We are thrilled to introduce you to the brand-new Australian Traveller website.
We have been quietly toiling away behind the scenes since the start of 2025 to bring you a new website. But we haven’t just given it a facelift – we’ve completely reimagined the user experience to make planning your next holiday in Australia easier than ever before.
Ask AT – 20 years of travel expertise at your fingertips
At the heart of the new user experience is Ask AT – an Australian owned, human-powered AI travel tool that will plan your ultimate domestic Aussie holiday for you. Now you can search more than 150 detailed Australian destination guides to give you personalised recommendations in seconds. You can read more about Ask AT here, including how to use it, why we think it is a world first, why it’s different from other AI tools, including why you can trust it.
What else is new?
When we started this journey, you – the reader – were the focus. We wanted to build you a website that allows you to consume expert, tried and tested travel content any way you want. Here is a taste of what else you can find…
Safari in SA? Yep. But not South Africa… South Australia. Get up close with giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and more – all right here in Australia.
New user features
It’s mobile-first, so searching AustralianTraveller.com on the go will be incredibly easy – and fast!
We’ve simplified the navigation – you can now search the website via Ask AT or the more traditional drop-down menu.
You can explore by experience, destination, accommodation or even “surprise me" if you just want to be inspired.
Australian Traveller’s annual Top 100 lists are now easier to read, with a dedicated index page for all previous lists as well as improved navigation through the 100.
We continue to spotlight our award-winning travel magazine, Australian Traveller, with a dedicated section on the homepage showcasing the latest edition and new travel narratives.
You can manage your subscriptions online – a dedicated spot to easily sign in to your account and manage your print and digital subscriptions.
The dune viewing area at Kata Tjuta in the Northern Territory. (Image: Dom Nuttall & Jesso Coleman /Tourism NT)
Spot whales in Queensland's Hervey Bay in mid-July to late October. (Image: Visit Fraser Coast)
The Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve in Heathcote, Victoria. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Iconic views of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. (Image: Filippo Rivetti Photography)
Witness the Bungle Bungle Range in all its glory in Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Drink in views of Tasmania's Wineglass Bay. (Image: Tourism Tasmania/Scott Sporleder)
The Sugarloaf, a fascinating geological formation, in South Australia. (Image: Cale Matthews/South Australian Tourism Commission)
The Members’ Hall at the centre of Parliament House in Canberra. (Image: Visit Canberra/Lean Timms)
We will be progressively rolling out a series of new columns. The first will be Hotel Addict, a monthly column profiling the best hotels in Australia, written by our Evergreen Editor Rachael Thompson – a self-confessed hotel addict (she’s already stayed at 20 hotels in Sydney in the past 12 months).
You’ll also have continued access to the same great Australia-wide travel content, written by the team at Australian Travellerand expert contributorson more than 150+ destinations across Australia. If you haven’t already, join our travel community of over 90,000 subscribers and get the latest stories direct to your inbox weekly. Find the link in our footer to sign up.
Enjoy planning your next Aussie getaway on the new and improved AustralianTraveller.com. We hope you love it as much as we do.
Katie Carlin,Head of Content, Australian Traveller Media
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
Katie Carlin is Australian Traveller's Head of Content and when she’s not travelling or behind her computer, she’s hosting a dinner party (likely cooking an Alison Roman recipe), at brunch, working on extending her running k’s, or has her nose buried in a book.
She joined Australian Traveller in 2018 and is responsible for leading the editorial team across print, digital, social, email and native content. Her job is to make sure we create content that connects readers to incredible experiences in Australia and beyond. In addition to sharing her expertise on travel through industry speaking engagements, Katie appears onToday, A Current Affair and various radio segments.
With a BA in Communications majoring in Journalism and a career that has spanned roles at Fairfax Media and Are Media writing for titles such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and various lifestyle brands, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her most impactful trip to date has been swimming with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef. For her next trip she is longing to experience the romance of train travel – hopefully on The Ghan or Indian Pacific.
Discover the perfect road trip stopover between Perth and wine country.
Western Australia punches above its weight when it comes to coastal hot spots, but no other town or city has seen a tourism boom quite like Mandurah. Named Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2023, it’s the relaxed, beachside break you’ve been searching for. And it’s perfectly placed, sitting between Margaret River and Perth, as it’s just a 55-minute drive from Perth’s CBD. Which is why we’ve put together your ultimate Mandurah guide.
Plan your perfect coastal escape to Australia’s Top Tourism Town of 2023.
The best things to do in Mandurah
Wetlands and rivers, ocean and inlet; Mandurah’s laid-back lifestyle centres around the aquatic. Its waterways cover twice the ground of Sydney Harbour – measuring some 134 square kilometres in total – and form a unique environment for oceanic and estuarine flora and fauna to thrive.
In the city’s estuary lives perhaps the region’s most famed inhabitants – a resident pod of 100 bottlenose dolphins – and the inlet’s silty bottom is home to the prized blue manna crab. Spot the former breaching and playing on an hour-long dolphin cruise through the channels, or try your hand at catching the latter by wading through the estuary’s shallows with a scoop net in hand.
While swimming at the circular Kwillena Gabi Pool, chance encounters with the local wildlife aren’t uncommon. The sheltered estuarine pool takes its name from the traditional custodians of the land, the Bindjareb people, and directly translates to ‘dolphin waters’. Jutting out of the eastern foreshore, it’s enclosed by a ring of net-free floating pontoons, which allow the dolphins to swim freely through the attraction.
If that’s a little too close for comfort, book a kayak tour withDown Under Discoveries. The dolphins have been known to cruise beside the paddle-powered crafts, which are a fun, family-friendly way to explore the city’s inner waterways.
Watch dolphins glide by as you explore Mandurah.
You don’t have to be on the water to appreciate the coastal city’s aquatic beauty, with 600 kilometres of cycleways and scenic walking trails traversing Mandurah’s estuary, inlet and coast.
Follow the 30-kilometre coastal trail and you’ll come face to face with one of Thomas Dambo’s headline-making ‘Giants of Mandurah sculptures, Santi Ikto, along the way. There are five sculptures around Mandurah in total, hidden among gum-filled reserves or sitting sentry over the water.
Head to the Mandurah Visitor Centre to pick up a map to pinpoint their exact location and download the traveller’s companion to learn more about the sights along the way. Or join a three-hour e-bike tour from The Bike Kiosk and you’ll stop by two of the giants – Santi Ikto and Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone – as you sightsee central Mandurah.
Meet Santi Ikto, one of the legendary Giants of Mandurah.
Where to eat in Mandurah
Mandurah’s culinary scene reflects its laid-back lifestyle, with large, honest meals and locally brewed beer. After visiting Lake Clifton’s 2000-year-old thrombolites, head to the peppermint and gum-shaded beer garden at Thorny Devil Brewery. Tuck into a platter of house-smoked meats and an ale pulled fresh from the tanks. Closer to town and right on the waterfront is Boundary Island Brewery; here, woodfired pizza, pub-style seafood dishes and easy-drinking brews are centre stage.
On a Murray River Lunch Cruise, the focus is as much on the environment around you as the food you’re filling up on. Help yourself to the colourful salads and freshly cooked meats on the buffet as you meander up the winding, jarrah tree-lined waterway, stopping at the heritage Cooper’s Mill for a quick walking tour along the way.
Keep your eyes trained on the Creery Wetlands as you pass – you’ll spot much of the region’s migratory birdlife, and, as always, might see the playful bottlenose dolphins in the inlet.
The most memorable meals aren’t necessarily always the fanciest, and lunch aboard a self-skippered Mandurah BBQ Boat is a testament to that. All food and beverage prep is left up to you as you cruise through the canals, sausages and steaks sizzling away on the central hot plate.
If seafood is more your kind of fare, board the Wild Seafood Experience, where dolphin cruise meets long table lunch. Eight courses of crab, crayfish and scallops await.
Dine on the water with eight courses of ocean-fresh fare.
Where to stay in Mandurah
With so many waterways comes abundant waterside stays. Like the self-contained Seashells Mandurah on the shores of Comet Bay. The calm, oceanic outlook from the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and villas is as close to Maldivian as Mandurah gets. Families especially enjoy the property, bouncing between the protected cove and the beachfront pool for endless hours of fun.
Stay right by the sea.
The Sebel Mandurah , just a hop, skip and jump from the Mandurah Ocean Marina, has a different outlook entirely, overlooking the estuary and lively foreshore on the other side. It’s also within walking distance of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, cinema and a swathe of waterfront bars and eateries.
But you can’t get any closer to the water than on a vessel from Mandurah Houseboats. You don’t need a skipper’s ticket to hire one, nor do you need comprehensive boating experience; just a full driver’s license and your undivided attention during the pre-departure tuition will do. Then you’re free to take to the estuaries and tributaries for a few nights of peaceful rest, surrounded by the very element that makes Mandurah so special.
Captain a houseboat to explore Mandurah at your own pace.
