Top 10 most incredible experiences Australia has to offer

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We revisit the 100 Incredible Experiences (right here in your backyard). Here are the overall Top 10 Experiences from the 100 – the best in each of our 10 categories for you to add to your bucket list. Enjoy.

Best Unforgettable Walk and Adventure – Bridle Gap hike, Wilpena Pound, SA

Part of the amazing 1200-kilometre Heysen Trail, Bridle Gap’s a six-hour return hike across 19 kilometres, which dissects the wonder that is Wilpena Pound . It’s a bird-lover’s dream with a variety of them calling the native pines, eucalyptus and heath home.

 

Read more here. 

Bridle Gap hike Wilpena Pound elise hassey
Bridle Gap hike dissects the magnificent Wilpena Pound (photo: Elise Hassey).

Most Unique Place To Lay Your Head – Moonbah Hut, Moonbah Valley, NSW

These cute stone cabins are nestled on the outskirts of Jindabyne in NSW’s Snowy Mountains. On the banks of the Moonbah River, each of these two charming huts boasts a large open fireplace, underfloor heating, and an indoor bathroom. Pick your season at Moonbah Hut  for either fly fishing, horse riding, bushwalking or the likes of snowshoeing, and, of course, skiing.

 

Read more here.

Perennial Australian Traveller favourite, Moonbah Hut near Jindabyne.

Best Must-See Events & Festivals – Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, Queensland

Every August yachties and spectators alike descend on Hamilton Island to watch sails race around the Whitsundays and enjoy everything from fashion shows to exclusive dining events hosted by the likes of Guillaume Brahimi. Race Week is Australia’s largest offshore yachting regatta.

 

Read more here.

Hamilton Island Race Week
You dont have to be a yachtie to enjoy Hamilton Island Race Week

Best Invigorating Aquatic Playground – Satellite Island, Tasmania

You can hire the whole of this tiny Tasmanian island for yourself (with the exception of the discreet island manager and a lovely herd of deer). During your stay at Satellitte you can cosy up by the fireplace in the beautiful house or simply choose to sleep in the converted jetty shed, while in the summer it’s a sublime place for a swim.

 

Read more here.

Spend a night on Satellite Island.
Spend a night on Satellite Island. (Image: Adam Gibson)

Most Delicious Culinary Journey – Roaming restaurant, pop-up dining – various locations, WA

Paul Iskov has worked in some of Europe’s best restaurants and having returned to his native WA, he and his friends set up roaming restaurant Fervor . Think native ingredients cooked over open fires in the West Australian outback and towns and presented in the finest fashion. It might be the most ‘Australian’ dining experience you’ll ever have.

 

Read more here.

Fervor western Australia
The grounds at Fervor.

Best Ways to Enjoy Wine and Vine – Back with a bang – Australian Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the best example of the changes sweeping through Australian wine. A victim of industrialised winemaking and public listings in the ’80s and ’90s, chardonnay was squeezed into millions of bottles. However, with wine ‘growing’ now more prevalent and wines being made in vineyards not wineries, chardonnay is finally realising its full potential with wines that run from light, fresh and clean to rich, layered and complex.

 

Read more here.

Best Captivating Design Treasure – Pumphouse Point, Lake St Claire, Tasmania

Taking the notion of adaptive re-use to a new high is the reinvention of two industrial buildings by Cumulus Architects in the heart of a wilderness area in Tasmania. The Shorehouse, an Art Deco hydro sub-station and The Pumphouse (sited 250 metres out on the lake itself) were built in the ’40s as part of the State’s Hydro Electricity Scheme and decommissioned in the ’90s. They have been skilfully refurbished to make Pumphouse Point a great base for walks, cycling and spa treatments. 

 

Read more here.

Pumphouse Point is surrounded by panoramic views

Best Inspiring Aboriginal Experience – Journey to the far reaches of East Arnhem Land

This incredible corner of Australia is full of adventure for those who like to push into the country’s remote outposts. The Yolngu people of East Arnhem Land have a beautiful connection to their environment and are often happy to teach travellers about their ways. If you’re up for a bit of a rustic, croc-laced experience, you can join a tour that will take you into Aboriginal communities where you can stay and spend time with the Yolngu. We have travelled with Venture North and found them to be fantastic, but there are also a few other operators in the area. You can also head to Banubanu Retreat on Bremer Island, where you’ll find simple, tented accommodation and guided activities such as fishing and turtle watching.

 

Read more here.

Banubanu East Arnhem Land, NT
Beach view of Banubanu East Arnhem Land, NT. (Tourism NT/Stuart Ord)

Best Little-Known Natural Wonder – Rowley Shoals, WA

Three tear drops of coral reef sit almost equidistant from each other on the face of the Indian Ocean, 260 kilometres from Broome. With them being almost the same size at around 80 square kilometres apiece, Rowley Shoals is surely one of the most unusual reef formations and it has some of the best diving and snorkelling on the planet to boot.

 

Read more here.

Rowley Shores
Rowley Shores is a natural heavy-hitter.

Best Memorable Moment for Kids – Dolphin Marine Conservation Park, Coffs Harbour, NSW

At this intimate and eco-responsible park, over-12s can have dolphin hugs in a deep-water experience, while over-sixes can do the same in the shallows. Anyone over eight can get in and play, swim and, yes, hug and kiss with the sea lions at the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park.

 

Read more here.

Dolphin Marine Conservation Park
Prepare for a dolphin encounter at the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. (Image: DNSW)
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Farm fresh produce to a trail of lights: the ultimate guide to Mildura

    Rachel LayBy Rachel Lay
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    The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

    From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

    Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura.
    Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

    Taste Mildura’s produce

    It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

    Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

    Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

    Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

    Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

    Hatted dining & Italian history

    Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

    To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

    Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel.
    Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

    Discover a thriving culture scene

    The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

    The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

    Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

    Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

    Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery.
    Find culture around every corner.

    Wonder at ancient landscapes

    The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

    The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

    Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

    Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

    Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity.
    Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

    Meet your home away from home

    On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

    Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

    When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

    A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura.
    Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

    Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .