15 Australian travel Instagrammers you have to follow

In the world of travel Instagram, good pictures are worth not only a thousand words but probably a thousand followers too.

Australian ‘Grammers are telling moderns tales in modern Australian style, each feed with its own idiosyncrasies, techniques and focus. But when everyone is jumping on board the travel Instagram bandwagon, from professional photographers to ‘paid influencers’, who to follow?

Here are 15 Australian Instagram accounts (capturing Australia) who are making a real impression on us @austtraveller (in no particular order)

1. Paul Fleming – @lovethywalrus (42,000 followers)

Highly active professional photographer, started Instagramming his home, Tasmania.

Why: Spectacular shots, incredible visuals, enhanced colours.

Website: lovethywalrus.com

2. Gary Norris – @Garry_Norris (129,000 followers)

Gary is a travelling chef based in Surfers Paradise.

Why: Mix of landscape and city, not ‘over styled’, allowing for the raw and natural Australian picture to come out.

3. Lauren Bath – @laurenepbath (383,000 followers)

Considered Australia’s first professional Instagrammer. Describes herself as a ‘social media influencer’ and is expanding her ‘brand’ into seminars and the like.

Why: Bold photographs, stunning locations, highly stylised photographs. Huge following!

4. Tim Denoodle – @denoodle (14,000 followers)

Writer/photographer with a recent debut exhibition called ‘We are Bondi’.

Why: A definite sense of Bondi ‘hipster’ in Denoodle’s Instagram feed, using matte-style filters to capture cool people as much as the scenery.

Website: denoodle.com

5. Jewels Zee – @jewelszee (76,000 followers)

Based in Queensland, Jewelszee is an example of someone who migrated from using an iPhone to a D-SLR after she won a photo competition.

Why: From the dessert, to ocean shots, to Noosa sunrises, this feed almost feels like Tourism Australia’s.

6. Pauly Vella – @paulyvella (318,000 followers)

Fixing air-conditioning units by day/by night and weekends Pauly is out Instagramming.

Why: Idyllic seascapes on NSW’s Central Coast and the odd quirky Australian found on a beach somewhere.

7. William Patino – @william_patino (82,000 followers)

Wollongong-based William specialises in landscape photography and dramatic ocean vistas.

Why: Incredible landscape and scenic visuals often shot in interesting and artistic ways.

Website: williampatino.com/about

8. Mark Clinton – @markclinton (66,000 followers)

Mark shoots surfing and Australian landscapes including Kakadu and tropical Queensland.

Why: Stunning underwater shots. Portrays Australia’s landscape in a romantic way.

Website: www.markclintonphoto.com

9. The Love Assembly – @theloveassembly (12,197 followers)

Australian-born blogger Aubrey Daquinag says her shots are a meeting of travel and style. Plenty of international snaps too.

Why: Aesthetic appeals to women. Lots of pastels and beach-inspired Instagrams. Very Sydney.

Website: theloveassembly.com

10. Graham Michael Freeman – @insta_graham23 (16,971 followers)

Partnered with Canon, Graham has been photographing America extensively but is now walking five states of Australia and capturing the experience.

Why: Some amazing outback and coastal Australian shots.

11. Liss Lane – @lifeintheslowlane (16,006 followers)

Liss’s chic, hippie travels around Australia in her 1959 caravan. Some sweet shots from the Kimberley.

Why: Retro beach chic with a grand feminine touch.

Website: lisslane.com

12. Matt Glastonbury – @mattglastonbury (84,000 followers)

An established photographer in Tasmania, Matt produces commercial content for major brands such as Nokia, Google and Tourism Tasmania.

Why: Great ‘big outdoors landscapes’, including some brilliant Southern Lights shots.

Website: mattglastonbury.me

13. Matt Donovan – @itsworthashot (17,000 followers)

Matt’s website showcases his travels through the Australian landscape. He also offers online camera tutorials.

Why: Moody landscape shots and some great wildlife images too.

Website: itsworthashot.com/blog

14. Mick Tsikas – @mickpix (4,784 followers)

Sydney freelance photo journo who previously worked at Sydney Morning Herald, AAP, Reuters and has won a Walkley award for his images of the Bali 9.

Why: Hard, edgy style, using black and white filters. Bold silhouettes and

dark images show Sydney’s other side.

15. Annette Widitz – @dawa_lhamo (35,119 followers)

Sydney based, I-phone-only Instagrammer currently situated in Iran.

Why: Scroll past the stunning shots of Iran and Annette has captured Sydney’s idyllic monuments, street photography in places such as Redfern and images of the vastness of Lake Jindabyne.

Follow: @AustTraveller on Instagram and hashtag #austtravellermag to share images with us

The rise of surf culture along Victoria’s coastline

Surfers stand on the shore at Bells Beach, where the country’s biggest surfing competition is held each year. (Image: Getty/Filed Image)

True Aussie surf culture was born on the chilly waves of Victoria’s winters, when huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean hit cliff-lined beaches along the Great Ocean Road . These beaches were the ultimate proving ground – surfers from all over Australia arrived in panel vans and VWs to do battle with the biggest waves they could find.

Surfers take advantage of the huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean at Bells Beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

There are surf breaks all along this very picturesque coast – but those around Torquay were most revered. The ultimate test of a surfer’s ability – and durability – however, was Bells Beach: Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. Just beyond, the breaks at Jan Juc and Winkipop beckoned.

an aerial view of surfers at Bells Beach

Hit the waves along the picturesque coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Torquay became surfing’s Silicon Valley: HQ for the entire Australian surf culture revolution. Four young locals worked out of their backyards in Torquay to create two of the world’s biggest surf labels – Rip Curl and Quiksilver , which soon became the region’s biggest employers.

Surfers out at Bells Beach, Victoria’s most famous beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

Rip Curl started sponsoring the Bells Beach Pro in 1973 – and have done ever since. It’s been going since 1962 – making it the world’s longest continually run surfing contest. Held every Easter, it’s part of the world surfing tour. Spectators line its 30-metre-high cliffs to watch the world’s best take on enormous waves – it’s the ultimate coliseum for the sport and has inspired generations of Aussie surfers to join the list of heroes whose names are on its iconic bell.

Follow the waves through Victoria’s surfing heartland

Australian National Surfing Museum, Torquay

The Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Just behind Torquay’s main drag, you can see all that history on display at the world’s best surf museum – the Australian National Surfing Museum . Here you can take your time absorbing the 100-year-or-so history of Australian surfing and check out the 150-strong surfboard collection.

surfboards on display at Australian National Surfing Museum

The museum holds surfing memorabilia, including a room dedicated to the history of boards. (Image: Tourism Australia)

But classic Aussie surf culture can be observed in everyday life all over the Great Ocean Road and Torquay. Surfing dictates life here; no work is done until the big swells have come and gone. Just being here provides a window into 60-odd years of rebellion against convention; for no-one likes nine-to-five living on the Great Ocean Road.

surfing memorabilia at Australian National Surfing Museum

The varied displays celebrate the Bells Beach competition, surfing legends and Aussie surf culture. (Image: Tourism Australia)

There’s less panel vans and VW Beetles these days, but surf culture still rules life. Surfers run this coast; you’re better off keeping out of their way when they’re running down past you to face the biggest swells – then hear them swap stories at cafes, restaurants and bars all around you.

The beach near Torquay is Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. (Image: Visit Victoria/William Watt)