Kakadu Cultural Tours, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory © Tourism Australia
Australia Recommends: Unique getaways
Looking for a one-of-a-kind place to get away? You’re in luck – because Australia is full of destinations that will make you do a double take. Here’s where real Aussies recommend you go in 2025.
Lord Howe Island is the remnant of a now-extinct volcano, some seven million years old. The island’s incredible peaks and middle-of-the-ocean isolation make it feel like a scene out of a Jurassic movie. You’ll be pinching yourself when you arrive. Coral gardens, sandy beaches and challenging hikes make everyday magical, and luxury accommodation make for laidback evenings. It's simply paradise.
The Australian outback is unlike anywhere else on Earth; you’ll just have to visit Kakadu National Park for proof. This place is big – the second-largest national park in Australia – and utterly wild. Pounding waterfalls drop into still swimming holes that invite you for a dip. Epic lookouts will remind you just how wonderous nature can be. And if that’s not enough, how about exploring one of 5,000 rock art sites from a 40,000-year-old culture?
Palm trees swaying in the breeze, a glass of Champagne as you float on a catamaran – sounds romantic, doesn’t it? The Whitsundays, an archipelago in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, is the ultimate spot for a romantic getaway. There’s even a reef shaped like a heart. Take a helicopter to a private beach, enjoy a picnic to the soundtrack of ocean waves and marvel at tropical sunsets. The Whitsundays are a place you could really fall in love with.
The Ghan might be considered one of the world’s great train journeys, but to us, it’s even more – it's a trip right through the heart of Australia. It’s comfort, nostalgia, adventure and accommodation all rolled into one. Head to bed (in your elegant private cabin) with wildflowers whizzing by your window, and wake up to the seemingly endless red land of the outback. Step off the train for epic experiences, like a scenic flight over the majestic Uluru.
