All 100 Greatest Getaways

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Discover all the top 100 Greatest Getaways.

Ancient rainforests, dramatic waterways, craggy coastlines and glittering cityscapes. Epic road trips, food festivals and outback gatherings under star-strewn skies. These diverse landscapes and experiences set the scene for our ultimate rundown of Australia’s 100 Greatest Getaways.

Here is the complete list to inspire your travels this year and beyond. Follow the links to read the stories that inspired each experience on the list.

Weekend Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest weekend getaways

1. The Limestone Coast, SA
2. Pumphouse Point, Tas
3. The Hunter Valley, NSW
4. Trentham, Vic
5. The EVE Hotel in Sydney, NSW
6. A weekend cruise along Australia’s coastline
7. The Blue Mountains, NSW
8. Explore Fitzroy in Melbourne, Vic
9. The Lodge Wadjemup, Rottnest Island, WA

City Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest city getaways

10. A midwinter dalliance at Dark Mofo, Tas
11. Choose your own cultural adventure in Canberra, ACT
12. Hike a 100-km loop around Adelaide, SA
13. Experience the all-new Melbourne Place, Vic
14. Test your fitness in Brisbane, Qld
15. Find out why Perth is topping global must-visit lists, WA
16. Embrace nocturnal tourism in Sydney, NSW
17. Tick off Darwin’s coolest openings, NT

Food & Wine Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest food & wine getaways

18. Treat yourself at Pair’d in the Margaret River, WA
19. Hop between two of SA’s top wine regions
20. Wild feasts in Kakadu National Park, NT
21. Dive into the Sunshine Coast’s Curated Plate, Qld
22. Silversea’s S.A.L.T. program
23. National Wine Festival of Australia, ACT
24. Newcastle is NSW’s newest dining destination
25. Visit the highest wine-growing region in the country, Qld
26. Mark your calendar for Orange F.O.O.D Week, NSW

Regional Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest regional getaways

27. Port Stephens, NSW
28. Southern Highlands, NSW
29. Coal River Valley, Tas
30. Namadgi National Park, ACT
31. The Cairns Hinterland, Qld
32. The Tweed, NSW
33. Mandurah, WA
34. High Country, Vic
35. Mildura, Vic

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

Luxury Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest luxury getaways

36. Two Central Coast luxe stays, NSW
37. Lord Howe Island, NSW
38. Arkaba Homestead, SA
39. Saffire Freycinet, Tas
40. The Lake House, Daylesford, Vic
41. Two of Hamilton Island’s luxe stays, Qld
42. The Mondrian Gold Coast, Qld
43. Luxe stays come in threes in The Kimberley, WA

Coastal Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest coastal getaways

44. Tasmania’s islands
45. Kangaroo Island, SA
46. Sleep by Ningaloo Reef at Sal Salis, WA
47. Noosa, Qld
48. Bellarine Peninsula, Vic
49. Norfolk Island
50. Gold Coast, Qld
51. Chill at Elements of Byron, NSW

Epic Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s epic getaways

52. Board The Indian Pacific
53. Aussie station stays
54. Fly Australia with Captain’s Choice
55. The Larapinta Trail, NT
56. Arnhem Land, NT
57. The tip of Australia, Qld
58. Aussie safari parks
59. Cruise the Murray River

Cultural Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest cultural getaways

60. Camping with Custodians, WA
61. Garma Festival, NT
62. Festival of Outback Opera, Qld
63. Illumina, K’gari, Qld
64. Adelaide’s festivals, SA
65. Townsville’s art scene, Qld
66. Big Red Bash, Qld
67. Bendigo Art Gallery, Vic

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Outback Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest outback getaways

68. Wellness Way, Qld
69. Ikara-Flinders Ranges, SA
70. Board The Ghan, SA & NT
71. The Kimberley, WA
72. Uluṟu, NT
73. Mungo National Park, NSW
74. Australia by camelback, WA & SA
75. Kakadu National Park, NT

Unexpected Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest unexpected getaways

76. Snowies Alpine Walk, NSW
77. Heyscape tiny cabins, WA
78. Rumi on Louth, SA
79. The Overland Track, Tas
80. An eco lodge stay in Capertee Valley, NSW
81. Tiwi Islands, NT
82. The Tarkine, Tasmania
83. Island-hopping in WA

Once-in-a-lifetime Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s once-in-a-lifetime getaways

84. Stay in Queensland’s Luxury Lodges of Australia
85. Cruise the Kimberley, WA
86. The Big Lap of Australia
87. Sail to Antarctica from Hobart, Tas
88. A heli-tour of SA’s best wine regions
89. Dinner with the founder of Mona, Tas
90. Circumnavigate Australia
91. Hire Makepeace Island, Qld

Road Trip Getaways

Read about each of Australia’s greatest road trip getaways

92. Pacific Coast Way, Qld
93. Victoria’s silo art trail
94. Great Ocean Road, Vic
95. The Red Centre, NT
96. Grand Pacific Drive, NSW
97. The EV Network, WA
98. Tasmania by coach
99. Waterfall Way, NSW
100. Gibb River Road, WA

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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe Cann Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington, like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours. While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.