Whether you cast yourself away to a timeless holiday town, picturesque peninsula or off-grid escape, Australia’s beaches, bays and islands are your ticket to exploring our great outdoors.
1. Tasmania’s islands
Travelling with: Lara Picone
The sustainably designed Vipp Tunnel guesthouse is Bruny Island’s most exclusive stay.
An island festooned with smaller outcrops anchored in pristine waters, Tasmania has plenty of places where you can be entirely girt by sea. For excursions ex-Hobart, ferry across to Bruny Island to indulge your inner gourmand and stay at the brutally sleek Vipp Tunnel. You can join Great Walks of Australia’s newest multi-day hike on north-eastern Flinders Island. Or take in the wondrous wildlife and landscapes of Maria Island on its signature four-day walk and bed down for a night in the beautifully refurbished Bernacchi House. There’s also petite Picnic Island in Freycinet and the luxe private Satellite Island, to name but a few.
Hop on a ferry across to Bruny Island. (Image: Pauline Morrissey)
2. Kangaroo Island, SA
Travelling with: Lara Picone
As far as playing island bingo goes, South Australia’s Kangaroo Island has plenty to cross off your game card. There’s inviting waters, white-sand beaches, photogenic landscapes, sea lions, history, wonderful produce and wine, and luxury lodgings (such as the impeccable Southern Ocean Lodge or Wander) to budget camping. It also has an intriguing sense of isolation that is all at once haunting and rejuvenating. The place to live out your cast-adrift fantasies, we’re calling icon status on this Aussie treasure.
Wander on Kangaroo Island is embedded in the coastal wilderness. (Wander/ Remy Brand Creative)
3. Sleep by Ningaloo Reef at Sal Salis, WA
Travelling with: Katie Carlin
Sal Salis is designed to connect you to your surroundings: the placement of its tents captures the coastal breeze; light pollution restrictions mean views of star-studded night skies; and its location alongside the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef with its 700-plus species of fish, coral gardens and megafauna delivers unforgettable encounters. Travellers come here to swim with whale sharks, hike the ancient paths of Cape Range National Park and fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the fringing reef. There’s nowhere else like it.
Go off-grid at Sal Salis.
4. Noosa, Qld
Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall
As a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Surfing Reserve, this Sunshine Coast region has a stunning and diverse natural environment that will have your eyes watering with the beauty and fragility of it all. Slap on your sunscreen for days spent outdoors on Kabi Kabi Country, from lingering on the golden sands of Main Beach to surfing the ‘Points’ and walking the scenic tracks in lush, forested Noosa National Park. Hiring a boat to cruise along Noosa River and the swirling sands of Noosa Spit and kayaking the wildlife-rich Noosa Everglades also make for immersive adventures.
Stroll along spectacular coastal walks at Noosa National Park. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Justine Bath)
5. Bellarine Peninsula, Vic
Travelling with: Lara Picone
A short jaunt from Melbourne and Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula often comes as a bit of a surprise for unsuspecting non-Victorians. From the passive waters of Phillip Bay to surfable beaches, towns worthy of a good potter around and unflinching vistas of the rollicking Bass Strait, this region is a mood board for holiday aspirations. Add to this a mussel tour at Portarlington, a summer dip in Point Lonsdale and an oceanside lunch at the locally finessed Tarra in Queenscliff.
Tarra in Queenscliff is a favoured spot for beachfront dining. (Image: Chris McConville)
6. Norfolk Island
Travelling with: Lara Picone
Norfolk Island is an anomaly of absorbing beauty and astonishing history. As an external territory of Australia bobbing in the South Pacific, it’s wholly unique with a swashbuckling culture descended from British mutineers of The Bounty and their Polynesian families. Windex-hued waters, coral reefs and austere cliffs make for a landscape of enrapturing beauty, while the island’s Pitcairn culture is rich in community and warmth. Visit once and Norfolk will occupy space in your heart ever after.
Norfolk Island is a gem of the South Pacific that is worth exploring. (Image: Tourism Australia)
7. Gold Coast, Qld
Travelling with: Lara Picone
Suddenly a few kids deep and hankering for sunny, margarita-filled days? It may never be the same, but the good news is the Gold Coast is here for this life phase. As the ultimate family destination for generations, the sun still shines, swimming spots such as Tallebudgera still sparkle and theme parks still beckon, from Dreamworld to Wet ’n’ Wild. Stay at JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa or Dorsett Gold Coast for grown-up (but kid-friendly) fun.
Enjoy a beachside picnic at Tallebudgera Creek. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Jesse Lindemann
8. Chill at Elements of Byron, NSW
Travelling with: Lara Picone
Byron Bay’s appeal retains its lustre in perpetuity. There are tangible reasons for this, such as easy access, indisputable beauty, good surf and an aesthetic that seems to embody coolness. There are also more esoteric reasons that are often clutchingly described as the ‘Byron vibe’. Boutique accommodation has recently surged with plenty of mid-to-luxe options, but the reliably chill Elements of Byron remains a classic place to experience this ‘vibe’.
Byron Bay is surrounded by incredible nature and an underwater ecosystem. (Image: Jeff Julia)
