Find out where you can get up close and personal to nature’s spectacle in Australia.
It’s not hard in a country that holds 550 national parks and 15 World Heritage- listed wonders. You’ll see snow-capped mountains and salt-encrusted lakes, rolling countryside and turquoise sea. Find strange creatures, colorful birds and vibrant fish. This is a country where boundaries blur – ancient rainforests skirt modern cities and waterways surge from craggy red earth. In Australia you can get up close to our native plants and animals and experience spectacular beauty on land, air and sea.
1. Ningaloo Reef
Meet the world’s biggest fish – the whale shark – in the clear, turquoise waters of Western Australia’s huge fringing reef. These gentle underwater giants feed on the bright coral reef between April and June. You can also dive, swim or snorkel with dolphins, graceful manta rays and hundreds of species of tropical fish. On Ningaloo, this rainbow of marine life is just meters from the shore.
2. Kakadu National Park
You’ll be lost for words in World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park – a tapestry of rainforest and Aboriginal cultural artifacts across 19,000 square kilometers. Rugged escarpments, lush wetlands, plunging gorges and cascading waterfalls spill over each other here in our largest nature park. You’ll see millions of migratory birds in the wetlands and crocodiles sun their primitive hides on the banks of the Adelaide River.
3. Phillip Island
Every day at dusk, Summerland Beach on Phillip Island comes alive with thousands of little penguins. Watch them waddle home in riotous packs and pairs after their long day foraging for food in icy Bass Strait. The rugged ocean beaches, sheltered bays, blowholes and caves are also home to koalas, abundant bird life and a large colony of fur seals between October and December. It’s hard to believe this teeming natural habitat is just 90 minutes from Melbourne.
4. Ancient Rainforests: Tasmania’s National Parks
Step into the grandeur of the Tasmanian rainforest, and you’ll be stepping back 60 million years. With forty per cent of the island protected as national parks and reserves, pristine wilderness is never far away. The World Heritage area stretches more than 1.38 million hectares – from the rugged alpine peaks and dense rainforests of Cradle Mountain in the north to the island’s remote southern tip.
5. Great Barrier Reef
Unforgettable is the word most people use to describe the Great Barrier Reef – a spectacle so vast it can be seen from space. This World Heritage marine wonderland is an explosion of color that stretches for 2,600 kilometers off the Queensland coast. You can access this undersea spectacular of marine life and coral reefs from Cairns and the Whitsundays in the north and Townsville,
6. Kangaroo Island
Meet seals, sea lions, koalas, wallabies, bandicoots and platypus in the wild on Kangaroo Island, an ecological haven accessible from Adelaide. The desert dunes, beaches, forest and farmland are just a short flight from Adelaide or ferry ride from Cape Jervis on the South Australian coast. Watch penguins make their nightly pilgrimage to shore, buy milk, cheese, wine and Ligurian honey fresh from local farmers and see fur seals frolic on the rocks and a colony of Australian sea lions at Seal Bay.
7. Blue Mountains
The blue-hazed beauty, dramatic cliffs and deep canyons of the Blue Mountains are just 90 minutes drive from Sydney. Soak up the breathtaking panoramas on a trek along the Six Foot Track, go mountain biking, horse riding and scale the sandstone cliffs. As well as a million hectares of World Heritage-listed wilderness, you’ll find quaint guesthouses, cozy cafes, luxurious resorts and a vibrant community of artists.
8. Australian Alps
Straddling New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, the Alps has uniquely Australian alpine vistas and year round opportunities for outdoor adventure. Hit Australia’s highest ski fields or hike to the top of Mount Kosciuszko, our highest peak. Immerse yourself in Aboriginal history in Namagdi National Park. Drive the Great Alpine Road past historic villages, wildflower-coated plains, trout-filled streams and rugged gorges. Or go cycling, caving, rafting, kayaking, four wheel driving and horse riding.
