Imagine hovering over an ancient gorge in the rugged Western Australian outback. Your private helicopter lands at the top of Amaroo Falls, a waterfall located so deep in the Kimberley it was only discovered by a local guide in 2010. Hop out, take a guided walk around the falls, have a dip in a crystal-clear waterhole or watch as the sun sets over the endless landscape. This is the once-in-a-lifetime experience you can have at wilderness lodge El Questro Homestead. The three-hour aerial adventure offers bird’s-eye views of the impressive Explosion and Chamberlain gorges before you return to the homestead.

For a different perspective of the vast wilderness of the Kimberley region, stand on the bow of a luxury vessel as it crosses the King George River sandbars and glides upstream to the base of the majestic King George Falls. The sensory-awakening Kimberley Waterfalls Cruise, a small-ship expedition from Broome to Wyndham / Kununurra (or reverse) by True North Adventure Cruises, packs in plenty of adventure over 10 days, including gorge hiking and swimming, scenic helicopter flights, crabbing, fishing and plenty of croc-spotting opportunities.

Get to know the heart and history of the Daintree Rainforest along the Mossman Gorge. Walkabout Cultural Adventures owner and First Nations guide Juan Walker will talk you through how Kuku Yalanji people cultivate food, medicine and traditional cultural practices within the magnificent rainforest. You’ll learn how to hunt with a spear and boomerang and, if you’re lucky, taste a mud crab.

Experience a unique side of Adelaide atop one of its most famous landmarks on the Wonders of Adelaide RoofClimb Experience. On a DayClimb package, an expert RoofClimb leader will guide you on a private tour across the rooftop of Adelaide Oval’s Western Stand – 50 metres above one of the legendary cricket grounds – before crossing to the Riverbank Stand, where you can sip sparkling wine while enjoying the panoramic views of the city and beyond on the RoofClimb Night experience.

You'll be hard-pressed not to get distracted by the spectacular ocean vistas from each of the 18 holes at Cape Wickham Links. Located on King Island, a short flight from Melbourne, Launceston or Hobart, Cape Wickham is lauded as one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. And you can sample local crayfish in the clubhouse post round.

Further south, the 33-kilometre Bay of Fires Signature Walk will see you ambling across the region’s famed amber-coloured boulders, over the dunes of Abbotsbury Peninsula and through eucalypt forests. You’ll also get time to explore Eddystone Point Lighthouse, kayak down the winding Ansons River and cast a line off the beach near the luxe Bay of Fires Lodge, your accommodation for two of the four nights. The second night will be spent sleeping in a tent amid secluded sand dunes at Forester Beach Camp.

Port Lincoln’s untouched landscape is more like an open-air zoo. A tour of South Australia’s wild playground with Australian Coastal Safaris will acquaint you with playful sea lions in their natural marine habitat. Go on the Underwater Weekend Adventure for an immersive experience swimming with the sea pups as they tumble and backflip around you. If you’re feeling bold, a cage dive will get you up close to those infamous underwater creatures: great white sharks.

Australia’s World Heritage-listed reef, spanning an impressive 348,000 square kilometres, is one of the globe’s most biodiverse natural ecosystems, with more than 2900 individual reefs accounted for. To explore them, head out for the day from Port Douglas on a luxury catamaran with Sailaway, where onboard marine biologists lead snorkel tours and solar-powered glass-bottom boats give guests a glimpse of what lies offshore from the Low Isles. Keen for more? At Port’s Crystalbrook Marina, you’ll find the sparkling new Forever Reef Project, where a team of passionate marine scientists maintain a “coral nursery” of some of the 415 species of coral endemic to the reef – and add more every day. Don the special UV glasses to bring them into stunning technicolour.

In the isolated Top End, just one hour from Darwin, there is a fishing adventure like no other. Your HeliFish pilot and fishing guide will fly you by helicopter over the Northern Territory’s north-east before setting down on the edge of a sandy billabong to catch salmon, mangrove jack and the mighty barramundi.

Extend your NT adventure by exploring the natural beauty of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park on foot, by four-wheel drive and on an airboat with Lords Kakadu & Arnhemland Safaris. This unforgettable three-day tour includes access to Arnhem Land, where you’ll visit the Aboriginal-owned Injalak Arts Centre before a First Nations guide takes you to the region’s most sacred rock art. You’ll also venture through the vast floodplains of Mary River, spot saltwater crocodiles and buffalo as you cruise around Yellow Water Billabong, swim in the magical Maguk gorge and sleep under stars at Lords’ bush camp.

Breathe in the crisp air of the NSW Central Tablelands on a three-hour tour of Orange by Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia. The burgeoning wine region is just a 55-minute flight west of Sydney and is renowned for its cool-climate drops. Swinging Bridge, a sprawling, family-owned vineyard, sits at the foot of Mount Canobolas, an ancient volcano standing 1395 metres above sea level. Following a guided walk through the vines, you can sample the winery’s single vineyard flagship wines – a well-balanced chardonnay and a light-bodied pinot noir – plus several limited releases and vintages, all paired with a five-course meal of delicious local produce.

Treat yourself to a nourishing escape in Daylesford, surrounded by lakes and forest, 90 minutes north of Melbourne. Relaxation and gourmet dining rule at Lake House, the luxury lodge that celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024. Delight in rejuvenating spa treatments – from massages to deep-soak baths filled with the region’s famous mineral springwater – while you look out over the swaying willow trees. Venture 10 minutes down the road to Dairy Flat Lodge & Farm for a sourdough baking or beekeeping class. Here, in-house guests can also wander through nearly 16 hectares of regenerative farm, including vegetable, herb and flower gardens, a 300-tree orchard, vineyard, olive grove, bakery and a spring-fed dam filled with trout. This bounty of seasonal produce is on display at the Lake House’s award-winning restaurant, with a menu that's an homage to the region

Hundreds of large-scale installations or “Big Things” exist across Australia in permanent glory to honour the towns they sit in. They’re especially enjoyable on long road trips, when detours to small country towns rely on their proximity to these larger-than-life icons. Visit the Big Banana, a 13-metre-long giant gracing Coffs Harbour (now sharing land with a small-scale theme-park and eatery); the Big Penguin in the Tasmanian town of the same name where the flightless-bird effigy overlooks the main pedestrian sprawl; and the bright pink Big Galah on the Eyre Highway, in Kimba, South Australia. The country’s newest is in Western Australia: a massive orange-red tractor in Carnamah that stands 11.5 metres tall.

This architectural marvel is a Sydney icon for a reason but there’s more to see beyond the billowing sails. Whether you’re keen to learn about the architecture, the backstage secrets or to taste its diverse eateries, you can explore “The House” on an hour-long guided tour that includes a free workout: 300 stairs in total. Afterwards, see it from a different angle at the famous Opera Bar, where the Sydney Sling cocktail combines custom gin with pineapple, cranberry and lemon. The ultimate dining experience is at Bennelong though, which sits within a cavernous sail, where you can enjoy a special three-course meal featuring Murray cod and Western Australian marron before heading to a show.

Thanks to a combination of naturally high salt content and a variety of harmless bacteria and algae present within them, bright pink lakes are not an uncommon sight in Australia. Colours change as the salinity of the water does, but at stars including Lake Hillier, Western Australia, Lake Macdonnell in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and the so-named “Pink Lakes” within Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria, the common theme is shades of blush, rose and magenta. While many pink lakes are accessible on foot or by road, visualising them from the air imparts the intensity of the colour – and its stunning juxtaposition to the surrounding green leafiness and blue waters.

Travelling Australia by rail is a luxurious experience that captures the country’s remote, rural and regional heart. Perhaps the nation’s most famous are The Ghan, which travels from Darwin to Adelaide and vice versa and the Indian Pacific, which stretches – as the name suggests – from the Indian Ocean in Perth to the Pacific Ocean in Sydney. Operator Journey Beyond Rail takes all of the hard work out of the process, curating one-, two-, three- and four-night adventures through the outback. Settle into your cosy private cabin or suite, then socialise with other guests in the lounge (South Australian sparkling in hand) before embarking on off-train experiences as thoughtful and diverse as native bush-food tours, wild mountain hikes, mine-site explorations and drag shows.

This hidden gem in Lavender Bay on the north side of the Harbour Bridge, was created by Wendy Whiteley, wife of the late Australian artist Brett Whiteley, at the site of an unused railway depot. An eight-minute walk from Milsons Point train station, Wendy’s Secret Garden is now an inner-city oasis of established fig trees, leafy palms and vibrant flowers, with sculptures and sitting areas peppered throughout. Pack a picnic or pick up fresh French pastries and chilled Salade niçoise at nearby Loulou’s Boulangerie & Traiteur, then find a spot to watch ferries and cockatoos float and fly across the harbour. A walk along Sydney Harbour will take you back to the train station, passing Luna Park.

20 Epic Road Trips That Show You the Real Australia