A photograph of Australia

Country guide

1 to 2 hours in Australia — page 3

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

50,740 Places
5Cities

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

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
English is the principal language; no federal official language
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+61
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Australian dollar (AUD)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
000
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type I · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Safe from treated public supplies
Follow local notices in remote communities and after disruptions

Planning a visit

Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.

  1. January: seasonal closure recorded
  2. February: seasonal closure recorded
  3. March: seasonal closure recorded
  4. April: seasonal closure recorded
  5. May: seasonal closure recorded
  6. June: seasonal closure recorded
  7. July: no seasonality data recorded
  8. August: no seasonality data recorded
  9. September: no seasonality data recorded — this month
  10. October: no seasonality data recorded
  11. November: seasonal closure recorded
  12. December: seasonal closure recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. RAAF Museum RAAF Museum
    51 1 hr 30 min

    RAAF Museum

    RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force at Point Cook, southwest of Melbourne. It presents Australian military aviation history on a site recognised as the birthplace of the Royal Australian Air Force.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Melbourne
  2. South Australian Aviation Museum South Australian Aviation Museum
    52 1 hr 30 min

    South Australian Aviation Museum

    The South Australian Aviation Museum is a heritage aviation museum located within the Adelaide Park Lands. It preserves and displays aircraft and aviation artifacts significant to South Australia's aerospace history.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Adelaide
  3. ACMI ACMI
    53 1 hr 30 min

    ACMI

    ACMI is Melbourne’s museum of screen culture, focused on the moving image rather than a general museum collection. Its identity is built around film, television, videogames and the ways people create, watch and interact with screen media.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Melbourne
  4. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
    54 1 hr 30 min

    Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

    Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a dedicated Australian wildlife sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket, reached from Brisbane rather than encountered in the city centre.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Brisbane
  5. National Railway Museum National Railway Museum
    55 1 hr 30 min

    National Railway Museum

    National Rail Museum

    The National Railway Museum is a railway heritage museum located in the Adelaide metropolitan area of South Australia. It preserves and displays Australia's railway history through locomotives, carriages, and associated artefacts.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Adelaide
  6. South Australian Maritime Museum South Australian Maritime Museum
    56 1 hr 30 min

    South Australian Maritime Museum

    The South Australian Maritime Museum is a cultural institution in Adelaide dedicated to the maritime heritage of South Australia.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Adelaide
  7. Koorie Heritage Trust Koorie Heritage Trust
    57 1 hr 30 min

    Koorie Heritage Trust

    Koorie Heritage Trust is an Aboriginal cultural centre in Melbourne dedicated to preserving and sharing the living culture of south-eastern Australia’s First Peoples. It offers travellers a place to encounter Koorie heritage through collections, exhibitions and cultural programming.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Melbourne
  8. Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying
    58 1 hr 30 min

    Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying

    The Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying is a specialist museum in Brisbane dedicated to the history of land administration, cartography, and surveying in Queensland.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Brisbane
  9. Melbourne Aquarium Melbourne Aquarium
    59 1 hr 30 min

    Melbourne Aquarium

    SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

    SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is a marine life attraction situated in central Melbourne. The facility presents aquatic environments and marine species to visitors seeking engagement with underwater ecosystems.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Melbourne
  10. Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology
    60 1 hr 30 min

    Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology

    The Abbey Museum of Art & Archaeology

    The Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology is a cultural institution in the Greater Brisbane region, dedicated to collecting and displaying art and archaeological artefacts.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Brisbane
  11. Brisbane Tramway Museum Brisbane Tramway Museum
    61 1 hr 30 min

    Brisbane Tramway Museum

    The Brisbane Tramway Museum is a heritage transport museum located in the Brisbane metropolitan area. It preserves and operates historic tramcars that once served the city of Brisbane.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Brisbane
  12. Queensland Maritime Museum Queensland Maritime Museum
    62 1 hr 30 min

    Queensland Maritime Museum

    The Queensland Maritime Museum is a maritime heritage institution located in Brisbane. It occupies a site at the South Brisbane Dry Dock on the Brisbane River.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Brisbane
  13. Sea Life Sydney Aquarium Sea Life Sydney Aquarium
    63 1 hr 30 min

    Sea Life Sydney Aquarium

    SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

    SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is a large public aquarium situated in Darling Harbour, a waterfront entertainment precinct in central Sydney.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Sydney
  14. Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
    64 1 hr 30 min

    Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute

    Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute stands as a dedicated Aboriginal cultural centre in Adelaide, South Australia. The institution serves as a gallery and performance space focused on promoting contemporary and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Adelaide
  15. Adelaide Zoo Adelaide Zoo
    65 1 hr 30 min

    Adelaide Zoo

    Adelaide Zoo is a zoological garden in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1883, it is Australia's second oldest zoo and occupies land near the River Torrens.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Adelaide
  16. Perth Zoo Perth Zoo
    66 1 hr 30 min

    Perth Zoo

    Perth Zoo is a zoological park located in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1898, it occupies a position along the Swan River in the suburb of South Perth.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Perth
  17. Aviation Heritage Museum Aviation Heritage Museum
    67 1 hr 30 min

    Aviation Heritage Museum

    Aviation Heritage Museum is a Perth museum devoted to aviation history, aircraft preservation and the material culture of flight. It gives visitors a concentrated way to explore aerospace heritage through preserved aircraft, equipment and related objects.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Perth
  18. Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park
    68 1 hr 30 min

    Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park

    Featherdale Wildlife Park

    Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park is a wildlife park located in the Greater Sydney region, offering visitors opportunities to encounter native Australian animals. The facility focuses on Australian fauna including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, and various bird species.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Sydney
  19. Claremont Museum Claremont Museum
    69 1 hr 30 min

    Claremont Museum

    Freshwater Bay Museum

    Claremont Museum is a local heritage museum in Perth’s western suburbs. Its focus is the history of Claremont and the surrounding community, presented through artefacts, documents, photographs, and stories connected with the district.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Perth
  20. Wireless Hill Museum Wireless Hill Museum
    70 1 hr 30 min

    Wireless Hill Museum

    Wireless Hill Museum stands in the Wireless Hill Park area of Applecross and explores the history of early wireless communication.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Perth
  21. Wild Life Sydney Wild Life Sydney
    71 1 hr 30 min

    Wild Life Sydney

    WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo

    WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo is a wildlife attraction located in the Darling Harbour precinct of Sydney. The facility presents Australian native animals in themed habitat zones designed for visitor engagement and education.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Sydney
  22. Sydney Zoo Sydney Zoo
    72 1 hr 30 min

    Sydney Zoo

    Sydney Zoo is a zoological park in the Sydney metropolitan area, designed around animal exhibits, wildlife education, and conservation engagement. It gives visitors a dedicated setting for seeing animals while learning about the natural world.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Sydney
  23. Gorge Wildlife Park Gorge Wildlife Park
    73 1 hr 30 min

    Gorge Wildlife Park

    Gorge Wildlife Park is a privately operated wildlife attraction in Adelaide’s hills, east of the central business district.

    • Notable
    • Family attraction
    • Adelaide
  24. Aquarium of Western Australia Aquarium of Western Australia
    74 1 hr 30 min

    Aquarium of Western Australia

    AQWA – The Aquarium of Western Australia

    AQWA - The Aquarium of Western Australia is a large-scale marine aquarium located in the Perth metropolitan area.

    • Notable
    • Family attraction
    • Perth
  25. Sydney Action Park Sydney Action Park
    75 2 hours

    Sydney Action Park

    Raging Waters Sydney

    Raging Waters Sydney is a commercial outdoor water park in the greater Sydney region. It is designed around water-based recreation, giving visitors a destination for swimming, slides, and active leisure during suitable seasonal conditions.

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Sydney

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Australia be?

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.

What entry documents are needed for Australia?

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.

What is the best way to travel around Australia?

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.

When is a practical time to visit Australia?

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.

What money and payment basics apply in Australia?

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.

What practical safety details should I save for Australia?

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.