Australia Is A Vast Country, Though Most Visitors Stay On The Same Tried And Tested Track, Ticking Off Well-touristed Pitstops Along The Way. But, Of Course, There's Plenty More To See Beyond The Usual Sydney, Rock And Reef Holiday Triangle. Here’s Our Pi

1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

Surrounded by sugarcane and with a primary street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a terrific base for going to Eungella National forest.

This charming jungle has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one almost ensured. Your finest opportunity is at Broken River, where the viewing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- load a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.

Later on, take a hike on strolling tracks through the trees, ideal for birdwatching and goanna finding, or head back to town for a walk along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For legendary sundowns: Tower Hill, Victoria

Continue simply a little additional west from the Great Ocean Road and you'll find this volcanic crater. Surrounded by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that great is home to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The assisted walks from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, in addition to to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll discover how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sunset-- best seen from the crater's rim-- is the main event. Stay later on and sign up with the directed night walk to see the fauna at its most active.

3. For incredible photos: Devil's Marbles, Northern Area

You'll require to commit to a long drive for this one-- however it's well worth it. Some 130km south of Tennant Creek, en route to Alice Springs, you'll find a geological phenomenon: a fistful of rock marbles flung throughout the Wilderness.

Imagine them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow serpent from the local Aboriginal story. In either case, they're best fodder for the keen photographer.

4. For wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of red wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll discover an easygoing cluster of shop wineries and hyper-local dining establishments below a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and go to Castelli Estate for fantastic Pinot Noir and Shiraz or struck Howard Park for white wines that integrate the best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas utilizes the area's premium produce to produce dishes inspired by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And check out in March or April for Taste Fantastic Southern, which commemorates the region's excellent local produce.

5. For an extraordinary journey: The Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Superlatives abound on the Nullarbor-- it's the planet's largest single piece of limestone, the world's longest stretch of straight train track and even the universe's longest golf course.

All that produces one very long (however impressive) drive, punctuated only by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dirty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to strike a golf ball, if you're so likely.

6. For outdoor camping and climbs up: Freycinet National forest, Tasmania

Freycinet may be among Tassie's most checked out websites, however that does not mean you'll run into anybody else on a walk here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll soon shake off any fellow visitors (so bring plenty of water) as you tramp anti-clockwise around the peninsula from the Hazards Beach Track to the Wineglass Bay lookout.

Outdoor camping is at Cooks Beach and there's time to climb up Mount Freycinet (the summit is 620m above water level). When you're done, begin those treking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unbeatable hiking: New England National Park, http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection®ion=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/australia New South Wales

Ancient jungle cloaks the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an inaccessible wilderness that would quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National forest opens this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, offering strolling routes through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view stretches all the method to the coast.

Take the Eagles Nest track, a 2.2 km loop, and you'll see Antarctic beech trees covered in fungi, endemic beech orchids and dripping waterfalls, frequently frozen in winter season. You'll ultimately reach Point lookout for those scenic rainforest views.