5 Aussie experiences on TIME World’s Greatest Places 2026 list

Sea Sea Hotel, Crescent Head, NSW

Head back in time at Sea Sea Hotel. (Credit: Tommaso Riva)

Sea Sea Hotel is a love letter to Crescent Head’s 1970s surf culture – retro in the best possible way, considered in every detail and sitting on Dunghutti Country near one of the coast’s most uncrowded breaks. TIME’s judges were taken by the whole package, but the kitchen deserves its own mention: former Icebergs chef Daniel Medcalf has built a modern-casual dining room around the native produce of the Macleay Valley.

On Board, Southwest Tasmania

Board Odalisque III and sail into Bathurst Harbour.

No roads. No towns. No hotels. The southwest corner of Tasmania is one of the most genuinely remote places in the country and On Board – a family-run operation that has known these waters since 1998 and is also now part of Luxury Lodges of Australia – is one of the only ways in. Its new Port Davey Highlights cruise starts the way all great adventures should: a 40-minute seaplane flight from Hobart over wilderness that looks like it was designed by someone who’d never heard the word ‘development’. From there, guests board the 12-passenger Odalisque III into Bathurst Harbour for three days of sea caves, Indigenous rock art, coastal hikes and possible sightings of the endangered, orange-bellied parrot.

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Murujuga Cultural Landscape, Burrup Peninsula, WA

Murujuga holds hundreds of thousands of ancient petroglyphs.

There are places in the world that make you feel small in the best possible way. Murujuga is one of them. Spread across the Burrup Peninsula in the Pilbara, this extraordinary landscape holds hundreds of thousands of ancient petroglyphs – rock engravings that represent one of the most significant concentrations of ancient rock art anywhere on Earth, and the continuous cultural practice of Aboriginal people across tens of thousands of years. The Ngarda-Ngarli people have cared for Country for more than 50,000 years; etched into its rusted boulders are prehistoric megafauna and early human life. UNESCO recognised it with World Heritage status in 2025 – only the second Australian site recognised solely for its First Nations cultural heritage.

Our print editor, Imogen Eveson, visited Murujuga shortly after the UNESCO inscription and came back changed. “It was one of those experiences that recentres you, offering a new appreciation not only for Australia – its natural and cultural history and the living heritage that continues today – but for the planet more broadly," she says.

“The more people who are able to experience Murujuga responsibly, as I did on an expedition cruise, the more people will come to understand and want to protect this extraordinary place."

Sydney Fish Market, NSW

Visit Sydney Fish Market. (Credit: Tom Roe)

The old fish market had charm, seagulls and limited parking. The new Sydney Fish Market has an $836 million price tag, a wave-shaped roof and 40 restaurants under one address. The redesigned Blackwattle Bay precinct isn’t really a market anymore – it’s a waterfront destination that happens to sell excellent seafood, alongside Malaysian, Aegean and everything in between. TIME’s panel noted the ambition of what’s been built here: a place that genuinely integrates harbour life with serious dining. Sydney already had the Opera House. Now it has this.

Aurora Expeditions’ Douglas Mawson

It’s not officially in the Australia category – but Aurora Expeditions is an Australian-owned company, and its newest ship is too good to leave off this list. The Douglas Mawson launched in November 2025, named after the Antarctic explorer who would absolutely have approved of what’s been built in his honour. Small by design (just 130 expeditioners in polar regions), it’s equipped with a wave-piercing hull that tames the Drake Passage, a forward observation lounge, a citizen science centre and Zodiac platforms for getting off the ship and into the thick of it fast.

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim, ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas.

eel tank — The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Dumawul walkingtour — Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance. The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.

Kooyoora walking tour — Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Kingfisher Cruises

Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises. Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.

wawa biik

Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik.

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.

Healesville Sanctuary

Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm.

The Grampians

Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.

Australia just landed 5 spots on TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026 list

These Aussie destinations, experiences and operators just got the world’s attention.

Sea Sea Hotel, Crescent Head, NSW

On Board, Southwest Tasmania

Murujuga Cultural Landscape, Burrup Peninsula, WA

Sydney Fish Market, NSW

Aurora Expeditions’ Douglas Mawson

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Unforgettable First Peoples tours and experiences in Victoria

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Kingfisher Cruises

wawa biik

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Healesville Sanctuary

The Grampians

These Aussie destinations, experiences and operators just got the world’s attention.

Sea Sea Hotel, Crescent Head, NSW

On Board, Southwest Tasmania

AI Prompt

Murujuga Cultural Landscape, Burrup Peninsula, WA

Sydney Fish Market, NSW

Aurora Expeditions’ Douglas Mawson

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Qantas double points and status credits are back – but you’ll need to be quick

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From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Kingfisher Cruises

wawa biik

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Healesville Sanctuary

The Grampians

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.