10 Aussie islands you can privately book

Think private islands are only reserved for billionaires? Think again.

There’s nothing better than gathering your best mates and heading off on the ultimate unforgettable holiday. But battling it out for the best campsites, spreading across hotel rooms or lining up for hostel bathrooms can quickly become a buzzkill.

Thankfully, there’s a group-friendly alternative that ticks every box. Dotted around Australia, there are an array of dreamy island escapes designed to keep everyone together without compromising on space. Don’t let the pricetag scare you either – when split between friends, these exclusive retreats are far more attainable than you might expect.

1. Haggerstone Island, Qld

Total cost: From $6800 per night
Individual cost: $566 per person

Around 600 kilometres north of Cairns, Haggerstone Island is a privately owned escape tucked into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Featuring five beachfront villas, the resort offers group bookings for up to 12 guests, providing total privacy and exclusive access to the entire island.

Spend your days snorkelling the reef’s colourful folds, taking helicopter flights to secret waterfalls or lazing in the sun on your private deck before settling into your luxurious villa come nightfall. All meals are catered for, with a rotating menu that features locally caught seafood and produce grown on the island.

2. Picnic Island, Tas

Total cost: $16,000 per night with a three-night minimum
Individual cost: $2000 per night or $6000 for three nights

Just off Tasmania’s stunning Freycinet Peninsula, Picnic Island is quietly lapped by the deep-blue waters of Coles Bay. The island’s cosy retreat sleeps up to eight guests across four spaces, plus a suspended fireplace and private chef for cosy nights in.

Picnic Island delivers a truly authentic taste of Tassie, including wildlife encounters with the island’s resident shearwaters, seals and penguins. With boardwalks, elevated walking trails, an expansive outdoor deck and views across The Hazards, it’s all about showcasing the state’s natural beauty.

3. Louth Island, SA

Total cost: From $2500 per night (private retreat)
Individual cost: $250 per person

Rumi on Louth, SA — Settle in under a cabana on your own private beach.

Only accessible by boat, Louth Island just a few kilometres off the coast of Port Lincoln in SA’s Eyre Peninsula. Once a humble sheep property, it became home to Rumi on Louth in 2023, a luxurious eco-resort offering pristined beaches, walking tracks, catamaran cruises, cooking masterclasses, a day spa and hatted restaurant.

While it can’t be booked exclusively, guests needn’t worry about disruptions. The 10-guest private retreat is perfect for larger groups seeking seclusion. Separated from all other lodgings, it features one queen-size and eight king-single rooms, as well as two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, spacious living area and private deck.

4. Wilson Island, Qld

Total cost: From $11,000 per night
Individual cost: $611 per person

Tucked into a secluded coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef, adults-only Wilson Island comprises nine safari-style tents that can be exclusively booked for up to 18 guests. Approximately 80 kilometres off the coast of Gladstone, there is no such thing as mobile reception or wi-fi here, allowing guests to go fully off-grid.

Days on Wilson Island are filled with ocean-based activities like snorkelling, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and swimming. Time your visit right and you could share the island with green and loggerhead turtles, who use its sheltered shores for nesting and hatching from November to March.

5. Lord Howe Island, NSW

Total cost: From $8660 per night (Signature Experience)
Individual cost: $1082.50 per person

Lord Howe Island is another one of those places that can’t be booked out exclusively but is well worth the trip anyway. Often called the Hawaiʻi of Australia and described as “so extraordinary, it’s almost unbelievable" by Sir David Attenborough himself, only 400 people can visit at any one time.

Island House on Lord Howe Island, NSW — Slip into solitary bliss at Island House. (Image: Anson Smart)

For complete privacy and total immersion, Island House offers two retreats for just eight guests, surrounded on all sides by Kentia palms and Banyan trees. The design-led property is luxury at its finest, with fireplaces, outdoor baths, sprawling gardens, chef-prepared meals and daily cleaning services included in its Signature Experience.

6. Satellite Island, Tas

Total cost: From $2950 per night (for two guests)
Individual cost: $1475 per person ($550 per extra)

Swap reef tides for cosy vibes on Satellite Island , a little slice of paradise off Tasmania’s south-east coast. Arriving via vehicular ferry or chartered helicopter, up to eight guests are welcome at the island’s exclusive lodgings, which includes the Summerhouse, Boathouse and luxury bell tent.

For the duration of your stay, you’ll have the entire place – and its exclusive experiences – to yourself. This includes an endless supply of wild oysters and gourmet breakfast provisions, plus access to the kitchen garden and orchard. Guests also have free use of all fishing equipment, kayaks, paddleboards, yoga mats and board games.

7. Makepeace Island, Qld

Total cost: $19,950 (first eight guests)
Individual cost: $2493 per person

It’s all in the name at Makepeace Island . The heart-shaped haven near Noosa is as peaceful as it gets, where wild beauty meets true luxury. Hands-on types can enjoy cooking classes, tennis, kayaking and cocktail making, while others may opt for beach picnics, nature walks and relaxed afternoons at the pool or onsite library.

And for the cherry on top? A quick boat ride and you’ll be in the heart of Australia’s most-loved town of 2025. Explore its burgeoning dining scene, breathtaking beaches and UNESCO-listed sites before heading back to your own slice of paradise on a bend in the Noosa River.

8. The Lilypad, NSW

Total cost: From $2250 (four-night package)
Individual cost: $1125 per person

Bobbing on the bay between Palm Beach and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, The Lilypad is an all-inclusive, fully serviced floating villa for more intimate stays, accommodating up to 10 people for events but sleeping just two. While technically not an island, it offers the same privacy, seclusion and total exclusivity.

Coastal-inspired interiors combine with five-star luxury, complete with a fireplace, infrared sauna, catered meals and onboard massages. The outdoor deck is designed for long days in the summer sun – whether you laze on a lounger or make use of the paddleboards, there’s little more to do but sit back and enjoy the view.

9. Pumpkin Island, Qld

Total cost: From $4250 per night
Individual cost: $125 per person

Just 14 kilometres off the coast of Yeppoon, Pumpkin Island looks just as cute as it sounds. Five self-catering cottages and two beach bungalows sleep up to 34 guests, plus shared bathrooms, a communal kitchen and optional catering packages.

Complete beach access means activities like snorkelling, fishing, paddleboarding and kayaking are available around the clock. The private island also acts as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, so you can experience one of Australia’s natural wonders right on your doorstep.

10. Fraser Island Retreat, Vic

Total cost: Price upon booking

Gippsland Lakes, Vic — The Gippsland Lakes region of Victoria does island getaways a bit differently. (Image: Getty/Tracie Louise)

You’ll find Fraser Island Retreat in Victoria’s gorgeous Gippsland Lakes region, just a 10-minute drive from Lakes Entrance. The exclusive escape is perfect for big family trips, with an 11-bedroom homestead and an additional bunkhouse that sleeps up to 34 guests in total.

Inside, guests have complete reign of the grand dining hall, refrigerator room, wine cellar, lounge area and fully equipped kitchen. Outside, enjoy a wraparound verandah, nine-hole golf course, pool with gazebo and two tennis courts. The best part? You’ll have it all to yourself.

Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.

Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.

walking trails in the Yarra Valley — You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)

I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.

A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy

holding a glass of wine at Yarra Valley Dairy — Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)

With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.

a cheese tasting plate atYarra Valley Dairy — A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.

I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.

Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.

Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate

Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.

As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate , I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.

oysters at Restaurant 1309, Balgownie Estate — Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.

On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.

I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.

kangaroos in Yarra Valley — Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels

the Yarra Valley vineyards — Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)

Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.

COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.

It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.

A detour to the Dandenong Ranges

legs hanging over the sides of the train, Puffing Billy Railway — The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.

The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.

I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.

The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.

After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.

Playing there

the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley — Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art . Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.

Eating and drinking there

Olinda Tea House offers an Asian-inspired high tea. Paradise Valley Hotel, Clematis has classic pub fare, while the iconic Yering Station offers wine tastings and a restaurant with seasonal dishes.

seasonal dishes at the restaurant inside Yering Station — The restaurant at Yering Station showcases the best produce of the Yarra Valley. (Image: Visit Victoria)

10 Aussie islands you can privately book – for less than you think