Things to Do in Australia

Remember the days of buying your fresh fruit and vegetables direct from the people who grow it? The thrill of bargaining, and buying according to what's in season, with a recommendation of what's best tasting at the moment and how you should eat it? You can still experience that at Adelaide Central Market.

For 140 years this market in the heart of the city has been providing residents with fresh produce. Over 80 stalls selling direct from the producers, include fruit and vegetables, meats and seafood, bakeries, cheeses, small goods and plants and flowers. There are cafes to rest in with a coffee or snack after an invigorating session of bargaining. 

Seeing as they guarded Queensland’s coast for over 100 years, it only make sense that Townsville’s military be given a proper museum. Here at the Army Museum of North Queensland, visitors will learn of Japanese attack and fear of Russian invasion, and also hear of Australia’s involvement in Korea and Vietnam. Collections include cannons, guns, and artillery that stood at Kissing Point Fort—some of which has only been discovered during recent, exceptionally low tides. Take a walk through re-created tunnels that were used in World War I, and hear the tales of North Queensland soldiers who fought, and died, in battle. With interactive displays, visitors of all ages can tour the museum and be entertained for hours, and a network of walking paths up Kissing Point Fort lies just outside the museum. For visitors with an interest in history, the museum offers gripping, first-hand accounts of Queensland’s soldiers and battles, and since Townsville is closer to Papua New Guinea than it is to Melbourne or Sydney, it geographically has somewhat fended for itself over all these years. Since the museum is only open a few hours, be sure to arrive early and allow ample time to tour this fascinating spot.

Best known as the home of Formula 1 Grand Prix in March each year, Melbourne’s Albert Park is also a leafy inner-city retreat with a swan-filled lake, sports venues, playgrounds and a skyline view.

Only three kilometers from the city center, Albert Park is crown land that stretches more than 188 hectares into the south of Melbourne, making it a popular place for runners, dog-walkers and those in need of some fresh, green space.

There are three main picnic areas to enjoy in Albert Park, all with picnic shelters, electric barbecues, shady trees, toilets and tables. From Aquatic Drive, you can take a stroll along the lakeside boardwalk, enjoy fine service and a steak at The Point restaurant, and watch sail boats tack across the lake.

Sports lovers can enjoy the public golf course within Albert Park, try their hand at sailing from the boat shed or take a dip at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. For those less energetic, perhaps try a coffee from the kiosk and relaxing to the sound of song birds in the parkland wilderness.

Airlie Beach may be two-horse small, but it's the main point of departure for many Whitsunday cruises so it's always got the lively feel of constant movement. In the day, the pace is laid back and mainly revolves around the town's artificial lagoon. This is a giant swimming pool (and we mean giant - more than the equivalent of six full-size pools) built by the council to give the town's inhabitants and visitors somewhere to swim when jellyfish season closes the beach.

The lagoon is surrounded by landscaped gardens and everything you'll need for a lazy day spent between the water and the picnic basket - BBQs, showers and toilets are all on tap. 

The Alice Springs Desert Park offers the opportunity to experience the main desert environments in Australia. Wander through sand, woodland and river deserts and learn about their different plant and animal inhabitants. You will also learn about the traditional owners of the land, the Arrernte.

Animals rarely seen in the wild are on display in the nocturnal house which mimics the night desert offering a peek at rare and endangered animals that only come out in the dark like bilbies and carnivorous ghost bats.

The aquarium offers you a look at the animals you might find in a waterhole including fish, yabbies, burrowing frogs and turtles.

Around 1,800 exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish reside at the 8-hectare Adelaide Zoo, comprising 300 species. Major attractions include the Southeast Asian rainforest exhibit, Immersion, a walkthrough jungle environment where tigers and orangatuns feel within reach. Also the giant pandas Wang Wang and Funi!

Opened in 1883, it is Australia's second-oldest zoo and the only not-for-pro fit zoo in the country. Many of the structures are National Trust registered although these, such as the elephant house, these days are used for educational exhibits while the animals have moved to more natural environments. There is a Children's Zoo where you can pet animals including kangaroos and koalas, and the Envirodome, an education/interactive center. 

One of the twelve stops along the overland telegraph route the Alice Spring Telegraph Station Historical Reserve is a great place for a picnic. The reserve has walking tracks, swimming holes, a cycle path and shady spots to rest. There are also free electric barbeques. Several colonies of rock wallabies share the reserve with plenty of other native wildlife and some pet camels.  

Many of the buildings in the old Telegraph station have been restored and offer a look at how messages were sent across Australia in the days when the trip took weeks by horse. In the Post and Telegraph Room you can still post a letter and send a telegram (email) to a friend. In the cooler months (May - Oct) the wood-fired oven is lit and damper ('outback bread') and scones are served.

A scenic boardwalk leads to the viewing platform for Admiral’s Arch – the naturally formed rock bridge that towers above colonies of New Zealand fur seals.

Originally an ancient cave, Admirals Arch has been shaped by the intense winds and surf that pound the coast of Kangaroo Island. Stalactites still hang from the rocky ceiling whilst the floor has been eroded to a smooth finish. The Arch has been designated a geological monument, and is one of 27 geological monuments on the island.

The boardwalk runs along the cliff face, providing uninterrupted views of the ocean. Dolphins can often be spotted, and whales migrate along the coast from May to October. Year round entertainment however, is provided by the colony of fur seals that live and play on the rock platforms beneath the cliff. Pups are born in December, and remain with their mothers for a year, playing in the rock pools under the Arch.

With a bold profile of gleaming triangular panels in a unique bioframe roof, it’s no surprise that Melbourne’s AAMI Park has quickly become an iconic sporting stadium.

Located only one kilometre from the city centre, between the sweeping Yarra River and the internationally-loved MCG, AAMI Park is Melbourne’s premier medium-sized soccer, rugby union and rugby league venue.

AAMI Park’s star teams include the National Rugby League's Melbourne Storm, Melbourne’s Super Rugby team, the Melbourne Rebels, and soccer’s A-League teams, the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart.

The stadium has a capacity of more than 30,000 spectators and boasts a popular roof design that offers seating cover and a notable lack of pillars and walls obstructing the view. 

Recognizing the unique value of this Melbourne attraction, in 2012 AAMI Park was awarded the World’s Most Iconic and Culturally Significant Stadium by the Stadium World Congress.

Stroll, jog or find yourself a grassy patch to read a book in the splendid, city-fringe Adelaide Botanic Garden, established in the 1850s. Highlights here include a unique prefabricated palm house (1877), the Museum of Economic Botany (check out its stencilled ceiling), and the 1988 Bicentennial Conservatory, which recreates a tropical rainforest environment. 

Comprising the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide are two other sites: the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and Wittunga Botanic Garden. Mount Lofty is less than half an hour from the city centre and has plants which thrive in cooler climates than those of the plains below. Wittunga in the Adelaide Hills was once the private Garden of Edwin Ashby and has been open to the public since 1975. It is a popular place for picnics.

The outstanding Aquarium of Western Australia surrounds you with all the fishy creatures of the Southern Ocean. Innovative underwater tunnels and walkways get you up-close and personal with the turtles, fish, sharks and rays swimming overhead.

Other attractions include playful seals and reefs of coral, wiggly jellyfish and graceful sea dragons.

If you dare, you can scuba dive with sharks in the Shipwreck Coast feature aquarium.