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

City buzz, gourmet trails, surf breaks and art scenes are all at your fingertips.

When it comes to planning a trip, picking a holiday destination is the easy part. The real dilemma is where to set yourself up for the night. Do you go coastal, city, or countryside? Somewhere remote and rugged, or right in the action? Luckily, the Sunshine Coast, and huge number of amazing Sunshine Coast day trips, have kindly made the choice for you.

Ditch the hotel-hopping and suitcase-lugging. Instead, base yourself at Novotel Sunshine Coast or Mantra Mooloolaba , where big-city culture, vine-covered valleys, and theme parks are all within a two-hour drive.

1. Sunshine Coast to Brisbane

Drive time: 1 hour 20 minutes (105km)

Shake off the sand from your sandals and swap the beach for the throb of the Queensland capital. Ease in gently with a bougainvillea-filled stroll through South Bank, iced latte in hand, before cooling off at Streets Beach lagoon – Brisbane’s answer to the coast (but without the waves).

Once firmly in big-city mode, hit up the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) , home to Australia’s largest collection of modern and contemporary artworks. Dive into the past at the Queensland Museum, where prehistoric fossils of Australian dinosaurs and megafauna collide with First Nations cultural collections and interactive science exhibits.

All this learning got you hungry? Howard Smith Wharves calls. Here, riverside dining delivers breweries with meat-forward menus, Japanese fine dining and overwater bars. If you’ve got room for more, Fortitude Valley’s shopping boutiques await you and your wallet.

woman walking around Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) — Wander the Gallery of Modern Art. (Image: TEQ)

2. Sunshine Coast to the Scenic Rim

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (170km)

Make your way inland to the Scenic Rim for the state’s best vineyards and age-old volcanic slopes. Start your day early (like, sparrow’s breakfast early) at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park . Here, take a treetop walk through the canopy and hand-feed the wild birds who flock here.

Next, it’s your turn to eat. Here, the food scene operates where locally sourced produce is an expectation, not an exception. Order a picnic basket crammed with regional wine and cheese to devour next to the creek at Canungra Valley Vineyards . Or perhaps a grazing platter of vegan and non-vegan cheeses at Witches Falls Winery .

Feeling bold? Tackle the Twin Falls circuit in Springbrook National Park. Or keep the gourmet life going with a Scenic Rim Brewery tasting paddle, best enjoyed while taking in the rise of the Great Dividing Range.

woman with cheese and wine at Witches Falls Winery — Enjoy a cheese platter at Witches Falls Winery. (Image: TEQ)

3. Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast

Drive time: 2 hours (180km)

Surf, sand and sparkling skylines might be the Gold Coast’s MO, but there’s more to Surfers Paradise and beyond. Kick things off with a beachfront coffee at Burleigh Heads, then hike through Burleigh Head National Park to look over the ocean and whale sightings (dependent on the season, of course).

Cool off in the calm waters of Tallebudgera Creek before chowing down on the famously buttery Moreton Bay bug rolls at Rick Shores . Travelling with the kids? Then you can’t miss Australia’s theme park capital, with Dreamworld ’s big rides and Warner Bros. Movie World ’s Hollywood treatment at hand to keep the family entertained.

aerial view of Tallebudgera Creek — Dive into Tallebudgera Creek. (Image: TEQ)

4. Sunshine Coast to Tweed Heads

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (200km)

Dare to cross enemy lines? Then welcome to New South Wales. Tweed Heads blends the laid-back attitude of the Northern Rivers with high-quality dining, experimental art, and farm-fresh indulgence – a combo worth the drive.

Start strong with a long, lazy brunch at Tweed River House , then swing by Tropical Fruit World for exotic finds like red dragon fruit, handfuls of lychees and black sapote. Next, hit M|Arts Precinct – an art deco hub of micro galleries, artist workshops and one-off boutiques.

Round off the day with sunset drinks at Husk Distillers among the glowing cane fields, and order one with their famous Ink Gin. You’ll thank us later.

exterior of Husk Distillers — Taste the famous Ink Gin at Husk Distillers. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Drive time: 1 hour (70km)

Strap on those hiking boots and make tracks inland, where volcanic peaks, misty rainforest and hinterland townships beckon. Ease in with the Glass House Mountains Lookout Walk, or, if you have energy to burn, tackle the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk for a 360-degree sight of the surrounding summits.

Next: Montville. This township delivers European-style architecture and old-world appeal. Nearby, settle in at Flame Hill Vineyard, where a large pour of estate-grown wine comes with encompassing views of the countryside.

Not ready to leave the hinterland villages just yet? Of course not. Meander past art galleries and indie shops at Maleny. Nab some fudge from Sweets on Maple for a sweet fix. Or go salty at Maleny Dairies with a farm tour and a chunky wedge of their deliciously creamy cheese.

End the day among the eucalypts and rainforests of Kondalilla National Park. Here, the Kondalilla Falls Circuit winds down through trees humming with life to a rock pool beneath a waterfall – as if designed for soaking tired feet before heading back to the coast.

view of Mount Ngungun on the scenic rim queensland — Take on the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk (Image: TEQ)

Start planning your Sunshine home base at all.com.