When most people think of Sydney, Australia, they think of the Opera House. This magnificent architecture on Sydney's Bennelong Point, shaped like giant shells or billowing sails, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's great architectural landmarks. The structure is surrounded on three sides by water, and it is bordered to the south by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect, won an international competition for the design but had to abandon the project due to technical and financial issues. The project was finally finished in 1973, at a cost ten times higher than the initial estimate. Utzon had left the country by this time, never to return to view his great creation.

You can now attend a show, dine in one of the restaurants, or take a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. Theatres, studios, a music hall, exhibition halls, and a cinema are all located within the building. The Sydney Opera House's interior is fascinating, but its spectacular architecture is best seen from afar. Mrs Macquarie's Chair at the Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the best places to shoot this popular Sydney tourist landmark, or you may take a harbour cruise or ferry and photograph it from the water.

Location: Bennelong Point, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Entrance fee: $42 - $22

Highlight: Badu Gili Light Show (water light), yachts and balmy nights,...

Best time to visit: December to February

The Great Barrier Reef is a must-see attraction in Australia. One of the world's largest living structures, this natural wonder is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can see it from space because it's so big. It's a bucket-list destination for divers, snorkelers, island explorers, and nature lovers.

To protect the fragile ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was established in 1975. More than 3,000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, including the stunning Whitsunday group, 300 coral cays, and inshore mangrove islands are among these.The park spans for 2,300 kilometers along the east coast of Australia's state of Queensland (about the distance between Mexico and Vancouver). It is one of the world's seven natural wonders.

Unsurprisingly, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the top diving and snorkelling destinations in Australia. Soft and hard corals, over 1,600 tropical fish species, sharks, dugongs, dolphins, turtles, rays, and giant clams are just a few of the marine life species found here. Do you want to avoid getting wet? The reef is seen via glass-bottom boats and underwater observation stations. You can take a cruise around the islands, fly over the islands on a sightseeing aircraft, go on day tours to the islands, or snorkel and dive the reefs. Cairns, Port Douglas, and Airlie Beach are the main launching sites for tours on the mainland.

Location: 280 Flinders Street, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
Entrance fee: A$6.50
Highlight: Great Barrier Reef, many different islands and reef areas, scuba diving, snorkelling, helicopter tour, one of the greatest marine biodiversity ecosystems in the world,...
Best time to visit: June and October

Uluru (previously Ayers Rock) is one of Australia's most photographed natural wonders, located deep in the heart of the country's Red Centre. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a World Heritage Site maintained jointly by Parks Australia and the traditional proprietors, the Aangu people, is home to the spectacular red monolith. Uluru, which is Aboriginal for "shadowy place," rises 348 meters above the surrounding plain. The majority of its mass is beneath the surface of the planet.

As the year progresses, a tidal wave of color sweeps across the plain that surrounds Uluru and Kata Tjuta, with over 400 different plant species. Purple, yellow, and an unlimited variety of greens can be seen depending on the time of year. Winter offers small desert flowers in white, pink, and crimson up close, while the horizon is dotted with fluffy yellow mulga (wattle) blooms.

In Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, there are a plethora of birds, especially around water sources, thanks to all of these plants and flowers. Among the various birds, you'll see are ring-necked parrots, rainbow bee-eaters, cockatoos, and willy wagtails. The area is home to the rufous-hare wallaby, kangaroos, dingos, spinifex hopping mouse, southern marsupial mole, and brush-tailed mulgara, as well as snakes, geckos, lizards, and frogs.

Location: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Lasseter Highway, Uluru NT 0872, Australia

Entrance fee: free for the under 18-year-old, $25 AUD

Highlight: Splendid sunset as the rocks change their colors, landscape around the rocks.,...

Best time to visit: May to September

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia's most recognizable architectural landmarks, alongside the Opera House. This massive structure, affectionately known as "the Coathanger," is the world's largest steel arch bridge. It was finished 40 years before the Sydney Opera House, in 1932.

A guided ascent to the top of the bridge, where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and city, is one of the top things to do in Sydney. The bridge connects Sydney's North Shore to the central business district, rising 134 meters over the harbour and spanning 500 meters. Two railway lines, as well as eight lanes for road traffic, extend over the bridge in addition to the pedestrian route. The direction of each lane can be reversed to meet traffic flow.

Location: Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Entrance fee: free
Highlight: Enjoy the breathtaking cityscape from the bridge, take a guided tour of the bridge, or visit the museum on the southeastern pier to learn more about the bridge's history and construction.
Best time to visit: dawn, sunset and at night

The Blue Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a popular day excursion from Sydney and a hiker's delight. It's only 81 kilometers west of town. This magnificent park preserves over 664,000 acres of nature and is named for the blue haze emerging from the many eucalyptus trees. There are 140 kilometers of hiking paths here, as well as stunning gorges, waterfalls, and Aboriginal rock drawings.

The Three Sisters, which are towering sandstone rock formations, are the most prominent sights in Blue Mountains National Park. The world's steepest railway, the Katoomba Scenic Railway, transports passengers down the Jamison Valley through a cliff-side tunnel into an old rainforest; and the Skyway, Scenic Cableway, and Scenic Walkway, all of which provide magnificent views of the dense woodlands. In the park, popular activities include hiking, abseiling, rock climbing, mountain biking, and equestrian riding.

Location: Great Western Hwy, Blackheath, New South Wales, 2785, Australia

Entrance fee: $7 per vehicle applies at the Glenbrook entrance

Highlight: The Three Sisters, Scenic World, Govetts Leap Lookout, Wentworth Falls, Hiking and Heritage Trails, Katoomba, The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, ...

Best time to visit: February 12th to May 6th

Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, is a famous destination on many Australian travel itineraries, particularly for culture vultures. The main draws of this elegant city on the Yarra River are galleries, theatre, restaurants, boutiques, and its uniquely European feel. It's also a green metropolis, with parks, gardens, and open spaces taking up nearly a third of the entire area.

Melbourne has a plethora of cultural attractions. Explore the National Gallery of Victoria's masterpieces, catch a play at Arts Centre Melbourne, or visit Federation Square. The Ian Potter Gallery features Australian artworks, and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image educates visitors about the country's screen culture (ACMI).

Do you want to get back to nature? The Aboriginal Heritage Walk at the Royal Botanic Gardens is a must-see. Catch a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground if sports culture is important to you. Cricket is the sport of choice in the summer, while Australian Rules football is the sport of choice in the winter.

Melbourne is also historically significant. You can see it in the grand Victorian buildings built in the wake of the Gold Rush, and you can feel it while shopping in the exquisite arcades and Queen Victoria Market, which has been selling goods to Melburnians for almost a century.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Entrance fee: N/A
Highlight: Melbourne's Arcades and Laneways, Federation Square, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Royal Botanic Gardens, ...
Best time to visit: December to February

Kangaroo Island (affectionately known as "KI" by locals) is a haven for eco-tourists. The Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia is home to Australia's third-biggest island, which attracts nature enthusiasts from all over the world with its stunning scenery and numerous species. It's also a popular gastronomy destination. Kangaroo Island promises no lack of photogenic scenes for photographers. From wide white-sand beaches lapped by azure oceans to high coastal cliffs, massive wind-sculpted boulders, rolling green hills, caves, sand dunes, and nature reserves, the landscapes are diverse.

Close encounters with wildlife like Australian sea lions, koalas, echidnas, penguins, and the island's namesake marsupials are among the top things to do on Kangaroo Island, with national parks and reserves protecting more than a third of the island.

The Kangaroo Island's natural assets are the focus of outdoor activities. On land, you can go on a wildlife safari or stroll one of the many walking routes that crisscross the national parks' diverse animals. You may swim, fish, surf, and sail in the crystal-clear waters. Kangaroo Island is also one of Australia's top temperate-water diving destinations, with numerous fish-rich cliffs and wrecks to discover.

Location: Great Australian Bight, South Australia, Australia

Entrance fee: N/A

Highlight: the Shores of Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, the Sand Dunes at Little Sahara, Kingscote, Caves at Kelly Hill Conservation Park,...

Best time to visit: June to August

Bondi is unquestionably the best city beach; in fact, it is one of the closest beaches to Sydney's CBD, and its renown has earned it a place among Australia's top beaches. It's just 15 minutes by car or bus from the city center, and it's a perfect place to escape the city's hum for the soothing slop of surf - Bondi is an Aboriginal word that means "water smashing over rocks."

People-watching is one of the best things about this place. The beachside promenade in Bondi is bustling with laid-back locals, globe-trotting visitors, and swarms of fun-loving backpackers, and if you enjoy shopping, the market booths along the beachfront are open every Sunday.

In Bondi Beach, swimmers should be wary of "Backpackers Rip," a severe riptide near the beach's southern end that also generates a lot of drama for the Australian reality show Bondi Rescue. The Bondi Baths at Iceberg's are ideal for those who wish to put on their cap and goggles for some serious laps. With a 50-meter Olympic pool and a smaller pool for children, this seaside pool has been a popular Sydney swimming venue for almost a century.

Location: Bondi Beach, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Sydney, New South Wales 2026 Australia
Website: https://www.visitbondibeach.com/
Entrance fee: N/A
Highlight: oldest surf life-saving clubs in the world, take a Coastal Walk, attend one the many year-round events such as the City to Surf Fun in August or Sculpture by the Sea in Oct/Nov....
Best time to visit: December to February