Australians are well known to be some of the best travelled people but more often than not it is because we’ve travelled far and wide abroad, but not so much at home! I’ve always opted for international travel over domestic holidays for various reasons, and whilst I have zero regrets – I’m actually quite looking forward to spending our holidays over the next few years within Australia. We love all types of travel, but one of our favourite styles of travel is staying in serviced apartments for the perfect mixture of hotel benefits with the freedom, space and independence that apartments offer. Here are the top 10 destinations on our Australia bucket list.
1. Uluru
I feel like a visit to Uluru is something all Australians should experience, and yet such a small number of us actually have! Visiting the Australian Outback is said to be an experience like no other.
Standing at 348 metres high, Uluru is one of the world’s largest monoliths and is considered to be one of the most spiritual places in Australia. Uluru is known as the heart of the ‘Red Centre’ and visiting is an Aussie experience that is at the top of our bucket list. We’ve got the Ayers Rock Resort on our radar to stay at!
2. Lord Howe Island
Located off the coast of Port Macquarie is the island paradise of Lord Howe Island. Lord Howe is UNESCO World Heritage listed and only 400 visitors are allowed on the island at once, meaning it’ll feel like you have this paradise all to yourself.
Lord Howe is an untouched paradise with pristine beaches, abundant wildlife, tropical coral reefs, rainforest, world class hiking and diving. It honestly looks like the ultimate tropical island paradise.
3. Tasmania
After a few major trips overseas over the last few years, we’d actually planned to holiday within Australia this year! This was for a couple of reasons, firstly as much as we loved our last trip, we were exhausted after travelling around the Middle East (Lebanon, Egypt & Jordan) and it took a few months for me to recover from my Egyptian parasite.
We were also hoping to fall pregnant and were also wanting to spend money at home as we’d personally experienced the first hand horror of last summer’s bushfires, with fires burning in our home town of Port Macquarie for over 8 months, with us having to evacuate three times (although we were definitely some of the lucky ones)!
We’d booked two weeks off over Easter and had planned an epic road trip to Tasmania. We’d booked ourselves on the Spirit of Tasmania Ferry across the Bass Straight and had planned a week of Tassie adventures, however as time got closer and the uncertainty around COVID kept growing we ended up firstly postponing out trip and eventually cancelling it. It turned out that it would have been cancelled anyway with the border closures but we were so sad that we’d not get to tick Tassie off our list this year!
We’d planned to visit Hobart, Freycinet National Park, the Bay of Fires, Cradle Mountain National Park, Port Arthur and a few other wonderful places. Tassie has so much to offer and I honestly think we would quite happily spend a month exploring the ‘Apple Isle’.
4. Noosa & the Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast stretches from Caloundra to the Great Sandy National Park. It’s a beautiful region that is home to charming villages, world-class surfing and epic hinterland hiking and an amazing local foodie scene.
I’ve only visited Caloundra but Dan has been itching to visit Noosa for a surfing holiday since we arrived in Australia a few years ago. We’re planning a visit to the Sunshine Coast and southern Great Barrier Reef next year as our first family holiday with our baby girl!
I can’t wait to explore the Glass House Mountains, stroll to local markets and relax on all the picturesque beaches that the Sunshine Coast has to offer. The Sunshine Coast has an ideal climate all year-round and is one of Australia’s best beach holiday destinations.
5. NSW South Coast
On the way to Tasmania we’d planned to stop in at various places along the NSW South Coast, a region that I’ve been itching to get to for years, but that was just too far for a weekend away.
The South Coast is one of the most naturally beautiful coastal regions in NSW with the whitest sand, bluest waters, lagoons, rainforests, surf and epic walks! The whole region is stunning but I particularly would love to spend time around Merimbula, the Sapphire Coast and the Jervis Bay areas.
6. A West Coast road trip
Western Australia covers a third of the entire country and is mostly made up of the Outback and the stunning, unspoiled coastline. The majority of the population is located in the southwest corner and I honestly think a road trip would be the best way to experience all WA has to offer.
Stretching for almost 2,500km, the drive from Perth to Broome certainly isn’t one for the faint of heart. However, there are so many incredible destinations along the way that would make this journey one of Australia’s best road trips.
A few highlights would be a visit to Rottnest Island before heading off from Perth, followed by the Coral Coast, Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef and then beautiful Broome. We’ve highlighted about 15 places we’d love to stop along the way and I think the toughest thing would be fitting everything in.
7. Southern Great Barrier Reef
I’ve always been drawn to the Southern Great Barrier Reef region with its turtles and manta rays, unspoiled tropical islands and colourful coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s top attractions for obvious reasons and the Southern part of the Reef is less frequented by tourists and considered to be more authentic.
There are so many beautiful islands to visit, but we’re hoping to visit Great Keppel, Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliott Islands next year.
8. Whitsundays
The Whitsundays are located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and are made up of 74 beautiful islands. The majority of the islands are uninhabited, and the few that are inhabited boast some of the most luxurious accommodation in Australia,
The Whitsundays are the ultimate paradise, with beautiful islands, endless coral reefs, marine life and seemingly endless sunshine. We’d love to hire a yacht to explore the region.
9. A Northern Territory Adventure
The Northern Territory is well and truly on our Aussie bucket list. We’ve already started planning a trip around Kakadu, Katherine, Darwin and Litchfield National Park. We’re also keen to take a trip over the the Tiwi Islands to experience the beauty and unique cultural experiences these islands offer.
10. Fraser Island
We fell in love with North Stradbroke Island a few years ago and ever since then have wanted to visit Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and is another of Australia’s World Heritage listed destinations.
In addition to endless long stretches of beaches, there is also rainforests, crystal clear freshwater lakes and creeks including the world famous Lake McKenzie.
What are your favourite places in Australia?
This post was written in collaboration with Accor.
All opinions are our own.
