Hooray! We said YES! Finally all Australians are able to tie the knot and embark on marital bliss, and because we know there’ll be a lot of planning going on, we thought we’d help by offering suggestions of our top five newlywed destinations. So get booking and start the first day of the rest of your lives in style, if you want to revamp that your marital life, consider this female enhancement pills.
1. Lizard Island Resort, Great Barrier Reef, QLD
White sands, swaying palms, and tranquil, impossibly clear waters, Lizard Island Resort is the perfect Far North Queensland spot to lay like our reptilian friends. It’s a total away-from-it-all escape in luxe lodgings, just the spot to cocoon your love and fill your tank for married life ahead. Get out on the water or mooch about the pool, and vow the honeymoon will never be over.
Read it: Honeymoon, or babymoon, it’s the place for couples.
2. Halcyon House, Cabarita, NSW
Leave Byron for the hoards who will descend en masse once their vows have been exchanged, and instead, travel slightly north to settle in at the gorgeous Halcyon House. The best thing about this retro-refitted beachside beauty is that there isn’t a great deal to do. Float from the hatted Paper Daisy restaurant, to the pool, to the beach and back to your exquisitely styled room. Then repeat. It’s a love lock-down, so settle in and let the Champagne flow freely.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
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3. Berkeley River Lodge, The Kimberley, WA
If you’ve been celebrating hard and need a honeymoon with minimal distraction and total immersion in love and beauty, splurge on a-once-in-a-lifetime commitment to Berkeley River Lodge. There are few places on Earth that have you feeling giddy with appreciation for nature and life, but the Kimberley is one of them. It’s a truly amazing place to share an adventure with that special someone, and you’ll no doubt be planning your first, second and third anniversary here before you leave.
Matching robes, double spa treatments and degustation menus, Daylesford may be a quick trip from Melbourne, but for those on a tight honeymoon schedule, you could barely hope for a more perfect destination. Loads of wining, dining, and spa-ing (yes, we’re making spa a verb) abounds in picturesque Daylesford. It’s also a great option for those who like to share their honeymoon with friends: you can stay at Lake House (obviously), and your mates can hire one of the many local B&Bs.
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Working for many of Australia’s top publications, Lara Picone has had the distinct pleasure of writing, editing and curating content about the finer things in life for more than 15 years. Graduating from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, her editorial foundation began at Qantas: The Australian Way magazine, before moving on to learn the fast-paced ropes of a weekly magazine at Sunday Magazine and picking up the art of brand curation at donna hay magazine. Pivoting a near-problematic travel lust into a career move by combining it with storytelling and a curious appetite, her next role was as Deputy Editor of SBS Feast magazine and later Online Editor of SBS Food online. She then stepped into her dream job as Editor of Australian Traveller before becoming Online Editor for both International Traveller and Australian Traveller. Now as a freelancer, Lara always has her passport at-the-ready to take flight on assignment for the Australian Traveller team, as well as for publications such as Qantas Magazine, Escape and The Weekend Australian. As ever, her appetite is the first thing she packs.
Beyond the winding bitumen and coastal views lies another side to Victoria’s most famous route.
There’s something hypnotic about this stretch of Victoria’s coast. Maybe it’s the way the road hugs the ocean so tightly, or how the cliffs catch the sun in colours you can’t name. Or, for local Victorians who drove this route as kids, maybe it’s the memories of winding through the impossibly tall trees as they seemingly guide you on your journey like wooden guardian angels. Most travellers know it for the 12 Apostles, but there are plenty of alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road equally as worthy of your time.
So, next time you’re in that neck of the woods, park that car, stretch those legs and try these experiences.
1. Discover living culture at Budj Bim
Walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Breakaway Creek’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a masterclass in educational storytelling. Join a guided tour with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism to walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system, where the Gunditjmara people built sophisticated eel traps and stone channels more than 6,000 years ago.
Budj Bim’s aquaculture system predates Egypt’s pyramids by roughly 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest examples of human engineering on Earth. If that’s not enough to get your history-loving family members involved in this road trip, we’re out of ideas.
2. Unwind in the hot springs at Warnambool
Let mineral-rich water heal you.
If your legs need a break after a long drive, Deep Blue Hot Springs is your remedy. The geothermal pools sit just metres from the coastline, filled with mineral-rich water that bubbles up from deep underground. Move between open-air baths, waterfall pools and quiet zones made for meditation.
The water in Deep Blue’s geothermal pools comes from an ancient aquifer nearly 850 metres below the Earth’s surface, which, in non-scientific terms, means it’s far more likely to have healing properties than the mineral water you’d find at the supermarket.
3. Take to the air at Princetown
See an icon from a different view.
You may have seen the Twelve Apostles from the trusty viewing platform, but a helicopter flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters shows you just how sprawling and rugged this coastline really is.
The trip covers everything from Port Campbell to London Bridge (not to be confused with the UK’s own), giving you a rare chance to watch waves carving the limestone cliffs from above. It’s worth noting that the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are said to erode by roughly two centimetres each year, so the longer you leave it, the less of the Apostles you’ll see.
4. Step into the past at Flagstaff Hill
Visit a time of yore.
Continue the tour through Warnambool at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum, a recreated 19th-century port town. Hear stories from the days when shipwrecks were as common as seagulls, with an astounding 180 ships believed to have sunk along the Shipwreck Coast in less than five years.
The night show, complete with lights, sound, and sea spray, brings the coastline’s most dramatic stories to life.
If you’re staying the night, Simon’s Waterfront offers relaxed dining with fresh local seafood and oceanfront views. Order the catch of the day and toast to the sailors who never made it ashore.
5. Learn to surf in Torquay, Lorne, or Anglesea
Learn how to hang 10. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Whether you’ve surfed before or can barely stand on a board, Go Ride A Wave will have you upright in no time. Torquay’s calm beaches are ideal for first-timers, while Lorne and Anglesea bring a bit more energy for those unafraid to get dunked.
Bells Beach, just down the road from Torquay, has even hosted the world’s longest-running professional surfing competition since 1962. So, for those eager to have a gander at pros using surfboards like they’re an additional appendage, the competition usually runs sometime in autumn.
6. Tackle the trails in Forrest
Hire a bike and explore MTB trails through the Otways.
Forrest is a haven for mountain bikers thanks to an expansive network of trails through stunning natural scenery. The Forrest trail network has almost 100 kilometres of singletrack across 36 trails, so there’s something for every level of rider. That’s including more than 60 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails winding through the Otways’ dense forest. Cycle through ancient myrtle beech trees and towering tree ferns, with smaller ferns and soft mosses forming a carpet at your feet.
Hire a bike from Forrest MTB Hire and take your pick from easy, scenic rides to more challenging singletracks, such as Red Carpet or Rollercoaster.
7. See wildlife up close in Apollo Bay
Get help spotting the locals. (Image: Doug Gimsey)
If spotting koalas and kangaroos in the wild feels like winning the lottery, Wildlife Wonders gives you guaranteed sightings without cages or crowds. Every visit to the sanctuary helps fund the Conservation Ecology Centre which supports endangered species across the Otways, so your business is appreciated by humans and animals alike.
The guided walk takes you through protected Otways habitat where you might spot potoroos (or joey lookalikes for those unfamiliar with a potoroo), wallabies, and sleepy koalas lounging in the trees.
8. Visit the Cape Otway Lightstation
Delve into the tales of Cape Otway Lightstation.
Towering over the sea on a cliff above the Southern Ocean, Cape Otway Lightstation has been guiding ships since 1848. Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Otway was one of the most treacherous points on the Victorian coast, with dozens of shipwrecks occurring in its surrounding waters. Pick the right day, and you may bump into a local willing to tell you about the wreck of Eric the Red.
While at the Cape Otway Lightstation, explore the keeper’s quarters, walk the coastal trails, and take in views that only stop short at the horizon.
And no, contrary to popular belief, the Round the Twist lighthouse is actually located in Split Point, just shy of two hours in the direction of Melbourne. Nothing’s stopping you from embarking on a lighthouse crawl, though.
