Country guide
Australia travel guide
Our route team has mapped 7 destinations in Australia across 2 curated routes, adding up to 69 places to eat, see and do. The most common route styles are nature and scenic drives. Trips run 5–11 days.
- Destinations
- 7
- Places
- 69
- Curated routes
- 2
- Trip lengths
- 5–11 days
- Routes favor
- May – Mar
Where our routes go in Australia
Jump into a regional guide, or tap a dot to open that destination.
3 regional guides
- Victoria 3 destinations
- New South Wales 2 destinations
- Queensland 2 destinations
7 destinations in Australia
Ordered by how many of our curated routes stop there, then by how many places we have picked.
Best of Australia
Our curated picks by theme, drawn from the places our route editors chose for their routes.
- Best restaurants14 picksChin Chin · Hydro Majestic Hotel · Salsa Bar & Grill
- Best bars & cafés8 picksCaretaker's Cottage · Opera Bar · Pellegrini's Espresso Bar
- Top things to do22 picksBridgeClimb Sydney · Scenic World · Kuranda Scenic Railway
- Best outdoor spots22 picksLoch Ard Gorge · Agincourt Reef · Crystal Cascades
Places worth planning around
A short sampler from the 69 places in Australia, starting with those featured on the most of our routes.
OutdoorsGrand Canyon Track
6 km loop near Blackheath descending into a fern-lined slot canyon.
DrinkCaretaker's Cottage
Tiny 1914 bluestone cottage bar behind Wesley Church; World's 50 Best Bars listee known for its freezer martini.
OutdoorsLoch Ard Gorge
Sheltered cove named after an 1878 shipwreck.
OutdoorsAgincourt Reef
Ribbon reef on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, reached by Quicksilver catamaran.
EatBennelong
Restaurant inside the Sydney Opera House's smallest sail, serving Australian produce under the vaulted concrete ribs.
OutdoorsCrystal Cascades
Rainforest creek with clear swimming holes 20 minutes from the city.
Curated routes through Australia
2 routes with at least one stop here.
Best time to visit Australia
Of the 2 routes here with a recommended season, at least half point to May – Mar.
Climate averages (NASA POWER, 2001–2025) for 7 of our destinations here: January is the warmest month, with average highs near 79°F (26°C), and July the coolest at about 61°F (16°C). February is the wettest, around 6.5 in (165 mm) of rain, and September the driest at about 2.0 in (51 mm).
NASA POWER is a gridded model (roughly 50 km cells), so coastal and mountain spots read as regional averages.
Weather by destination
Getting around Australia
Legs between consecutive stops on our routes. Distances are straight-line estimates, not driving distances.
- Cairns → Port Douglas & Daintreeabout 59 km (36 mi) straight-line
- Melbourne → Torquayabout 80 km (50 mi) straight-line
- Sydney → Blue Mountainsabout 85 km (53 mi) straight-line
- Torquay → Port Campbellabout 120 km (75 mi) straight-line
- Blue Mountains → Cairnsabout 1,922 km (1,194 mi) straight-line
Planning a trip to Australia
How many days do you need for a trip to Australia?
Our 2 curated routes with stops in Australia run 5–11 days.
What are the best places to visit in Australia?
Going by how often our route team includes them, the most-featured destinations in Australia are Blue Mountains, Melbourne, Port Campbell, Port Douglas & Daintree and Sydney. Blue Mountains alone has 10 hand-picked places in our guides.
When is the best time to visit Australia?
At least half of our routes here recommend May – Mar. NASA POWER averages put the warmest weather in January and the most rain in February.
Where can I find the best restaurants in Australia?
See our curated picks: best restaurants in Australia, chosen from 14 places in our curated routes. We also have lists for bars & cafés, things to do and outdoor spots.
Nearby countries
- New Zealand 4 destinations
- Indonesia 3 destinations
- Malaysia 2 destinations
- Vietnam 3 destinations
- Taiwan 4 destinations
- Hong Kong 2 destinations
- Thailand 3 destinations
- South Korea 3 destinations
Take your crew to Australia
Start from one of our Australia routes in TripsCircle, then shape it together: shared itinerary, polls for the big decisions, split expenses and packing lists.