Top 10 most incredible experiences Australia has to offer

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We revisit the 100 Incredible Experiences (right here in your backyard). Here are the overall Top 10 Experiences from the 100 – the best in each of our 10 categories for you to add to your bucket list. Enjoy.

Best Unforgettable Walk and Adventure – Bridle Gap hike, Wilpena Pound, SA

Part of the amazing 1200-kilometre Heysen Trail, Bridle Gap’s a six-hour return hike across 19 kilometres, which dissects the wonder that is Wilpena Pound . It’s a bird-lover’s dream with a variety of them calling the native pines, eucalyptus and heath home.

 

Read more here. 

Bridle Gap hike Wilpena Pound elise hassey
Bridle Gap hike dissects the magnificent Wilpena Pound (photo: Elise Hassey).

Most Unique Place To Lay Your Head – Moonbah Hut, Moonbah Valley, NSW

These cute stone cabins are nestled on the outskirts of Jindabyne in NSW’s Snowy Mountains. On the banks of the Moonbah River, each of these two charming huts boasts a large open fireplace, underfloor heating, and an indoor bathroom. Pick your season at Moonbah Hut  for either fly fishing, horse riding, bushwalking or the likes of snowshoeing, and, of course, skiing.

 

Read more here.

Perennial Australian Traveller favourite, Moonbah Hut near Jindabyne.

Best Must-See Events & Festivals – Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, Queensland

Every August yachties and spectators alike descend on Hamilton Island to watch sails race around the Whitsundays and enjoy everything from fashion shows to exclusive dining events hosted by the likes of Guillaume Brahimi. Race Week is Australia’s largest offshore yachting regatta.

 

Read more here.

Hamilton Island Race Week
You dont have to be a yachtie to enjoy Hamilton Island Race Week

Best Invigorating Aquatic Playground – Satellite Island, Tasmania

You can hire the whole of this tiny Tasmanian island for yourself (with the exception of the discreet island manager and a lovely herd of deer). During your stay at Satellitte you can cosy up by the fireplace in the beautiful house or simply choose to sleep in the converted jetty shed, while in the summer it’s a sublime place for a swim.

 

Read more here.

Spend a night on Satellite Island.
Spend a night on Satellite Island. (Image: Adam Gibson)

Most Delicious Culinary Journey – Roaming restaurant, pop-up dining – various locations, WA

Paul Iskov has worked in some of Europe’s best restaurants and having returned to his native WA, he and his friends set up roaming restaurant Fervor . Think native ingredients cooked over open fires in the West Australian outback and towns and presented in the finest fashion. It might be the most ‘Australian’ dining experience you’ll ever have.

 

Read more here.

Fervor western Australia
The grounds at Fervor.

Best Ways to Enjoy Wine and Vine – Back with a bang – Australian Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the best example of the changes sweeping through Australian wine. A victim of industrialised winemaking and public listings in the ’80s and ’90s, chardonnay was squeezed into millions of bottles. However, with wine ‘growing’ now more prevalent and wines being made in vineyards not wineries, chardonnay is finally realising its full potential with wines that run from light, fresh and clean to rich, layered and complex.

 

Read more here.

Best Captivating Design Treasure – Pumphouse Point, Lake St Claire, Tasmania

Taking the notion of adaptive re-use to a new high is the reinvention of two industrial buildings by Cumulus Architects in the heart of a wilderness area in Tasmania. The Shorehouse, an Art Deco hydro sub-station and The Pumphouse (sited 250 metres out on the lake itself) were built in the ’40s as part of the State’s Hydro Electricity Scheme and decommissioned in the ’90s. They have been skilfully refurbished to make Pumphouse Point a great base for walks, cycling and spa treatments. 

 

Read more here.

Pumphouse Point is surrounded by panoramic views

Best Inspiring Aboriginal Experience – Journey to the far reaches of East Arnhem Land

This incredible corner of Australia is full of adventure for those who like to push into the country’s remote outposts. The Yolngu people of East Arnhem Land have a beautiful connection to their environment and are often happy to teach travellers about their ways. If you’re up for a bit of a rustic, croc-laced experience, you can join a tour that will take you into Aboriginal communities where you can stay and spend time with the Yolngu. We have travelled with Venture North and found them to be fantastic, but there are also a few other operators in the area. You can also head to Banubanu Retreat on Bremer Island, where you’ll find simple, tented accommodation and guided activities such as fishing and turtle watching.

 

Read more here.

Banubanu East Arnhem Land, NT
Beach view of Banubanu East Arnhem Land, NT. (Tourism NT/Stuart Ord)

Best Little-Known Natural Wonder – Rowley Shoals, WA

Three tear drops of coral reef sit almost equidistant from each other on the face of the Indian Ocean, 260 kilometres from Broome. With them being almost the same size at around 80 square kilometres apiece, Rowley Shoals is surely one of the most unusual reef formations and it has some of the best diving and snorkelling on the planet to boot.

 

Read more here.

Rowley Shores
Rowley Shores is a natural heavy-hitter.

Best Memorable Moment for Kids – Dolphin Marine Conservation Park, Coffs Harbour, NSW

At this intimate and eco-responsible park, over-12s can have dolphin hugs in a deep-water experience, while over-sixes can do the same in the shallows. Anyone over eight can get in and play, swim and, yes, hug and kiss with the sea lions at the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park.

 

Read more here.

Dolphin Marine Conservation Park
Prepare for a dolphin encounter at the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. (Image: DNSW)
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael TurtleBy Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.