From spots to seek serenity in nature to mind-blowing landscapes and a new kind of tourist trail, these unique destinations and experiences are icons in the making that are hiding in plain sight.
This article is part of our 100 Australian Wonders series. Throughout the series, we explore our nation’s wonders across culture, nature, food, islands and many more. We hope it inspires your own exploration of Australia’s many wonders.
1. Rowley Shoals, WA
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
Look down on Rowley Shoals from above and you might find sunlight catching on the somewhat-secret ecological treasure, scattering sequins over the sea.
Some 300 kilometres north-west of Broome, Rowley Shoals Marine Park is characterised by spectacular intertidal and subtidal coral reefs, exceptionally rich and diverse marine fauna and pristine waters.
The intertidal reefs, which comprise Clere, Imperieuse and Mermaid, are set about 30 to 40 kilometres apart. Pack your bathers: the shallow sparkling lagoons are popular with snorkellers thanks to the clarity of the water, colourful coral and abundant marine life.
2. Hawkesbury River, NSW
Travelling with: Imogen Eveson
Sitting on the balcony with the Hawkesbury River unspooled in front of you like molten silk, watching the colours change as the light fades over the ridges, it’s hard to imagine the centre of Sydney is little over an hour away.
The luxurious water-access-only Calabash Bay Lodge at a magnificent crook of the river provides total immersion into this other world. This is a place that slows your heart rate and enlivens your soul. You’ll find a boat and kayaks to untether and take out on the water at a most leisurely pace. And dinner cooked by a private chef to retreat back to in the evening.
Book the Ultimate Hawkesbury Pearler’s Package to experience all of this plus a private tour of Broken Bay Pearl Farm’s local oyster leases and ‘shellar door’ to learn the secrets of pearl and oyster harvesting on the river.
Famed two-hatted restaurant Berowra Waters Inn is just a few oar strokes away, too.
3. Swan River Trails, WA
Travelling with: Fleur Bainger
Sometimes, wonders are right under our noses. Take Western Australia’s Swan River Walk Trail , an 11-kilometre loop that circles both sides of the river in Perth’s CBD and its bookending bridges.
It’s packed with surprises, like how many waterbirds call from various nature ponds. Or the way you can spot jellyfish while cycling over the Causeway Bridge (a new, dedicated pedestrian and cycle bridge is set to open later this year) and how much public art dots the landscape.
Look out for the building-sized frillneck lizard and towering silver bird depicting first European contact by Noongar artist, Laurel Nannup.
Other eye-opening tracks include the two-kilometre-long Jenna Biddi Yorga loop in riverside Bicton, which follows an Aboriginal Dreaming trail. Or the Wadjemup Bidi, which traverses all of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island), itself known to Whadjuk Noongar people as a resting place of the spirits.
4. Litchfield’s swimming holes, NT
Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall
Litchfield National Park, just 90 minutes from Darwin, is an ancient landscape of thundering waterfalls that cascade into emerald pools, perfect for waterhole-hopping and doable in a day.
Travelling south from Darwin via Cox Peninsula Road, you’ll pass the swimmable Walker Creek, which carves through ancient rock, and Wangi Falls, which has a large plunge pool and grassy area. From here, loop up Litchfield Park Road to Florence Falls, a waterhole fed by twin falls, and Buley Rockhole, a series of shallow rock pools and deep plunge pools.
Return to Darwin via Batchelor, refreshed from your day of wild swimming (in designated areas only). Or linger longer in the park’s southern reaches, where the 4WD-only Reynolds Track leads to Sandy Creek and Surprise Creek Falls, two lesser-visited waterholes with camping facilities.
5. Australia’s hot springs
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
The healing benefits of bathing in hot springs – balneotherapy – have long been documented. In addition to the fact these thermal pools are likely to be at the edge of nature, with breathtaking backdrops, the actual act of soaking in mineral-rich waters serves to soothe aching muscles and calm busy minds.
Test the theory everywhere from Peninsula Hotsprings and the Mornington Peninsula’s newest sanctuary, Alba Thermal Springs & Spa , as part of a road trip along the new Great Victorian Bathing Trail.
And elsewhere in the country: from the warming waters of Talaroo Hot Springs in outback Queensland to Witjira-Dalhousie Springs in South Australia.
6. Bundanon, NSW
Travelling with: Imogen Eveson
Cradled by the soft folds of the Shoalhaven landscape, Bundanon is artist Arthur Boyd’s legacy: a wildlife sanctuary set on 1000 hectares that inspired much of his work and that he and wife Yvonne gifted to the nation in 1993. When the long-held dream of embedding an art museum in the landscape was realised in 2022, it marked the start of a new chapter.
Bundanon is many things, and best visited to be understood. Head here to see thought-provoking exhibitions, visit Arthur Boyd’s old paint-daubed studio and stately homestead, and the locavore cafe led by chef Douglas Innes-Will.
The word Bundanon means ‘deep valley’ in Dharawal and Traditional Owners are consulted on everything from land management to cultural connection.
Absorb it all thoroughly with an overnight stay at the architecturally designed Bridge, which acts as a window to this ancient and absorbing landscape.
7. Noosa Everglades, Qld
Travelling with: Katie Carlin
Cast off at sunrise to witness the ‘river of mirrors’ at its most spectacular. That’s when you’re likely to see osprey take flight as you glide through a blanket of waterlilies past ancient tea tree forests on the banks of the Noosa Everglades – one of only two everglades systems on Earth.
The pristine network of waterways is home to 40 per cent of Australia’s bird species and overlaps the Noosa and Great Sandy UNESCO Biosphere reserves, making it one of the world’s most pristine environments.
Explore it onboard a river cruise with Everglades Eco Safaris or kayak with Kanu Kapers , both award-winning ecotourism operators on the Sunshine Coast.
8. Bungle Bungle Range, WA
Travelling with: Imogen Eveson
Purnululu National Park’s World Heritage-listed Bungle Bungle Range erupts 300 metres out of grassy plains and is unlike anything you’ve ever seen: a cohort of bizarre beehive-shaped karst sandstone domes striped in black and orange, thanks to age-old stains, iron oxidisation and black algae.
The ancient range was carved into shape more than 20 million years ago (from deposits that date back some 360 million years).
And while seeing it from above on a scenic flight is a must-do, getting up close at ground level with a Gija guide from Kingfisher Tours is to truly feel and understand this remarkable living landscape.
9. Royal Exhibition Building Dome Promenade, Vic
Travelling with: Jo Stewart
Melbourne’s UNESCO Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building is often admired from afar. But visitors were finally welcomed to experience the incredible Dome Promenade and vistas of Melbourne’s skyline in 2022, a view unseen by most for 100 years.
Apart from being an architectural triumph, this grand landmark, completed in 1880, holds a wealth of significant stories crucial to Melbourne’s cultural and social history.
Book a tour to get a rare perspective of this enduring wonder that’s dominated inner Melbourne’s streetscape since its early days.
10. Arnhem Land, NT
Travelling with: Imogen Eveson
Covering vast tracts of Australia’s northern fringes, Arnhem Land is a destination rich in First Nations cultures, rare wildlife and breathtaking scenery that needs to be experienced to be understood. A stay at one of three unique wilderness lodges is a good place to start.
Seven Spirit Bay is hidden on the Cobourg Peninsula, a scallop-edged finger of West Arnhem Land that uncurls into the Arafura Sea north of Kakadu and forms part of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. With spectacular views of the glittering bay it rests above and adventures on tap into the surrounding environments of eucalypt forests, billabongs, mangroves and turquoise seas, a stay here is a highlight of any Outback Spirit tour through Arnhem Land.
At Davidson’s Arnhemland Safari Lodge, the headline attraction is the abundance of rock art galleries at the at Awunbarna (Mt Borradaile), which you’ll explore with the legendary camp as your base.
And in Northeast Arnhem Land, on an island off the coast of Nhulunbuy on Yolngu Homelands, Banubanu Beach Retreat offers a tropical-paradise getaway layered with a rich cultural experience.
