Six of the best honeymoon destinations in Australia

Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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Whether you want an action-packed honeymoon or some serious privacy, or a camping experience with the rough edges knocked off, here are six of the best places to honeymoon in Australia.

1. Makepeace Island, Queensland 

Best For: Honeymooners who have kindly benefactors or are luxuriously-inclined

 

Forget heart-shaped balloons and chocolates. This sanctuary with its heart in the right place is the original love island.

 

Arrive in your luxury yacht to the heart-shaped Makepeace Island, which was named after the housekeeper who inherited it from its owners in the 1930s.

 

Located within minutes of Noosa or a 20-minute drive from Sunshine Coast Airport, the island is owned by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Australia co-founder Brett Godfrey, which adds to its appeal for wannabee gazillionaires.

 

The island features a two-storey Balinese wantilan, where guests can settle down on Balinese day beds while overlooking the Noosa River. There’s also a boathouse, large lagoon pool, 15-person spa, tennis courts and outdoor cinema.

 

Those who want to give the credit card a workout can also head to the fashion boutiques and hatted restaurants in nearby Noosa.

 

The island accommodates 22 lovebirds in luxurious seclusion.

Makepeace is your very own private island escape

2. Western Australia 

Best for: East Coasters who want to escape their in-laws

 

After dancing till midnight on the East Coast of Australia, you can go west and embrace the time difference to add a few more memorable hours to your big day.

 

Start your love affair with WA by booking into Como The Treasury in Perth, which offers an exceptional five-night experience aimed at more active couples.

 

After a refreshing night’s sleep and breakfast for two, honeymooners can head north to explore WA’s wilderness, with a three-night experience at either El Questro Homestead in the Kimberley region or Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef on the northwest coast.

 

If you are having a winter wedding, head to Sal Salis Ningaloo beachside safari camp where – if you’re lucky – you may even get to swim with whale sharks.

 

Como has curated three five-night itineraries, which are designed to make newly married couples swoon while simultaneously sharing the love for WA. Como The Treasury is in the heart of Perth, so use it as your base to stay and play.

 

The Berkeley River Lodge is also a sweet spot to visit with your significant other. East Coast couples flock to the Kimberley Coast to relax on the beach and watch the sun set over the sea. The lodge can arrange a cruise along the Berkeley River to Casuarina Falls.

El Questro Homestead is one of the stand-out luxury stays in the region.

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3. The Coffs Coast, NSW

Best for: Everyone from boho types on a budget to those with healthy trust funds

 

Point your car with the bouncing cans tied to the bumper toward the hippie bubble that is Bellingen. The Mid North Coast region of NSW has a range of options to suit: from a fully furnished bell tent at Sapphire Beach Holiday Park to an architect-designed chalet at Promised Land Retreat with views of the Great Dividing Range.

 

Staying in Bello doesn’t have to be a patchoulis-scented affair. Those with a healthy trust fund in play can fork out $18,000 a night for a two-night minimum stay at Hermes Estate Luxury Retreat. It’s not a hotel. It’s not a resort. It’s a two-bedroom private villa with a fulltime butler and a fulltime chef located near a bend of the Never Never River.

 

The villa near the small town of Gleniffer along Waterfall Way is surrounded by rainforest with all the luxuries imaginable: take your complimentary glass of Dom Perignon for a walk-through: there’s a media room, private spa studio, full-size kitchen with Villeroy & Bosch dinnerware and Hermes Estate branded cutlery.

 

When the cloak of night falls over the retreat, it’s just you and your sweetheart being serenaded by the resident tree frogs. Note: the paint is only just dry at the gorgeous estate, which  starts taking bookings in April.

Promised Land Retreat offers views of the Great Dividing Range

4. Uluru, Northern Territory 

Best for: Adventurous types who eloped ahead of their impending nuptials

 

Forgo the big, fat wedding in order to better afford a week-long retreat at Longitude 131° in the stunning Northern Territory.

 

Uluru is a less obvious choice than the cliched beach destination for honeymooners where even the palm trees seem to beckon and sway in a suggestive way. But for likeminded couples whose idea of luxury is drinking in nature and exploring the rich Australian landscape, Uluru is paradise.

 

Longitude 131° lets the landscape do the talking: the luxury desert basecamp is embedded in a river of red dirt overlooking the iconic rock. Here, bespoke experiences include a trek to Kantju Gorge, dinner under a night sky at Table 131°, and a meander around artist Bruce Munro’s solar installation, Field of Light under a big sky, confetti’d with stars.

 

Stay in a luxury tent or contemporary pavilion offering views over the World-Heritage listed Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

 

Ayers Rock Resort also offers a compelling argument to elope to Uluru.

The illuminated magic of Field Of Light

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5. East Coast of Tasmania

Best for: Couples who adore nature as much as each other

 

Whether you’re on a babymoon, honeymoon, mini moon or mega moon, Tasmania’s scenic East Coast is a great out-of-earshot, gone-to-ground place to start your romantic getaway. A shared adventure is always romantic: strengthen your quads and your bond with a walk to Wineglass Bay and explore the spectacular Bay of Fires before rounding another bend and arriving at Saffire Freycinet, one of the most fancy-schmancy resorts that freckle the coast of Tasmania.

 

Couples who are feeling frisky can bunker down in this romantic getaway while swooning over the view. Forget five-star pomp, think barefoot luxury as you eat oysters shucked to order while knee-deep in an estuary, and seafood line-caught from the bay.

 

Reinvent the dinner date by telling executive chef Iain Todd of your likes and dislikes and ordering room service to be enjoyed on your deck overlooking Great Oyster Bay.

Coastal cubbies at Freycinet Lodge
Coastal cubbies at Freycinet Lodge

6. The Whitsunday Islands, Queensland

Best for: Those who have a strong affection for sun, sea and sand

 

Honeymooners love anything heart-shaped. After promising your heart to another, and saying your ‘I-dos’, take a scenic flight over Heart Reef in The Whitsundays to admire the Instagram-friendly island tinged with turquoise seas.

 

Happy couples staying on Hamilton Island can also travel by helicopter to the Heart Island pontoon helipad where they can swim and snorkel and enjoy a boat ride around the reef.

 

Those whisking a loved one to the Whitsundays can choose between a range of accommodation: from the swanky Hamilton Island hideaway qualia to the oh-so-chic InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, which has a romantic ‘Sunset Escapade’ that includes a speedboat ride to Blue Pearl Bay for a private picnic.

 

Sustainable-minded sweethearts will also find Elysian Retreat on the southern point of Long Island appealing. The retreat is the first 100 per cent solar-powered resort on the Great Barrier Reef and is barefoot luxury at its very best, with only 10 bungalows available.

Sustainable-minded sweethearts flock to Elysian Retreat
Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti has written across print and digital for Australian Traveller and International Traveller for more than a decade and has spent more than two decades finding excuses to eat well and travel far. A prestigious News Corp cadetship launched her career at The Cairns Post, before a stint at The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald gave way to extended wanders through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, Asia and Europe. Carla was chief sub editor at delicious and has contributed to Good Food, Travel & Luxury, Explore Travel, Escape. While living in London, Carla was on staff at Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times Travel desk and was part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK.
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8 incredible hikes just outside of Melbourne

    Australian Traveller Australian Traveller
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    Just over an hour from Melbourne, spectacular walking and hiking trails encompass ancient landscapes, forested ridgelines and volcanic peaks.

    Just a short drive from the city, the urban sprawl gives way to rolling hills, mineral springs, and lush forests that will have you feeling like you’re in the bucolic countryside of France. Encompassing Daylesford, the Macedon Ranges, Castlemaine and the Central Goldfields, this pocket of Victoria is a region where nature, art, and wellness intertwine. Heritage towns hum with creativity, good food and wine, and welcoming locals. While Daylesford hikes, and those nearby, offer the chance to take a pause and reconnect with nature.

    1. Hanging Rock Summit Walk

    Hanging Rock Summit Walk
    Take in views across the Macedon Ranges.

    Etched into folklore, few places in Australia carry as much mystique as Hanging Rock. Rising dramatically from the plains near Woodend, this volcanic mamelon offers a beautiful nature walk. The walk begins at a gentle pace, weaving through shaded woodland before it gets a little steeper as the path starts to climb and twist to the summit. From here, you’ll have views that stretch across the Macedon Ranges. The walk is roughly 1.8 kilometres return, but the real reward lies in standing among the weathered boulders, feeling the age and energy of the earth beneath your feet.

    2. Macedon Ranges Walking Trail

    Macedon Ranges Walking Trail camel's hump lookout
    Walk to Camel’s Hump. (Image: Clair Derwort)

    The Macedon Ranges Walking Trail traverses around 19 kilometres of forest and mountain landscapes. The full trail is a six-hour circuit, with most of the walk being a grade three; however, you don’t have to tackle it all at once. There are shorter walks that will take you through the tall mountain ash forests, to tranquil picnic areas, and sweeping views from Camels Hump and the Memorial Cross. The best times of year to head out are autumn, when the mountain turns into a tapestry of crimson and gold, and spring, when wildflowers brighten the trail.

    3. Mount Alexander Traverse

    Mount Alexander Traverse
    Take in the serenity.

    Towering above the goldfields near Castlemaine, Mount Alexander is a granite giant that offers some great bushwalking trails. The Mount Alexander Traverse winds along the mountain’s rocky spine through dry eucalypt forest that opens up in sections to reveal beautiful panoramas across Loddon Valley and all the way to the distant Grampians. Once a site of ancient volcanic activity (and later a gathering place for the Dja Dja Wurrung people), the mountain’s granite tors are now quiet and create a beautiful, serene atmosphere for a moment of reflection while walking.

    4. Murmuring Walk

    Murmuring Walk daylesford hikes
    Circle the picturesque Sanatorium Lake.

    Located an easy drive from Daylesford, Murmuring Walk offers something a little different. Circling Sanatorium Lake, this free audio-guided walk aims to immerse you in the rhythms of Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country by blending the sounds of nature with a multi-layered soundtrack. There are two routes to explore while you listen: a shorter loop around the lake itself and a longer circuit that extends deeper into the woodland.

    5. La Gerche Forest Walk

    La Gerche Forest Walk
    Walk into history on the La Gerche Forest trail.

    Located in Creswick, the La Gerche Forest Walk honours the legacy of John La Gerche, a 19th-century forester who championed the regeneration of the then gold-rush-ravaged land. Today, over 100 years later, his replanting efforts have grown into a living cathedral of towering pines, oaks, and native gums. As you meander along the 2.2-kilometre circuit, you’ll find interpretive panels along the way that help tell the story of La Gerche’s vision, so you can learn as you wander.

    6. Sailors Falls Loop

    Sailors Falls Loop
    See these spectacular falls. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Just outside Daylesford, Sailors Falls tumbles through a fern-lined gorge, fed by mineral springs. Thought to be named after the sailors who jumped ship to seek gold in the area during the 1850s gold rush, the loop walk begins at the car park and descends through a cool, shaded gully to the base of the falls. From here, you’ll make the climb back via the mineral springs. It’s a short but enchanting walk – about 1.5 kilometres in total, so make a day of it by packing a picnic to sit by the springs; you’ll feel worlds away from the city.

    7. Paddys Ranges Loop Walk

    Further north, the Paddys Ranges State Park loop reveals a different side of Victoria’s Heartland – dry forest, golden light and hints of a gold-rush past. This protected reserve is a stronghold of box-ironbark woodland, providing vital refuge for endangered species. In spring, the forest floor is awash with the colour of over 230 species of wildflowers, so a springtime walk is a must-do. As you walk the 4.5-kilometre loop trail, keep an eye out for remnants of old mine shafts and rusted relics from the prospectors who once sought their fortunes here.

    8. Mount Franklin Summit Walk

    Mount Franklin Summit Walk
    Take in forests and waterfalls along the way to the top of Mount Franklin.

    An extinct volcano turned picnic ground, Mount Franklin (known as Lalgambook to the Dja Dja Wurrung people) is one of the region’s quiet marvels. The summit walk follows a narrow, winding path through native forest to the crater’s rim, where you’ll get glimpses of farmland and forest below. It’s a moderate climb – just over an hour return, so it can easily be done if you’re camping in the surrounding reserve for a weekend nature retreat.

    The trails of Victoria’s Heartland offer a chance to reconnect with the landscape, local history and yourself. Start planning your next adventure at daylesfordmacedonlife.com.au.