The Whitsunday Islands in Queensland offer some of the world's finest sailing, thanks to perfect winds, calm seas, beautiful scenery, and 74 islands to hop through (69 of which are uninhabited). Whether you want to charter your own course and hire a yacht with some friends, or simply relax on a private tour and let someone else do the navigating, you'll find that taking in the beauty of this tropical oasis from aboard a boat is one of the best Aussie experiences on offer. If the white sand and vibrant turquoise waters of the tropics have always caught your eye, head to the Whitsunday Islands and the nearby town of Airlie Beach. These islands off the coast of Queensland have jaw-dropping natural scenery rivaling that of the Maldives, Fiji, or Tahiti.

One of the best things to do in Australia is sailing through the Whitsunday Islands and soak in all the picturesque views. Exploring the islands by boat allows you to cover more ground and see more of the area, though simply lounging on the beach is pretty enjoyable too. You can also go swimming and snorkeling, or fly in a helicopter or seaplane over the islands to get an aerial view. When visiting the Great Barrier Reef, you must spend some time here. These islands are located right in the heart of it! Beautiful white sandy beaches, swirl effortlessly with the turquoise water. There are luxury resorts, sailing, and snorkeling. A must-stop is the largest and most famous of all the islands, Whitehaven Beach.

Known as one of the world’s greatest rail journeys, this 2979-kilometer (1851-mile) voyage will take you across the country from Darwin to Adelaide (or vice versa). As you make your way through the tropical greens of the Top End, over the red desert sands of the Red Centre, and across the rugged mountains of the Flinders Ranges, you'll get to see some of Australia's most diverse and beautiful landscapes. Plus, along the way, you'll stop for tours of Katherine and Alice Springs where you'll learn about Australia's deep Aboriginal heritage. For a once-in-a-lifetime journey that not many others get to do, embark on a train journey across Australia. The country is so huge and long-distance train travel isn’t very common, so few people even know about the cross-country Australian train routes available.

The Ghan is the train journey that runs from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the South. The Indian Pacific is the train journey that runs from Sydney in the east to Perth in the west. These train journeys are expensive and long, so they’re not ideal for budget travelers or backpackers with limited time. For those who want to have a cool adventure and travel slowly through the countryside and admire the scenery, the train is a cool idea. The most relaxing way to see the unique landscape of Australia is from the comfy window seat of a luxury train. There will be no squabbling over who has to drive and who gets to enjoy the scenery – everyone on the Indian Pacific and The Ghan gets a great view. This is one of the best things to do in Australia.

Regarded as Australia’s last frontier, the Kimberley is a sparsely populated, untamed wilderness that contains some stunning landscapes, becoming one of the best things to do in Australia. A region of red dust, endless skies, stunning sunsets, big rivers, and huge gorges, the Kimberley is often romantic. It’s a wilderness dotted with barely viable cattle stations, isolated. When the dry season sets in around April, tourism in the Kimberley gradually comes back to life, with tours running mainly between thriving Broome and Kununurra along the iconic Gibb River Road, or down to the mysterious Bungle Bungles, south on Highway 1 near Halls Creek.

One of the best ways to see the Kimberley (one of the last true wilderness areas on Earth) is by cruise ship. Two billion years of natural history are on show along the isolated Kimberley coast in Western Australia and there are some great cruising experiences that offer unique ways to see it all. You'll be able to get up close to the rocky shores, secluded beaches, ochre-colored gorges, lush waterfalls, and complex river systems, all while you enjoy gourmet meals and luxurious sleeping quarters. Visitors to the Kimberley from November to April can become overwhelmed by the heat and humidity, and awestruck by the often violent weather. The tropical monsoons bring a dramatic edge to any holiday, but the wet season is also supremely beautiful as rugged red cliffs clash with dense green rainforests, and every aspect of the landscape becomes saturated with color.

The giant dunes, freshwater lakes, and sculpted, colored sands of the world’s largest sand island form the backdrop to popular 4WD safaris. A glorious offshore Eden, Fraser Island (or K’gari) is the world’s largest sand island. It measures 123km from top to bottom. Accreted from two million years’ worth of sediments, swept north from New South Wales. Fraser Island is one of the coolest Australian places to visit in Australia because of its 75-mile-long beach! It’s one of the longest in the world. Rent a four-wheel drive truck in the town of Noosa and start your adventure to one of the wildest drives you’ll ever have. It’s an island with sand dunes, dingos, tidal pools, and shipwrecks.

Fraser Island’s colossal scale is best appreciated as the travel is the 90km length of its razor-edge east coast. With the sea as a constant, the dunes along the shoreline seem to evolve before your eyes. On the beach itself, 4WD vehicles race along the open sands. There’s no denying a 4WD is one of the best ways to experience all the many terrains of Fraser Island. It’s also the easiest way to tick off the holy trinity of Central Station, Lake McKenzie, and 75 Mile Beach in a single day. Fraser Explorer Tours - one of the best things to do in Australia - crisscross the island with a mix of beach and forest driving. Their large bus is made for off-roading with custom wheels, big windows for spotting wildlife, and silky-soft suspension.

There are some fantastic hikes in the Flinders Ranges National Park but few top the spectacular scenery at the elevated basin of Wilpena Pound. Nestling up against the edge of Wilpena Pound, Wilpena is a good place to orient yourself for a range of accommodations, fuel, and food. Wilpena Pound’s two main walks are the Hills Homestead Walk (6.6km, 2hr) and the Wangara Lookout Walk (7.8km, 3hr). Both start at the visitor center. Consult the visitor center before attempting the less publicized full-day hikes. For example St Mary’s Peak on the rim, Edowie Gorge inside the pound, or any overnight trips.

Wilpena Pound is a giant 80 Square kilometer amphitheater of rock that is simply astounding. Located in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, it’s a 450 km drive from Adelaide. A good place to stay is inside the National Park which is set within the backdrop of the mountains. Flinders Ranges is 100 million years old and a tour of the ancient landscape is truly fascinating. Experience Australia's unique wildlife, wilderness, and Aboriginal culture on a 3-day eco safari from Adelaide. Visit the Flinders Ranges National Park, Wilpena Pound, Brachina Gorge, and more. It is also one of the best things to do in Australia to spy on the endangered yellow-footed rock wallaby.

On two wheels or four, the 280km route along the surf-battered cliffs bordering the Great Ocean Road is perfect road-trip material. It can also be followed as a rewarding hike, and also the best thing to do in Australia. The Great Ocean Road, Victoria’s famous southwestern coastal route, starts at Torquay, just over 20km south of Geelong. It extends 285km west to Warrnambool. This route was built between 1919 and 1932 as a scenic road to equal California’s Pacific Coast Highway. The road was to be both a memorial to the soldiers who died in World War I and an employment scheme for those who returned.

Experience the Great Ocean Road and its incredible landscapes on this Great Ocean Road and Wildlife Tour. See koalas and birds, take a rainforest walk, discover the 12 apostles and Loch Ard Gorge, and have morning tea on Torquay surf beach. Western Australia offers wonderfully remote outback experiences: from spectacular national parks to sandy deserts, pristine beaches to working cattle stations. This tailor-made trip to Western Australia allows you to explore the way from Perth to Darwin in-depth and at your own pace. This strip of the Australian coastline is rugged and weathered, yet absolutely beautiful. In addition to the ocean scenery, the Great Ocean Road is full of charming towns, national parks, campsites, and Port Campbell National Park. This is also one of the best places in Australia to see a koala in the wild, as many inhabit the Eucalyptus trees down here.

Bondi Beach is synonymous with Australian beach culture, and it’s also the closest ocean beach to the city center, 7km from the town. Although still residential, visiting the beach become among the most popular things to do in Australia for backpackers from around the world. Beachfront Campbell Parade is both cosmopolitan and highly commercialized, lined with cafés and shops. While here, explore some of the side streets, such as Hall Street. Here kosher bakeries and delis serve the area’s Jewish community, and some of Bondi’s best cafés are hidden.

One of the best beaches in Australia, Bondi Beach is a world-famous beach and a surfers’ paradise; located in the world-famous city, of Sydney. The beach also is known to be the venue of various events like the Miss Bondi Beach pageant that’s held annually. The famous beach forms a golden crescent of soft sand surrounding the clear azure waters of the Pacific Ocean and is the ideal place to spend a surf and sun vacation. Many TV shows, such as the Bondi Rescue in Nat Geo, feature the surfing lifestyle of this beach. Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire and other movies have scenes shot in Bondi Beach. The entire Bondi Beach area is packed with excellent restaurants and shopping, and the Saturday Bondi Farmer’s Market should not be missed. This is one of the best things to do in Australia.

World Heritage-listed, the Blue Mountains are a wonderland of ancient forests, deep valleys, and lookouts from sheer cliffs, all just an hour or so from Sydney. The section of the Great Dividing Range nearest Sydney gets its name from the blue mist that rises from millions of eucalyptus trees and hangs in the mountain air, tinting the sky and the range alike. In the colony’s early days, the Blue Mountains were believed to be an insurmountable barrier to the west. The first expeditions followed the streams in the valleys until they were defeated by cliff faces rising vertically above them. Discovering the natural beauty of the Blue Mountains on a full-day tour is one of the best things to do in Australia that takes you to Featherdale Wildlife Park. See a variety of native Australian animals, stop at Echo Point for panoramic views and enjoy 3 different rides at Scenic World.

The Blue Mountains, about a two-hour drive from Sydney in New South Wales, is best known for its iconic natural landmark; the Three Sisters. One of the best viewing spots is Echo Point Lookout, which is also the starting point for many great walks that will give you multiple vantage points of the sisters as you make your way through the bushland. The region comprises beautiful landscapes dotted with charming small towns and villages and the chance to enjoy a wide variety of outdoor pursuits, including scenic drives, hiking and cycling, horseback riding, and several adventure sports such as abseiling and canyoning. There is also an extremely high scenic cable car ride and a scenic railway to enjoy. You can explore 29 of the region’s attractions on the hop-on-hop-off Blue Mountains Trolley Tour or take a self-guided drive. In addition to all the above attractions, there are caves to explore, relaxing spa experiences, and antiques and crafts to be uncovered.

Fantastic coastal scenery and a huge variety of wildlife, from seals and sea lions to kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas on a pristine island. To see Kangaroo Island properly, you’ll need at least three days. Though most people only visit the major south-coast attractions: Seal Bay, Little Sahara, Remarkable Rocks, and Flinders Chase National Park. Although promoted as South Australia’s premier tourism destination, it’s still unspoiled. Only in the peak holiday period (Christmas to the end of Jan, when most of the accommodation is booked up) does it feel busy. Once out of the island’s few small towns, there’s little sign of human presence to break the long, straight roads that run through undulating fields, dense gum forests, and mallee scrub.

Kangaroo Island, which sits off the coast of South Australia, is known as a nature lover's dream. It is one of the best things to do in Australia to see wild native animals like koalas, kangaroos, sea lions, and seals. A must-do experience is walking among the Australian sea lion colony at Seal Bay. Winter and spring are the perfect times to visit as the sea lions love to hang out in the dunes away from the sea breeze. You can either wander around on your own or join a guided tour to learn about these endangered animals. There are, of course, kangaroos on the island, and they are actually a specific species of kangaroo that cannot be found on the mainland. Other animals you can find on Kangaroo Island include koalas, wallabies, platypuses, lizards, sea lions, echidnas, seals, and native birds. In addition to the wildlife of Kangaroo Island, you can also see caves, unique rock formations and arches, national parks, beaches, and charming tourist towns.

Abundant wildlife and fascinating Aboriginal rock art in Australia’s largest national park, a World Heritage-listed wilderness. Covering more than 20,000 square kilometers, Kakadu National Park is a challenging place to appreciate in a short visit. Aim to allow a minimum of three days, and consider renting a 4WD or joining a 4WD tour. Try also to factor in a river cruise to get to more remote areas. The dry season months are the most popular times to visit, with little or no rain, acceptable humidity and temperatures, and conspicuous wildlife. Towards the end of the Dry, birdlife congregates around the shrinking waterholes, while November’s rising temperatures and epic electrical storms herald the onset of the Wet.

One of the most incredible sights in the Northern Territory is Kakadu National Park. This massive nature reserve is one of the best things to do in Australia and it is full of gorgeous sights and fun activities. You can go swimming in waterfalls, hiking through the bush, bird-watching in the wetlands, or canoeing along the rivers. There are massive canyons, deep gorges, walking trails, Aboriginal ancient rock art, cultural centers, and more within this national park. Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest national park, and it is located only three hours away from Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory.

The iconic Sydney Opera House is just a short stroll from Circular Quay, by the water’s edge on Bennelong Point. It’s best seen in profile, when its high white roofs, at the same time evocative of full sails and white shells, give the building an almost ethereal quality. “Opera House” is actually a misnomer. It’s really a performing arts center, one of the busiest in the world, with five performance venues inside its shells, plus restaurants, cafés and bars, and a stash of upmarket souvenir shops on the lower concourse. The building’s initial impetus, in fact, was as a home for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and it was designed with the huge Concert Hall. As well as opera, there is a steady schedule of theatre, music, dance, talks, and contemporary performance. Make it a rule to see at least one show, event, or performance here per year as the lineup is eclectic and continually changing.

No trip to Sydney is complete without seeing its most famous landmark: the Sydney Opera House, one of the best things to do in Australia. This modern and unique building took 14 years to build and was designed by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon. The Sydney Opera House is now a staple of the Sydney skyline. You can take a tour of the inside, attend a performance, or simply stroll through Sydney Harbor and admire the view from the outside. After admiring the Opera House, stroll around Sydney Harbour and walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, another iconic landmark in the city.

Remarkable not only as Australia’s largest expanse of tropical rainforest, but the oldest to survive anywhere in the world, the extraordinary Daintree Rainforest stretches uninterrupted for 1200 square kilometers between the Daintree and Bloomfield rivers. The sheer diversity of its flora and fauna is astonishing. Home to as many as thirteen different ecosystems, this is among the most complex rainforest structures on earth. The majestic forest descends thick and dark right to the sea around Cape Tribulation. You can explore paths through the jungle leading to pristine waterholes, climb velveteen peaks, watch for wildlife, or just rest on the beach. Discovering this area is the best thing to do in Australia.

Step into the cool, crystal clear water of the Daintree Rainforest: an ancient rainforest on this River Drift Snorkelling Tour in the Daintree. Drift with the current as you explore life under the water’s surface. Snorkel along the river and find many species of fish and turtles. This dense jungle is roughly 180 million years old, making it the oldest tropical rainforest on the planet. Here you can find trees the size of skyscrapers, palm forests, mangroves, and an abundance of unique wildlife. One of the strangest and most fascinating creatures in the Daintree Rainforest is the cassowary, a giant, ostrich-like bird with vibrant colors on its neck and a huge horn on its head. The best way to reach the Daintree Rainforest is to fly into Cairns and then take the local bus up to Cape Tribulation. The rainforest is very remote and it is recommended you have a 4WD if you are driving yourself.

The Great Barrier Reef is to Australia what rolling savannahs are to Africa. Calling it “another world”, as the commonest cliché has it, doesn’t begin to describe the feeling of donning masks and fins and coming face to face with its extraordinary animals, shapes, and colors. There’s so little relationship to life above the surface that the distinctions one usually takes for granted – for example between animal, vegetable, and mineral – seem blurred. While the respective roles of observer and observed are constantly inverted as shoals of curious fish follow the human interlopers about.

With vibrant coral reefs and an extraordinary array of marine life, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most diverse ocean habitats in the world, and also one of the best things to do in Australia. It is the largest coral reef system on the planet, reaching along almost the entire length of the Queensland coastline in northeast Australia. Get ready to encounter giant clams, majestic sea turtles, graceful stingrays, reef sharks, an incredible variety of tropical fish, and of course spectacular coral formations. If you head out on an overnight tour, you can even jump in the water for some nocturnal diving. Just be sure to book your tour with an eco-friendly company that promotes preservation and respect for the reef. Most people visit the reef from Cairns, but Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation are two other great places to base yourself for a Great Barrier Reef trip.