Find places in Australia

Must-Haves

• Sydney Opera House (Bennelong Point)
  Take a guided tour or catch a show inside the country's most famous building.

Fun for Everyone

• Manly Ferry (Circular Quay)
  The classic harbour ride past the Opera House and out to the heads.
• Taronga Zoo (Mosman)
  Native animals and harbour views, reached by a short ferry.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cockatoo Island (Sydney Harbour)
  Former convict prison and shipyard island with harbourside camping.

Must-Haves

• Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk (Eastern Suburbs)
  Clifftop path linking beaches, ocean pools and rock platforms.
• Royal Botanic Garden Sydney (Farm Cove)
  Harbourside gardens with the best walk to Mrs Macquarie's Chair.

Fun for Everyone

• Wylie's Baths (Coogee)
  Historic ocean pool built into the rocks below the cliffs.
• Blue Mountains Echo Point (Katoomba)
  Lookout for the Three Sisters, an easy train day trip from the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bradleys Head (Mosman)
  Quiet bushland lookout facing the city across the harbour.

Must-Haves

• Art Gallery of New South Wales (The Domain)
  Major collection of Aboriginal and Australian art across two buildings.

Fun for Everyone

• Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (Circular Quay)
  Contemporary art with a rooftop café overlooking the harbour.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hyde Park Barracks (Macquarie Street)
  World Heritage convict site telling the stories of those held there.

Low Cost and Authentic

• The Rocks Markets (The Rocks)
  Weekend stalls of crafts and street food in Sydney's oldest streets.
• Paddy's Markets (Haymarket)
  Huge, cheap market for souvenirs and fresh produce.

Must-Haves

• Bennelong (Sydney Opera House)
  Modern Australian dining inside the Opera House sails.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Chat Thai (Haymarket)
  Busy Thai institution near Chinatown that locals keep coming back to.

Great for Date Night

• Quay (Overseas Passenger Terminal)
  Refined tasting menus with views straight over the harbour.

Must-Haves

• Bills Surry Hills (Surry Hills)
  The home of the famous ricotta hotcakes and the Sydney brunch.

Great for Date Night

• Opera Bar (Circular Quay)
  Outdoor drinks with the bridge and harbour in front of you.

Off the Beaten Path

• The Baxter Inn (CBD)
  Hidden basement whisky bar down a laneway off Clarence Street.

Must-Haves

• Vivid Sydney (Citywide)
  Winter festival of light projections, music and ideas around the harbour.

Must-Haves

• Park Hyatt Sydney (The Rocks)
  Luxury hotel at the water's edge facing the Opera House.

Low Cost and Authentic

• YHA Sydney Harbour (The Rocks)
  Hostel with a rooftop terrace overlooking the harbour.

Must-Haves

• Queen Victoria Market (CBD)
  Historic market for produce, deli treats and the summer night market.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rose Street Artists' Market (Fitzroy)
  Weekend market of local designers and makers.

Must-Haves

• National Gallery of Victoria (Southbank)
  Australia's oldest public gallery, with free entry to its collection.

Fun for Everyone

• ACMI (Federation Square)
  Free museum of film, television and games for all ages.

Off the Beaten Path

• Abbotsford Convent (Abbotsford)
  Former convent turned arts precinct with gardens and cafés.

Must-Haves

• Hosier Lane (CBD)
  Ever-changing street art in the most photographed laneway in the city.
• Melbourne Cricket Ground (Yarra Park)
  Watch cricket or Australian Rules football in the country's sporting temple.

Fun for Everyone

• Luna Park Melbourne (St Kilda)
  Historic seaside amusement park with its famous laughing face gate.

Must-Haves

• Degraves Street (CBD)
  Narrow laneway of tiny cafés that captures Melbourne's coffee culture.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pellegrini's Espresso Bar (CBD)
  Old-school Italian espresso bar serving coffee since the 1950s.

Off the Beaten Path

• Patricia Coffee Brewers (CBD)
  Standing-room-only espresso spot hidden on a side lane.

Great for Date Night

• Chin Chin (Flinders Lane)
  Lively Southeast Asian restaurant that defines the Flinders Lane buzz.

Must-Haves

• Flower Drum (Chinatown)
  Elegant Cantonese dining that has hosted the city's celebrations for decades.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Victoria Street Vietnamese restaurants (Richmond)
  Strip of pho and broken rice spots in Melbourne's little Saigon.

Off the Beaten Path

• Section 8 (Chinatown)
  Open-air bar built from shipping containers and pallets.

Must-Haves

• Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (South Yarra)
  Sweeping lawns and lakes beside the Yarra River.
• Twelve Apostles (Port Campbell National Park)
  The highlight of the Great Ocean Road, best at sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• St Kilda Pier penguins (St Kilda)
  Little penguins return to the breakwater at dusk.
• Penguin Parade (Phillip Island)
  Watch little penguins waddle ashore at dusk.

Must-Haves

• Australian Open (Melbourne Park)
  January grand slam tennis with a festival atmosphere.

Fun for Everyone

• Moomba Festival (Birrarung Marr)
  Free family festival by the Yarra every March long weekend.

Great for Date Night

• The Langham Melbourne (Southbank)
  Riverside luxury hotel close to the arts precinct.

Must-Haves

• Great Barrier Reef outer reef trip (Marlin Marina)
  Full day snorkelling or diving on the outer reef.
• Mossman Gorge (Mossman)
  Clear river and rainforest walks with Kuku Yalanji guides.

Fun for Everyone

• Green Island (Great Barrier Reef)
  Coral cay with reef snorkelling just off the beach.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fitzroy Island (Great Barrier Reef)
  Rainforest island with walking tracks and a turtle rehabilitation centre.
• Cape Tribulation (Daintree)
  Where the rainforest meets the reef on empty beaches.

Fun for Everyone

• Cairns Esplanade Lagoon (Esplanade)
  Free saltwater lagoon pool on the waterfront.
• Four Mile Beach (Port Douglas)
  Long palm-lined beach in the relaxed resort town.

Must-Haves

• Skyrail Rainforest Cableway (Smithfield)
  Glide over rainforest canopy on the way to Kuranda.
• Kuranda Scenic Railway (Freshwater)
  Heritage train climbing past waterfalls into the mountains.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Rusty's Markets (Cairns City)
  Weekend tropical fruit and produce market.

Fun for Everyone

• Cairns Night Markets (Esplanade)
  Evening stalls of souvenirs, massages and food.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Prawn Star (Marlin Marina)
  Fresh prawns and seafood eaten on a boat at the marina.

Must-Haves

• Cairns Aquarium (Cairns City)
  Meet reef and rainforest species before heading out on the water.

Great for Date Night

• Silky Oaks Lodge (Mossman)
  Rainforest lodge by the Mossman River.

Must-Haves

• South Bank Parklands (South Bank)
  Riverside gardens with a free swimming beach.

Fun for Everyone

• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (Fig Tree Pocket)
  One of the world's oldest koala sanctuaries.
• CityCat ferries (Brisbane River)
  Ride the river between neighbourhoods on fast catamarans.
• Sea World (Main Beach)
  Marine theme park on the Gold Coast Spit.

Great for Date Night

• Story Bridge Adventure Climb (Kangaroo Point)
  Guided climb over the river at sunset.

Must-Haves

• Gallery of Modern Art (South Bank)
  Major contemporary art gallery, free for the collection.

Off the Beaten Path

• Brisbane Powerhouse (New Farm)
  Former power station turned arts venue by New Farm Park.

Must-Haves

• Mount Coot-tha Lookout (Mount Coot-tha)
  Panoramic views over the city and Moreton Bay.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kangaroo Point Cliffs (Kangaroo Point)
  Lit-up cliffs for climbing, picnics and city views.
• Springbrook National Park (Gold Coast Hinterland)
  Natural Bridge waterfall cave lit by glow worms at night.

Fun for Everyone

• Burleigh Head National Park (Burleigh Heads)
  Headland walk above surf breaks on the Gold Coast.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Davies Park Market (West End)
  Saturday market with global street food and produce.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fortitude Valley Chinatown (Fortitude Valley)
  Pedestrian mall of Asian eateries and late-night bites.

Must-Haves

• Howard Smith Wharves (Brisbane CBD)
  Riverside precinct of bars and restaurants under the Story Bridge.

Great for Date Night

• The Calile Hotel (Fortitude Valley)
  Resort-style city hotel with a poolside scene.

Must-Haves

• Brisbane Festival (Citywide)
  September arts festival with free events and Riverfire.

Must-Haves

• Kings Park and Botanic Garden (West Perth)
  Vast inner-city park with wildflowers and a treetop walkway.
• Rottnest Island (Rottnest)
  Car-free island of beaches and friendly quokkas.

Fun for Everyone

• Cottesloe Beach (Cottesloe)
  Perth's favourite swimming beach for sunsets over the Indian Ocean.

Off the Beaten Path

• The Pinnacles (Nambung National Park)
  Thousands of limestone pillars rising from yellow sand.
• Swan Valley (Swan Valley)
  Wineries, chocolate and farm gates half an hour from the city.

Must-Haves

• Fremantle Prison (Fremantle)
  World Heritage convict prison with tunnel and night tours.

Fun for Everyone

• Elizabeth Quay (Perth CBD)
  Waterfront plaza with ferries across to South Perth and the zoo.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fremantle Markets (Fremantle)
  Victorian market hall of food, crafts and buskers.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Little Creatures Brewery (Fremantle)
  Harbourside brewery hall with pizzas and pale ale.

Must-Haves

• WA Museum Boola Bardip (Perth Cultural Centre)
  State museum telling Western Australia's stories, ancient to modern.

Off the Beaten Path

• Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth Cultural Centre)
  Strong Aboriginal art collection and a rooftop bar.

Great for Date Night

• Northbridge laneway bars (Northbridge)
  Small bars and live music in the city's nightlife quarter.

Great for Date Night

• COMO The Treasury (Perth CBD)
  Luxury hotel in restored heritage buildings.

Must-Haves

• MONA (Berriedale)
  Provocative underground museum reached by ferry up the river.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cascade Brewery (South Hobart)
  Australia's oldest operating brewery below the mountain.

Must-Haves

• Salamanca Market (Salamanca Place)
  Saturday market of Tasmanian produce and crafts by the waterfront.

Must-Haves

• kunanyi Mount Wellington (Wellington Park)
  Summit views over Hobart, often with snow in winter.

Off the Beaten Path

• Freycinet National Park (East Coast)
  Wineglass Bay and pink granite peaks, a scenic drive away.

Fun for Everyone

• Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary (Brighton)
  See Tasmanian devils and wombats in rescue care.

Must-Haves

• Port Arthur Historic Site (Port Arthur)
  World Heritage convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bruny Island (Bruny Island)
  Cheese, oysters, wildlife and cliffs a ferry ride south.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fish Frenzy (Elizabeth Street Pier)
  Fish and chips on the waterfront.

Must-Haves

• Lark Distillery cellar door (Hobart Waterfront)
  Tasmanian single malt whisky tastings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Jackman and McRoss (Battery Point)
  Bakery café loved for pies and pastries.

Great for Date Night

• MACq 01 (Hobart Waterfront)
  Storytelling hotel on the wharf.