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 checking out Eungella National forest.

This enchanting rainforest has rivers rich enough in platypus to make seeing one practically ensured. Your best chance is at Broken River, where the seeing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- pack a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.

Later on, take a hike on walking tracks through the trees, ideal for birdwatching and goanna finding, or head back to town for a walk along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For epic sunsets: Tower Hill, australiantravellers.com/ Victoria

Continue simply a little additional west from the Great Ocean Road and you'll discover this volcanic crater. Surrounded by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that is house https://en.search.wordpress.com/?src=organic&q=australia to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The directed walks from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, in addition to to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll discover how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sundown-- best seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Remain later on and sign up with the assisted night walk to see the animals at its most active.

3. For remarkable photos: Devil's Marbles, Northern Area

You'll need 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 find a geological phenomenon: a fistful of rock marbles flung across the Outback.

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

4. For white wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of 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 below a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and go to Castelli Estate for fantastic Pinot Noir and Shiraz or struck Howard Park for wines that integrate the best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss out on Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas utilizes the location's premium produce to develop dishes motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And go to in March or April for Taste Terrific Southern, which celebrates the region's superb local fruit and vegetables.

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

Superlatives are plentiful on the Nullarbor-- it's the world's biggest single piece of limestone, the world's longest stretch of straight train track and even the universe's longest golf course.

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

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

Freycinet might be one of Tassie's the majority of visited websites, but that does not indicate you'll bump into anybody else on a stroll here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll soon get rid of any fellow visitors (so bring plenty of water) as 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 Mount Freycinet (the top is 620m above water level). When you're done, begin those hiking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unequalled hiking: New England National Park, New South Wales

Ancient rainforest capes the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an unattainable wilderness that would easily pass for the Amazon. New England National Park opens up this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, providing walking 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 fungus, endemic beech orchids and trickling waterfalls, often frozen in winter. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those breathtaking rain forest views.