Beach, Barbie (BBQ) & Beer may be the Holy Trinity of Aussie life, but the country stacks a ‘mahoosive’ list of treats coast to coast. Great outdoors, unique wildlife, superb wining and dining, the amazing landscape, people and their matey attitude, are sure to give you the ‘warm fuzzies’.

Cities of Australia

• Sydney – Sydney is Australia’s emblematic city for a very good reason. Apart from taking selfies at the Opera house and climbing the harbour bridge, take time to delve into Syndey’s superlative restaurant scene. It’s chockfull of hatted restaurants (Aussie for Michelin stars) like the Bridgeroom, ARIA, Bennelong and etc. The Tarronga Zoo is a magnet for kids, while the famous Rocks Market sells everything from dresses, bags and off-beat jewellery to original artworks and prints! Add a wine tour to Hunter Valley to round things off nicely.
• Melbourne – Stupendous beaches, great gastronomic scene (think Gary Mehigan’s Boathouse for starters), an endless array of cultural fests, A-list sporting events and unbeatable theatre, Melbourne is Australia’s top draw. Plus it has stunning casinos like the Sky City Grand & Crown. Day trips in the area are equally enticing like Yarra Valley (wineries), Mornington Peninsula (spas to snorkelling) and Hepburn Springs (rejuvenation)! Kiddies will love to see the Platypus at Healesville Zoo, one of the only two places that breed this Australian native.
• Brisbane – The iconic Australia Zoo (founded by Steve Irwin), the world’s largest Koala sanctuary Lone Pine, sand-boarding at Moreton Island, Glow Worm tours, bush walking in equatorial forests and the Gold Coast Scenic rim drive are just a sample of things that make Brisbane fun for the whole family!

Beaches of Australia

• Whithaven Beach, Whitsundays – Consistently voted one of the top beaches in the world, Whithaven beach has pure, white, soft sand, with coves, lagoons and inlets. You’re sure to find your slice of paradise on this 75 km stretch.
• Hamilton Island Beach, Whitsundays – The largest inhabited island of the Whitsundays has lovely stretches of white that curve along its shape. The Catseye beach is where you should be headed.
• Hayman Island Beach, Whitsundays – At the northernmost tip of the Whitsunday chain, this mountainous island offers you both silky sand stretches and bushwalks among eucalyptus and hoop pine. The waters dance with the light to display the most enchanting colours.
• Hayman Island Beach, Whitsundays – At the northernmost tip of the Whitsunday chain, this mountainous island offers you both silky sand stretches and bushwalks among eucalyptus and hoop pine. The waters dance with the light to display the most enchanting colours.
• Lizard Beach, Cairns – Another Aussie winner, the Lizard Beach on the east side of the Great Barrier Reef, has 23 separate beaches for beach combing!
• Noosa Main Beach, Gold Coast – This beach is pretty much the perfect showcase of what the Sunshine Coast has to offer; it’s got picture-perfect sand, pristine water and waves that are ideal for swimming.
• Sydney & Melbourne
• Bondi Beach, Sydney – While Sydney has many beaches, Bondi is so synonymous with the Aussie surf and beach culture, you need to people watch on these sands! Bikinis aside, Bondi was the first to have a Surf Life Saving Club, which has pioneered many safety techniques & water equipment!
• Torquay Surf Beach, Melbourne – The big boys hit this holy site for surfing and the starting beach of the Great Ocean Road. The Rip Curl Pro surfing competition takes place here at Bells Beach.
• Lorne, Melbourne – Ocean, forest and friendly surfing conditions put Lorne high on the list of great beaches in and around Melbourne.

Not to be missed

• Golf, Australia
• Venerable clubs, undulating courses and endless choice define the game here. There are over 1800 courses in the country!
• The Aussies take their golf and golfing traditions very, very seriously. Venerable clubs, undulating courses and endless choice define the game here. There are over 1,800 courses in the country and many host international competitions. Play at the renowned Melbourne Sandbelt, the finest grouping of golf courses in the world. Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan, Victoria, Commonwealth, Huntingdale and Yarra Yarra are all championship courses within 20 minutes of each other.

Must Dos

• Visit the sacred Uluru (Ayers Rock); the world’s largest red & orange ‘pebble’ that covers 8 kms.
• Go to the less visited Western side for the Margaret River, the Ningaloo reef and Coral Bay.
• Try croc cage diving at Darwin and spend time at the Sunset market on Mindil beach, for an authentic Aussie evening out.
• Canoe at Katherine Gorge, Darwin, at the 13 gorge system of the Nitmiluk National Park.
• For a cultural experience that is 40,000 years old, go to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park, Cairns. Learn about Dreamtime and other mythical traditions.
• Learn surfing in the many beaches around Melbourne.
• Stay outdoors. You can hike, bike, raft, climb or surf just about anywhere!
• For the real wilderness, even by Aussie standards, take the ferry to Tasmania.
• Catch the Big 5 of Australian wildlife - the Koala, Kangaroo, Wombat, Emu and Platypus.
• Go wine tasting in Tamar Valley, Tasmania, one of Australia’s most scenic wine regions.
• Head to the Barossa Valley near Adelaide, home to Australia’s most widely distributed wine maker Jacob Creek.