1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

Surrounded by sugarcane and with a main street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=australia a great base for going to Eungella National forest.

This enchanting rainforest has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one practically guaranteed. Your finest possibility is at Broken River, where the seeing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- load a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.

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

2. For legendary sundowns: 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 home to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.

The directed walks from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, in addition to to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll learn how to rustle up some bushtucker. However the sundown-- best seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Stay later on and sign up with the directed night walk to see the fauna at its most active.

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

You'll need to dedicate 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 throughout the Wilderness.

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

4. For white wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of red wine tourers and head rather to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll find a laid-back cluster of store wineries and hyper-local restaurants beneath a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and check out Castelli Estate for great Pinot Noir and Shiraz or hit Howard Park for wines that combine the very best edition of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas utilizes the location's premium produce to develop meals motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And check out in March or April for Taste Great Southern, which celebrates the area's superb regional produce.

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

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

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

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

Freycinet might be one of Tassie's many gone to sites, however that does not mean 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 sea level). Once you're done, start those hiking boots and dig your toes into the pristine white sands of Wineglass Bay.

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

Ancient rain forest cloaks the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an unattainable wilderness that would quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National Park opens this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, offering walking trails through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view stretches all the method 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, typically frozen in winter season. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those breathtaking rainforest views.