5 state-of-the-art Australian libraries to visit

The wave of state-of-the-art public libraries – less academic bolthole, more social hub – being designed by architecture firms shows no signs of stopping. Elegant, impressive, in tune with their environments, here are five of our favourites.

1. Craigieburn Library by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp

In 2014, Craigieburn Library, in outer north Melbourne, won the inaugural international Public Library of the Year Award. its modern construction is characterised by open, flexible space, with rammed earth and timbers helping it blend with the natural landscape. It was designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT), an architectural practice that has become something of a trailblazer in terms of game-changing library design. FJMT’s CV also includes the award-winning Surry Hills Library in Sydney and the Library at the Dock in Melbourne, which looks more like a modern art gallery than a library.

2. Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GLHC), by ARM Architecture

Nicknamed ‘The Dome’, the GLHC is in fact a sphere; partially buried with its surface cut away to fit in between the Geelong Gallery and the Geelong peace memorial. Designed by ARM Architecture, the cubistic and colourful library was the ALIA Members’ Choice Winner at the 2017 Australian Library Design Awards.

3. The Helensvale Branch Library and CCYC by Complete Urban in association with Lahz Nimmo Architects

Designed by Complete Urban in association with Lahz Nimmo Architects, the Helensvale Branch Library and CCYC responds to the climate of south-east Queensland. Clever fixtures include rooftop solar panels to supply hot water, rainwater collected in underground tanks to be reused, and a naturally ventilated and lit indoor plaza that offers reprieve from the hot Queensland sun.

4. City of Perth Library by Kerry Hill Architects

Design-wise, the redevelopment of Perth’s historic centre – the Cathedral and Treasury Precinct – was led by Kerry Hill Architects. The jewel in its crown is the gleaming new public library that opened in March last year and scooped the top prize at the 2017 ALIA Library Design Awards. Seven storeys high and based around a pure circular form, with a striated effect that emulates the pages of a book, the contemporary design includes a ceiling artwork by a local artist depicting WA native flora, fauna and history.

5. Woollahra Library by BVN

You’ll find a sky-high atrium lined with creepers upon entering the new Woollahra Library in Sydney’s Double Bay. Architecture firm BVN took cues from the local library’s previous location in nearby Blackburn Gardens and has now brought the garden inside. Located in a shopping strip with plenty of good cafes on its periphery, visitors are invited to wander in with their coffee and browse like they would its neighbouring boutique stores. BVN’s design of the new Marrickville Library, also in Sydney and slated to open in 2020, will be given a similarly stylish and community-focused treatment.

Want to find out more about Australia’s Libraries? Check out

– 5 unmissable National Library treasures

– Canberra’s ‘classic 5’ museum and gallery A-list

The country’s rawest places offer some of its most transformative, restorative experiences.

Australia offers sublime opportunities to disappear into the ancient, untouched wilderness, worlds away from modern stress. Wild Bush Luxury offers a collection of experiences that are a portal into the continent’s wildest, most undiscovered landscapes, from wide floodplains to vast savannas, where the only distractions are birdsong, frog calls, curious wallabies and the daily drama of sunset. With a focus on conservation and Indigenous knowledge, these all-inclusive experiences allow guests to slow down and quiet their minds for intimate encounters with the natural world.

1. Bamurru Plains

safari tent at Bamurru Plains wild bush luxury — Let nature take front row.

In the remote Top End, just outside Kakadu National Park on the fringes of the spectacular Mary River floodplains, you’ll find Bamurru Plains , a peerless Australian safari camp. After a quick air transfer from Darwin to the camp’s private airstrip, you’ll be whisked away via 4WD to a vivid natural wonderland of shimmering floodplains, red earth, herds of peacefully grazing water buffalo and 236 bird species (Bamurru means magpie goose to the Gagadju people).

Accommodations consist of 10 mesh-walled bungalows and two luxe stilted retreats where guests enjoy panoramic, up-close views that invite them into their rightful place in the landscape (and binoculars to see it even better). Being an off-grid experience designed to help guests disconnect, the only distractions are birdsongs, frog calls, curious wallabies, the occasional crocodile sighting and the daily drama of the spectacular golden sunset.

It’s a place where nature’s vastness rises to the level of the spiritual, and Bamurru’s understated, stylish, largely solar-powered lodgings are designed to minimise human impact and let nature take front row. Guests relax in comfort with plush linens, an open bar, communal tables that allow for spontaneous connections and curated dining experiences from the in-house chef using local ingredients and bush-inspired cooking methods.

Bamurru Plains airboat tour — Zoom across the floodplains. (Image: Adam Gibson)

It’s a restorative backdrop for days spent zooming across the mist-covered floodplains in an airboat, birding with expert guides, taking an open-sided safari drive or river cruise through croc country. Spend time at the Hide, a treehouse-like platform that’s perfect for wildlife spotting.

In fact, nature is so powerful here that Bamurru Plains closes entirely during the peak monsoon season (October to April), when the floodplains reclaim the land and life teems unseen beneath the water. Yet Wild Bush Luxury’s ethos continues year-round through its other experiences around Australia – each designed to immerse travellers in a distinct Australian wilderness at its most alive and untouched.

2. Maria Island Walk

woman on a headland of Maria Island Walk — Maria Island Walk offers sweeping coastal scenes.

Off Tasmania’s rugged east coast, the iconic Maria Island Walk is an intimate four-day journey through one of the country’s most hauntingly beautiful and unpopulated national parks, encompassing pristine beaches, convict-era ruins, and wildlife sightings galore. Accessible only by a small ferry, Maria Island feels like a place reclaimed by nature, which is exactly what it is: a penal settlement later used for farms and industry that finally became a national park in 1972.

These days, the island is known as ‘Tasmania’s Noah’s Ark’ and its only human inhabitants are park rangers. It’s a place where wombats amble through grassy meadows, wallabies graze beside empty beaches, dolphins splash in clear water just offshore and Tasmanian devils – successfully reintroduced in 2012 after near-extinction on the mainland – roam free and healthy.

Each day unfolds in an unhurried rhythm: trails through coastal eucalyptus forests or along white-sand bays, plateaus with sweeping ocean views, quiet coves perfect for swimming. Midway through the journey, you’ll explore Darlington, a remarkably preserved 19th-century convict settlement whose ruins tell stories of human ambition at the edge of the known world.

At night, sleep beneath a canopy of stars in eco-wilderness camps – after relaxing with Tasmanian wine and locally-sourced meals, and swapping stories with your fellow trekkers by candlelight.

3. Arkaba

two people standing next to a 4wd in Arkaba — Explore Arkaba on foot or on four wheels.

For a bush immersion with more of an outback flavour, Arkaba offers a completely different type of experience. A former sheep station and historic homestead in South Australia’s striking Flinders Ranges that has been reimagined as a 63,000-acre private wildlife conservancy. It’s now patrolled mainly by kangaroos and emus.

Small-scale tourism (the homestead has just five ensuite guestrooms) helps support rewilding projects, and guests become an essential part of the conservation journey. Days begin with sunrise hikes through ancient sandstone ridges or guided drives into the ranges to spot yellow-footed rock-wallabies. And end with sundowners on a private ridgetop watching the Elder Range glow vibrant shades of gold, crimson and violet as the air cools and time stands still.

Here, you can join conservation activities like tracking native species or learning about Arkaba’s pioneering feral-animal eradication projects, then unwind with chef-prepared dinners served alfresco on the veranda of the homestead, which is both rustic and refined. The highlight? Following Arkaba Walk, a thriving outback wilderness where emus wander and fields of wildflowers grow.

It’s an unforgettable immersion in Australia’s vast inland beauty, a place where the land’s deep and complicated history – and astounding resilience – leave their quiet imprint long after you return home. In a world where genuine awe is rare, Wild Bush Luxury offers a return to what matters most in the untamed beauty of Australia’s wilderness.

Disconnect from the grind and reconnect with nature when you book with at wildbushluxury.com

5 state-of-the-art Australian libraries to visit

1. Craigieburn Library by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp

2. Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GLHC), by ARM Architecture

3. The Helensvale Branch Library and CCYC by Complete Urban in association with Lahz Nimmo Architects

4. City of Perth Library by Kerry Hill Architects

5. Woollahra Library by BVN

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The country’s rawest places offer some of its most transformative, restorative experiences.

1. Bamurru Plains

2. Maria Island Walk

3. Arkaba