Australia is a dream travel destination for millions of people across the world for good reason. With ancient landscapes, pristine national parks, lively cities, charming beach towns and dozens of spectacular wine regions, there is so much to love about visiting the land “down under.” As an Australian, I’ve lived in Australia for most of my life & have loved exploring more of this enormous, beautiful country, while living in both Brisbane and Melbourne.

Whether you’re all about enjoyed the greater outdoors or indulging in world class restaurants and cultural experiences, you won’t forget your first visit to Australia!

How long should you spend in Australia?

Australia is a huge country – it’s the sixth largest country in the world, and is roughly the same size as the USA. This means that you won’t see all of Australia in one trip, but with some thoughtful planning you can make sure you see beautiful places and have the experiences that are most important to you.

I’d recommend spending at least two weeks travelling in Australia, mostly because it will take you a while to get here! If you have 3+ weeks, even better! If you are here for 2 weeks, you’ll get the most out of your trip if you stick mostly to the East Coast, because it has the highest concentration of iconic destinations and places to see.

On your first trip to Australia, I recommend picking at least one amazing natural wonder, at least one major city and at least one beach destination or island.

Getting around Australia

Australia is an enormous country, roughly the same size as the USA but with less than 10% of the population. This means that there are often great distances between the best places to visit in Australia, and often there isn’t much to see and do along the way. While there are definitely some excellent road trips to be had in Australia, international visitors will get the most out of their travel in Australia by flying between different destinations.

In most major cities, you won’t need to hire a car – you’ll be able to use public transport or find a taxi or uber. In regional areas, hiring a car is recommended as taxis, public transport and ubers can be few and far between.

Check the distances between the places you are travelling to. Lots of international visitors make the mistake of thinking that Uluru is close to Alice Springs – it is a 5 hour drive! (Fly to Ayers Rock Airport instead)

The best things to do in Australia

The best things to do in Australia for first time visitors including seeing the Sydney Opera House and visiting Bondi Beach in Sydney, visiting the Great Barrier Reef, cuddling a koala, beach hopping on the Gold Coast and exploring Melbourne.

Language & Currency in Australia

There is no official language in Australia, but English is the de facto and national language. The currency in Australia is AUD, which is often a favourable conversion for travellers with USD, GBP and Euro, to name a few.

Destinations near Australia

Australia is close to New Zealand, South Pacific islands such as Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, and Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The best things to do in Australia range from seeing the Great Barrier Reef & the Daintree Rainforest, to spotting kangaroos and koalas, to driving the Great Ocean Road and enjoying Australia’s world class food & wine. Hitting the beach is a must, with drawcard beaches like Bondi, Whitehaven, Cottesloe and Wineglass Bay just to name a few.

Australia is an enormous country, so you could spend three months travelling from coast to coast and still won’t see it “all”. Instead of rushing around trying to tick everything off the list, take as much time as you can and then go as slow as you can. I’d recommend picking no more than a few states to cover in one trip.

Australia has more beaches than any other country in the world, with more than 10,000 beaches dotting the coastline. No matter which state or territory you visit, there will be jaw-dropping beaches to visit in Australia.

Some of the best beaches in Australia include Burleigh Beach on the Gold Coast, Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays, Wineglass Bay in Tasmania and Bondi Beach in Sydney. The Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Sydney and Perth are all famous for being home to dozens of beautiful beaches.

The Best Islands in Australia to visit

Australia is the largest island in the world, and there are more than 8000 islands to visit in Australia. There are so many islands to visit in Australia, but some of my favourites are Stradbroke Island, the Whitsundays Islands, Rottnest Island, Green Island and Moreton Island. Oh, and the island of Tasmania probably counts too! 

Australia is also home to Fraser Island, which is the largest sand island in the world, and Kangaroo Island which has recently been named one of Lonely Planet’s top travel destinations for 2024.