Your bags are packed and you’re ready to go. Australia or bust. Whether it’s your first time out of the country or you’ve traveled to several parts of the world, Australia is unlike any other place you’ve ever been or ever will be. Regardless if you’re going for 2 weeks or 2 months, you definitely will not run out of things to do in Australia. If you’re looking for reasons to visit or wondering what are the best things to do in Australia, I hope this list gives you some exciting ideas. My favorite things to do in Australia are listed in no particular order – they are all freaking awesome!
My Favorite Things to Do in Australia
1. The thing to do in Cairns, Queensland – Get your PADI scuba certification and perform your open water dives in the Great Barrier Reef.
If you ever wanted to learn how to scuba dive, what better place to do it than Australia. Made up of more than 2,900 reefs and home to some of the world’s most beautiful coral and sea life, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland is the earth’s largest natural feature spanning more than 2,600 km (1,600 mi) along Australia’s northeast coast.1 With Cairns being a backpacker haven and the best base for scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, there are countless scuba courses offered all at competitive prices. I wanted to do my course with a reputable diving company, you know with trying to breath underwater and all, and the one I went with was Down Under Dive. They were so fabulous from the second we walked in all the way up until I walked out with my diving certification in hand. They offer 4 and 5 day courses where you’ll spend 2 days in the classroom and 2 days at open water completing your dives at different reefs of the Great Barrier Reef.
2. The thing to do at Ayers Rock – climb to the top of it.
Located in Central Australia aka the Outback, Uluru, one of the World’s Heritage Sites2, is a large sandstone formation standing at 1,142 in height and turns brilliant shades of bright red during different times of the day, particularly so during sunrise and sunset. Additionally, Uluru is a spiritual source for the indigenous Aboriginal people who also believe that a curse is placed on anyone who takes rocks away with them. In the tourist information center, there is even en exhibition of rocks that have been shipped back from tourists hoping to get rid of the curse. There is a long chain extending along the side of the mountain that acts as a handrail for the hike up and the views from atop this magnificent site are stunning.
3. The thing to do in Mission Beach, Australia – skydive!
Being in Australia will make you want to do crazy, extreme, adrenaline rushing things. Skydiving is one of them and there is no place more scenic or exciting to do it than over Mission Beach. Located along the coast of Queensland, Australia, Mission Beach is made up of 22 miles of glorious, unspoilt beaches and many rain forests.3 The shores are level so it makes for the perfect parachute landing. The dive company I did my awesome jump with was Jump the Beach. They offer tandem jumps at 9,000, 11,000, and 14,000 feet and offer videos and pictures for fun souveneirs.
4. You can’t be in Australia and not visit some of its native inhabitants! The thing to do in Brisbane – hold a koala and feed the kangaroos at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, is south of Cairns and north of Sydney. Lone Pine Sanctuary is the world’s first and largest Koala Sanctuary. Here you can cuddle a koala, have your picture taken with the adorable furry creatures and get seriously up close and personal with the kangaroos. You will literally have them eating right out of your hand.
5. The thing to do at Whitehaven Beach, Australia – touch the sand, feel the water, and just do your best to take it all in.
Whitehaven Beach is located amongst the Whitsunday Islands along the Queensland coast and can be reached by sea or air. I have been to many beaches in my life and this is without a doubt the most amazing, most beautiful beach I have ever seen. If you can think of the softest, whitest, cleanest sand, the clearest, lightest, bluest water, that’s heaven. That’s Whitehaven Beach. Airlie Beach is most often used as the base point to get to the Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach. A popular, fun excursion is a sailboat liveaboard tour. There are many sailing companies in Airlie Beach that offer this service and it is a great way to spend your time here. You get to experience the relaxing, laid back sailing life while visiting one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. It’s hard for things to get much better than that!
6. The thing to do on Fraser Island – sit around a campfire, fend off dingos and try to keep track of how many shooting stars you see.
Being the world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island is yet another World Heritage listed site2 located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The easiest way to get around the island is on a 4×4 because there are no paved roads, just lots and lots of sand, where you get to have fun with your truck and drive along the shore highways and plow your way through the sand piles! The island has got some of the bluest freshwater lakes, champagne pools, high peaks that are great for dolphin watching, colorful sand dunes, and amazing rain forests. Another fun, adventurous place to be but one of my favorite things was how incredibly clear the sky was. At night the sky was covered with stars all the way to the horizon. I had never seen a shooting star before I had been here and while there, I lost track of how many I saw.
7. The thing to do in Sydney, Australia – the Bridge Climb at Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The view of Sydney Harbour Bridge against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House (also a World Heritage listed site2) made Australia famous. If you think that view is stunning, wait until you see the view from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at 134 meters high (don’t worry, you can still see the Sydney Opera House!) For those of you wanting to get off the beaten track, I’m sorry to say that the Bridge Climb IS a major tourist attraction, but a pretty amazing one at that. You can find out more at www.bridgeclimb.com
8. The thing to do at Bondi Beach – catch the surf .
A trip to Sydney isn’t complete without visiting the famous Bondi Beach. What I loved about it was that it was SO close to the city. I lived literally in the smack dab middle of Sydney’s city center and I could just hop on the bus and be at the beach in half an hour. It was awesome. Bondi has a totally chilled out beach vibe and is a great place to relax, soak up some rays, and hang out with the surfers. If you’re new to surfing and want to take some lessons, Let’s Go Surf is a great group to catch your first waves with.
9. The thing to do in Southern Australia – drive the southern coast along the Great Ocean Road.
The coastline of Australia’s southern coast is absolutely breathtaking. The road runs right along the Southern Ocean where it kind of blew my mind that the next piece of land south of that other than Tasmania was Antarctica. There are amazing sites to see like the interesting rock formations of the Twelve Apostles, volcanic craters that became lakes, waterfalls, and beaches. And there’s nothing like experiencing the lifestyle and culture of the quaint, coastal towns that have the privilege of being along this brilliant coast.
10. The thing to do in the middle of the Australian Outback desert – play a didgeridoo in the middle of the night around a campfire.
Yup, I camped in the desert for three nights. Luckily, it wasn’t during the summer time so the days were bearable, but at night man, oh man was it cold. So we had our campfires going, making bush food in gridiron pots over the fire and keeping ourselves entertained with didgeridoos, an ancient Aboriginal wind instrument. If you are interested in doing this, there are a number of tour groups that leave from Alice Springs, the city oasis in the middle of the desert. It’s definitely a fun experience and I highly recommend it.
11. Here’s my bonus top thing to do in Australia.
My favorite – bite off both ends of a Tim Tam (an Australian chocolate biscuit), use it as a straw to sip warm tea, and then savor the chocolate melting in your mouth. delicious – ah, I love Australia!
Sources:
Personal favorites
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef
2 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
3 http://jumpthebeach.com.au/mission.htm
