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
The Perth Mint is a heritage precious metals refining facility and tourist attraction in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1899 as a branch of Britain's Royal Mint, it originally struck gold sovereigns from Western Australian gold rush output.
Royal National Park is a large protected landscape on Sydney’s southern edge, stretching between eucalyptus forest, sandstone country, coastal heath and the Pacific shoreline. Established in 1879, it is recognised as one of the world’s oldest national parks.
The Australian Museum is Sydney’s natural-history and cultural museum on William Street, opposite Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral. Its collections and exhibitions connect Australian wildlife, geology and biodiversity with First Nations cultural material.
Hyde Park Barracks is a historic Georgian building on Macquarie Street beside Hyde Park in central Sydney. Built in the early nineteenth century, it first housed transported convicts and later served as an immigration depot and government offices.
Cook's Cottage is a historic building in Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens. It was built in 1755 in Great Ayton, Yorkshire, England, then dismantled, shipped to Australia and rebuilt in Melbourne in 1934.
Perth Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the Perth metropolitan area. The facility serves as a centre for public astronomy education and stargazing experiences.
Royal Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is a major botanical garden occupying a prominent harbourside position in the Sydney central business district.
The Shrine of Remembrance is Melbourne’s principal war memorial, set on St Kilda Road with a deliberate architectural presence above the surrounding parkland.
The Mint
The Mint is a heritage building in Sydney associated with Australia’s colonial period and the early development of the city. Its sandstone construction reflects the architectural character of historic Sydney.
Fremantle Prison stands as a former Australian convict establishment in Fremantle, the port city of Perth.
Hyde Park is a 16-hectare public park in the centre of Sydney, stretching between the city’s museum and civic precincts. Governor Macquarie proclaimed and named it in 1810, and the City of Sydney identifies it as Australia’s oldest park.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a protected national park located north of Sydney. It encompasses significant natural landscapes including bushland, waterways, and Aboriginal heritage sites.
Polly Woodside is a historic iron-hulled sailing ship preserved as a maritime heritage attraction in Melbourne. Built in 1885 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the vessel operated as a cargo ship for decades before retirement.
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
City Botanic Gardens is a historic riverside botanic garden in Brisbane. The current curated ranking identifies the exact production place and prioritises it for garden paths, mature planting, lawns, and a river-edge setting beside central Brisbane.
Sydney Observatory is a heritage astronomical observatory and museum located in The Rocks area of Sydney. Established in 1858, it occupies a prominent position on Observatory Hill near the harbour.
Kamay Botany Bay National Park protects coastal landscapes and culturally significant places around Botany Bay in Sydney. Its two principal visitor areas are Kurnell and La Perouse.
Melbourne Museum is a large museum in Carlton where natural history, social history and cultural material share one visitor complex.
Old Melbourne Gaol is a preserved former prison in central Melbourne where the building carries as much meaning as the displays.
Darling Harbour is Sydney’s waterfront public precinct around Cockle Bay, where a broad promenade connects working harbour views with pedestrian bridges, Tumbalong Park, Darling Quarter, museums and event venues.
Arts Centre Melbourne is a performing arts centre located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria. It serves as a major hub for theatre, music, dance, and cultural events in Australia's second-largest city.
Fort Denison is a heritage-listed former penal site and defensive facility located on a small island in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales.
Art Gallery of New South Wales is a major public art museum beside the Domain, combining historic collections with contemporary exhibition spaces.
The Art Gallery of South Australia is a major public art museum in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It forms part of the North Terrace cultural precinct alongside other significant institutions.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia occupies the former Maritime Services Board building on Circular Quay West, beside Sydney Harbour. Its galleries bring contemporary art into direct conversation with the waterfront, ferry movement and the Opera House across the quay.
Adelaide Gaol is a former prison located within the Adelaide Park Lands. It operated as a correctional facility for more than a century before ceasing operations.
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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