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 forest.

This charming jungle has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one nearly guaranteed. Your best possibility 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 strolling tracks through the trees, suitable for birdwatching and goanna identifying, or head back to town for a stroll along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For epic sundowns: Tower Hill, Victoria

Continue simply a little further west from the Great Ocean Roadway and you'll find this volcanic crater. Surrounded by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that is house to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The guided strolls from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, along with to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll learn how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sundown-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Stick around afterwards and join the assisted night walk to see the animals at its most active.

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

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

Envision them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow snake from the local Aboriginal story. In either case, they're ideal fodder for the eager photographer.

4. For red wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of white wine tourers and head rather to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll discover a laid-back cluster of boutique wineries and hyper-local restaurants beneath 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 red wines that integrate the best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the area's premium produce to undiscover australia develop meals motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And check out in March or April for Taste Great Southern, which celebrates the region's excellent local fruit and vegetables.

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

Superlatives abound on the Nullarbor-- it's the planet'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 epic) drive, stressed 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 likely.

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

Freycinet may be one of Tassie's most visited sites, however that does not suggest you'll bump into anyone else on a walk here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll quickly shake off any fellow visitors (so bring a lot of water) as you tramp anti-clockwise around the peninsula from the Hazards Beach Track to the Wineglass Bay lookout.

Outdoor camping is at Cooks Beach and there's time to climb Mount Freycinet (the top is 620m above sea level). When you're done, kick off those hiking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

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

Ancient rain forest capes http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=australia the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an unattainable wilderness that would quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National Park opens this UNESCO World Heritage jungle for visitors, providing walking trails through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view extends all the method 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 season. You'll ultimately reach Point lookout for those panoramic rain forest views.