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.
307 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Old Petrie Town is a heritage precinct in Brisbane's northern suburbs, preserving historical buildings and rural Queensland character. The site functions as an open-air museum and community gathering place, showcasing relocated and restored structures from the region's pioneering era.
Orleigh Park is a public park situated in the inner-western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland. It occupies a riverside position along the Brisbane River within the West End locality.
Palm Beach is a coastal suburb and beach at the northern end of Sydney's Northern Beaches peninsula. A narrow isthmus places the Pacific Ocean on one side and Pittwater on the other, giving the area two contrasting waterfronts.
Pine Rivers Heritage Museum preserves the local story of the Pine Rivers region in Brisbane's northern suburbs.
Point Walter Reserve is a broad riverside recreation area in Bicton, on the southern bank of the Swan River in Perth.
Port Melbourne Beach is a broad Port Phillip Bay shoreline where sand, palms, suburban streets and working maritime infrastructure meet. Its setting is shaped by Station Pier, Beach Street, heritage buildings and the active Port Melbourne waterfront.
QUT Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located in Brisbane, Queensland. It forms part of the Queensland University of Technology's cultural precinct at Gardens Point campus.
Rose Bay Beach is a harbour beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, facing the waters of Port Jackson. It offers a coastal pause within the metropolitan city, with space for swimming, walking, and relaxing beside the harbour.
The Round House is the oldest surviving public building in Western Australia, constructed in 1830-1831 shortly after the Swan River Colony was established.
Scarborough Beach Park is a coastal parkland in the Brisbane metropolitan area, situated within the Moreton Bay Region. The park takes its name from Scarborough Beach, a sandy foreshore on the Redcliffe Peninsula facing Moreton Bay.
Scitech is a science discovery centre located in Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an educational and interactive attraction designed to engage visitors with scientific concepts through hands-on exhibits and experiences.
Seven Hills Bushland Reserve is a protected natural area within the Brisbane metropolitan region. It forms part of the city's network of bushland reserves managed for conservation and passive recreation.
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 / 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.
Wadjemup Museum is a cultural museum on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island, reached from Perth by ferry. It occupies a heritage building connected with the island’s former prison period.
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.
The WA Shipwrecks Museum is a maritime heritage institution operated by the Western Australian Museum. It is located in Fremantle, the port city of the Perth metropolitan area.
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.
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.
_as_seen_from_the_rooftop_of_Shrine_of_Remembrance.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
