1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

Surrounded by sugarcane and with a main street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a terrific base for checking out Eungella National Park.

This enchanting rain forest has rivers rich enough in platypus to make seeing one almost guaranteed. Your finest chance is at Broken River, where the viewing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- load a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.

Later on, go on walking tracks through the trees, ideal for birdwatching and goanna spotting, or head back to town for a stroll along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.

2. For epic sunsets: Tower Hill, Victoria

Continue simply a little more west from the Great Ocean Road and you'll find this volcanic crater. Encircled 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, in addition to to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll learn how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sunset-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Remain afterwards and join the directed night walk to see the fauna at its most active.

3. For awesome pictures: Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory

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

Picture them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow snake from the regional Aboriginal story. In either case, they're ideal fodder for the eager professional photographer.

4. For wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll find an easygoing cluster of shop wineries and hyper-local dining establishments underneath a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and check out Castelli Estate for terrific Pinot Noir and Shiraz or hit Howard Park for white wines that combine the very best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss out on Pepper and Salt for supper, where chef Silas uses the area's gourmet produce to create dishes inspired by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And see in March or April for Taste Great Southern, which celebrates the region's exceptional local fruit and vegetables.

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

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

All that makes for one very long (but impressive) drive, stressed just by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dirty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to hit a golf ball, if you're so likely.

6. For camping and climbs up: Freycinet National forest, Tasmania

Freycinet might be among Tassie's most gone to sites, but that does not suggest you'll bump into anyone else on a walk 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.

Camping is at Cooks Beach and there's time to climb up Mount Freycinet (the top is 620m above sea level). As soon as you're done, kick off https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=australia those treking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.

7. For unbeatable hiking: New England National Forest, New South Wales

Ancient jungle capes the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an inaccessible wilderness that would easily pass for the Amazon. New England National forest opens this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, providing strolling tracks through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view stretches search acn 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 fungus, endemic beech orchids and dripping waterfalls, often frozen in winter season. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those breathtaking rainforest views.