Australia Holidays
Australia
Holidays
The world's greatest road trip destination — the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Centre, the Sydney Opera House, the Great Ocean Road and the Whitsundays, all under the most extraordinary skies on earth
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Flight Time
22–24h from London (via Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong) to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane
Best Time
September to November (spring — warm, dry, wildflowers in the west); March to May (autumn — cooler, less crowded); avoid December to February in the tropical north (cyclone season); June to August for the Red Centre (cool and dry)
Country
Australia
Suppliers
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Australia Holiday Guide
Australia is a vast country and most visitors focus on one or two regions rather than trying to cover everything. The classic east coast route (Sydney → Byron Bay → Brisbane → Cairns, by plane or the iconic Greyhound bus) covers the highlights of the east coast in 2–3 weeks. For a more complete experience, add Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road (fly Sydney to Melbourne, drive the Great Ocean Road, fly back to Sydney) and/or the Red Centre (fly to Uluru from Sydney or Melbourne — 3 hours).
Getting there: Flights from London to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane take 22–24 hours via Dubai (Emirates), Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) or Abu Dhabi (Etihad). Direct flights from London to Perth (17 hours) are available with Qantas. The best value is usually via Dubai or Singapore. Book well in advance for the best prices — Australia is a popular long-haul destination and prices rise significantly in the school holidays.
Visas: UK citizens require an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for Australia — a simple online application (approximately £10) that is usually approved within minutes. Apply before you travel at eta.homeaffairs.gov.au.
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Popular Areas in Australia
Average Temperatures
Jan
28°C
Feb
28°C
Mar
26°C
Apr
23°C
May
20°C
Jun
17°C
Jul
16°C
Aug
18°C
Sep
21°C
Oct
23°C
Nov
25°C
Dec
27°C
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Call 01282 960 460Top 8 Things To Do in Australia
The reef, the rock, the harbour, the road and the wildlife that make Australia one of the greatest destinations on earth.
The Great Barrier Reef — The World's Greatest Natural Wonder
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system — 2,300km of coral stretching along the Queensland coast, containing over 2,900 individual reefs, 900 islands, 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 species of mollusc, 240 species of bird and six of the world's seven species of marine turtle. It is the largest living structure on earth and is visible from space. The reef is accessible from Cairns (the main gateway), Port Douglas, the Whitsundays and the Capricorn Coast. Day trips from Cairns (by fast catamaran to the outer reef) are the most popular way to experience the reef — snorkelling and diving in the crystal-clear water, surrounded by coral and tropical fish, is one of the most extraordinary experiences in the world. For a more immersive experience, liveaboard dive boats spend 3–7 nights on the reef, visiting remote sites that day-trippers never reach.
Sydney — The Most Beautiful Harbour City on Earth
Sydney is one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world — a harbour city of 5 million people built around one of the great natural harbours of the world, with the Sydney Opera House (one of the most recognisable buildings on earth) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge as its twin icons. The city has world-class beaches (Bondi Beach is the most famous, but Manly, Coogee and Bronte are equally beautiful), extraordinary food and restaurant scene (the Sydney fish market is one of the best in the world), a vibrant arts and culture scene and a nightlife that is genuinely world-class. The best way to experience Sydney is from the water — a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly (30 minutes, one of the great short ferry journeys in the world) gives a spectacular view of the harbour, the Opera House and the Bridge. The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk (6km, 2 hours) is the best urban walk in Australia.
Uluru & the Red Centre — The Spiritual Heart of Australia
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is the most iconic natural landmark in Australia — a vast sandstone monolith 348m high and 9.4km in circumference, rising from the flat red desert of the Northern Territory. The rock changes colour throughout the day — from deep ochre in the morning to blazing orange at sunset and purple-black at night — and is one of the most photographed natural wonders in the world. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu people (the traditional custodians of the land) and climbing the rock is now prohibited out of respect for their culture. The base walk (10.6km, 3–4 hours) gives a close-up view of the rock's extraordinary surface — caves, waterholes, ancient rock art and the sacred sites of the Anangu. Nearby Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) — a group of 36 domed rock formations — is equally spectacular and less visited. The Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta is one of the best walks in Australia.
Australian Wildlife — Kangaroos, Koalas & the Quokka
Australia has the most extraordinary wildlife on earth — a continent that was isolated for 45 million years, allowing evolution to take a completely different path. The result is a fauna unlike anything else in the world: kangaroos and wallabies (over 60 species), koalas (which sleep 20 hours a day and are found in eucalyptus forests along the east coast), wombats (large, burrowing marsupials with cube-shaped droppings), platypuses (one of only five egg-laying mammals in the world, found in rivers and streams in eastern Australia), echidnas (the other egg-laying mammal), Tasmanian devils (found only in Tasmania), quokkas (small, perpetually smiling marsupials found on Rottnest Island near Perth — the most photographed animal in Australia) and over 800 bird species including the emu, the cassowary, the kookaburra, the cockatoo and the lyrebird.
Melbourne — Coffee, Food, Art & the World's Most Liveable City
Melbourne is consistently ranked as one of the world's most liveable cities — a city of 5 million people that takes its coffee, food, art and sport more seriously than anywhere else in Australia. The city's café culture is legendary — Melbourne claims to have invented the flat white (a claim disputed by New Zealand) and the city's laneways (Degraves Street, Centre Place, Hardware Lane) are lined with some of the best cafés in the world. The food scene is extraordinary — Melbourne has more restaurants per capita than New York, and the diversity of cuisines reflects the city's multicultural population. The arts scene is world-class — the National Gallery of Victoria (the oldest and most visited art museum in Australia), the Melbourne Museum, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are all world-class institutions. The Great Ocean Road begins 1.5 hours west of Melbourne.
The Whitsundays — 74 Islands of Tropical Perfection
The Whitsundays are an archipelago of 74 islands in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park — a tropical paradise of white sand beaches, turquoise water and coral reefs that is one of the most beautiful sailing destinations in the world. Whitehaven Beach (on Whitsunday Island) is consistently rated as one of the best beaches in the world — 7km of pure white silica sand (so fine it doesn't retain heat) and crystal-clear turquoise water. The Whitsundays are best explored by sailing boat — bareboat charters (self-skippered) and skippered charters are available from Airlie Beach (the mainland gateway), and a 3–7 night sailing trip through the islands is one of the great Australian experiences. The Hill Inlet lookout (above Whitehaven Beach) gives one of the most spectacular views in Australia — the swirling patterns of white sand and turquoise water from above.
The Great Ocean Road — The Most Dramatic Coastal Drive on Earth
The Great Ocean Road is one of the world's great road trips — a 243km coastal highway built by returned soldiers after World War I, running along the dramatic sea cliffs and surf beaches of Victoria's southwest coast from Torquay to Allansford. The highlight is the Twelve Apostles — a series of limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean, carved by the relentless waves over millions of years. The road passes through the surf town of Torquay (the home of Rip Curl and Quiksilver), the Great Otway National Park (ancient rainforest with koalas in the trees), the fishing village of Port Campbell and the dramatic Loch Ard Gorge. The drive takes 2–3 days to do properly — staying overnight in Apollo Bay or Port Campbell. The road is best driven west to east (from Torquay to Warrnambool) to keep the ocean on your left.
The Daintree Rainforest — The World's Oldest Tropical Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland is the world's oldest tropical rainforest — 135 million years old, predating the Amazon by 80 million years — and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary biodiversity. The Daintree is the only place on earth where two UNESCO World Heritage Sites meet: the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. The forest is home to the southern cassowary (a large, flightless bird with a casque on its head and a kick powerful enough to disembowel a human), tree kangaroos, Bennett's tree-kangaroo, the musky rat-kangaroo (the world's smallest kangaroo) and over 430 bird species. The Daintree River cruise (spotting crocodiles, birds and wildlife from a flat-bottomed boat) is one of the best wildlife experiences in Australia. The Cape Tribulation section of the Daintree (where the rainforest meets the reef) is one of the most beautiful places in Australia.
Explore Australia on the Map
Key areas, beaches and attractions across the island.
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