
Coogee Beach is a sandy ocean beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, facing the Tasman Sea. It is a straightforward place for swimming, sunbathing, shoreline walks and relaxed coastal views.
Edinburgh Gardens is a public park in Fitzroy North, in Melbourne’s inner north. The gardens form a large recreational green space within the City of Yarra and offer a distinctly local way to experience the suburb.
Esplanade Park
Esplanade Park Fremantle is a public park in Fremantle, the historic port city within the Perth metropolitan area of Western Australia. It sits near the waterfront and forms part of the recreational landscape around Fremantle’s maritime district.
Point Cook Coastal Park is a coastal park located in the south-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The park encompasses significant areas of remnant native grassland, wetland habitats, and coastline along Port Phillip Bay.
Rocks Riverside Park is a public park in Brisbane, Queensland. The park sits along the Brisbane River and provides open space for recreation and leisure.
Tamarama Beach is a compact crescent on Sydney’s eastern suburbs coast, positioned between Bondi Beach and Bronte Beach. Steep sandstone headlands press close around the sand, making the Pacific feel immediate and powerful.
Veale Gardens is a public garden space located in Adelaide, South Australia. It forms part of the broader Adelaide Park Lands system that encircles the city centre.
Moort-ak Waadiny / Wellington Square
Wellington Square is a public urban green space in Perth, Western Australia. It offers a simple pause within the city, with open outdoor space suited to a short walk, quiet rest, or a meeting point between central destinations.
Westgate Park is an open space in western Melbourne beside the West Gate Bridge. Its setting combines riverside and estuarine landscape with the immense scale of major transport infrastructure overhead.
Catani Gardens is a public garden space located in the St Kilda area of Melbourne, Victoria.
Rottnest Island, also known as Wadjemup, is a Class A Reserve off the Western Australian coast.
Kings Park and Botanic Garden is a major parkland in Perth, Western Australia. It occupies a prominent position on the western edge of the central business district, overlooking the Swan River.
William Ricketts Sanctuary is a cultural and spiritual attraction in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne. It preserves the sculptural work of William Ricketts, an Australian potter and sculptor who created clay figures integrated into the natural forest environment.
Barangaroo Reserve
Barangaroo Reserve is a landscaped harbour headland built around sandstone terraces, foreshore paths, and views across western Sydney Harbour.
Blaxland Riverside Park is a public park situated along the Parramatta River in Sydney. It forms part of the broader Sydney Olympic Park precinct, developed from the site of the 2000 Olympic Games.
Clovelly Beach is a compact coastal inlet in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Its narrow, channel-like shape differs from a broad surf beach: concrete platforms and promenades follow rocky edges around the water.
Elwood Beach is a sandy coastal area located within the broader Melbourne metropolitan region. Positioned on Port Phillip Bay, it forms part of the continuous shoreline that serves both recreational and residential functions for the city.
Nudgee Beach is a coastal locality and beach area within the greater Brisbane metropolitan region in Queensland, Australia. It sits on the shores of Moreton Bay, forming part of the city's north-eastern coastline.
Scarborough Beach is a prominent coastal destination within the Perth metropolitan area, located along the Indian Ocean shoreline. The beach forms part of the broader Scarborough precinct, which has undergone significant redevelopment in recent decades.
Trigg Beach is a northern Perth beach on the Indian Ocean, known for its sandy shore, exposed reef and surf breaks. It suits travellers seeking an active metropolitan coast: swimming, surfing, walking and watching waves all belong naturally here.
Victorian State Rose Garden
Victoria State Rose Garden is a horticultural attraction in the Melbourne area, centred on curated rose plantings maintained for public appreciation and botanical interest.
The Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary is a protected marine area located in the Port River and Barker Inlet region north of Adelaide's central business district.
Albert Park Lake is a large artificial lake situated within Albert Park, approximately three kilometres south of Melbourne's central business district. The lake forms the centrepiece of a broader parkland area that serves multiple recreational and sporting functions.
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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