Australia might be the dream of many travellers. Early on, we asked ourselves which coasts we wanted to visit, which places we wanted to discover and which cities we wanted to explore. Now we are at the end of our journey and would like to share our Australia Bucketlist with you.
Our journey started in Perth. We bought a car and explored the west coast up to Exmouth and drove across the south coast to Melbourne, Victoria. We spent a few months up there, but took a New Year‘s trip to Sydney and the surrounding area. After our time in Australia’s second largest city, we headed up the east coast – via Canberra, Brisbane and various national parks to Cairns.
We hope you’ll find some inspiration for your trip to Australia.
(last update 18/06/2018)
Western Australia
Whale Watching in Ningaloo Reef
The best thing we did up there. I love whales and we had the honour of seeing these beautiful giants gliding through the sea with their calves. The icing on the cake was swimming competitively with beautiful manta rays.
Snorkelling in Ningaloo Reef
During the whale watching tour we had three opportunities to observe the underwater world in the “Great Barrier Reef of Western Australia” – turtles, sharks, rays, corals, fish. A breathtaking experience!
Rottnest Island
A beautiful little island next to Perth. Of course you have to see it and take a selfie with the famous quokkas! Click here for reading our more detailed Rottnest Island article.
Eyre Highway
The longest road in Australia that goes straight ahead ONLY, without any bends. 145 kilometres without moving the steering wheel.
Kalbarri National Park
The Kalbarri National Park offers an incredibly beautiful and varied nature. The gorges of the national park are impressive, some of them are even up to 400 million years old.
Quobba Blow Holes
Located just 75 kilometres north of Carnarvon, this natural phenomenon is an impressive sight. The strong ocean swell pushes water up through sea caves and out of narrow holes in the rocks. The jets of water occasionally shoot up to 20 metres into the air, making for a spectacular sight.
Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park with the famous Dales Gorge, Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool and Circular Pool is a great nature reserve in the inner Pilbara. A place we unfortunately didn’t get to explore on our trip – a reason to come back!
Wave Rock
Wave Rock is a granite rock formation that is about 2.7 billion years old and has taken on the shape of a wave through weathering and erosion. Even the Aborigines called it a wave made of rock. With a height of 15 metres and a length of about 110 metres, the wave is impressive and a phenomenon we have yet to marvel at.
South Australia
Pink Lake
A combination of bacteria and algae is responsible for the production of beta-carotene, a red pigment that gives the water its pink colour.
Baird Bay
Swimming with the sea lions and dolphins at Baird Bay is an absolute must on a trip to the Eyre Peninsula. The interactive wildlife tour is safe, fun and a truly incredible and unique experience. We look forward to visiting it in the future!
Victoria
Melbourne
Melbourne – the second largest city in Australia and capital of the state of Victoria. This metropolis delights with its interesting history and diverse sights.
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a world-famous scenic road in the state of Victoria. It stretches over a total length of 243 kilometres from Tourquay to Allansford and is famous for the 12 Apostles!
Phillip Island
Visitors gather daily at Summerland Beach to watch the famous penguin parade, where pygmy penguins wander ashore in groups.
Wilsons Prom National Park
Wilsons Promontory National Park is located on a peninsula at the southern tip of the Australian state of Victoria, about 160 kilometres southeast of Melbourne.
Hot Springs
We definitely want to visit the Hot Springs when we eventually come back. Peninsula Hot Springs is a natural hot spring, day spa and wellness destination on the Mornington Peninsula, just 90 minutes from Melbourne.
Tasmania
Cradle Mountain
The impressive Cradle Mountain, which rises behind Dove Lake, is a popular motif that attracts visitors from all over the world. The mountain is part of the UNESCO Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.
Maria Island
The Maria Island Nature Reserve is an offshore retreat with historic ruins, sweeping bays, dramatic cliffs and numerous stories to tell. The island is located off the east coast of Tasmania and is only accessible by ferry.
Aurora Australis
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Aurora Australis illuminate the night sky in sparkling shades of green, blue, purple and red. The southern lights can be seen all year round – but most often in winter and far south. So head for Tasmania!
New South Wales
Blue Mountains
We can’t mention it enough, but we are big national park lovers! That’s not the only reason why the Blue Mountains are an absolute highlight in the Sydney area.
Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House
The 1,149-metre-long and 134-metre-high bridge is Sydney‘s landmark, just like the world-famous Opera House. The Opera House is a masterpiece of architecture and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Byron Bay
The coastal town of Byron Bay is located in the south-east of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a popular tourist destination known for its beaches and great surfing and diving.
Nelson Bay
A place for all whale and dolphin lovers. Depending on the season, you might see whales and dolphins behind the huge sand dunes.
Paperbark Camp
Paperbark Camp is located in Wandra Wandian Land. We plan to spend at least one night there in the future, just look at this place!
Queensland
Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef
An absolute dream when travelling to the eastern coast of Australia. Beautiful coral, colourful fish, sea turtles and small reef sharks – you’ll find it all on the world-famous reef, which can even be seen from space.
Read more about our trip to the Great Barrier Reef here.
Wallaman Falls
At 278 metres, Wallaman Falls is Australia’s highest single-tier waterfall and is picturesquely nestled in the rugged cliffs of Girringun National Park. In the morning light, the spray creates rainbows in the waterfall that shimmer in vibrant colours.
Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park in Australia covers an area of 6,558 hectares and is considered a true natural paradise: Here you can expect a vast jungle, high cliffs, wild animals and dreamlike waterfalls.
Atherton Tableland
– a beautiful highland area on the coast. The waterfalls were our highlights for sure! If you want more waterfall inspiration, feel free to check out this article.
Northern Territory
Uluru
Of course it would be an honour to see Ayers Rock! Someday this is another wish of ours that will come true.
Litchfield National Park
Litchfield National Park is located in the Darwin area and is often considered the smaller version of the famous Kakadu National Park. Litchfield attracts several thousand visitors each year who enjoy the stunning scenery, refreshing freshwater pools, scenic waterfalls and exotic temperatures.
The Olgas
In the heart of the red continent, more precisely in the region of Central Australia, in the southwest of the Northern Territory, you can find the Olgas (Kata Tjuta in the Aboriginal language). In total, they consist of 36 impressive, dome-shaped mountains – Mount Olga being the highest at 546 metres (1066 metres above sea level).
Kakadu National Park
Australia’s largest national park, Kakadu National Park, is located 171 kilometres east of Darwin in the country’s tropical north. It covers magnificent and diverse landscapes: the tidal mangrove swamps, tropical forests along the South Alligator River, grasslands and savannahs on the high plateau with spectacular waterfalls cascading over the dramatic and rugged escarpment.
With this bucket list, we capture both dreams and memories that we associate with the red continent. It’s not about doing everything in one go, but about keeping your dreams in mind.
We have already seen so much. We’ve had great experiences and made really great friends. So we are even more excited to travel the country yet another time in the future and check off the last few points on our list.
Things we only see won’t become ingrained in us, they need real experience. We want to make every single place special!
