These 3 Aussie places stole the spotlight on Condé Nast’s 2025 list

Elizabeth Whitehead Elizabeth Whitehead
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Australia proves to be hot on Condé Nast’s annual list…

The editors at Condé Nast have come together to identify the 25 hottest places around the globe to visit this year. And Australia appears to be a standout – mentioned on the Best Places to Go in 2025 list not once, not twice, but three times – the most of any country. Not bad innings. Here are the three Australian places Condé Nast deems bucket-list worthy in 2025, and why we think they’re onto something.

Top End

Indigenous Australian culture is the oldest continuous culture in the world. And the NT‘s Top End is home to the oldest known Indigenous sites in Australia, dating back 65,000 years. Aboriginal culture is still shared today by Traditional Owners across the Top End, from Arnhem Land to Kakadu National Park – a dual UNESCO-listed site recognized for both its cultural and natural significance. Condé Nast has highlighted the new Aboriginal-led tours, such as the Muku Women’s Morning Tour, led by Tess Atie around Berry Springs, as a reason to visit the region this year. Check out more Aboriginal-led tours and experiences around Kakadu and Arnhem Land where you can connect with local Indigenous history and culture.

Victor Cooper accompanying tourists during Ayal Aboriginal Tours Kakadu
Aboriginal-led tours are a highlight of the NT’s Top End, such as a tour of Kakadu with Minitja man and ex-park ranger Victor Cooper. (Image: Tourism NT)

Queensland’s coast

Moving over from the outback to the ocean, Queensland’s coast is next on Condé Nast’s list. The Great Barrier Reef is an ever-enduring site, but there’s a lot beyond the reef worth sticking around for. For example, the soon-to-open Wangetti trail, a hiking/biking track between Cairns and Port Douglas, set to be a leading ecotourism experience. Plus, the thriving cultural scene of Cairns, with the new Mulgrave Gallery joining the mix and the Cairns Aboriginal Art Fair returning for its 16th year. In addition, a new upgrade to Cairns airport will mean getting to and from this tropical paradise will be easier than ever.

an aerial view of a beach in Port Douglas
The Wangetti trail is an upcoming trail that will link Cairns and Port Douglas. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Subantarctic Islands

Okay, we technically share this one with New Zealand. But Australia still claims a spot on Condé Nast’s list for a third time, thanks to the Subantarctic Islands—a remote archipelago where Macquarie Island is governed by Tasmania, while the remaining islands fall under New Zealand’s territory.

This region is a birdlife paradise, home to vast colonies of penguins, including the Royal Penguin, which can only be found on the archipelago. And in 2025, new expedition opportunities are making this hard-to-reach corner of the world more accessible than ever. Such as Heritage Expeditions’ Birding Down Under cruise, which offers a chance to witness the stunning biodiversity while supporting conservation efforts to protect the critically endangered Antipodes albatross.

Macquarie Island
The Royal Penguin can only be found on Macquarie Island and adjacent sub-Antarctic islands. (Image: Getty/Steve Fraser)
Elizabeth Whitehead
Elizabeth Whitehead is a writer obsessed with all things culture; doesn't matter if it's pop culture or cultures of the world. She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sydney (after dropping out from Maths). Her bylines span AFAR, Lonely Planet, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Refinery 29. Her work for Australian Traveller was shortlisted for single article of the year at the Mumbrella Publishing Awards 2024. She is very lucky in thrifting, very unlucky in UNO.
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How a $1 deal saved Bendigo’s historic tramways

    Megan Arkinstall Megan Arkinstall
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    The passionate community that saved Bendigo Tramways has kept the story of this city alive for generations.

    It was an absolute steal: a fleet of 23 trams for just $1. But such a fortunate purchase didn’t happen easily. It was 1972 when the Bendigo Trust handed over a single buck for the city’s historic collection of battery, steam and electric trams, which had transported locals since 1890.

    inside the historic Bendigo Tram
    Bendigo Tramways is a historic transport line turned tourist service. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    The city’s tram network had been declared defunct since 1970 due to post-war shortages in materials to upkeep the trams and declining passenger numbers as motor vehicles were increasing. However, determined locals would not hear of their beloved trams being sold off around the world.

    The Bendigo Trust was enlisted to preserve this heritage, by converting the trams into a tourist service. The Victorian government approved a trial, however news spread that the Australian Electric Tramways Museum in Adelaide had acquired one of the streetcars for its collection.

    a tram heading to Quarry Hill in 1957
    A tram on its way to Quarry Hill in 1957. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    An impassioned group rallied together to make this physically impossible. Breaking into the tram sheds, they welded iron pipes to the rails, removed carbon brushes from the motors, and formed a blockade at the depot. The community response was extraordinary, and a $1 deal was sealed.

    A new chapter for the city’s fleet

    the old Tramways Depot and Workshop
    The old Tramways Depot and Workshop is one of the stops on the hop-on, hop-off service. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Today, Bendigo Tramways welcomes some 40,000 passengers annually, operating as a hop-on, hop-off touring service aboard the restored trams. Fifteen of the now 45-strong fleet are dubbed ‘Talking Trams’ because of the taped commentary that is played along the route. The trams loop between Central Deborah Gold Mine and the Bendigo Joss House Temple, which has been a place of Chinese worship since 1871, via other sites including the old Tramways Depot and Workshop.

    a Gold Mine Bendigo Tram
    The fleet comprises 45 trams that have been restored. (Image: Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn)

    Keeping things interesting, throughout the year visitors can step aboard different themed trams. Tram No. 302 becomes the Yarn Bomb Tram, decorated both inside and out with colourful crochet by an anonymous group of locals.

    During the festive season, Tram No. 15 operates as a tinsel-festooned Santa Tram, and the big man himself hides out somewhere along the route for excited children to find. And on selected dates, the adults-only Groove Tram runs nighttime tours of the city, accompanied by local musicians playing live tunes and a pop-up bar.

    the historic post office turned visitor centre in Bendigo
    Visitors can hop on and off to see the city’s sites such as the historic post office turned visitor centre. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    As well as preserving the city’s history, however, the continuation of the tram service has kept the skills of tram building and craftsmanship alive in a practical sense. Bendigo’s Heritage Rail Workshop is world-renowned for restoring heritage trams and repurposing vehicles in creative ways.

    Locally, for example, Tram No. 918 was transformed into the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram with original Aboriginal artworks by emerging artist Natasha Carter, with special commentary and music that shares the stories and traditions of Bendigo’s first people. You can’t put a price on preserving history. Nonetheless, it was a dollar very well spent.