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
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
12 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
St John's Cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane and an active parish church, not a former monument opened only for sightseeing.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
St Patrick's Cathedral is a major Roman Catholic landmark in Melbourne and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Its Gothic Revival design gives the building a strong architectural presence within the city centre.
St Mary's Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral is Sydney's active Catholic cathedral and the seat of its archbishop, facing Hyde Park rather than tucked away in a museum precinct.
Saint Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is a major Anglican cathedral located in the heart of Melbourne, near the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets.
St Peter’s Cathedral
St Peter's Cathedral is a prominent Anglican cathedral in Adelaide, South Australia. It serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Adelaide and stands as a significant religious and architectural landmark within the metropolitan area.
Good Shepherd Chapel
Abbotsford Convent is a heritage-listed multi-use precinct occupying former convent grounds in Melbourne's inner north-east. The site encompasses multiple nineteenth-century buildings set within substantial gardens along the Yarra River.
Saint George's Cathedral
St George's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in central Perth, Western Australia, and the principal place of worship for the Anglican Diocese of Perth. It is both an active religious building and a recognised metropolitan landmark.
The Garrison Church, also known as Holy Trinity Anglican Church, is a heritage-listed active Anglican church on Argyle Street at the edge of Millers Point in inner Sydney.
Shrine of Saint Anne Catholic Church
St Anne's Church, also known as St Anne's Shrine, is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church in North Bondi, in Sydney's Waverley Municipality.
Yiu Ming Temple is a heritage-listed Chinese temple at 16–22 Retreat Street, Alexandria, an inner suburb of Sydney.
St Maroun's Cathedral
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
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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