1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

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

This captivating jungle has rivers abundant enough in platypus to make seeing one practically ensured. Your finest chance 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.

Afterwards, go on strolling 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 sunsets: Tower Hill, Victoria

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

The assisted walks from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, as well as 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 main event. Stick around afterwards and sign up with the guided night walk to see the animals at its most active.

3. For remarkable pictures: 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.

Envision them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow snake from the local Aboriginal story. In any case, they're best fodder for the eager photographer.

4. For white 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 shop wineries and hyper-local dining establishments beneath a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and go to Castelli Estate for terrific Pinot Noir and Shiraz or struck Howard Park for red wines that integrate the best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss out on Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the area's gourmet produce to develop dishes motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And visit in March or April for Taste Excellent Southern, which commemorates the region's http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=australia superb local produce.

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

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

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

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

Freycinet might be one of Tassie's the majority of gone to sites, however that doesn't indicate you'll run into anyone else on a walk here. Go out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll soon shake off any fellow visitors (so bring a lot 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 Mount Freycinet (the top is 620m above sea 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 unbeatable hiking: New England National Forest, New South Wales

Ancient jungle 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 up this UNESCO World Heritage rainforest for visitors, offering strolling trails through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view stretches 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 trickling waterfalls, frequently frozen in winter season. You'll ultimately reach Point lookout for those scenic rainforest views.