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The hottest openings of 2026: hotels, bathhouses and experiences

Kristie Lau-Adams Kristie Lau-Adams
Every anticipated opening to help plan a year of back-to-back adventures.

Another year, another round of impressive new openings. Spanning five-star stays, boutique escapes, wellness immersions and nature-embracing activity, the most thrilling 2026 unveilings promise to evolve almost every inch of our nation’s landscape. Whether you’re an outdoor adventurer, luxury seeker or just on the hunt for been there-got the tee bragging rights, these upcoming launches are worth getting giddy for.

A new year means a host of fresh openings around the country to get excited about. And 2025 promises to deliver!

Accommodation

InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach

the infinity pool at InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach
InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach boasts an ocean-facing infinity-edge swimming pool.

One of the Harbour City’s most iconic beaches welcomes one of the world’s most acclaimed hotel brands. InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach is elevating the Eastern Suburbs’ – well, the city’s – hotel scene to dazzling heights, setting up shop in the former Crown Plaza Sydney over two major phases. While all 198 coastal-inspired guestrooms and suites, plus the Mediterranean eatery Shutters Restaurant & Bar and Rick Stein at Coogee Beach, opened in December 2025, March 2026 will see the unveiling of a leisure deck fitted with an infinity pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a poolside bar, Club InterContinental, the chain’s exclusive lounge, and Èliva, a new wellness brand that’s rolling out across multiple Salters Brothers Hospitality operations.

Ardour Milton Park Bowral

Horderns Restaurant at Ardour Milton Park Bowral
This 1910 country estate is the flagship debut of the luxe Ardour Hotels & Estates.

From those smooth operators behind InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach comes an entirely new hotel brand: Ardour Hotels & Estates. Salter Brothers will open Ardour Milton Park Bowral, located in NSW’s Southern Highlands, where a $10 million evolution is transforming Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa, built in 1910, into a sophisticated country retreat. Think heritage-listed gardens and awe-inspiring European-influenced architecture that wholly embraces rich roots while elegantly waltzing into the now. Èliva will once again dial up the Zen, promising a Herbal Ritual Bar that invites guests to blend custom body scrubs, oils and mud masks. It’s scheduled to open early 2026.

Little National Hotel Adelaide

Love Little National Hotel’s NSW locations? Little National Hotel Adelaide will arrive at the end of 2026 as the brand’s fourth property and offer the same architecturally sound aesthetics beloved in Sydney, Canberra and Newcastle. The South Australian build will climb 21 storeys and feature 238 rooms including two luxury penthouses that are entirely new room types for the brand. Guests will also be treated to a 250-square-metre commercial-grade gym, and a bar and lounge. Arguably one of the best sells? It’s located within walking distance to Adelaide Oval so it’s going to be an ideal choice for event-led travel.

Hannah St Hotel

the bedroom at Hannah St Hotel, Melbourne
The sophisticated Hannah St Hotel brings the city to life through art.

Melbourne’s Southbank scored much-needed cool points with the January opening of Hannah St Hotel. Location-wise, the new property from hospitality kings The Mulberry Group (their standout eateries include Flinders Lane’s Hazel and Dessous) can’t be beat, but its art-adorned, high-gloss space is bound to intoxicate. Expect 188 guestrooms, a rooftop terrace lounge and bar, a 20-metre lap pool, a communal working space, wellness facilities and more.

RAC Ningaloo Reef Resort

Waking up to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef at Western Australia’s Coral Bay will feel even more special when RAC Ningaloo Reef Resort reopens later this year. A two-year remodel is expanding its 34-unit offering to 90 units, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom configurations. There’s also a sparkly new clubhouse with a restaurant, bar and al fresco dining area, plus a resort pool and spacious grasslands. A December 2025 update from the team noted the project’s projected early-2026 completion but word around town is it’s looking more like mid-year.

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

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Levantine Hill Hotel

Building on a star label in Victoria’s Yarra Valley wine country, Levantine Hill Hotel is set to open early 2026 after delaying its planned mid-2025 launch. The $20 million boutique property, constructed right on its famed manicured grounds, will feature 33 luxurious guestrooms with their own living rooms, private balconies overlooking the vines or surrounding mountains, circular bathtubs, king beds, mini bars naturally decked out in Levantine Hill drops and elegant furnishings. There’s also a restaurant, gym, outdoor exercise track and sculpture track in the works.

Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel

the standard room at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel
The sun-drenched Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel is just 100 metres from the sand.

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is getting its first international hotel in four decades, making lazy days by pristine beaches more decadent than ever. Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel will capitalise on one of the region’s most popular coastal towns, offering 180 guestrooms and suites situated 100 metres from golden sand. There’s also a rooftop pool, restaurant and bar on the way, plus the global chain’s renowned AvaniKids kids’ club and wellness facilities are also on the agenda. Doors are scheduled to open in April.

QT Parramatta

Cementing the thriving suburb as one of Sydney’s emerging tourism hubs, QT Parramatta will drive its signature exuberance into the heart of town. Set to open at the end of 2026, the hotel is being built in the new 8 Phillip Street tower and will boast rooftop dining, multiple wellness spaces and an infinity pool overlooking the city. While the building scales up to 65 storeys, the hotel itself will occupy its ground floor to level 18.

Waldorf Astoria Sydney

Another entirely new hotel brand to enter Australian waters in late 2026 will be Waldorf Astoria. Owned by Hilton Hotels, the five-star offshoot’s first local venture, Waldorf Astoria Sydney, will open in Circular Quay with some of the planet’s most iconic eyefuls – Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, all in one. 26 floors will house 227 luxurious guestrooms as well as a rooftop bar, a celebrity chef-led restaurant (the big name is yet to be confirmed), and wellness facilities. Eye-watering rates are predicted to match such world-class opulence.

Picnic Island

Picnic Island from above
Book an all-inclusive private island stay off the coast of Coles Bay. (Image: Luke Tscharke)

February will see the relaunch of Tasmania’s Picnic Island , the Apple Isle’s ritzy all-inclusive private island stay located 800 metres offshore from Coles Bay. While plush digs will house up to eight guests, what’s really getting us excited is the menu of activities that’s included. From sustainable oyster harvesting and guided wellness sessions to hiking hidden trails to secluded, untouched beaches, the adventures are going to be endless.

The Monty

the room interior of The Monty
The Pinterest-perfect The Monty is a nod to mid-century modern architecture.

A boutique stay on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road will bring a touch of Palm Springs to travellers from March. The Monty , a Pinterest-perfect homage to mid-century modern architecture, is being built within walking distance to Anglesea River and Anglesea Main Beach so it’s coastal enlightenment everywhere you look. Its room count sits at 16, including two accessible fit outs, plus there’s an outdoor swimming pool, a communal lounge, electric vehicle chargers and a Mexican eatery.

The Monarto Safari tents

The Monarto Safari tents at sunrise
This luxury safari lodge offers an African-style wildlife experience.

You can enjoy the wonders of the African savanna, all without leaving Australia at Monarto Safari Park . The luxury accommodation opened with 78 rooms last year, and 2026 will see the  20-tent luxury safari lodge open. These luxury glamping accommodations will offer immersive wildlife views of African animals, including free-roaming herds of rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and hippos.

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Crystalbrook Sam, Adelaide

the pool at Crystalbrook Sam, Adelaide
The Eléme Day Spa and pool are two of the standout features of the anticipated Crystalbrook Sam.

Adelaide’s first Crystalbrook Collection property, Crystalbrook Sam , is set to open late 2026 on Halifax Street. The hotel will feature 196 rooms and suites across 13 floors and a standout restaurant with sweeping views of the CBD and Adelaide Hills. Additionally, a dedicated wellness space with Crystalbrook’s signature Eléme Day Spa will cater for those in need of some pampering, alongside a gym, sauna and swimming pool.

Bathhouses

Else Bathhouse

the rooftop pool at Else Bathhouse
An open-air rooftop pool at Else Bathhouse.

There’s no stopping our love affair with social bathing and South Melbourne will become the newest region to embrace it come April. Else Bathhouse will offer three levels of serenity, fitted out with thermal baths, saunas, cold plunges, a mud and steam room, rooftop bathing and quiet zones. Even more delicious, it’s arriving with heritage-listed bones as the original 1900s construction once housed wool trading which evolved into a grocery empire. A perfect spot to indulge in both history and health.

Phillip Island Hot Springs

Victoria is (literally) flowing with thermal bathing, especially once Phillip Island Hot Springs is up and running by the end of 2026. Ocean fronting and in proximity to natural geothermal water, initial renders of the build look nothing short of sensational, so we’re glued to its Instagram as work continues through the year. Expect contrast therapy set-ups, wellness spaces, outdoor pools, and eventually a day spa as the opening will be rolled out over three stages. The final stage even promises a 120-room hotel, subject to building approval. Watch this space.

Naia Bathhouse

Yet another Victorian hotspot to put on your radar, Naia Bathhouse will be unveiled in the burgeoning country town of Castlemaine later this year. A local couple have staked their claim on an old miner’s cottage from the 1800s, and they’re in the thick of setting up hot and cold bathing facilities, a sauna, a European-inspired steam room, magnesium waters heated to 38 degrees and body treatments.

Experiences

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk

the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk, NT
Immerse yourself in the ancient NT landscape.

Bucket list need a refresh? Add the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk from Tasmanian Walking Company to your list, which kicks off in the Northern Territory in April. Stretching 54 kilometres over five nights and four days, the game-changing trail invites the public to explore sacred Indigenous sites in groups of just 14 people at a time. Hikers will learn about Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people (Aṉangu) through storytelling sessions and workshops, while eco camps and a private lodge will provide restful grounds to recharge and do it all again the following day.

Lighting the Sound

Lighting the Sound by Kari Kola
Finnish light artist Kari Kola is set to illuminate the sky above the harbour. (Image: Christopher Lund)

Staged in March in Albany, Western Australia, across three weekends, Lighting the Sound is exactly what it sounds like with an added plethora of natural beauty to set an unparalleled coastal scene. The free art exhibition will in fact serve as Australia’s largest outdoor light installation, crafted by FORM Building a State of Creativity, a cultural organisation, and Finnish light artist Kari Kola, to illuminate the sky above the harbour with vibrant kaleidoscopic hues. This experience is so big that organisers claim it will be the largest light installation to have ever hit Earth.

Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
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Unforgettable First Peoples tours and experiences in Victoria

    Angela Saurine Angela Saurine
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    From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet. 

    Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it. 

    Budj Bim cultural landscape  

    Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
    Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is on Gunditjmara Country. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim , ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas. 

    eel tank
    The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour 

    Dumawul walkingtour
    Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance.  The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.  

    Kooyoora walking tour
    Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Kingfisher Cruises  

    Kingfisher Cruises
    Cruising the Murray with Kingfisher Cruises. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises . Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.  

    wawa biik 

    Taungurung leaders
    Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik. 

    Bataluk Cultural Trail  

    Bataluk Trail
    Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.  

    Healesville Sanctuary  

    echidna at Healesville Sanctuary
    Get up close with a resident echidna at Healesville Sanctuary. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm. 

    The Grampians 

    Rock art at Bunjil Shelter in The Grampians
    Rock art at Bunjil Shelter in The Grampians. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.