A photograph of Australia

Country guide

Up to 1 hour in Australia — page 6

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. Brownhill Creek Recreation Park Brownhill Creek Recreation Park
    107 1 hour

    Brownhill Creek Recreation Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Adelaide
  2. Hallett Cove Conservation Park Hallett Cove Conservation Park
    108 1 hour

    Hallett Cove Conservation Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Adelaide
  3. Marino Conservation Park Marino Conservation Park
    109 1 hour

    Marino Conservation Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Adelaide
  4. Morialta Conservation Park Morialta Conservation Park
    110 1 hour

    Morialta Conservation Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Adelaide
  5. Roma Street Parkland Roma Street Parkland
    111 1 hour

    Roma Street Parkland

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Brisbane
  6. Supreme Court Gardens Supreme Court Gardens
    112 1 hour

    Supreme Court Gardens

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Perth
  7. Williamstown Botanic Gardens Williamstown Botanic Gardens
    113 1 hour

    Williamstown Botanic Gardens

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Melbourne
  8. National Wine Centre of Australia National Wine Centre of Australia
    114 45 min

    National Wine Centre of Australia

    The National Wine Centre of Australia is a visitor attraction in Adelaide dedicated to showcasing Australian wine culture and industry.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Adelaide
  9. Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane
    115 45 min

    Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane

    Shrine of Remembrance

    The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial located in Brisbane, Queensland. It stands as a commemorative structure dedicated to honoring military personnel who served and sacrificed in armed conflicts.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Brisbane
  10. State Brickworks Homebush Bay State Brickworks Homebush Bay
    116 45 min

    State Brickworks Homebush Bay

    Brickpit Ring Walk

    Brickpit Ring Walk is an elevated circular walkway over a former industrial brickpit in Sydney. The route lets visitors look down into the excavated landscape while remaining on a maintained structure above it.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Sydney
  11. Streets Beach Streets Beach
    117 45 min

    Streets Beach

    Streets Beach is an artificial swimming beach in South Bank Parklands, a rare city-centre lagoon where sand, water and Brisbane’s urban skyline meet.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Brisbane
  12. Werribee Park Mansion Werribee Park Mansion
    118 45 min

    Werribee Park Mansion

    Werribee Park Mansion is an Italianate-style nineteenth-century mansion in the western part of Greater Melbourne. Built in the 1870s, it reflects the wealth of Victoria’s pastoral era and stands at the center of the wider Werribee Park precinct.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Melbourne
  13. Woodbridge Woodbridge
    119 45 min

    Woodbridge

    Woodbridge House

    Woodbridge House is a heritage property in the Perth metropolitan area, representing nineteenth-century domestic architecture and the region's colonial settlement history.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Perth
  14. Block Arcade Block Arcade
    120 45 min

    Block Arcade

    The Block Arcade is a historic shopping arcade in Melbourne, Victoria. It opened in 1892 and represents a significant example of late Victorian architecture in Australia.

    • High
    • Market
    • Melbourne
  15. Bicton Baths Bicton Baths
    121 1 hour

    Bicton Baths

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Perth
  16. Coogee Beach Coogee Beach
    122 1 hour

    Coogee Beach

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Sydney
  17. Edinburgh Gardens Edinburgh Gardens
    123 1 hour

    Edinburgh Gardens

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Melbourne
  18. Esplanade Park, Fremantle Esplanade Park, Fremantle
    124 1 hour

    Esplanade Park, Fremantle

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Perth
  19. Point Cook Coastal Park Point Cook Coastal Park
    125 1 hour

    Point Cook Coastal Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Melbourne
  20. Rocks Riverside Park Rocks Riverside Park
    126 1 hour

    Rocks Riverside Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Brisbane
  21. Tamarama Beach Tamarama Beach
    127 1 hour

    Tamarama Beach

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Sydney
  22. Veale Gardens Veale Gardens
    128 1 hour

    Veale Gardens

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Adelaide
  23. Wellington Square Wellington Square
    129 1 hour

    Wellington Square

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Perth
  24. Westgate Park Westgate Park
    130 1 hour

    Westgate Park

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Melbourne
  25. Catani Gardens Catani Gardens
    131 1 hour

    Catani Gardens

    Catani Gardens is a public garden space located in the St Kilda area of Melbourne, Victoria.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Melbourne

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.