A photograph of Australia

Country guide

Places to visit in Australia — page 4

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. Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
    76 45 min

    Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts

    Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts is a leading cultural institution in Western Australia dedicated to contemporary art practice. Located in Perth's cultural centre, PICA occupies a distinctive heritage building that has been adapted for modern exhibition purposes.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Perth
  2. John Forrest National Park John Forrest National Park
    77 1 hour

    John Forrest National Park

    John Forrest National Park is a protected bushland area in Perth’s Darling Range, offering a close-to-the-city escape into jarrah and marri forest. Established in 1900, it is one of Western Australia’s oldest national parks.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Perth
  3. Australian National Maritime Museum Australian National Maritime Museum
    78 1 hr 30 min

    Australian National Maritime Museum

    The Australian National Maritime Museum is a major cultural institution located in Sydney's Darling Harbour. It preserves and presents Australia's maritime heritage through exhibitions, vessels, and programs.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Sydney
  4. South Australian Museum South Australian Museum
    79 1 hr 30 min

    South Australian Museum

    The South Australian Museum is a major natural history and cultural institution in Adelaide. It occupies a prominent position on North Terrace in the cultural precinct.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Adelaide
  5. Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo
    80 1 hr 30 min

    Melbourne Zoo

    Melbourne Zoological Gardens

    Melbourne Zoo is a zoological park situated in the city of Melbourne, Victoria. Established in 1862, it holds distinction as Australia's oldest zoo and one of the world's oldest.

    • High
    • Family attraction
    • Melbourne
  6. Cadmans Cottage Cadmans Cottage
    81 45 min

    Cadmans Cottage

    Cadman's Cottage

    Cadmans Cottage is a historic sandstone building in The Rocks, beside Sydney Cove. Built during Sydney’s early colonial period, it is one of the city’s oldest surviving residential buildings.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Sydney
  7. Chinese Garden of Friendship Chinese Garden of Friendship
    82 1 hour

    Chinese Garden of Friendship

    The Chinese Garden of Friendship is a traditional Chinese garden located in Sydney. It was established as a symbol of friendship between Sydney and its sister city in China, Guangzhou.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Sydney
  8. Heide Museum of Modern Art Heide Museum of Modern Art
    83 1 hour

    Heide Museum of Modern Art

    Heide Museum of Modern Art is a Melbourne museum devoted to Australian modern and contemporary art.

    • High
    • Art and culture venue
    • Melbourne
  9. Elizabeth Bay House Elizabeth Bay House
    84 1 hr 30 min

    Elizabeth Bay House

    Elizabeth Bay House is an 1830s colonial residence built for Alexander Macleay, the colony’s colonial secretary, in Sydney’s inner east.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Sydney
  10. Elizabeth Farm Elizabeth Farm
    85 1 hr 30 min

    Elizabeth Farm

    Elizabeth Farm is a historic house museum in Sydney's Parramatta area and one of Australia's oldest surviving European buildings. John and Elizabeth Macarthur's house was constructed in 1793 and is closely connected with the beginnings of Australia's wool industry.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Sydney
  11. St Patrick's Cathedral St Patrick's Cathedral
    86 30 min

    St Patrick's Cathedral

    Saint Patrick's Cathedral

    St Patrick's Cathedral is a major Roman Catholic landmark in Melbourne and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Its Gothic Revival design gives the building a strong architectural presence within the city centre.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Melbourne
  12. Hornby Lighthouse Hornby Lighthouse
    87 45 min

    Hornby Lighthouse

    Hornby Lighthouse is a heritage-listed active lighthouse situated at the southern entrance to Sydney Harbour, on the tip of South Head in Watsons Bay.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Sydney
  13. Melbourne Town Hall Melbourne Town Hall
    88 45 min

    Melbourne Town Hall

    Melbourne Town Hall is a civic building serving as the seat of the City of Melbourne local government. Located on Swanston Street in the central business district, it occupies a prominent position in the city's civic and cultural landscape.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Melbourne
  14. St Mary’s Cathedral St Mary’s Cathedral
    89 30 min

    St Mary’s Cathedral

    St Mary's Cathedral

    St Mary's Cathedral is a significant ecclesiastical structure in Sydney, recognised as a meaningful visitor destination within the documented city scope. The cathedral represents an important example of Gothic Revival architecture in Australia.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Sydney
  15. Immigration Museum Immigration Museum
    90 1 hr 30 min

    Immigration Museum

    The Immigration Museum is a museum in Melbourne dedicated to the history of immigration to Australia. It explores the stories of people who have migrated to Victoria and Australia, examining the causes, processes, and impacts of immigration.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Melbourne
  16. Museum of Sydney Museum of Sydney
    91 1 hr 30 min

    Museum of Sydney

    The Museum of Sydney is a history museum near Circular Quay on the site of Australia’s first Government House, built in 1788. It explores Sydney’s colonial foundations, Indigenous history and continuing urban development through archaeology, objects, art and multimedia.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Sydney
  17. Queensland Museum Queensland Museum
    92 1 hr 30 min

    Queensland Museum

    Queensland Museum Kurilpa is Queensland's state museum at the Queensland Cultural Centre in Brisbane's South Bank precinct. Its public galleries connect natural history, palaeontology, biodiversity, technology, cultural history and First Nations stories with the museum's active collections and research.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Brisbane
  18. Fitzroy Gardens Fitzroy Gardens
    93 1 hour

    Fitzroy Gardens

    Fitzroy Gardens is a historic public garden in Melbourne, Victoria, situated on the city's eastern fringe near the central business district.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Melbourne
  19. His Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre
    94 1 hour

    His Majesty's Theatre

    His Majesty's Theatre is a historic performing-arts venue in central Perth, Western Australia. It is a destination for theatrical productions, musicals, and live entertainment, as well as a notable heritage building within the city.

    • High
    • Art and culture venue
    • Perth
  20. ANZAC Square ANZAC Square
    95 1 hour

    ANZAC Square

    Anzac Square

    ANZAC Square is a war memorial and public park in central Brisbane, Queensland. It commemorates Australian and New Zealand Army Corps personnel who served in conflicts.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Brisbane
  21. Old Treasury Building Old Treasury Building
    96 45 min

    Old Treasury Building

    Old Treasury Building is a grand nineteenth-century public building in Melbourne, Victoria. Built during the Victorian gold rush era, it reflects the wealth and administrative ambition that shaped the young city.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Melbourne
  22. Parramatta Park Parramatta Park
    97 45 min

    Parramatta Park

    Parramatta Park is a large public park in Parramatta, western Sydney, beside the Parramatta River. It combines open lawns, mature trees, garden areas, walking paths and colonial heritage associations.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Sydney
  23. Susannah Place Museum Susannah Place Museum
    98 1 hr 30 min

    Susannah Place Museum

    Susannah Place Museum preserves a terrace of four houses built in 1844 in Sydney’s The Rocks. The site presents working-class domestic life across more than 150 years, showing how successive families lived within a compact urban terrace.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Sydney
  24. Manly Beach Manly Beach
    99 1 hour

    Manly Beach

    Manly Beach is a broad ocean beach reached through the Manly peninsula, combining surf frontage with a harbour-to-ocean visitor route.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Sydney
  25. Wheel of Brisbane Wheel of Brisbane
    100 45 min

    Wheel of Brisbane

    The Wheel of Brisbane

    The Wheel of Brisbane is a prominent observation wheel situated in the South Bank Parklands area of Brisbane, Queensland.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Brisbane

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.