1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

Surrounded by sugarcane and with a main street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a terrific base for going to Eungella National forest.

This charming rainforest has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one nearly guaranteed. Your best opportunity is at Broken River, where the seeing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- pack a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.

Later on, take a hike on strolling tracks through the trees, perfect for birdwatching and goanna spotting, or head back to town for a walk along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For legendary sunsets: Tower Hill, Victoria

Continue just a little further west from the Great Ocean Roadway and you'll find this volcanic crater. Surrounded by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that is house to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The guided walks from the visitor centre will present you to the wildlife, as well as to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll discover how to rustle up some bushtucker. https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=australia However the sundown-- best seen from the crater's destinations rim-- is the centerpiece. Stay afterwards and join the directed night walk to see the fauna at its most active.

3. For awesome photos: Devil's Marbles, Northern Area

You'll require to dedicate to a long drive for this one-- but it's well worth it. Some 130km south of Tennant Creek, en route to Alice Springs, you'll find a geological phenomenon: a fistful of rock marbles flung across the Wilderness.

Imagine them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow snake from the local Aboriginal story. Either way, they're perfect fodder for the eager professional photographer.

4. For red wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of red wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll discover a laid-back cluster of store wineries and hyper-local dining establishments below a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and visit Castelli Estate for terrific Pinot Noir and Shiraz or hit Howard Park for wines that integrate the very best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Don't miss Pepper and Salt for supper, where chef Silas utilizes the area's premium produce to create meals influenced by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And go to in March or April for Taste Terrific Southern, which celebrates the area's superb regional fruit and vegetables.

5. For an extraordinary journey: The Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Superlatives abound on the Nullarbor-- it's the planet's largest single piece of limestone, the world's longest stretch of straight train track and even deep space's longest golf course.

All that produces one long (however legendary) drive, stressed only by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dusty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to strike a golf ball, if you're so inclined.

6. For camping and climbs: Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

Freycinet may be one of Tassie's most visited sites, however that does not indicate you'll run into anyone else on a stroll here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll soon get rid of any fellow visitors (so bring lots of water) as you tramp anti-clockwise around the peninsula from the Hazards Beach Track to the Wineglass Bay lookout.

Outdoor camping is at Cooks Beach and there's time to climb up Mount Freycinet (the top is 620m above water level). As soon as you're done, start those treking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unequalled hiking: New England National Park, New South Wales

Ancient jungle capes the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an unattainable wilderness that would quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National forest opens up this UNESCO World Heritage jungle for visitors, offering walking routes through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view extends all the way to the coast.

Take the Eagles Nest track, a 2.2 km loop, and you'll see Antarctic beech trees covered in fungi, endemic beech orchids and trickling waterfalls, often frozen in winter season. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those scenic rain forest views.