Australia's top 10 luxury destinations from the coast to the outback

Luxury is not just about first-class service: these luxury destinations lead the pack with breathtaking scenery, exquisite design and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Hamilton Island, Qld

One of the ultimate luxury destinations in Australia is Hamilton Island. Year-round balmy weather, swaying palm trees and cerulean water, an unhurried but warm vibe – with golf buggies and boats the only form of transport – there’s nowhere quite like it.

Located at the centre of the Whitsundays, the experiences on the island are second to none such as helicopter flights over exquisite Heart Reef , private boat charters to the sugar-white sands of Whitehaven Beach (gourmet picnics included), and golf on neighbouring Dent Island, one of the country’s most scenic golf courses .

Its premier resort, qualia – at the northern tip of the island – is a completely private hideaway and the epitome of relaxed luxury, boasting views of the Coral Sea and private plunge pools in many of its exclusive pavilions.

Take advantage of the resort’s signature epicurean food experience ‘Talk and Taste’ which takes you on a culinary journey through Japan, sampling sake and sashimi; to France, exploring complementary flavours of Champagne and freshly-shucked oysters, and back to Australia to taste the country’s most celebrated (and elegant) cheese and wine pairings.

Want to get up close with the marine life? Book a stay in one of the unique rooms at Reefsuites Underwater Hotel . To get there you’ll jump on a scenic cruise through the Whitsundays before arriving at the luxurious pontoon. Each room is four metres underwater and features floor-to-ceiling windows to marvel at the reef. There is also an observation deck with sun loungers and tables for sunset dinners.

The bathroom in one of the Reef Suites rooms — Get up close with tropical fish at Reefsuites.

The Kimberley, WA

The Kimberley is a dream destination for the intrepid traveler with rugged ancient landscapes and remote adventures galore. But you don’t have to compromise on luxury by visiting.

Kimberley accommodation such as El Questro Homestead and Home Valley Station on the Gibb River Road, and East Kimberley’s Berkeley River Lodge – which can only be accessed by plane – are the stand-out luxury stays in the region, and provide one-of-a-kind experiences such as helicopter tours to hidden waterfalls and cruises to spectacular gorges.

Lord Howe Island, NSW

Described by David Attenborough as “so extraordinary, it’s almost unbelievable" UNESCO World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island is a true subtropical paradise. Home to the world’s southernmost coral reef, Kentia palm and Banyan tree forest, and the 875-metre Mount Gower, it’s a nature-lovers’ dream.

With just 400 visitors allowed at any one time, luxury destinations like this one are designed to be explored languidly by foot or bicycle. And its most coveted stay is Capella Lodge: an intimate property set above Lovers Bay and at the foot of the island’s twin mountain peaks.

Luxury Destinations - Lord Howe Island — Capella Lodge is Lord Howe Island’s most coveted stay.

Mornington Peninsula, Vic

The avant-garde design, award-winning restaurant and fascinating art collection of the Mornington Peninsula’s ultra-sleek hotel Jackalope deem it a destination in its own right.

But with the picturesque coast meeting rolling hinterland, this underrated region also offers a number of experiences to write home about, such as swimming with wild dolphins or seals, hunting for black truffles, or soaking in natural hot springs at Peninsula Hot Springs.

Barossa Valley, SA

Where else can you taste a 100-year-old Para Vintage Tawny at Seppeltsfield, enjoy a hot-air balloon ride over the vineyards followed by a Champagne breakfast, or take a private helicopter from St Hugo followed by an eight-course lunch?

Luxury Destinations - Barossa Valley — Kingsford Homestead oozes traditional elegance.

The Barossa Valley is a must for oenophiles and gastronomes, who can retreat back to The Louise, a lauded stay nestled in vineyards, or Kingsford Homestead, a historic estate oozing traditional elegance.

Freycinet Peninsula, Tas

Freycinet Peninsula, on Tasmania’s east coast is known for its untouched beauty, dramatic granite peaks, pristine coast, tranquil bays, fresh seafood and cool-climate wines, as well as the luxurious Saffire Freycinet resort, which overlooks Great Oyster Bay.

As well as first-class accommodation, Saffire’s guests can enjoy unique experiences such as private Wineglass Bay cruises and tours of a working oyster farm. Across the bay, the more intimate Piermont Retreat is a family-owned property with 15 cottages complete with log fires, all centred around a 180-year-old homestead.

Uluru, NT

The spiritual heart of Australia is on many bucket lists, and it’s easy to understand why. Its most luxurious accommodation, Longitude 131, is a collection of pavilions that provide jaw-dropping views of the giant red monolith – including from bed.

Visitors can explore the rock in a multitude of ways. Take a helicopter flight over Uluru and neighbouring Kata Tjuta, circle the rock on the back of a Harley Davidson, ride a camel through red dune country as the sun rises or sets, or indulge in a four-course dinner under the stars listening to dreamtime fables from an Indigenous storyteller.

Luxury destinations - Uluru — Longitude 131’s collection of pavilions provide jaw-dropping views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

Blue Mountains, NSW

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains is home to the iconic Three Sisters, the eucalypt-laden Jamison Valley, thundering Wentworth Falls, the Jenolan Caves and a collection of quaint heritage towns.

There are many high-end stays where you can rest your head, including elegant Lilianfels Resort and Spa, home to historic hatted restaurant Darleys, and the iconic Hydro Majestic Blue Mountains, which teeters high on an escarpment above Megalong Valley. But for out-of-this-world luxury, Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is set on a 2800-hectare nature reserve and has 40 villas each with their own swimming pool.

Margaret River, WA

Margaret River’s outstanding wineries and dining, including 11 hatted restaurants and luxury accommodation, such as elegant Cape Lodge, make for an indulgent getaway. But it’s also a playground for adventures: its turquoise coastline, hundred-plus caves and tall tree forests are perfect for caving, abseiling and surfing.

Hikers can join the four-day Margaret River ‘Cape to Cape Walk’ by Walk into Luxury tours, which traces the coastline and includes accommodation at clifftop Injidup Spa Retreat.

Luxury Destinations — Join the four-day Margaret River ‘Cape to Cape Walk’ by Walk into Luxury tours to see the epic scenery up close.

Ningaloo Reef, WA

Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef is UNESCO World Heritage-listed and one of the world’s largest reefs. At 300 kilometres long, there are more than 500 tropical fish species and approximately 300 species of coral that call the reef home.

The best place to base yourself when visiting? Sal Salis. The eco luxury safari tents sit just 50m from the turquoise water, providing you direct access for kayak, paddle boarding, and snorkelling with whale sharks.

Sal Salis eco-friendly tent at Ningaloo Reef — Tents are located just 50m offshore from the World Heritage-listed coral reef.

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

Australia’s top 10 luxury destinations