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.
219 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Shark Island is a small harbour island within Sydney Harbour National Park. Its name refers to historical maritime associations, while the visitor experience centres on vegetation, rocky shoreline, picnic areas and views across the harbour.
Story Bridge is Brisbane’s 1,072-metre steel road bridge across the Brisbane River, linking the central city side with Kangaroo Point.
Sydney Fish Market is a working seafood market and visitor destination near Blackwattle Bay in Sydney. Fishmongers, retailers and food vendors serve local shoppers and travellers looking for fresh seafood or prepared meals.
Sydney Tower Eye is Sydney’s elevated observation attraction, reached through Westfield Sydney in the central business district.
Tangalooma Wrecks is a collection of deliberately sunk vessels located off the coast of Moreton Island, near Brisbane. These shipwrecks were scuttled to create a breakwall for small boats and have since become a significant marine attraction.
Thorndon Park is a public green space in Adelaide, South Australia, within the metropolitan area. Its defining experience is an outdoor pause among open landscape and greenery, with the atmosphere of a shared urban park rather than an enclosed attraction.
Victoria Square/Tartanyangga
Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga is a public square located in the central business district of Adelaide, South Australia. The dual name reflects both its colonial designation and its Kaurna name, acknowledging the area's Indigenous heritage.
Watsons Bay is a harbourside suburb and visitor destination in eastern Sydney, New South Wales. It sits at the southern head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour, offering views across the water to the North Head.
West Head Lookout is a scenic vantage point in Sydney, positioned within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on the city's northern peninsula. The lookout offers panoramic views across Broken Bay, Pittwater, and toward the Central Coast.
Williamstown Beach is a sandy bay beach on the northern shore of Port Phillip Bay, southwest of Melbourne's central business district.
Yarra Bend Park is a large natural parkland along the Yarra River within Melbourne. The park gives a visitor a riverside landscape close to the city’s urban setting, with open space, established vegetation and room for self-directed outdoor time.
HMAS Diamantina, named after the Diamantina River in Queensland, is a River-class frigate built by Walkers Limited in Maryborough, launched on 6 April 1944 and commissioned on 27 April 1945.
The Ascot Brick Works, officially the Old Bristile Kilns, is a heritage-listed former brickworks at 197 Grandstand Road, Ascot, opposite Ascot Racecourse.
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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