Australia Is A Vast Country, Though Most Visitors Stay On The Same Tried And Tested Track, Ticking Off Well-touristed Pitstops Along The Way. But, Of Course, There's Plenty More To See Beyond The Usual Sydney, Rock And Reef Holiday Triangle. Here’s Our Pi

1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

Surrounded by sugarcane and with a primary street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a terrific base for going to Eungella National Park.

This captivating rainforest has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one nearly guaranteed. Your best opportunity is at Broken River, where the viewing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- pack a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.

Later on, go on strolling tracks through the trees, perfect for birdwatching and goanna identifying, or head back to town for a walk along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For legendary sundowns: Tower Hill, Victoria

Continue just a little additional west from the Great Ocean Road and you'll discover this volcanic crater. Encircled by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that is home to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The guided strolls from the visitor centre will present you to the wildlife, along with http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=australia to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll find out how to rustle up some bushtucker. However the sundown-- best seen from the crater's rim-- is the main event. Remain later on and sign up with the assisted night walk to see the fauna at its most active.

3. For incredible pictures: Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory

You'll require to commit to a long drive for this one-- however it's well worth it. Some 130km south of Tennant Creek, en route to Alice Springs, you'll discover a geological phenomenon: a fistful of rock marbles flung throughout the Outback.

Picture them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow serpent from the regional Aboriginal story. In any case, they're perfect fodder for the keen photographer.

4. For white wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of red wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll discover an easygoing cluster of shop wineries and hyper-local dining establishments beneath a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and visit Castelli Estate for great Pinot Noir and Shiraz or struck Howard Park for red wines that combine the best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Don't miss Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the location's gourmet produce to develop dishes motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And visit in March or April for Taste Fantastic Southern, which commemorates the region's superb local produce.

5. For an amazing journey: The Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Superlatives abound on the Nullarbor-- it's the world's largest single piece of limestone, the world's longest stretch of straight train track and even deep space's longest golf course.

All that produces one very long (but epic) drive, punctuated just by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dusty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to hit a golf ball, if you're so likely.

6. For camping and climbs up: Freycinet National forest, Tasmania

Freycinet might be one of Tassie's a lot of gone to sites, however that doesn't imply you'll run into anyone else on a stroll here. Go out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll soon get rid of any fellow visitors (so bring lots of water) as island you tramp anti-clockwise around the peninsula from the Hazards Beach Track to the Wineglass Bay lookout.

Camping is at Cooks Beach and there's time to climb up Mount Freycinet (the summit is 620m above water level). As soon as you're done, begin those treking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unsurpassable hiking: New England National Forest, New South Wales

Ancient rain forest cloaks the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an inaccessible wilderness that would easily pass for the Amazon. New England National Park opens up this UNESCO World Heritage rainforest for visitors, providing strolling tracks through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view stretches all the way to the coast.

Take the Eagles Nest track, a 2.2 km loop, and you'll see Antarctic beech trees covered in fungi, endemic beech orchids and trickling waterfalls, often frozen in winter. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those breathtaking jungle views.