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Australia travel guide

Find out what to see and do when travelling or backpacking around Australia.

Australia

Australia highlights

  Destination Make a reservation
Sydney Opera House, Australia
Sydney
Opera House, Harbour bridge - (possible to organise climbs), The Rocks for shops, bars and restaurants. Sydney is near to to the Blue Mountains for walking and sightseeing, and the Hunter Valley in nearby for wine tasting.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire
The Olgas near Uluru, Australia
The Outback / Red centre
Ayers Rock (Uluru), Kings Canyon and The Olgas from Alice Springs		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours
Kakadu National Park, Australia
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is accessed from Darwin and offers great overnight adventure trips.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire
Great Ocean Road, Australia
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road from Melbourne is one of the best drives in Australia. The Twelve Apostles are an amazing sight.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire
Snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Snorkelling and diving
Excellent snorkeling and diving trips are available at the Great Barrier Reef on the East Coast of Australia and Ningaloo Reef off the West Coast near Perth.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours
Fraiser Island, Australia
Fraser Island
Head on an overnight 4x4 camping adventure trip to Fraser Island for great sandy beaches, dingos and dense forest.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire
The Whitsundays, Australia
The Whitsunday's
The Whitsunday Islands offer amazing sailing trips, turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and excellent snorkelling.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire
Surfing at Byron Bay, Australia
Byron Bay
If you are backpacking around Australia you will almost definitely end up in chilled Byron Bay for some time. Take the excellent surfing lessons here.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Australian cities
Australia has some exciting cosmopolitan cities to explore from Perth on the West Coast, through Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin.		 Flights Hotels Hostels Tours Car hire

Sydney Opera House, Australia

Sydney Opera House, Australia

Main travellers routes

  • Sydney to Cairns
  • Sydney to Adelaide along the Great Ocean Road
  • Sydney to Darwin via Cairns, Alice Springs
  • Some people travel from Perth up the West coast to Darwin
  • Bus Passes such as the Oz Experience and McCafferty's are the most popular ways of travelling overland (see Getting Around section for more details)
  • Renting a car in Australia for self-drives is a common option
  • Buying a car is also a possibility
  • Discounted air passes such as the Boomerang and G'Day Passes are cheapest but must be bought in advance.

Capital and main cities

  • Canberra (Administrative)
  • Sydney - Main travellers destination
  • Main Cities/towns - Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns, Darwin.

Languages

  • English

Currency

Australia Visas (always check with your embassy)

Foreign Office Advice

Flights and accommodation

Tours and day trips in Australia

Next: Planning a trip to Australia