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 main street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a terrific base for visiting Eungella National forest.

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

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

2. For legendary sunsets: Tower Hill, Victoria

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

The assisted walks from the visitor centre will present you to the wildlife, as well as to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll discover how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sunset-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Stay later on and join the directed night walk to see the animals at its most active.

3. For amazing photos: Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory

You'll need to commit to a long drive for this one-- but 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 across the Outback.

Imagine them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow serpent from the regional 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 wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll find 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 white wines that combine the very best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss Pepper and Salt for supper, where chef Silas utilizes the area's premium produce to create dishes influenced by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And see in March or April for Taste Fantastic Southern, which celebrates the area's superb local fruit and vegetables.

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

Superlatives abound 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 (however impressive) drive, punctuated only by lookouts over http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection®ion=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/australia the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dirty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to strike a golf ball, if you're so likely.

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

Freycinet may be among Tassie's most visited 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 quickly 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.

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

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

Ancient jungle cloaks the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an unattainable wilderness that would quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National forest opens this UNESCO World Heritage jungle for visitors, offering walking routes 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 fungi, endemic beech orchids and dripping waterfalls, typically frozen in winter season. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those scenic rainforest views.