Australia vacations 2024 & 2025

From never-ending beaches and vibrant coral reefs to cosmopolitan city life and vast wilderness, there is so much that you can experience in Australia. We recommend a plethora of things to do in Australia — hand-picked by Audley specialists, these reflect the most authentic and best-loved experiences in Australia.

Australia has some iconic locations range from architectural marvels to natural wonders. Take a backstage tour of the Sydney Opera House or climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, taking in 360-degree views of the city’s waterfront. You can, of course, experience the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, diving below the turquoise waters to marvel at the seemingly never-ending span of coral. For a different reef experience, head to the west coast for the Ningaloo Reef. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed site is the largest fringing reef in the world, with the coral accessible from the shoreline. You can also swim with gentle whale sharks in Ningaloo.

Back ashore, tread through the thick vegetation in the Daintree Rainforest, hearing the call of tropical birds in the canopy overhead and perhaps looking out for crocodiles on a river cruise. Go inland and visit the red-rock formations in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This stretch of the Outback is a cradle of Aboriginal culture and an important spiritual area.

For wine lovers, one of the best things to experience in Australia is visiting its lush wine regions spread out around the country. This ranges from the green rolling hills of the Barossa Valley in South Australia to the family-run wineries in Margaret River in Western Australia and Hunter Valley near Sydney to the Yara Valley, looked over by the Dandenong Ranges mountains just outside Melbourne. You can experience the best of Australian wine on a guided tour with tastings, cycle around vineyards or even fly over them in a hot-air balloon.

Some of the best places to stay in Australia are its luxury lodges, like Longitude 131° in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, where you can stay in one of 15 safari-style tents set amid red-tinged hills and low-lying scrub. Or opt for somewhere near the sea, like Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, where you’ll sleep in wild sand dunes perched just over the water’s edge.

The best place to say in Sydney is the Capella Sydney, a luxury hotel that’s only a short walk from Sydney Harbour. Out in Western Australia, our preferred offering in Perth is COMO The Treasury, a boutique hotel with a difference. Dine in the lofty Wildflower restaurant, taking in panoramic city views from its top-floor setting, and unwind at the Shambala spa.

Out on the island of Tasmania, check in to The Tasman in Hobart, a new luxe offering with waterfront views and a cool speakeasy style bar called the Mary Mary. Then escape to the coast to stay in the peaceful yet stylish Freycinet Lodge, set amid the Freycinet National Park. You’ll take in views of the water overlooking Great Oyster Bay with the Hazards mountain range and bushlands in the background.

Another one of the best lodges to stay in Australia is the Southern Ocean Lodge, set out on Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide in South Australia. This luxe lodge is definitely worth a visit, and it’s an excellent base to explore the wilderness and wildlife of Kangaroo Island.

Australia is known for its wildlife, with many endemic species that can only be found here. Wildlife experiences are a highlight of Australia, whether it’s searching for furry-faced quokkas on Rottnest Island, seeing koalas and Kangaroos on the aptly named Kangaroo Island, or swimming with whale sharks near Ningaloo Reef.

The aptly named Kangaroo Island is one of the best places to see kangaroos in Australia. Besides the bouncy marsupials for which the island gets its name, you can also look for other famous Australian wildlife such as echidnas, koalas, possums, and platypus. Sea lions might also be spotted in island’s protected coves, such as Seal Bay, where they often gather in the hundreds.

The Great Ocean Road is a prime spot to see koalas in Australia.

The island of Tasmania is the only place to spot the Tasmanian devil in its natural habitat. Small in size but loud in volume, the screeching Tasmanian devils are just one of the animals to see here, along with petite wallabies and surprisingly sprightly wombats.

Out in Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia, you can snorkel with whale sharks. You can glide alongside the gentle giants, which, despite the name, aren’t whales but filter-feeding sharks, also known as the largest fish in the sea.

The average flight time from the US to Australia is 18 hours and 30 minutes. It’s possible to fly non-stop from Los Angeles to Sydney in as little as 15 hours and five minutes.

There are three standard time zones in Australia. The time zone in Australia is UTC +10 in Australian Eastern Time, UTC +9 ½ in Australian Central Standard Time, and UTC +8 in Australian Western Time.

The best way of getting around Australia depends on where you are going due to the country’s massive size. Thanks to an efficient network of internal flights, you can get around Australia easily by plane. Another popular way to get around Australia is to self-drive, taking a road trip on the famed Great Ocean Road along Victoria’s rugged coastline, or driving through Southwest Australia, sampling memorable sauvignon blanc wines in the Margaret River region and walking among towering eucalyptus trees in ancient Karri forests. Other self-drive Australia options include visiting South Australia’s Barossa Valley winelands and looking for kangaroos, wallabies, and emus amongst the mountainous Flinders Ranges. The island of Tasmania, set off Melbourne, is the perfect Australia state to self-drive as it’s easy to make a loop around the island.

You can also find classic railway journeys in Australia, like journeying aboard The Ghan through the red-tinged Australian Outback. Or step aboard the Indian Pacific, which is the second-longest train journey in the world, taking you from Sydney to Perth with the opportunity to disembark along the route and visiting the Blue Mountains along the way.

Australia is such an expansive and varied a country that it is not possible to see all of it at once. A land of contrasts, Australia has much to offer from the desert landscape of the Red Centre of the Australian Outback to the rainforests of Queensland. Dive the Great Barrier Reef or swim with whale sharks along Ningaloo Marine Park. Australia is a land of contrasts, where you can learn about the Aboriginal culture near Uluru or visit the Opera House in the modern cosmopolitan city of Sydney. Head to Kangaroo Island, sometimes referred to as Australia’s Galapagos for the diverse wildlife found here, including many species endemic to the country, from kangaroos to koalas. Meanwhile, Tasmania is has excellent produce and farm-to-table dining, and the island is home to more of the multi-day hikes known as the Great Walks of Australia than anywhere else in the country.

US passport holders visiting Australia must have a visa or an approved Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), according to the US Department of State website. The ETA allows you to enter Australia as much as you’d like during a 12-month period and stay for up to 3 months at one time. Your visa application may incur a service charge of AUD20. More information on the ETA for Australia can be found on the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs site.

Travelers from the US should make sure they are up to date on routine vaccinations. Full vaccination advice for visiting Australia can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Your passport must be valid at time of entry and have at least one blank page for an entry stamp.