Tourist places in Australia

This text describes Australian tourist places except for New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. It is organised following a travel route from Uluru (Ayers Rock) to the Great Barrier Reef . You can also go directly to a specific location:

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to visit these places due to the short time I had available in Australia. This text was generated as a result of my independent research project for ELS Language Centres to complement my experience as a Rotarian Cultural Ambassador.

The information on this page was researched in tourist information places, newspaper articles, backpackers' magazines, tourist brochures and folders, travel agencies, web sites and people who have travelled to the places listed here.

I am sure that there are many places not typically for tourists and even some Australians have not already gone to it, so wherever you are from, enjoy yourself!

Uluru and Central Australia

Central Australia is part of Northern Territory with fantastic landscapes like Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Alice Springs is usually the starting point to many tourist places. It is also the headquarters of the Royal Flying Doctor Service that operates a medical service to isolated towns.

Uluru is about 450 km away from Alice Springs. It is a big red monolith in the desert, 3.6 km long and 348 m high. It is considered a sacred place to Aboriginal people and appears in many of their stories. Kata Tjuta is just about 32 km west and it is a set of impressive monoliths.

Uluru is composed by arkose that is gray inside the caves and red outside due to oxidation. Arkose is formed by iron oxides, clays and fragments of other rocks.

The origin of these landscapes remounts from 900 million years ago. First, sediments begin to be deposited under the sea that existed then until about 400 million years ago. Then the sea receded and a folding and faulting event raised the region about sea level, originating the formations called Uluru and Kata Tjuta today. Since then, the erosion process started until nowadays.

Other interest tourist points of Central Australia are Mereenie Loop Road, King's Canyon and the West MacDonnells. Manifestations of Aboriginal Culture are also strong in Central Australia.

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Northern Territory

Travelling to the North from Alice Springs the way is full of scattered settlements and beautiful desert landscapes of the Australian outback. Interesting places on the way include Tennant Creek and Katherine Gorge.

The main attraction of Northern Territory is Kakadu National Park. It is Australia’s largest National Park with about 19,000 km2 and is a wilderness area of wetlands where many birds, crocodiles, waterfalls and ancient Aboriginal rock art can be seen. Another option in this area is the Yellow Waters Billabong, habitat of brolgas, sea eagles, jabirus and salt water crocodiles. Finally, scenic flights over Kakadu are also available.

Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory. It is a multicultural city with more than 40 nationalities. Its attractions are Darwin Harbour, which is twice the size of Sydney Harbour and one of the most beautiful in Australia; Aquascene, where many species of fish come to be fed by visitors; and Mandorah Ferry, which provides a transport service across the harbour. Darwin has also many nightlife and shopping options.

Darwin surrounds include Northern Territory reefs and Litchfield National Park, with waterfalls like Wangi Falls and Florence Falls. There is also the Territory Wildlife Park, which has 400 hectares of natural bushland.

Precautions in the Northern Territory

There are some useful precautions to observe when travelling Northern Territory:

Fauna: jellyfishes can be lethal. They usually appear frequently between October and May. Observe the crocodile warning signs too.
Climate: during the Wet Season there are big rains late and overnight, spectacular lightning, floods and cyclones in some areas. It is important to protect always the skin because of the sun during all the year.
Dehydration: due to the climate, it is preferable to drink at least eight glasses a water a day or more if people join in activities like walking or climbing.

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Western Australia

The tourist attractions near the Northern Territory border include Lake Argyle and a journey on the Ord River to Kununurra, seeing towering gorge walls, river scenery, freshwater crocodiles, rock wallabies, birds and bats.

El Questro Station is located near Kununurra and is a million acre cattle station and a wildlife park. Another attraction is the Argyle Diamond Mine, which is the world’s largest diamond mine.

Travelling to the West, there is the Kimberley, one of the Australia’s last frontiers. It includes Halls Creek, Fitzroy River, Geikie George National Park and Windjana Gorge.

Broome is south of the Kimberley and was established as a pearling port in 1880. It has a beautiful 22 km beach called Cable Beach.

Gantheaume Point is the place to inspect cement casts of dinosaur’s footsteps, believed to be over 130 million years old.

Some articles in the research showed people who live in the Great Sandy Desert and Gibson Desert, which are some of the most isolated areas in Australia. These people however love these places and call them the real Australian outback. Port Hedland is in the South crossing the Great Sandy Desert. Newman, that is about 400 km away from Port Hedland, has one of the world’s largest iron ore mines. There are many mining cities in this area. Coral Bay is located south of Port Hedland and it is close to Ningaloo Reef where a big number of fish and coral can be seen.

Carnarvon is a fishing town about 800 km north of Perth and includes the World Heritage region of Shark Bay. Monkey Mia is located in Denham Village. It is a place where wild dolphins can be seen near the shore. Kalbarri National Park is also famous for its wild flowers.

Nambung National Park is located in Geraldton and it is the place to view the Pinnacles that are wind eroded limestone formations.

Finally, Perth is the capital of Western Australia with about 900,000 people. It is a modern city placed on the Swan and Canning Rivers. An interesting fact is that Perth is very isolated from the rest of the country and it is closer to Singapore than to Sydney.

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South Australia

South Australia combines the experience of a cultural city, Adelaide and a wildlife experience in the Outback.

Adelaide is an elegant city with galleries, museums, restaurants, art festivals, cafes and shops. Next to Adelaide is the Barossa, a region with the best Australian wineries.

The Murray River is the biggest Australian river and is considered South Australia's lifeline, providing commercial transport and opportunities to meet wildlife, historical towns and vineyards.

Eyre Peninsula occupies an area bigger than Tasmania and includes the Nullarbor Regional Reserve where the world's largest cave system is located. Another attraction is the whale watching during their annual breeding migration between June and October.

The South Australian Outback is one of the most impressive Australian sceneries, being alone in the desert during the day and seeing stars at night. To travel in the Outback it is necessary to have good preparation, equipment and a Desert Parks Pass for camping. The Outback has about 8 million hectares and is located inside many conservation parks or reserves like Simpson Desert or Lake Eyre, which is a large salt lake below the sea level. Another attraction near the Outback is walking trails in the Flinders Ranges and Heysen Trail.

An interesting place to visit is Coober Pedy, in the middle of the South Australia. It is a mining city where opaline is extracted and many of the buildings there are located beneath the earth, inside caves, even a church and a hotel.

Some precautions travelling in the Outback include: notify a friend before departure, protect water supplies, do not pollute the places with soap or detergent, stay near the main road and respect Aboriginal culture and private properties.

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Tasmania

Tasmania is located about 240 km off the coast of Victoria and has about the same size as Ireland. Relatively isolated from the rest of Australia, its inhabitants call the other states as "main land" and surprisingly, there are Australians who think Tasmania is another country. This isolation has protected Tasmania from pests and disease and has preserved flora and fauna, like the Tasmanian Devil.

Besides the regular flights, the "Spirit of Tasmania" is a famous ship that connects Victoria to Devonport in North-West Tasmania. This area includes Cradle Mountain / Lake St. Clair National Park has about 1.4 million hectares World Heritage area including many tracks to explore. There are also many agricultural enterprises.

The Far North-West is located beyond the farmlands and has beaches, rain forests and rivers. King Island is also part of the Far North-West and is considered a retreat due to its isolation. Strangely, this isolated place is situated just a short flight from Victoria. King Island offers also a fabulous diving scenery.

Launceston is the second largest Tasmanian city and it is the place from where people usually visit north and eastern coast. It is also a historical city and only about 30 minutes from the centre there are many native animals in their habitat.

North-Eastern Tasmania’s landscape varies according to the season. Mount William National Park presents the habitat of several native species. Flinders Islands is a natural paradise of cruising and diving places, beaches, dunes and wildlife full of dolphins, wombats, wallabies, possum and many kinds of birds.

From Launceston to Hobart, Tasmania’s capital, a tourist will follow the Heritage Highway, a route of settlements reminding all of the colonial past of Tasmania.

Finally, Hobart is the second oldest Australian city. Although Hobart has a cosmopolitan life, there are many historical places to visit, as well as museums and parks. The historical village of Richmond seems as a place for convicts even nowadays. Hobart has also many festivals through the seasons.

In the South of Tasmania there are the ruins of Port Arthur, a former settlement for convicts. From Orford, it is possible to go by ferry to Maria Island where there was a convict settlement older than Port Arthur.

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Queensland

Queensland is the Northeast State of Australia and its tourist attractions include the Gold Coast and the Great Bareer Reef.

Brisbane is Queensland's capital and it has all the excitements and choices of a big city yet cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne.

Surfers Paradise is about 60 km south of Brisbane and it is part of the Gold Coast, which includes 42 km of beaches and other natural wonders like volcanic landscapes and rainforests. Gold Coast nightlife is also famous for its excitement. The beaches are well known by barrels or tubes in the sea and watching a surf carnival competition is another attraction.

Cairns is the main city in the Far North Queensland and it is close to the Greater Daintree, the largest remaining Australian rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is about 2,300 km long and has a wonderful scenery of sea life and coral reef, for instance caves, sharks, different fishes, etc. There is also commercial pearling in Airlington Reef.

Scuba diving is a popular activity practised in this area. It is learned by many people in Australia due to the low costs of the courses. Before people do the courses, it is necessary to obtain a doctor's certificate. When practising, a good trick is use a sunscreen to avoid burning the back and the legs.

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