Tips for the first time traveler to Australia

It’s Australia’s natural landscapes that loom largest in people’s imaginations when they think of heading Down Under. And the sun-drenched cities, golden surf beaches and raw, red Outback more than live up to the hype. But the lesser-visited gems also come with massive rewards. Tasmania, for example, has dramatic hikes, old-fashioned hospitality and weird and wonderful wildlife. And Western Australia’s coastline is wilder and less congested than its east coast rivals.

Australia is also home to the oldest continuous cultures in the world, and visiting without exploring Aboriginal history would be like going to the Great Barrier Reef without a snorkel. Visit an Aboriginal cultural center, take a tour with an indigenous guide and take time to learn about the Aboriginal people, their culture and their connection with the land.

Some of Australia’s best wildlife is found under the water. At over 2,000km long, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the richest ecosystems in the world, with a cornucopia of coral constructions as well as sea life, including giant clams, butterfly fish, barracuda and whitetip reef sharks. Off the coast of Western Australia, meanwhile, is Ningaloo Reef, where you can dive and snorkel with whale sharks from mid-March to July. It’s not an experience for the faint-hearted – the largest of these underwater giants measure in excess of 12m. It’s on Australia’s islands that you’ll find the most weird and wonderful beasties. With just a week or two in Tasmania you can spot white wallabies in cloud forests, see Tasmanian devils and platypus in the Tarkine Rainforest and cruise the Great Southern Ocean in search of sea eagles and fur seals. Kangaroo Island is often touted as Australia’s answer to the Galapagos. As you’d expect, you’ll see enormous kangaroos here as well as wallabies, bandicoots, sea lions, duck-billed platypuses, echidnas and koalas. Macquarie Island can only be reached via a pre-booked expedition and plays host to over 200,000 pairs of king penguins and three million royal penguins, as well as southern right whales and leopard seals. Australia’s rainforests are rich with wildlife. The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland is one of the oldest in the world and its wildlife, including active saltwater crocodiles, looks positively prehistoric. Along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, the Otways Forest is home to koalas, swamp wallabies and platypus. Australia’s desert regions are most beautiful after the rains. The salt lakes fill with fresh water and millions of water birds, such as pelicans, stilts, shags and gulls. You’ll also see emus and mobs of kangaroos.

Make the most of your time in the Great Barrier Reef with snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing or by accompanying a marine biologist on a glass-bottom boat. There’s more to it than mesmerising marine life, though. For starters, there’s relaxing on some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world. And walking rainforest trails in search of birds and giant lizards.

Kangaroo Island has long been called ‘Australia’s Galapagos’, thanks to its remarkable wildlife and landscapes, where koalas, duck-billed platypuses, possums and, of course, kangaroos make their home. The island was sadly devastated by Australia’s 2019-2020 bushfires, with around half the island going up in flames and half the population of koalas wiped out. While it’ll take a long time to return to its former glory, there’s still a huge amount to enjoy here, from penguin, whale and seal watching trips to seeing kangaroos and koalas in Kelly Hill Conservation Park.

Tasmania is so much more than a ‘tag on’ destination. With 19 national parks and 300 smaller islands, you could easily choose to spend your whole vacation here. This is a natural haven for Australian wildlife, with Tasmanian devils, wombats and the quirky pademelon found across the island, and dolphins, penguins and whales found offshore. Self drive tours and stays on farms and in family-run B&Bs are the best way to explore this wonderful wilderness.

A week is really too little time to spend in Australia, so you’d have to concentrate on one area. You could, for example, stick to the Northern Territory, taking in Darwin, Alice Springs, Uluru and Kakadu National Park. There are shorter tours that you can do in seven days or less, such as guided walking in the Red Centre or hiking the Larapinta Trail. A week is also just enough for a circular tour of Tasmania to take in the main natural highlights.

With two weeks, you’d still be better off sticking to one area of the country, but you’ll be able to take your time and see it in greater depth. A self drive tour of Tasmania allows you laid-back stays in family farms and in wilderness cabins, while a drive down the coast of southwest Australia from Perth takes you to forests and winelands. Two weeks will allow you to tackle a longer walking vacation, such as the Great South West Walk in Victoria or the Cape to Cape Track in Western Australia.

If you’re dead set on packing in as much as possible, short flights allow you to visit a couple of different regions. On a tailor made adventure vacation, for example, you could start off exploring Sydney, spend a few days in the Outback around Uluru, and then finish in Cairns, with snorkelling and sailing around the Great Barrier Reef.

With three weeks or more to play with you can easily see at least two states or different habitats. It’s enough time to travel by train and car around the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales. Or you could combine the Outback with the East Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. Got a specialist interest? Hone in on one region and leave it at that. A Western Australia wildlife vacation, for example, will lead you around both land and sea with an expert zoologist guide.