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 fantastic base for visiting Eungella National forest.

This enchanting jungle has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one almost ensured. Your finest 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 walking 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 more west from the Great Ocean Roadway and you'll discover this volcanic crater. Surrounded by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that is house to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The guided walks from the visitor centre will present you to the wildlife, along with to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll learn how to rustle up some bushtucker. However the sundown-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Stick around later on and join the assisted night walk to see the fauna 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 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 regional Aboriginal story. In any case, they're best fodder for the eager photographer.

4. For white wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of white wine close account westpac tourers and head instead 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 check out Castelli Estate for excellent Pinot Noir and Shiraz or hit Howard Park for white wines that combine the very best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss out on Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the location's gourmet produce to develop dishes motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And check out in March or April for Taste Great Southern, which commemorates the area's excellent local produce.

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

Superlatives are plentiful 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 makes for one long (but legendary) drive, punctuated just by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dirty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to strike a golf ball, if you're so inclined.

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

Freycinet might be one of Tassie's many checked out sites, however that doesn't indicate you'll run into anybody else on a stroll here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll quickly get rid of any fellow visitors (so bring plenty of water) as you tramp http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=australia 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 water level). When you're done, kick off those hiking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unsurpassable 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 quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National Park opens up this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, using 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 dripping waterfalls, frequently frozen in winter season. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those scenic jungle views.