Things to Do in Australia

Though modern Australia was originally settled by poverty-stricken convicts, you’d never know it from the aristocratic grounds of spectacular Rippon Lea. Only 20 minutes from central Melbourne, this manicured, refined, and immaculate estate is a throwback to 19th-century royalty and ornate, Victorian homes. The gardens span across 14 acres and were built in a style that was so advanced they actually harnessed their own water. The mansion itself was also constructed with features ahead of its time, and was one of Melbourne’s original estates with electricity and modern plumbing. When visiting the historic mansion today, stroll through 15 different rooms where each is more lavish than the last. Play a casual game of croquet on the mansion’s well-trimmed lawn, or lay out a blanket while sipping tea in a picnic from days gone by. 

On a hill overlooking Brisbane City, you will find a sprawling garden oasis known as Roma Street Parkland. This subtropical parkland boasts bamboo thickets, sunny picnic patches, calming waterways and meandering paths through botanical bliss.

The happy result is an inner-city retreat that can whisk you into another world, despite being only a few minutes’ walk from the central bustling business district and Brisbane Transit Centre.

Designed and realised by Australian gardening celebrity, the late Colin Campbell of the ABC’s Gardening Australia, Roma Street Parkland was established in 2001 as a horticultural wonderland, using the former goods yard for the adjacent train station. Since opening, the parkland has become a popular outdoor space, hosting entertainment events in the natural amphitheatre at the top of the park, as well as festivals and other recreational events.

Free guided tours are offered to show visitors around the Australian subtropical gardens and distinct globe-inspired horticultural displays. Between Friday and Sunday, a mini train, known as the Parkland Explorer, runs from 10am to 3pm for a gold coin contribution.

The Royal Flying Doctors Service is the largest air medical response team in the world. The doctors fly an average of 40,000 miles (65,000 kilometers) a day attending to sick people in the remote outback of Australia. They have 53 aircraft operating out of 21 bases with 964 staff and attend to around 750 patients a day.

Alice Springs houses the Central Operations of the service and at the visitors center you can learn all about the incredible history of the RFDS and how it has shaped life in the outback. There is an interactive museum where you can find out what it is like inside the planes, you can even fly one in the flight simulator. Experience life in the early days of the service and try your hand at the Traegar pedal-powered radio which was the primary means of communication for many years.

Fringed with rocky coves, white sandy beaches, and sun-soaked shores, Rottnest Island’s natural pleasures are numerous—whale-watching, snorkeling, hiking and wildlife spotting along the coast, and taking in the ocean sunsets. At less than an hour from Perth, Rottnest Island, or “Rotto,” makes for an idyllic retreat from the city. 

The Basics

The car-free shores of Rottnest Island lend themselves well to a guided island tour, and it’s possible to check off the highlights on a day trip from Perth. Pedal your way around the shores on a bike tour, stopping at attractions such as Wadjemup Lighthouse, Henrietta Rocks, Oliver Hill, and Cathedral Rocks; or set sail around the island on a snorkeling or whale-watching cruise. 

Things to Know Before You Go

• There is no public transport on the island, and the only way to get around is by tour bus or rental bike.
  
• Cell phone coverage can vary throughout Rottnest Island, but free Wi-Fi hotspots are dotted around the island.
  
• Kayak, paddleboard, and bike hire is available at the Rottnest Island Visitor Centre.
  
• Most boat cruises, accommodation options, and ferries on the island are wheelchair accessible, but it’s best to confirm in advance.
  

How to Get There

Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, 11 miles (18 kilometers) from Perth in the Indian Ocean. Ferries run from Hillarys Boat Harbour north of Perth (around a 45-minute journey), from Fremantle to the south (25 minutes), or from the Barrack Street Jetty in the city center (90 minutes). The closest airport is Perth, which offers regular flights to Sydney, Melbourne, and other Australian cities. 

When to Get There

Blessed with a Mediterranean-style climate, Rottnest Island has sunshine and warm waters year-round. The most popular time to visit is during Australia’s summer (December-February), when tours, ferries, and accommodation can be more expensive and advance bookings are advised. Alternatively, a winter (June-November) visit can save money and avoid crowds; it’s also the best time to spot humpback whales on their annual migration. 

Wildlife Watching on Rottnest Island

Look out for Rottnest’s famous quokkas on a guided wildlife-watching tour, spot humpback and southern right whales during their annual migration, or look out for wedge-tailed shearwaters and ospreys along the West End boardwalk. Other common sightings include New Zealand fur seals, white-striped freetail bats, marbled geckos, green turtles, and numerous exotic birds, including banded stilts, crested terns, and red-capped plovers.

What was once a rundown warehouse and storage unit on the waterfront of Hobart has since become one of the most-visited destinations in the city. More than 600,000 people visit the fresh fruit, organic produce and handmade craft stalls of this public market each year. Its trendy bars, quiet cafes and inventive restaurants attract food-lovers from around the area, making it a uniquely Tanzania experience. Salamanca’s popularity has caused it to grow rapidly from 12 vendors in 1972 to more than 300 in 2010. As a result, there’s something for everyone at this once-a-week market that brings the best of Hobart together.

Rod Laver Arena is best known as the main venue for the Australian Open – an international tennis tournament that attracts thousands of visitors to Melbourne every summer.

Named after the tennis player Rod Laver, a three-time winner of the Australian Open, the Arena is the centerpiece of the Melbourne Park complex and features a retractable roof to help players cope with the city’s unpredictable weather and, at times, extreme summer heat.

Also hosting music concerts, sporting events and other performances, the Rod Laver Arena, sees over 1.5 million visitors through its doors each year. Attracting some of the biggest names in the music business, past performers include Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Black Sabbath and P!NK.

Tours of the Arena are held daily except when concerts or events are scheduled. Offering visitors the chance to walk in the shoes of some the world’s top tennis players, the tour takes you through Rod Laver Area and the Superbox as well as the Walk of Champions, the Davis Cup Room, and the player’s changing rooms. Keen tennis players can also arrange to have a game on court!

The lovely landscaped grounds of Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens spread for almost 100 acres south of the city center, providing Melbourne with the much-appreciated foliage of more than 50,000 plants.

The gardens were established in 1846, and over the years they've become recognised as one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world. The mix of native and introduced species provides inspiration for would-be gardeners, and the manicured lawns are a popular spot for picnics and parties.

You'll find tranquil ornamental lakes dotted with waterbirds, a herbarium and an observatory, plus conservatories and glasshouses filled with exotic blooms. Follow winding pathways past fern gullies and eucalyptus, or join Melbourne's joggers running rings around The Tan, the gardens' running track

Modern Australia was famously founded by boatloads of British convicts, and Sarah Island off of western Tasmania was once reserved for the worst offenders. Isolated, wet and completely surrounded by the tempestuous Southern Ocean, not only is it Australia’s oldest penal colony, but the remote outpost was such a fearsome place to be sent that the mouth of the harbor leading out toward the island was simply known as “Hell’s Gate.” The penal colony was short-lived, however, only lasting from 1822 to 1833. During that time, convicts were enlisted for the backbreaking work of felling the surrounding pine trees, and there was a brief time when Sarah Island was the largest ship-building site in Australia.

In the early stages of World War II, when Japanese forces were systematically taking over the Pacific, Northern Queensland was more of a buffer—rather than a place to protect. After all, this rural outpost of reefs and rainforest was very thinly populated, and acted more as a massive shield for Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The lone exception was dusty Townsville, where a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed during the war. The base was primarily a launching pad for sorties throughout the Pacific, but gradually became the epicenter of forces protecting Queensland.

Sandy Bay is a quiet coastal community just past the central business district where sailing, the arts and serene sea views unite. Hire a yacht and cruise along the coast, where rugged cliffs meet peaceful neighborhoods, or spend an afternoon relaxing on the spotless beaches and wandering the pristine boardwalk. Unique shops selling one-of-a-kind items and a number of local restaurants line the streets of Sandy Bay. After a day outdoors visitors can spend an evening gambling at the Wrest Point Casino, the first in Tanzania.