2025's new restaurants, hotels, and experiences you won't want to miss

New openings 2025: The restaurants, hotels, and experiences to look forward to

A new year means a host of fresh openings around the country to get excited about. And 2025 promises a fantastic blend of culinary innovation, artistic brilliance, and immersive experiences to keep you entertained.

From flashy hotels to interactive art exhibitions, these are the openings to put in your diaries this year.

Accommodation

The Sundays

The first hotel to open on Hamilton Island since 2007, The Sundays will be the hottest new luxury destination in The Whitsundays. Opening in autumn at the northern end of Catseye Beach, the 59-room luxury accommodation boasts Coral Reef views and has been designed to deliver an elevated holiday experience, particularly for families. This includes a kid-friendly restaurant from Josh and Julie Niland from the seafood institution Saint Peter, practical room amenities like microwaves and freestanding baths, a swimming pool, and an Ice Cream Happy Hour.

The Lodge Wadjemup

Rottnest Island draws in visitors for its idyllic beaches and bays and its adorable resident quokkas. The newest spot to base yourself during your stay is set to be The Lodge Wadjemup . Named after the traditional owners’ name for Rottnest Island, the resort has received a $40 million redevelopment with 46 new boutique-style rooms and 56 refurbished rooms. The sleek lakeside resort will also feature a new restaurant, cafe, gelato bar, community space and two pools. The Courtyard and Lake Rooms are available now to book and the Stage Two (Poolside Rooms) are set to open by mid-2025.

The EVE Hotel Sydney

Redfern is getting a stylish upgrade on February 13th thanks to the arrival of boutique hotel The EVE in the lifestyle precinct, Wunderlich Lane. Conceived by SJB’s Adam Haddow, 360 Degrees’ Daniel Baffsky and Interior Architect George Levissianis, the accommodation is an oasis in the inner city. Think: a lush Palms Springs rooftop pool area, ultra-chic rooms with earthy tones, and a host of dining venues. Talk about this hotel has been particularly buzzworthy in Sydney for the last few months, as it will be opened by the hoteliers behind Brisbane’s Calile.

The EVE Hotel in Sydney's rooftop pool. — The rooftop pool area transports guests to Palm Springs.

Six Senses Burnham Beeches

The Six Senses group has a unique focus on wellness, sustainability, and meaningful experiences, and their first Australian outpost is slated to open mid-year in the Dandenong Ranges. This 22-hectare heritage-listed property will become a wellness and gastronomic haven with 43 luxurious guest accommodations across the mansion’s three main wings. The facilities here are impressive: a Six Senses Spa, library bar, plant-covered rooftop terrace, and a restaurant showcasing produce from the on-site farm and gardens.

Mondrian Gold Coast

Mondrian Gold Coast is the first Australian property from the renowned lifestyle hotel brand that has accommodations everywhere from Miami to Ibiza. The property is slated to open in early 2025 in Burleigh Heads with 208 design-led rooms, suites, Beach Houses and a Sky House all of which offer spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. The modern coastal accommodation will also house a pool club and restaurant celebrating coastal Italian cuisine.

1 Hotel Melbourne

One of the world’s most sustainable luxury hotel brands, 1 Hotels is arriving in Australia in Melbourne this May on the banks of the Yarra River. The sensitively designed 277 guest rooms and 114 residences will be enveloped within a nature-inspired, eco-conscious architectural framework. This pet-friendly accommodation will boast several dining options, a waterfront lobby bar, a Bamford Wellness spa, and an indoor pool.

25hours Hotel The Olympia

Sydney’s boutique hotel landscape is set to become even stronger with the highly anticipated arrival of the 25hours Hotel The Olympia , a cinematic-inspired sanctuary nestled in Paddington. The hotel is a reimagining of the historic West Olympia Theatre site and will offer 109 luxurious guest rooms, a rooftop bar, a central courtyard, a range of restaurants and cafes, live music facilities, a wellness offering and retail spaces.

Restaurants

Barragunda Estate

Opening in February, Barragunda Estate is a 40-seat restaurant set on a thousand acres from Bushrangers Bay to Green’s Bush on the Mornington Peninsula. Helmed by executive chef Simone Watts, the menu is centred on 100 per cent estate-grown produce, with all of the farming done with a regenerative approach. From their tables, diners can see the market gardens where the produce for their dishes was produced. The property also features an orchard with over 800 mature fruit trees and livestock including Wilitpoll sheep and Black Angus beef.

Golden Century at The Crown

To many diner’s dismay, the iconic Golden Century restaurant shut its Sussex Street doors in 2021. But the much-loved dining venue is set to make a triumphant return in January, relocating to the Crown Sydney . Diners can expect the restaurant’s signature Cantonese dishes including XO pippies, abalone steamboat, Peking duck, and salt and pepper squid all while taking in Sydney Harbour views.

Sydney Fish Market

After a complete waterfront transformation on Blackwattle Bay, the long-awaited refreshed Sydney Fish Market is set to open mid-year. The ultra-modern building will house a bevvy of retail and dining venues including a flagship venue from Luke Nguyen, a Cow and the Moon gelateria, and an outpost of Ho Jiak. At 90,000 square metres, it’s the largest fish market of its kind in the world and is expected to attract at least six million people every year.

Experiences

Dark Mofo

The news of Dark Mofo’s cancellation last year came as a shock to many of the festival’s loyalists. The closure was part of the team’s efforts to develop a renewed vision for the future. But the good news is, that future is now here! 2025 will see the festival make a full return, running from June 5th-15th, plus the solstice swim on 21 June. The full program will be revealed in April, but festivalgoers can expect the usual much-loved events including the Night Mass, the Winter Feast, the Ogoh-Ogoh, and the Nude Solstice Swim.

Sydney Marathon

If ever there was a year for Aussies to tick off the bucket list item of running a marathon, 2025 is it. That’s because the Sydney Marathon has been added as the 7th member of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors, joining the iconic Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, BMW-Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and the TCS New York City Marathon. The event will take place on Sunday 31 August so start your training ASAP.

PS Australian Star Murray River cruises

Australia’s first five-star overnight riverboat and the largest paddle steamer in the Southern Hemisphere is set to launch this June. Cruises on the Murray River will run over 3, 4, or 7 nights passing through historic towns and showcasing beautiful natural scenery, including lush riverbanks, ancient cliffs, and serene waters. The boat itself features serene, modern interiors with 19 luxury staterooms, a restaurant, a bar, and outdoor seating areas.

Astra Illumina at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Light shows have become increasingly popular in Australia, and from February 2025, 27 hectares of rainforest at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary will glow for the Gold Coast’s first permanent light spectacular. The Astra Illumina project will see visitors go on an immersive night walk where light, audio, and projection technologies create a multi-sensory experience.

Which new opening will you be trying first? Let us know in the comments below.

Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow.

There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley , the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.

Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur , is one of my favourite road trips.

The Black Spur

Location: Yarra Ranges
Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes

The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.

In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn , a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.

Victoria’s Silo Art Trail

Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.

The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud , making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.

Metung to Mallacoota

Location: Gippsland
Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours

The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance , where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch.

Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea.

Great Ocean Road

Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.

Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast.

Bellarine Taste Trail

Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Bellarine Peninsula
Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours

The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.

You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate , sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours.

O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote

Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling

Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail . The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.

The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular.

Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling

The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.

As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.

2025’s new restaurants, hotels, and experiences you won’t want to miss