1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland

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

This captivating jungle has rivers rich enough in platypus to make seeing one practically ensured. Your finest possibility 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, go on walking tracks through the trees, perfect 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 additional west from the Great Ocean Road 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 present you to the wildlife, along with to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll find out how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sunset-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Remain later on and join the assisted night walk to see the animals at its most active.

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

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 discover a geological phenomenon: a fistful of rock marbles flung across the Outback.

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

4. For red wine: Denmark, Western Australia

Let Margaret River keep its crowds of white 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 great Pinot Noir and Shiraz or struck Howard Park for white wines that integrate the very best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.

Do not miss Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the area's gourmet produce to produce dishes motivated by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And go to in March or April for Taste Excellent Southern, which commemorates the region's exceptional local produce.

5. For an amazing 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 railway track and even the universe's longest golf course.

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

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

Freycinet may be among Tassie's most gone to websites, but that doesn't mean you'll run into anybody else on a walk here. Head out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll quickly shake off any fellow visitors (so bring plenty 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 water level). When you're done, begin those treking boots and dig your toes into the pristine white sands of Wineglass Bay.

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

Ancient jungle cloaks 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 routes through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view extends 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 http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=australia orchids and trickling waterfalls, typically frozen in winter. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those scenic rain forest views.