The 10 most beautiful places to explore in Australia

Ever wanted to walk on the moon as a child? Mungo National Park is as close as you'll get without leaving the stratosphere. Dried-up lake beds and sandy soil make for incredible crater-like terrain. Once upon a time, Lake Mungo covered the entire area, but since then, the arid landscape has made way for one of Australia's most important geological discoveries. The human remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady in the 1960s showed that human life was present in Australia more than 40,000 years ago. Not only that, but geologists determined that Mungo Lady had been cremated and Mungo Man ceremonially buried, proof of spiritual practices dating back tens of thousands of years.

No, not Denmark, EU. We're talking WA. This coastal town a few hours south of Perth is brimming with natural attractions. The star of the show? The pictured Elephant Rocks. The huge granite boulders that speckle the popular swimming spot are said to resemble a herd of elephants going for a splash. Just as gorgeous is the super nearby Greens Pool with that same special turquoise-hued water. With lovely mild summer temperatures and plenty of rainfall in the winter, Denmark is also a great place for drinking a drop. Driveable food and wine trails will take you between stunning vineyards for fresh local produce.

Yes, it gets a lot of hype. And yes – it's worth it. There are few places on Earth that actually look better off camera, and Uluru in Kata Tjuta National Park is definitely one of them. Regardless of whether if it's the first or 68th time that you see Uluru IRL, the sheer magnitude of this crimson rock's beauty, presence and sacred spiritual power is something that can't be denied. No matter if it's drenched by a winter downpour, submerged in a rainbow dusk or smack-bang in the middle of a sunny desert day, Uluru offers up a kind of beauty that feeds a part of you that you didn't know needed to be fed. 

Wadjemup, or Rottnest Island is a stunning island fringed by quiet, perfect sandy coves and full of smiling fluffy marsupials. Surrounded by a warm current that flows all the way from the Ningaloo Reef, this very special place is bound to delight every single one of your senses. With no cars on the island, you can walk or cycle around to some of the most spectacular beaches in the world and see quokkas, birds, reptiles, seals and whales all dancing without cages in their natural habitat.

It is also important to acknowledge that Wadjemup has an ancient Indigenous history – and a recent tragic past that must be respected.

The Tarkine is one of the most remarkable and ancient native forests on Earth. A cool temperate rainforest, this huge swathe of untouched, emerald-toned wilderness is home to massive ancient trees, countless waterfalls and incredibly significant ancient Indigenous sites. Wandering through, you'll be left speechless by the millions of shades of green, primeval trees and strong, tumbling rivers. Conservationists have fought for decades to preserve this phenomenal natural spot, so be sure to thank them when you're marvelling at this Tasmanian beauty. 

Looking for a remarkable and suprising bit of natural beauty? You can't miss Lake Hillier on Middle Island up in the wild reaches of the Goldfields-Esperance region in Western Australia. Perhaps most striking when viewed from the sky, this bubblegum pink salt lake cuts a pretty dashing picture up against the cobalt blue depths of the Indian Ocean. 

The Grampians – or Gariwerd to the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali traditional people of this area – is stunningly beautiful, no matter where you're standing. Staggering rock formations, sweeping views and jaw-dropping light bursts are all staples of the Grampians National Park in Victoria. Whether you like stumbling across secret swimming holes, wandering through ferny forests, or summitting a craggy peak at sunrise – The Grampians knows how to turn on a pretty good visual. 

Lord Howe Island is a tiny, incredibly beautiful island off the coast of NSW. A protected wilderness area, Lord Howe only allows 400 visitors on the island at a time – so if you get in, you know you're going to treasure it. From snorkelling in the rainbow coral reefs that surrounded the island and swimming in glassy blue waters, to hiking through tropical cliffs, a trip to Lord Howe is bound to be a veritable feast for all beauty-loving eyes, souls and photography heads. 

Kings Canyon is one of the most special places on Earth, and when you're walking around the shockingly crimson rim of this spellbinding desert oasis, you'll agree. Sheer and immense rock faces that are coloured a deep red surround you in this ancient moonscape-like place. You'll walk past plants that have seen dinosaurs, gaze at the huge, rainbow stretches of the desert, and (what is arguably the best bit) walk down to the Garden of Eden, a secret, sacred waterhole and self-sustaining fertile ecosystem that has managed to survive for milennia in the middle of an immense desert. 

Whitehaven Beach in the protected wonderland of the Whitsunday Islands National Park in Far North Queensland gets a lot of airtime – but unlike some destinations that actually aren't worth the hype they get (Bondi Beach, sorry, we're looking at you), this wide expanse of sugary white sand and crystal clear water really does deserve the top spot that it routinely manages to hit. When you're standing on sand that's 98 per cent silica and dipping your toes in the warm, blue waters of the Coral Sea, you may get the curious sensation that you've somehow been magicked into a postcard. Not too shabby, if you ask us.