The 20 top tourist attractions in Australia

There’s a very good reason why the epic vistas of the Blue Mountains are World Heritage listed. Several in fact. Firstly, it has some of the most breathtaking geological formations, gorges and waterfalls anywhere in the country. Secondly, it’s one of the largest national parks of its type, covering more than a million hectares. Take in the most astounding views of the Blue Mountains, including the Three Sisters, at Scenic World. You can ascend the valley in a glass-walled cable car suspended 270m in the air, and descend in the Scenic Railway, which chugs down a hair-raising 52-degree decline.

You can live your best Little Mermaid fantasy at the Great Barrier Reef – the largest coral reef in the entire world. Made up of more than 100 islands and 3,000 individual reef systems, this is easily one of Australia’s most sought-after tourist hot spots. You can experience the technicolour marvels of the reef on and off the water, with experiences like snorkelling, scuba diving, glass-bottomed boat viewing, helicopter tours, whale watching and swimming with dolphins. 

No trip to Tasmania is truly complete without a day trip to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). This transcendent palace of big, bad and mad ideas doesn’t discriminate when it comes to art, so you could see everything from a classical wall of ceramic vaginas to an intricate glass machine that produces legitimate faeces, or a wax head of an Italian man from the 17th century. MONA only opens from Thursday to Monday, so plan your trip wisely.

You can’t visit Sydney without snapping a picture at one of the world’s most photographed and famous performing arts venues. Along with its spectacular roster of classical and contemporary music, opera, theatre and dance shows, Sydney Opera House offers different tours that allow you to get intimate with the building. If you don't feel like shelling out, it's still free to sit on the steps for a quick lunch by the water and gaze in marvel at those 1,056,000 pearly, self-cleaning Swedish tiles.

Escape the hustle and bustle of Australia’s capital cities and journey to the country's red centre, where the skies are clear, the stars are out and the landscapes are spectacular. Uluru recently took out gold for being the best sunset-watching location on Earth and we suggest experiencing the magic for yourself.

Of all the tourist attractions across Victoria, the 12 Apostles is the one that draws in the most crowds from far and wide. The famed limestone stacks continue to amaze visitors, despite four of the 12 formations succumbing to the elements over the years. In June 2024, a new $9.2 million viewing platform was unveiled near Princetown along the Great Ocean Road, offering a new vantage point for marvelling at the majestic rock structures. 

Museums aren’t confined to only four walls, and you’ll find one of Australia’s greatest at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site. Just a 90-minute drive from Hobart, this is proudly Australia’s most intact and evocative convict site, with more than 30 historic buildings and ruins to explore. Stroll through the 40-hectare landscaped grounds, join an introductory walking tour, embark on a complimentary 20-minute harbour cruise where you’ll catch glimpses of the Isle of the Dead – and then come back to do it all again, with tickets granting you entry for two consecutive days. Trust us, you’ll need it.

Tropical, lush and leafy, the Daintree lives its life in all shades of green. This World Heritage-listed wonder is the oldest continually surviving rainforest in the world, with more tree species in one hectare than in the entirety of the United Kingdom. Explore the emerald canopy via a river cruise, rainforest boardwalk, crocodile tour or treetop zipline.

Canberra gets a bad rap compared to other Australian capital cities, so you might be surprised that it’s home to one of the top ten free tourist attractions in the world. At the Australian War Memorial, you can discover the Australian experiences of war and connect with the stories of people and events that shaped our nation. Place a poppy on the Roll of Honour to remember the sacrifice made by our servicemen and women, and stay for the moving Last Post closing ceremony. 

Take a walk over the most iconic bridge in the world and get a bird's eye view of Sydney that's worth every penny. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, you have to wear an unflattering grey jumpsuit. But, the feeling as you summit the fourth-longest single-span steel arch bridge is one to last a lifetime. 

Dubbed one of Australia's number one Instagram hotspots, the cobblestoned Hosier Lane is arguably the central point of Melbourne's street art scene. Spend a while checking out every graffiti-covered corner of this overflowing art cluster – a creative mark has been left on almost anything with a surface. Sometimes it's the smaller, easily overlooked pieces that really astound.

It’s quite likely that you’ll let out an audible gasp after catching your first glimpse of Cable Beach in Broome. This sparkly 22km white sand beach earned bragging rights as the third best in the world, according to TripAdvisor’s 2023 Travellers’ Choice Awards. Rise early and hike the 7.7 kilometres from Cable Beach up to Gantheaume Point, where you can take in the most spectacular vistas in Broome. However, a camel ride or cocktail on the beach does the trick too.

Covering an incredible 20,000 square kilometres of the Northern Territory, this is Australia's biggest national park and also one of its only UNESCO World Heritage-listed. Along with its tiny yellow butterflies, ancient rock art galleries, immense red gorges and deep blue pools, Kakadu boasts a powerful history, having been a sacred place of living and ceremony for Indigenous people for 65,000 years. This really is the place for an adventure of a lifetime. 

This grand modernist building in Melbourne’s city centre is Australia's oldest and most popular art museum. That title has been won thanks to the NGV’s top-notch and diverse permanent collection (including a Rembrandt, a Bonnard and a Tiepolo), fantastic visiting collections, free tours and an ongoing series of late-night events. Not to mention the spectacular stained glass ceiling by Leonard French or the Water Wall at the gallery entrance.

This crescent-shaped bay is easily one of Tasmania’s most photographed views, and deservedly so. It’s less than an hour's hike up to Wineglass Bay lookout, where you’ll be rewarded with unparalleled views of the breathtaking blue waters and sparkly white beach (shaped in a wine glass, of course). If you’re lucky, you may even spot whales or dolphins swimming in the bay. 

One of the largest undercover markets in the Southern Hemisphere, this fresh food mecca buzzes with more than 80 traders from over 40 nationalities under the one roof. Eat your way through the stalls, sampling everything from seafood paella and spicy coconut laksa to canelés and chocolate torte. Then fill your tote bags with locally-made brie, green ant gin and pastel-pink macarons for the way home. 

Just like a strawberry milkshake, this protected pink lake is a delight for the senses. You’ll find Lake Hillier on Middle Island in the pristine wilderness of Western Australia’s Recherche Archipelago. The natural wonder, shaped like a footprint and 600 metres in length, gets its bubblegum colour from a mix of salt-loving bacteria and algae. You can truly appreciate the magical contrast between the pink waters and the dark blue Indian Ocean from the sky.

Trust us: there’s more to this hippie beach town than what you saw on Byron Baes. Wake up with the sun and walk along the headland to the old-fashioned Cape Byron Lighthouse (which happens to be Australia’s most easterly point). Keep your eyes out for wallabies, dolphins and even whales, and pack your swimmers for a post-climb dip in the sparkly blue shores at Wategos Beach.

There are few (if any other) tourist attractions in the world that are heritage-listed, eco-certified and completely carbon neutral. This five-hectare fairytale wonderland ticks all the boxes. Within Paronella Park, you’ll find a Spanish-style castle, a waterfall (with a fully operational 1930s hydroelectric generator), and more than 7,500 tropical plants and trees. 

With tranquil waters framed by Norfolk pines and a pastel pavilion right on the beach, Perth's most popular beach feels like a vintage coastal postcard come to life. Cottesloe's consistent swell is favoured by local surfers, and a cheeky little reef awaits for some snorkelling fun. The shaded grassy area edging the sand is even set up in tiers to ensure maximal sunset viewing over the Indian Ocean