Top Must-Visit Destinations in Australia Recommended by Locals

Australia is known for its gorgeous coastline, and no trip to Sydney is complete without a visit to the nearby shores. Start at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach and stroll south toward Bronte, stopping along the way at the viewpoints and public parks to take in the stunning coastal scenery. Extend your scenic walk by following the path down to Coogee Beach, passing oceanfront saltwater pools, the picturesque Waverley Cemetery, and several golden-sand beaches along the way.

The walk from Ben Buckler Point past Bronte Beach to Waverley Cemetery takes about 90 minutes, but you could easily make this a half-day excursion if you take your time and grab a drink or bite along the way.

Hidden in the mountainous folds of Victoria’s high country, just a four-hour drive northeast of Melbourne, Bright feels like something of a revelation. Set in a pine forest valley on the banks of the Ovens River, the town is a charming perennial favorite among local vacationers.

In the summer, kids flood the water playground by the river, and gold panners sit along the water’s edge hoping to uncover remnants of the region’s prospecting past. Thrill-seekers can hike or mountain bike on nearby Mount Feathertop and Mount Beauty, while gastronomes can either lazily pick their way through weekend markets brimming with fresh produce or pop on a helmet and pedal between cellar doors.

In the cooler months, the tree-lined avenues burst with autumnal hues and food festivals celebrate the harvest season. Snow bunnies base themselves in Bright, spending their days carving the slopes of Mount Hotham or Falls Creek and enjoying après-ski drinks at Bright Brewery or Reed & Co. Distillery.

Seemingly huddled into the Tasmanian mainland against the elements, rugged Bruny Island punches well above its weight for its size. Blessed with fertile soils and cold, clean waters, the island has played a significant role in Tasmania’s reputation as a foodie haven, with a constellation of wineries, chocolateries, and oyster farms that attracts hungry locals.

Those who prefer a taste of adventure instead should indulge in the island’s network of hiking trails and lookouts, such as The Neck and South Bruny National Park. Keen-eyed visitors will spot fur seals lolling about on beaches, as well as humpback whales making their annual migrations to and from Antarctica. If you time your visit right, on a clear night in the winter, you might also see one of the island’s other hidden secrets: the aurora australis — also known as the Southern Hemisphere’s answer to the northern lights — shimmering on the horizon.

Located just 90 minutes west of Sydney, Katoomba is the eucalyptus-fringed heart of the Blue Mountains, a World Heritage range that draws Australians wanting to escape to the bush while eschewing tentpoles and swags in favor of luxury hotels.

Naturally, hiking and the great outdoors are the main attractions here — especially the Three Sisters rock formation and the Jenolan Caves, an extensive network of underground caves whose acoustics lend themselves to monthly cave concerts. Across the Blue Mountains are cultural sites important to the Gundungurra people, including songline storytelling trails and cave paintings dating back 1,600 years. The region is also a popular wellness retreat, with locals indulging in pampering at a day spa or yoga class at the Kurrara Historic Guest House.

Occasionally, the mountain range receives snow in the winter, which is all we need to throw a Christmas in July festival, complete with log fires, sing-alongs, and special, yuletide-themed menus in Katoomba’s restaurants.

At first glance, you might expect Esperance to be on a postcard from Queensland, thanks to the kangaroos skipping across pristine white-sand beaches. However, Esperance is actually along Western Australia’s southern coastline, and it’s still relatively undiscovered, due to its remote location (about a day’s drive or a 90-minute regional flight from the nearest city, Perth).

This means the locals have been able to enjoy Esperance all to themselves, only sharing the beaches with sunbathing kangaroos. It’s the kind of place where kids grow up searching for crabs in rock pools on one of the hundreds of uninhabited islands or spend long days in the surf before returning, salty-haired, to camp for a sunset barbecue. Australians have always loved offbeat things, which is why you’ll find some oddities nearby, including the luminously pink Lake Hillier, remnants of the NASA space station that crashed here 40 years ago, and an inexplicably out-of-place full-scale replica of Stonehenge.

Found just beyond Adelaide’s city limits, McLaren Vale is not only easily accessible, but it’s also one of Australia’s top wine regions. International travelers typically continue down the coast to Kangaroo Island, but locals with a taste for the finer things know this slice of the Fleurieu Peninsula is worth a staycation in its own right.

The region’s Mediterranean climate has had a distinct impact on its wine, with local production skewing toward Italian varietals. The fact you can sip shiraz inside a giant glass Rubik’s Cube tells you just how closely wine has mingled with art appreciation, and many cellars typically double as art galleries. The Fleurieu Arthouse is a great place to watch local artists plying their trade.

While the region is known for its cheese and olive oil, nothing lures locals more than the promise of fresh fish and chips by the beach, easily found thanks to an abundance of coastal cafes.

Alice Springs and the surrounding Outback hold an enduring place in the hearts and minds of Australians.

The iconic sandstone monolith Uluru is just a taste of what the Outback has to offer. Alice Springs is a launching pad for many adventures, including hot-air ballooning and hikes to watering holes. More recently, the town has reinvented itself as an arts hub, appealing to those who want to see the MacDonnell Ranges come alive with light and sound during Parrtjima, let their hair down in drag at FabAlice, or compete in a quirky “boat race” that takes place in a dried-up riverbed. The Araluen Arts Centre features significant works from contemporary Aboriginal artists and holds regular events celebrating Aboriginal culture.

On a jagged headland thrusting out into the Coral Sea, the unusually named town of Seventeen Seventy has attracted Australians in part because of its laid-back vibes, but also because it’s removed from Queensland’s more heavily frequented cities.

Named after the year in which Captain Cook first landed in Australia, Seventeen Seventy is surrounded on three sides by the Coral Sea and Bustard Bay. The calm, warm waters lend themselves to swimming, stand-up paddle boarding, and fishing, and its location facing the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef means it’s also ideal for exploring quieter parts of the world’s largest coral reef system. Regular snorkeling tours and fishing charters depart for Lady Musgrave Island, a coral cay known for its mix of coral reefs and pisonia forests. Plus, campers can make use of the ferry service to camp on the island.

Being positioned so close to Lady Musgrave Island also means that visitors can watch as loggerhead and hawksbill turtles come ashore to lay their eggs (from November to March), resulting in a spectacle when swarms of baby turtles flock back to the sea.

For many young Australians, the surfing town of Lorne has become synonymous with the essential summer road trip to Falls Music and Arts Festival on New Year’s Eve, but the truth is Lorne was drawing locals well before the first big tops were put up.

The town’s location, two hours southwest of Melbourne and sandwiched between Bass Strait and Great Otway National Park, means it enjoys the best of the coast and woodlands. Novice and experienced surfers can catch waves along the rocky shores of Lorne Point, while the pier is a good place to drop a line for trevally or barracuda. Meanwhile, temperate inland rain forests boast more than 10 waterfalls within six miles of town, zip-lining adventures, treetop walks, and hidden glowworms twinkling after dark.

Frequently described as Byron Bay or Noosa “before the boom,” Yamba is a relatively sleepy coastal town 62 miles south of Byron Bay that has all the same hallmarks minus the crowds. There are trendy cafes with swish interiors serving lattes that would make any Melbournian proud, and come nightfall, restaurants serve up fresh seafood caught that day (the town prides itself on its prawns). The historic Pacific Hotel provides live music, a dance floor, and stellar views over the water.

Yamba is home to four beaches, each with distinct water conditions, which means surfers will always find good waves. On Wednesdays, locals visit the Yamba Farmers & Producers Market at the mouth of the Clarence River to pick up their groceries, as well as artisanal pastries, candles, oils, and gins.

Out of town, visitors can explore Iluka Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest. A nearly two-mile walking track takes hikers past strangler figs and vines and culminates at Bluff Lookout, where you can spot sea eagles and whales.