Australia welcomes all sorts of travellers to its shores. Whether you’re a culture vulture who enjoys a day at the museum, an adrenaline junkie who hits up all the best theme parks, or a laid-back sun-seeker who prefers relaxing on the beach, there’s an adventure with your name on it Down Under. While our Time Out travel experts have curated a list of the greatest things to do in Australia, we also value recommendations from adventurers near and far. That’s where Tripadvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best comes in handy.
Every year, the world’s biggest travel platform compiles its Travellers’ Choice ‘Top Experiences’ list based on the opinions of millions of users, with the top ten awarded to experiences that receive a high volume of "above-and-beyond reviews from the Tripadvisor community over a 12-month period". Out of more than 8 million listings, less than one per cent of listings are featured – so, it’s kind of a big deal.
So, which is the best of the best? According to Tripadvisor reviews, the best experience you can have in Australia is visiting Scenic World, the Blue Mountains’ main hub of mountainy attractions. It received such rave reviews on Tripadvisor, earning a perfect five-star score from 3,307 reviews. They specifically called out a small-group day trip from Sydney, which packs in all the best attractions, including riding the Scenic Railway (the world’s steepest rail trip) and glass-bottom Scenic Skyway cable car, walking through the valley, spotting animals like kangaroos and wallabies at Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, and finishing the day with a relaxing river cruise and meal. Not a bad day out at all.
The second highest-rated travel experience in Australia was a laid-back Yarra Valley Wine Tour, blending scenic landscapes with delightful tastings at wineries, a gin distillery, cidery, brewery, chocolatier and cheese shop. Next up was a personalised snorkel charter in the crystal-clear waters off Port Douglas, followed by a moonlit penguin spotting walk at Phillip Island and a day tour of the world’s largest sand island, K’gari (Fraser Island).
Looking for more travel inspo?
Here are the top ten experiences you can have in Australia in 2024, according to Tripadvisor data:
- All-Inclusive Small-Group Blue Mountains Trip with Scenic World, NSW
- Small-Group Yarra Valley Wine Tour, VIC
- ABC Snorkel Charters Port Douglas, QLD
- Phillip Island Penguin, Moonlight Sanctuary from Melbourne, VIC
- K’gari (Fraser Island) Day Tour, QLD
- Margaret River Wine Adventure, WA
- Fun, Falls and Forest Day Trip from Cairns, QLD
- Whitsundays Guided Jet Ski Tour, QLD
- 40-minute Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight from Cairns, QLD
- Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Boutique Small Group Tour, VIC
You can check out all the Travellers’ Choice Awards 2024 winners over here.
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