10 Unique Christmas Holiday Destinations in Australia

Choosing the road less travelled is fine in theory – but it helps if you’ve got something to choose from. So, to fill your summer with places and pastimes that never even occurred to you, here are ten Christmas destinations you might have left off the wish list.

1. Victoria’s northeast: the perfect summer playground

The famous entrance into Bright on a autumn morning, along the Great Alpine Rd in Victoria, Australia

Not just a winter destination, Victoria’s northeast doubles as the perfect summer playground – especially from bases such as Bright or Mount Beauty, just over 300 kms from Melbourne via the Great Alpine Road. Cycle the Bright Rail Trail, comprising more than 94 kms of sealed path along the disused railway line from Bright to Wangaratta; it has a gentle gradient to suit all ages.

Bright also has plenty of cafes and restaurants and is an access point for Mount Buffalo and its many great walks and lookouts. In the Ovens Valley, visit the Snowline Deer and Emu Tourist Farm, where kids can hand feed red deer and emus or take a farm tour in a US Army WWII Scout Car.

As locals have discovered, Mount Beauty is a great family destination, where even wineries are family-friendly; kids have plenty of space to run around while parents can enjoy a wine tasting. Wineries in the area include Ceccanti and Mount Bogong Estate, specialising in that most fickle of cool climate wines; pinot noir. And if that’s not enough to keep you occupied, try nighttime wildlife spotting or bird watching with Gippsland High Country Tours , or fishing on the Kiewa River .

2. Discover the world’s oldest fossils at Lake Mungo National Park

Some of the oldest fossils in the world have been found at Lake Mungo National Park, part of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area in the southwest corner of NSW.

Learn all about this fascinating place, which is home to the longest continuous physical records of Aboriginal life (dating from 40,000 to 60,000 years ago) on day tours through the Visit Mungo site .

Lake Mungo was once a 135 square kilometre inland freshwater lake, before it dried up around 14,000 years ago; on the various tours available, you’ll learn about bush tucker plants and medicines, visit the Mungo National Parks Visitor Information Centre , see the historic woolshed built by Chinese labourers, then finally the Great Walls of China – an amazing 30km crescent shape of eroded white sand dunes concealing examples of cooking hearths, middens (campfire areas) and burial sites.

You’ll learn more about the ways of the local Barkindji people on the way back to Wentworth.

3. Help save the frogs in the Border Ranges and Watagan Mountains of NSW

Volunteers can join conservationist Dr Michael Mahony on Australia’s Vanishing Frogs, a conservation research project sponsored by Earthwatch to study the rapid decline in the native frog population in the Border Ranges and Watagan Mountains of NSW.

Earthwatch is a not-for-profit organisation sponsoring conservation research projects both in Australia and overseas, where paying volunteers work alongside scientists to collect data research.

Frog populations are dwindling around the world, and on weekend or week-long projects volunteer families can join one of a series of bush camping expeditions which set off from Newcastle to find, catch, weigh, measure, determine the sex of, then release frogs in order to observe their behaviour and record their calls. You’ll also encounter a huge variety of other daytime and nocturnal wildlife, including birds, possums and kangaroos – when you’re not swimming in the river or sitting comfortably around the campfire, that is.

Cooking duties are shared, with all meals prepared over an open fire (no takeaways here), and the bush camp has toilets and hot showers.

4. All the adventure at Lord Howe Island

For a laidback family holiday, you can’t beat Lord Howe Island – a veritable paradise for kids, with swimming, fishing, snorkelling, bushwalking and bike riding. Youngsters are happy on the lagoon beaches where the water laps the shell-strewn sand. Cycle and walk with a backpack of barbecue supplies for lunch, stroll through the palm forests, play a round on the nine-hole golf course, or take a cruise around the island to see the other side of spectacular mounts Gower and Lidgbird.

The island has a precious World Heritage Listing, with rare native flora and fauna that can be seen up close on tours with local resident Ian Hutton, or discovered through his guidebooks. From lookout points on Lord Howe, which is surrounded by the most southerly coral reef in the world, you can see the Admiralty Islands, Mutton Bird Island and towering Ball’s Pyramid away in the distance.

You can also look down into the clear waters and see turtles swimming by – just the sort of moment that ensures that Lord Howe creeps into your blood. No wonder entire extended families return here year after year. Places to stay with families or for couples… check out our guide to the best Lord Howe accommodation.

5. Esperance: the world’s best (secret) family destination?

The beautiful isolated beaches of Esperance, WA.

Sorry to blow the whistle, but flying, driving or taking the train down to Esperance, some 720 kms southeast of Perth, you’ll find a family destination that’s really hard to beat. In the area the tourism people call WA’s “secret south", this is the coastline with everything – beautiful beaches, islands, wildlife (kangaroos can sometimes be seen sunbathing on the beach) and many other local attractions.

Esperance has holiday units, apartments, plenty of campsites and cabins and, while you’ll spend loads of time at the beach, there’s an Aquarium with a touch pool, an adventure playground on the Esplanade and a Mini Steam Express train, all guaranteed to thrill the kids.

You can hire canoes, go snorkelling and diving (check out the Lapwing and Sanko Harvest wrecks) and walk through the wetlands, which have bird hides for bird watching. Take a wildlife cruise to look for dolphins, seals, Cape Barren geese and sea eagles, too.

Pink Lake is another stellar local attraction, along with the Cape Le Grande and Fitzgerald National Parks, with 4WD tours along the coast. Inland, visit Telegraph Farm west of Esperance for all your camel, deer, llama, emu, kangaroo and buffalo spotting needs.

6. Go wild in Victoria’s Snowy River National Park

Victoria’s Snowy River National Park is home to Little River Gorge, the state’s deepest, carved through limestone and sandstone by the Snowy River. Cars of any type can enter the park at McKillops Bridge, where sandy beaches, rapids and shallow rock pools create an excellent swimming spot; for hiking and bush walking, the 18km Silver Mine Walking Track and the short Snowy River Trail also start here.

Things to do in this National Park include horse trail riding at Karoonda Park , a lodge and camping retreat that also conducts tours and guided trail rides ranging from one hour to several days. Rafting, caving, abseiling and rock climbing are also available and mountain bikes can be hired for self-guided tours.

Tours of the Snowy River are available with Snowy River National Parks Discovery Tours, along with 4WD tours and guided mountain biking. Kayaking or canoeing along the Snowy River is a brilliant way to see the rugged river gorges, with trips ranging from a couple of hours to several days, with overnight camping on the sandbars.

7. Become water babies in South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula

Water and plenty of it is the draw card of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, with aquatic activities on both coastal and inland waterways. On the coast at Victor Harbor on the it’s the laidback life, with fishing from jetties, beaches and boats.

There’s surfing and body boarding, scuba diving and sailing – with charter boats and cruises available when you want to be on the water rather than in it. Activities for summer holidays also include cycling, rollerblading, skating, kite flying and trips on the SteamRanger Cockle Train.

Granite Island, just off Victor Harbor, is home to more than 2000 Little Penguins and an oceanarium for learning more about local marine life. There are penguin tours at dusk and dolphin cruises by day – walk along the causeway or travel in a heritage tram drawn by Clydesdale horses.

The Greenhills Adventure Park is a great place for kids, with a water slide, moon bikes, a maze, tractor train rides, paddleboats and a 12.5-metre climbing wall.

Inland, the countryside is extremely pretty, with steep, rolling hills criss-crossed by waterways, cool pools for swimming, waterfalls and picnic places.

8. Manly: the ultimate Christmas by the beach

Manly beach, Sydney on a busy summer’s day.

Yes, it’s busy and the beach is crowded – but Sydney‘s Manly has a year-round holiday atmosphere, making it relaxing but fun and upbeat at the same time. Close to the many beaches on this lovely NSW Northern Peninsula, this is a place to take surf lessons at a surf school, go body boarding and sailing.

Not staying in Manly? See it all in a blur with Bonza Bikes’ Sydney and Manly Beach Tour , a full-day guided tour including ferry ride, biking through Manly, North Head and Sydney’s historic business district – adults $119, kids $95. Bonza Bikes also has a Sydney Harbour Bridge Ride (adults $95, kids $75), with a ride over the bridge and around the North Shore.

9. Discover vintage trains in NSW and VIC

Kids love trains and there are vintage steam and electric train rides to be had in many parts of Australia. In Victoria, Puffing Billy is the remaining survivor of the narrow-gauge steam trains from the 1800s. It runs three or four times daily from its station at Belgrave to Emerald Lakeside Park or Gembrook, stopping at the Menzies Creek steam train museum (open weekends and public holidays). At Emerald Lake, the model railway at Lakeside Park has more than two kilometres of track.

South Australia’s Pichi Richi Railway runs heritage train journeys on the oldest remaining section of the famous old narrow-gauge Ghan railway from Quorn and Port Augusta, while the Great Lithgow Zig Zag Railway in the NSW Blue Mountains has round trips of about 1.5 hours from Clarence Station on this engineering masterpiece of a railway line.

For something completely different, ride a section of one of the world’s great train journeys on the Ghan (Adelaide to Darwin via Alice springs) or the Indian Pacific (Sydney to Perth via Broken Hill and Adelaide). Of course you need to make sure it isn’t dark all the time you’re travelling, but these trains do have kids’ menus so this could be just the ticket.

10. Head to the Snowy Mountains for gold, archery and horses!

A terrific base for skiing in winter, Lake Crackenback Resort in the NSW Snowy Mountains is just as great for holidays during the warmer months, with a range of self-catering luxury apartments and houses and a wide range of activities available.

Here’s just a small sample of the facilities up for grabs: a nine-hole par-three golf course, indoor swimming pool, an archery field, horses and stables, canoes for splashing about on Lake Crackenback, mountain bikes, bushwalking trails, tennis, badminton and volleyball courts, and excellent spots for trout fishing.

There are also Kosciuszko Alpine guided walks that start from here, as well as a series of walks in and around the property.

What else?

Babysitting can be arranged and a kids’ club is available Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings from 6.30-9pm that includes dinner, plaster pot painting and a movie ($18 per child, 5-12 yrs).

There are five gas barbecues around the resort, a grocery store, a cafe and a restaurant – so you can combine meals out with self-catering. Quite the perfect arrangement for families.

Video credit: Tourism Australia

From coast to mountains, hiking in Gippsland offers a stunning array of landscapes, with trails that take you deep into the region’s heritage.

I step out onto the sand and it cries out underfoot. Kweek! I take another step and there’s another little yelp. Screet! Picking up the pace, the sounds follow me like my shadow, all the way down to the water. It’s obvious how this spot got its name – Squeaky Beach – from the rounded grains of quartz that make the distinctive sounds under pressure.

For many, Wilsons Promontory National Park is the gateway to Gippsland , and the best way to explore it is by walking its network of hiking trails, from coastal gems such as Squeaky Beach through to the bushland, among the wildlife. But it’s still just a taste of what you’ll find on foot in the region.

Venture a bit further into Gippsland and you’ll discover the lakes, the rainforest, and the alpine peaks, each changing with the season and offering summer strolls or winter walks. Just like that squeaky sand, each step along these trails has something to tell you: perhaps a story about an ancient spirit or a pioneering search for fortune.

The best coastal hikes in Gippsland

sunset at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling wilderness with many coastal bushland trails. (Image: Mark Watson)

Wilsons Promontory National Park (or ‘The Prom’, as you’ll end up calling it) is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne, but you might ditch the car when you arrive, with much of the park’s 50,000 hectares accessible only by foot. From the inky water of Tidal River (dyed dark purple by abundant tea trees), I like the easy walks along the coast, among lichen-laden granite boulders, to golden beaches and bays.

a couple on Mount Oberon — Panoramic views from the summit of Mount Oberon. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

The trail to the panoramic views at the summit of Mount Oberon is a bit harder, up steep timber and granite steps, but it’s a popular 6.8-kilometre return. The more remote hikes are found through the open banksia and stringybark woodland of the park’s north, or along the multi-day Southern Circuit , which ranges from about 35 to 52 kilometres, with sunrises and sunsets, kangaroos and cockatoos, and maybe even whales.

a golden sand beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Walk ‘The Prom’s’ golden sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Australia/Time Out Australia)

You might also see whales on the George Bass Coastal Walk , even closer to Melbourne on the western edge of Gippsland. This dramatic seven-kilometre trail along the clifftops takes in sweeping views of the wild ocean, occasionally dipping down from grassy green hills to coastal gullies and a secluded beach. It also now links into the Bass Coast Rail Trail for an extra 14 kilometres.

Over at the eastern edge of Gippsland, in Croajingolong National Park, you can wander along the lakeshores beneath koalas and around goannas (I keep my distance since one chased me here!). For those who are even more adventurous, the park is also the starting point for the 100-kilometre Wilderness Coast Walk , usually done over seven days.

the Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland — Wander along the lakeshores in Croajingolong National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The best bush hikes in Gippsland

the Baw Baw National Park — The alpine heath of Baw Baw National Park. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Deep in the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine at Walhalla, mining guide Richard tells me how this small town in the mountains east of Melbourne boomed when prospectors found gold here in 1862. These days, you’ll find most of the town’s treasure – its heritage – above ground, with the Walhalla Tramline Walk a wonderful way to explore it.

Just seven kilometres long, the walk takes you through decades of Gold Rush history, following the original rail trail from lush bushland to the mining sites, and through the charming village of just 20 residents with its wooden cottages and old shopfronts adorned with turn-of-the-century advertising posters. Blazing a trail where trailblazers once opened up the region, this is also the starting point for the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

Nearby, Baw Baw National Park has walks through gnarled snow gums and alpine heaths that show off the colourful wildflowers in summer and the pristine carpet of white in winter. Several trails are perfect for snowshoes, including a 45-minute route from St Gwinear up to vast views across the Latrobe Valley.

Further up into the mountains, the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk is an easy 2.2-kilometre path that serenades you with the sound of flowing water as you pass mossy rocks and tree ferns en route to two sets of waterfalls cascading over boulders in the remote wilderness.

The best cultural hikes in Gippsland

the Mitchell River National Park, Gippsland — Hike the Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

Across a pool in a natural sandstone amphitheatre, deep within a cave behind a waterfall, it’s said the Nargun has its lair. A fierce creature, half human and half stone, that abducts children and can’t be harmed by boomerangs or spears, the story of the Nargun has been told around the campfires of the local Gunaikurnai people for generations.

As a culturally significant place for women, hikers are asked not to go into the Den of Nargun, but a 3.4-kilometre loop walk leads you through a rainforest gully to the entrance where you can feel the powerful atmosphere here in Mitchell River National Park , along Victoria’s largest remaining wild and free-flowing waterway.

the bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park — Bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail , a series of important traditional Gunaikurnai sites through central Gippsland. Another location is Victoria’s largest cave system, Buchan Caves Reserve, with trails to important archaeological sites of human artefacts up to 18,000 years old. The FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk includes the naturally sculpted white limestone steps of the 400-metre-long Federal Cave, while the Granite Pools Walk goes among tall timber and moss-covered gullies.

the ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park — The ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park. (Image: Josie Withers)

Also important to the Gunaikurnai people is Tarra-Bulga National Park , known for its ancient myrtle beeches and enormous mountain ash trees. Just 40 minutes return, the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk offers a taste of this verdant landscape, while the Grand Strzelecki Track takes you deep into the lost world of forest giants on an epic 100-kilometre trail rich with tradition.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the WildernessRetreats in The Prom — Wilderness Retreats in The Prom. (Image: Christian Pearson)

Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory offers glamping-style tents with luxurious queen beds. Star Hotel is a reconstruction of a Gold Rush-era hotel from 1863 in the heart of heritage Walhalla. Caves House is a historic three-bedroom house with views over the Buchan River.

Eating there

the Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — Enjoy a post-hike lunch at Carrajung Estate. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Kilcunda General Store serves great coffee and meals of local produce at the George Bass Coastal Walk. Alpine Trout Farm is located near Toorongo Falls in Noojee. Fish for your own lunch and barbecue it with the provided cookware.

Carrajung Estate is a short drive from Tarra-Bulga National Park. The winery’s restaurant offers a seasonal menu of regional ingredients and you can stay at The Lodge.

a seafood feast at Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — The table is set for a seafood feast at the estate.