All 100 emerging destinations and experiences

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Discover Australia’s top 100 emerging destinations and experiences.

Australia’s always-evolving tourism offering is what has inspired us to highlight emerging destinations and experiences.

What do we mean by emerging? Think everything from Australia’s next holiday hotspots and regions on the rise to tiny towns now on the map thanks to innovative new dining or hotel options. And from places we might think we know well whose reinventions are prompting us to look again to the latest travel trends and more.

Here is the complete list, for you to keep your own appetite for exploring Australia well and truly whetted.

Towns

See Australia’s top emerging towns here.

1. Mapleton, Queensland

2. Witchcliffe, Western Australia

3. Mount Beauty, Victoria

4. Mount Gambier, South Australia

5. Nagambie, Victoria

6. Oatlands, Tasmania

7. Esperance, Western Australia

8. Yeppoon, Queensland

9. Tenterfield, New South Wales

10. Jabiru, Northern Territory

Neighbourhoods

See Australia’s top emerging neighbourhoods here.

11. Sandstone Precinct at Circular Quay, NSW

12. Pentridge Precinct, Coburg, Victoria

13. Noosaville industrial area, Queensland

14. Dromana Habitat, Victoria

15. Adelaide’s Inner West, SA

16. Tiger Lane precinct, Canberra, ACT

Regions

See Australia’s emerging regions here.

17. Scenic Rim, Queensland

18. Southern Flinders Ranges, SA

19. Mid West, WA

20. Mildura-Wentworth, NSW-Victoria border

21. Central Coast, NSW

22. Kimberley, WA

23. Peel, WA

24. Gippsland, Victoria

25. Townsville, Queensland

26. Launceston and Northern Tasmania

Cities

See Australia’s emerging city experiences here.

27. Brisbane precincts, Queensland

28. Dairy Road, Canberra, ACT

29. kipli takara walking tour, Hobart, Tasmania

30. Geelong comes of age, Victoria

31. Albury’s first degustation, NSW

32. Foodie experiences in Darwin

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Stays

See Australia’s top emerging stays here.

33. Basalt, Orange, NSW

34. Baillie Lodges, Kangaroo Island, SA

35. Sea Sea, Crescent Head, NSW

36. Samphire Rottnest Island, WA

37. Ampersand Estates, Pemberton, WA

38. Sunnymead, Aireys Inlet, Victoria

39. The Louise, Barossa Valley, SA

40. Rangelands Outback Camp, Queensland

41. The Oaks Ranch, Eurobodalla, NSW

42. Melbourne CBD’s luxury new hotels, Victoria

Food and wine

See Australia’s emerging food and wine experiences here.

43. Murwillumbah, NSW

44. Kuti Shack, Goolwa, SA

45. Portarlington Mussel Tours, Victoria

46. Granite Belt Wine Region, Queensland

47. Canberra Wine District, ACT

48. Sustainability in McLaren Vale, SA

49. Trentham, Victoria

50. Kakadu Full Moon Feast, NT

51. The Rockley Pub, NSW

Culture

See Australia’s top emerging cultural experiences here.

52. Bruce Munro at Discovery Parks King Canyon, NT

53. The Banya, Mullumbimby, NSW

54. Outback Queensland’s festival calendar, Queensland

55. Fine Vines festival, WA

56. Queenstown, Tasmania

57. Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat, Victoria

58. Wintjiri Wiru, Uluru, NT

59. Harvest Rock Festival, SA

60. Cultural Attractions of Australia, ACT, NSW, SA, Queensland and WA

61. Regional galleries, NSW and Victoria

62. Street art, NSW

63. Cairns Italian Festival, Queensland

Sustainable

See Australia’s top emerging sustainable experiences here.

64. Wuldi Cultural Experience at Gemtree Estate, SA

65. Wellness in Shoalhaven, NSW

66. Gumbaynggirr Country, Coffs Coast, NSW

67. Gold Coast Dive Trail, Queensland

68. Bundaberg, Queensland

69. Margaret River, WA

70. Positive Energy Adventures and Retreats, NSW

71. Inclusive travel

72. Fraser Coast, Queensland

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Trails

See Australia’s top emerging trails here.

73. Rail trails, NSW and Victoria

74. Slow food and rail tour, NSW

75. Tasmanian Walking Company, Tasmania

76. Australia’s bushwalking state, NSW

77. Dam mural in Wellington National Park, WA

78. Silo Art Trail, Victoria

79. Seasoned Tasting Trail, Victoria

80. Warlu Way, WA

Coast & Island

See Australia’s top emerging aquatic experiences here.

81. North Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah, Queensland

82. Wellness on Dirk Hartog Island, WA

83. The Big Lap by sea

84. Boomerang Beach, NSW

85. Mission Beach, Queensland

86. Clarence Canoe and Kayak Trail, NSW

87. Nuyts Archipelago, SA

88. Tiwi Islands, NT

89. Wagait Beach/Cox Peninsula, NT

Nature

See Australia’s emerging nature experiences here.

90. Wildlife Wonders, Great Ocean Road, Victoria

91. Tiny houses, Australia-wide

92. Grampians/Gariwerd, Victoria

93. Yagurli Tours, Queensland

94. Yarriba Dreaming, Queensland

95. Wild South Coast Way on the Heysen Trail, SA

96. The Pilliga, NSW

97. Murray River, SA

98. On Board Expeditions, Tasmania

99. Christmas Island, WA

100. Bremer Bay, WA

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Good food, beautiful nature & history: your guide to a long weekend in West Gippsland

(Credit: Rob Blackburn)

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
    Continue
    From rainforest walks and scenic drives to historic gold-rush towns and standout regional dining experiences, you can find it all in West Gippsland.

    Hover over West Gippsland on Google Earth and you’ll see vast tracts of land spread out like green velveteen around the Toorongo Falls Reserve. It’s a landscape that feels almost impossibly lush for a region sitting little more than an hour from Melbourne.

    Track southeast in late autumn and early winter and you’ll see pockets of the Mt Baw Baw Plateau dusted in snow. In addition to the forests of mountain ash veined with creeks and rivers, there are pastures and farmland cross-stitched together to form pretty patchworks.

    But West Gippsland isn’t defined by scenery alone: in addition to its awe-inspiring nature, a Venn diagram of the region includes gold-rush history and great culinary experiences.  Spend a long weekend here and it quickly becomes clear how often these three overlap.

    Getting there

    Messmates Dining west gippsland
    Spend the weekend eating and exploring in West Gippsland. (Credit: Messmates Dining)

    Getting to West Gippsland involves as easy drive – it’s just over an hour out of Melbourne along the Monash Freeway.

    Not driving? Catch the train from Melbourne on the Gippsland line, terminating at either Traralgon or Bairnsdale, and hop off at Warragul or Drouin.

    Visit historic villages

    Walhalla historic township
    Wander into Australia’s Gold Rush history at Walhalla. (Credit: Rob Blackburn)

    The West Gippsland region is on the Traditional Lands of the Kulin and Kurnai nations, specifically linked to the Bunurong, Gunaikurnai and Wurundjeri Peoples, whose connection to Country stretches back thousands of years.

    European settlement occurred in the 19th century as timber cutters, farmers and gold seekers pushed into the region’s dense forests. Small towns grew around sawmills and railway lines, and many of those gold rush settlements, timber towns and railway villages still shape the character of the region today.

    The most evocative of these is Walhalla Historic Township, a remarkably preserved gold-rush township tucked deep in the mountains. In the late 1800s, it was one of Victoria’s richest goldfields. Today visitors can step inside that history at the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine, where underground tours reveal the scale of the mining operation that once powered the town’s prosperity. Nearby, the Walhalla Goldfields Railway retraces part of the original narrow-gauge line through the valley, offering a slow journey past forest and river scenery.

    Further west, Noojee is a classic mountain village. It’s surrounded by dense forest and waterfalls and has become a natural base for exploring the Baw Baw region. Just outside town, Noojee Trestle Bridge stands as one of West Gippsland’s most striking relics of the rail era. The towering wooden structure is the tallest surviving trestle bridge in Victoria and today forms the centrepiece of an easy scenic walk with wide views across the valley.

    Alpine Trout Farm west gippsland
    Catch your own lunch at Alpine Trout Farm. (Credit: Nicky Cawood)

    At Alpine Trout Farm near Noojee, visitors can fish for trout in mountain-fed ponds before enjoying the catch prepared fresh onsite. It’s a simple experience that reflects the area’s long connection to the surrounding waterways.

    Back in Warragul, the region’s main service town, the story shifts from heritage to modern regional life. With galleries, restaurants and sweeping views across the rolling farmland of Gippsland, the town has become a lively hub linking the district’s past with its evolving food and cultural scene. Drive through the town and you’ll find heritage buildings, old pubs and weatherboard cottages that hint at the area’s early days as a frontier landscape.

    In other towns the past survives in quieter ways – a historic hall here, a century-old bakery there.

    Walks, waterfalls and wild places

    Toorongo Falls in west gippsland
    Stroll Toorongo Falls Reserve. (Credit: Nicky Cawood)

    Even simple roadside stops can feel cinematic in West Gippsland. The region also delivers plenty of opportunities to lace up your walking shoes.

    One of the region’s most rewarding nature escapes lies just outside Noojee at Toorongo Falls Reserve. A network of walking tracks winds through the cool-temperate rainforest where towering mountain ash trees filter the light and the air smells of rich, damp earth. The 2.2-kilometre trail to the viewing platform overlooking Toorongo Falls is short, but spectacular, as the water cascades down over moss-covered rock faces into a cool, green gully in Little Toorongo River.

    Further north, the Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort offers year-round adventures. In winter, the mountain attracts skiers and snowboarders. The warmer months are just as compelling, with scenic drives to see alpine wildflowers, mountain bike trails and panoramic hiking routes that open across the plateau.

    Cyclists and walkers looking for a more relaxed pace can follow the Rokeby Neerim Rail Trail, which traces a former railway line through farmland and small Gippsland villages. The mostly flat trail passes rolling paddocks, creeks and historic bridges, making it an easy way to drop it down a gear when exploring the countryside.

    Taste the best eats of West Gippsland

    Hogget Kitchen west gippsland
    Taste the best of the region at Hogget Kitchen.

    For many travellers, the real drawcards of West Gippsland are the food and wine. The region sits in the heart of Victoria’s fertile dairy country, and that agricultural backdrop has helped shape a dining scene where seasonal produce and local provenance take centre stage.

    Hogget Kitchen has helped put Warragul firmly on the radar for serious regional dining in West Gippsland. Here, head chef and owner Trevor Perkins runs the kitchen alongside well-known winemakers William (Bill) Downie and Pat Sullivan. Hogget Kitchen lives up to its promise of exceptional destination dining; what lands on the table depends largely on what nearby farms have harvested that week as well as a wine list from Wild Dog Winery and other Gippsland producers.

    Warragul is also where you’ll find Messmates Dining where the kitchen team is led by Michelin-trained chefs. The Euro-leaning bistro and wine bar brings a polished edge to the local dining scene using produce sourced from across West Gippsland.

    For something more casual, the century-old Noojee Hotel is the kind of hub that every traveller dreams of finding after a long drive. Expect generous pub classics served on the sunny deck in summer or beside the crackle of a log fire in winter.  Nearby, rustic Toolshed Bar, Bistro & Cabins is the place to go for a wood-fired pizza topped with smoked local trout paired with Gippsland wine, making it a rewarding stop for lunch or an overnight stay.

    Time your visit with the Truffle Festival

    Food lovers visiting in winter should consider timing their trip to coincide with Noojee Truffle Festival, running from 10 July to 2 August 2026. The inaugural event celebrates the region’s emerging truffle industry with tastings, special menus and events built around one of winter’s most prized ingredients.

    Start planning your long weekend in West Gippsland at visitgippsland.com.au.