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 main street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a fantastic base for visiting Eungella National Park.

This enchanting rain forest has rivers rich enough in platypus to make seeing one practically guaranteed. Your best 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.

Afterwards, https://en.search.wordpress.com/?src=organic&q=australia take a hike on walking tracks through the trees, ideal for birdwatching and goanna identifying, or head back to town for a stroll along great aussie patios the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For epic sunsets: Tower Hill, Victoria

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

The guided strolls from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, along with to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll discover how to rustle up some bushtucker. However the sunset-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the main event. Remain afterwards and join the directed night walk to see the animals at its most active.

3. For remarkable images: Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory

You'll need to dedicate to a long drive for this one-- but 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.

Picture them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow serpent from the regional Aboriginal story. In any case, they're perfect fodder for the eager photographer.

4. For red wine: Denmark, Western Australia

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

Don't miss out on Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the location's gourmet produce to create meals inspired by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And see in March or April for Taste Great Southern, which celebrates the region's excellent local produce.

5. For an incredible 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 deep space's longest golf course.

All that makes for one long (but epic) drive, punctuated only by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dusty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to strike a golf ball, if you're so inclined.

6. For camping and climbs: Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

Freycinet may be one of Tassie's many gone to sites, but that doesn't suggest you'll run into anyone else on a walk here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll quickly get rid of 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 Mount Freycinet (the top is 620m above sea level). When you're done, start those treking boots and dig your toes into the pristine white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unbeatable hiking: New England National Park, New South Wales

Ancient rain forest cloaks the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an inaccessible wilderness that would easily pass for the Amazon. New England National forest opens this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, offering walking trails through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view extends 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 trickling waterfalls, typically frozen in winter. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those panoramic rain forest views.