We are thrilled to introduce you to the brand-new Australian Traveller website.
We have been quietly toiling away behind the scenes since the start of 2025 to bring you a new website. But we haven’t just given it a facelift – we’ve completely reimagined the user experience to make planning your next holiday in Australia easier than ever before.
Ask AT – 20 years of travel expertise at your fingertips
At the heart of the new user experience is Ask AT – an Australian owned, human-powered AI travel tool that will plan your ultimate domestic Aussie holiday for you. Now you can search more than 150 detailed Australian destination guides to give you personalised recommendations in seconds. You can read more about Ask AT here, including how to use it, why we think it is a world first, why it’s different from other AI tools, including why you can trust it.
What else is new?
When we started this journey, you – the reader – were the focus. We wanted to build you a website that allows you to consume expert, tried and tested travel content any way you want. Here is a taste of what else you can find…
Safari in SA? Yep. But not South Africa… South Australia. Get up close with giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and more – all right here in Australia.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
New user features
It’s mobile-first, so searching AustralianTraveller.com on the go will be incredibly easy – and fast!
We’ve simplified the navigation – you can now search the website via Ask AT or the more traditional drop-down menu.
You can explore by experience, destination, accommodation or even “surprise me" if you just want to be inspired.
Australian Traveller’s annual Top 100 lists are now easier to read, with a dedicated index page for all previous lists as well as improved navigation through the 100.
We continue to spotlight our award-winning travel magazine, Australian Traveller, with a dedicated section on the homepage showcasing the latest edition and new travel narratives.
You can manage your subscriptions online – a dedicated spot to easily sign in to your account and manage your print and digital subscriptions.
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
The dune viewing area at Kata Tjuta in the Northern Territory. (Image: Dom Nuttall & Jesso Coleman /Tourism NT)
Spot whales in Queensland's Hervey Bay in mid-July to late October. (Image: Visit Fraser Coast)
The Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve in Heathcote, Victoria. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Iconic views of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. (Image: Filippo Rivetti Photography)
Witness the Bungle Bungle Range in all its glory in Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Drink in views of Tasmania's Wineglass Bay. (Image: Tourism Tasmania/Scott Sporleder)
The Sugarloaf, a fascinating geological formation, in South Australia. (Image: Cale Matthews/South Australian Tourism Commission)
The Members’ Hall at the centre of Parliament House in Canberra. (Image: Visit Canberra/Lean Timms)
We will be progressively rolling out a series of new columns. The first will be Hotel Addict, a monthly column profiling the best hotels in Australia, written by our Evergreen Editor Rachael Thompson – a self-confessed hotel addict (she’s already stayed at 20 hotels in Sydney in the past 12 months).
You’ll also have continued access to the same great Australia-wide travel content, written by the team at Australian Travellerand expert contributorson more than 150+ destinations across Australia. If you haven’t already, join our travel community of over 90,000 subscribers and get the latest stories direct to your inbox weekly. Find the link in our footer to sign up.
Enjoy planning your next Aussie getaway on the new and improved AustralianTraveller.com. We hope you love it as much as we do.
Katie Carlin,Head of Content, Australian Traveller Media
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Katie Carlin is Australian Traveller's Head of Content and when she’s not travelling or behind her computer, she’s hosting a dinner party (likely cooking an Alison Roman recipe), at brunch, working on extending her running k’s, or has her nose buried in a book.
She joined Australian Traveller in 2018 and is responsible for leading the editorial team across print, digital, social, email and native content. Her job is to make sure we create content that connects readers to incredible experiences in Australia and beyond. In addition to sharing her expertise on travel through industry speaking engagements, Katie appears onToday, A Current Affair and various radio segments.
With a BA in Communications majoring in Journalism and a career that has spanned roles at Fairfax Media and Are Media writing for titles such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and various lifestyle brands, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her most impactful trip to date has been swimming with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef. For her next trip she is longing to experience the romance of train travel – hopefully on The Ghan or Indian Pacific.
This winter, these secret Sydney harbour suites are the staycation we’ve been looking for.
Whether it’s the crisscrossing ferries or the white sails of the Opera House rising out of blue depths, Australia’s biggest city lives for its harbour. But while locals might glance at that watery expanse on their daily commute across the Bridge, it can still be hard to truly connect with Sydney’s maritime soul. The secret: seeing the harbour eye-to-eye, right at water level. And what better place to submerge yourself in that energy than sleeping there? That’s where Pier One Sydney Harbour comes in (and with new all-inclusive bed and breakfast benefits, there’s even more to love).
All-inclusive VIP benefits
Book in for the all-inclusive VIP treatment.
The hard truth is that it will be very difficult to tear yourself away from your ultra-luxurious harbour home-away-from-home to explore the city. If you want to make leaving even harder, opt for Pier One’s all-inclusive VIP treatment.
The Bed and Breakfast with Suite Benefits package turns up the volume on what is already the ultimate staycation, with complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two and turndown service. The biggest perk? Enjoy a bottle of French champagne every day during your whole stay
Pier One Sydney Harbour
Step into a piece of history with all the modern comforts. (Credit: Dave Wheeler)
The five-star Pier One Sydney Harbour is quite literally old Sydney through and through. Built on what was once a working cargo wharf and the passenger terminal for those heading to the North Shore before the bridge was constructed, the heritage building sits right between the tangle of cobblestones, pubs and alleyways of The Rocks and the historic docking zone of Walsh Bay – at the centre of the city’s old sea trade.
If knowing the hotel’s history isn’t enough to get your sea-longing going, the interior design certainly will. As soon as you step up to the concierge desk in the lobby of the restored building – which underwent a $15 million redevelopment in 2019 – you’re immersed in Sydney’s seafaring tale. Weathered wood panelling and white marble floors surround you, while loop lighting installations hover above the bar island just beyond, ringed with stools ready for intimate, martini-tinted conversations. Steel rivets and timber beams speak to its past, and glass-walled views anchor you firmly in the present-day life on the harbour.
Pier One Suites
Enjoy incredible views from your suite.
Across the 189 rooms and suites built on and over the water, the maritime theme continues. Sculptural aged brass fittings, exposed girders, colour schemes that evoke shifting currents, and mirrors that reflect ripples that – depending on your booking – sit just metres from your pillow.
United on theme yet unique in set-up, each room or suite is different. On the ground floor, dog-friendly rooms with direct access to the pier are all prepped for pampered pups, while others have views and even balconies overlooking Walsh Bay, the Bridge and the Harbour.
But the 19 suites step things up even more. Gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows, or get even closer. Your private balcony is made for sipping a Nespresso coffee on as the sun comes up – or soaking in the bathtub of the Admiral Suite on the deck, a drink from the locally stocked mini bar in hand. This mini bar was recently completely transformed, so you have more Aussie favourites to choose from, including alcohol and snacks.
Dining at Pier One
Settle in for an afternoon of good drinks and views.
Once you’re checked in, start your afternoon with a spritz at PIER BAR – or arrive by boat via the private pontoon if the occasion calls for it – and settle into one of the cabanas. Weekdays bring Happy Hour (or ‘sunset hour’ at Pier One); weekends bring the DJs. After an even sweeter experience? The Everyday Creamery and Matcha Kiosk is slinging mango and vanilla soft serve – classic and those spiked with Midori and gin alike.
PIER Dining is an ode to contemporary Australian flavours across the terrace, pier and dining room. On its seafood-leaning menu are Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, potato scallops with salmon roe and crème fraîche, chicken with melting sundried tomato butter, vodka rigatoni with Shark Bay prawns. And the ‘Pierlova’ – that’s pavlova with chocolate, dulce de leche and banana is worth saving room for. Make sure to ask for the wine list – it’s 100 per cent Australian drops.
Around town
Explore the neighbourhood during your stay. (Credit: Destination NSW)
If you’re strong enough to polish off just one last pastry from the breakfast buffet and walk out the door, we applaud you. Luna Park across the harbour beckons with its wide grin, while a glance upward might spur you to climb the Bridge’s famous iron arches. The Opera House – just across Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art – sings out for a concert.
You’ll want to book ahead for those hot-ticket performances at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, just a few minutes’ walk south of the hotel. Ten minutes further brings you to the waterfront bars, restaurants and clubs of Barangaroo, or the karaoke, gardens and dim sum of Chinatown further afield.
Keep the mellow of your weekend getaway going with a stop at Barangaroo Reserve, watching the yachts go by – all before returning for that Sydney sundowner at Pier One.
