Australia has been on my bucket list ever since I can remember. Even before I really knew what a bucket list was, I dreamed of exploring Australia, cuddling koalas and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. I knew that I would visit one day, and after Covid I decided that my big revenge travel trip would be Australia and New Zealand. I wrote this Australia bucket list back in 2018 so I wanted to come back to it and see what I managed to achieve during my trip. Here are my top ten dream places to visit in Australia before you die!
7 Amazing Places on my Australia Bucket List
Great Ocean Road
Who doesn’t love a road trip with a view? The Great Ocean Road has got to be one of the best coastal drives in the world, so I dreamed of renting a car or a campervan and taking a road trip through Victoria.
The Great Ocean Road runs between the cities of Allansford and Torquay and features some absolutely stunning views, including the ‘Twelve Apostles’ and miles of blue ocean.
Although I didn’t end up hiring a car to drive it (I was on my own so wanted to spend more time gazing out of the window instead of concentrating on driving!) I decided to join a tour to the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne, which was a fantastic idea!
The scenery was incredible, and there were some amazing stops on the Great Ocean Road where we could admire the views, spot koalas and walk through a forest. I even decided to treat myself to a helicopter ride over the 12 Apostles – that was definitely worthy of my Australia bucket list!!
Uluru
Uluru (previously known as Ayers Rock) is a huge red rock in the middle of the Northern Territory’s dry Red Centre. The rock is sacred to indigenous Australians and is hard to beat for pure wow factor.
I would love to go and visit Uluru, and see it rising up on the horizon as we approach. Star gazing is incredible out there, so spending the night at the foot of the big red rock was definitely on my Australian bucket list! And I am thrilled to say that I not only saw Uluru at sunrise and sunset, I also camped close by, did some stargazing and saw the Uluru Field of Light art installation.
I figured that if I was going to do it, I should do it properly – and I really did! I was taken surprise by the weather though, it was May when I visited and unusually cold – so I was wearing ALL of my clothes for the sunrise activities!
The Outback
I admit, I hadn’t really thought this through in any detail, but after watching Crocodile Dundee when I was a kid, I desperately wanted to go walkabout. I still struggle to comprehend the vastness of the Australian outback, after living in England where you can be in a new city in an hour or two, and driving between cities in Australia can take days!
I didn’t think I’d dare to do it alone though; and I was right. I decided against driving myself through the outback, opting instead to take the Ghan train from Melbourne to Alice Springs, which was incredible but also very expensive. If this hadn’t been a bucket list trip I don’t think I would have done it, but it certainly was an experience.
It also helped me to appreciate that the outback is a whole lot of not much – very hot, very dry and although I know there are gems hidden somewhere there I was content with this taster.
The Great Barrier Reef
I always wanted to go snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, but since learning to dive a couple of years ago, diving has got to be the way to go. I have seen Finding Nemo far too many times to count so the reef simply has to be on my Australian bucketlist.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park stretches along the north east coast of Australia and is the same size as 70 million football fields – about the size of Italy. How crazy is that? But it is under pressure from climate change and other threats so like any of our natural wonders we need to do all we can to protect it and visit responsibly.
I went snorkelling off Cairns and had an unbelievable trip to Lady Elliot Island, a family-run eco-tourism resort where I went snorkelling every day with turtles, octopi and all sorts of marine life. I went diving and saw a manta ray, and loved every second of my stay here.
Rottnest Island/Wadjemup
OMG how unbelievably cute are quokkas?? These little guys are from the same marsupial family as wallabies and marsupials and have become famous for their friendliness and apparent fondness for selfies!
They are most common on Rottnest Island, and have very little fear of humans, so tend to get quite close to visitors who love snapping photos of them. Although I certainly don’t condone chasing down animals for the ‘Gram, there is no denying that they are adorable, and was really hoping to see them in the wild.
During my trip from Perth to Rottnest Island I discovered there was way more to this island than just cute quokkas. I learned that the Aboriginal name for Rottnest is Wadjemup, and that a prison was built here by white settlers to imprison Aboriginal men and boys. There is a museum here explaining the history which I highly recommend you visit.
I spent the night here, and hired a bike to cycle around the island, going snorkelling in the beautiful beaches and coves, and spotting quokkas. It was without a doubt one of my favourite places to visit in Australia.
Sydney
Sydney Opera House is probably the most iconic building in Australia, and certainly worthy of anyone’s Australia bucket list things to do. For me, as well as attending a performance inside the Opera House, heading there for New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks display was definitely on my list.
While I’m in town, climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge has got to be another bucket list thing to do in Sydney. I do get nervous looking down from a great height, but after climbing up the O2 in London, I felt brave enough to tackle the climb in Sydney!
I booked a stay at the Sydney Harbour YHA for New Year’s Eve, which has a rooftop with incredible views of the harbour – including the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. They hosted a rooftop party for New Year’s Eve and watching the fireworks display from there was truly unbelievable!
I also did the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, which was fun but I think next time I’ll stick to just walking across the bridge – there is a footpath that runs alongside the road which has stunning views too – without the vertigo or cost of the climb!
Byron Bay
Australia is famous for surfing, and I had heard that Byron Bay was the place for backpackers to catch some waves. As well as being a great place for beginner and more experienced surfers, Byron Bay is also known for beautiful beaches, diving, whale watching, and for having a kick-ass nightlife. What more could you ask for??
3 Things That Were on my Bucket List that I Didn’t Do
Although I spent around 4 months in Australia altogether, it was impossible to do everything I wanted to. These three things were on my bucket list when I first wrote, but when it came down to actually planning the trip there were other places I wanted to visit, and other experiences I decided to prioritize.
Lake Hillier
Bubble gum coloured pink lakes are fascinating, there is no doubt about that. Scientists aren’t even sure exactly why Lake Hillier, on the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia, is pink, but it seems to be a saltwater loving algae or bacteria which gives the lake its vibrant colour.
I visited some pink lakes in Mexico, so I’d love to check out some in Australia to see how different they are and get some more gorgeous pink photos! Maybe next time!
Wave Rock
Nature continues to surprise me, so I marvel at any natural phenomena that I come across. Wave Rock is a natural rock formation shaped like a breaking wave, close to the small town of Hyden about 180 miles east-southeast from Perth.
The area is also renowned for wildflowers and orchids, and there are other bizarre rock formations to visit too like Hippo’s Yawn and Mulka’s Cave where you can see aboriginal hand prints and cave paintings.
I considered making the trip here, but it was a very long day trip from Perth and I decided it wasn’t worth spending so much time driving. While I was in Western Australia, I did manage to explore Margaret River, and up the coast to Exmouth as well, which was wonderful.
Wine tasting and seeing dolphins more than made up for not doing this!
The Bungle Bungle Range
This is a new one on my Australia bucket list but having seen some photos of the weird and wonderful rock formations of Bungle Bungle in Purnululu National Park in Western Australia I simply can’t resist. Apparently, the best way to see the UNESCO listed orange and black sandstone domes is from the air, so a helicopter ride to see them deserves a place on the list!
There was a practical reason for me not ticking this one off my bucket list things to do in Australia – when I was in Western Australia it was rainy season further north, so a trip to that area wasn’t feasible. Perhaps if I go again then I’ll do a road trip to Broome and make it up to Darwin, stopping off at the Bungle Bungles along the way.
So there it is, what do you think of my top ten Australia bucket list destinations that I wanted to visit before I die? Have you been to any of these? Have I missed any major bucketlist destinations? I’d love to hear your recommendations, please leave your comments below.
I had a wonderful time in Australia, and although I managed to tick off so many bucketlist items there is still so much I’d love to see if I were to go back. But the world is big, and there are lots of other incredible destinations to visit, so I’m not sure I will make it back. But never say never!
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wonderful post about the places to visit in Australia.
Its very much informative as well as attractive.
MAN! How did I not know about quokkas before I went to Australia? I usually google things like this. SO ADORABLE! I’ve seen pictures of Lake Hillier
And it looks amazing. Climbing the bridge isn’t scary at all and the Opera House has an afternoon tea that I didn’t know about before I went. To add to your bucketlist… a tree top walk when you are up by the great barrier reef and Tangalooma Island to feed dolphins and surf the sand dunes when you are near the Gold Coast
The Great Ocean Road would be at the top of my list, when we make a trip to Australia the second time. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Great Barrier Reef again. Wave Rock seems extremely photogenic.
Australia is totally on my bucket list too! As a surfer, I dream of visiting one day. I’ve been there many years ago, but it was a working trip so I didn’t have the time or the opportunity to see all the places I want. For sure, will have to dive in the Great Barrier Reef one day!
What a great list! I am planning a visit to Aus next year, so I have bookmarked this. It’s going to be a great help in planning my trip. No 1 on my list is to drive the Great Ocean Road. The Quokka looks like it could have the main role it a Disney movie. I hope that I get to see one! 🙂
I was already to vote Great Ocean Road for the win and then Rottnest Island happened. OMG the Quokkas are so darn cute. I hope they are protected well because…. cuteness overload.
Yessss!! A few of these are on my bucket list too! I still have soooo much of Australia to see!
We had a very short trip to Australia and ticked off Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. But thanks for adding more to our list for a return visit. We would definitely want to travel the Great Ocean Road to see the Twelve Apostles. The Red Rock and Wave Rock both would definitely be stunning to see. Thanks for adding to my list.
We love road trips and driving through the Great Ocean Road is a dream trip. We had not read about Rottnest Island before but definitely on the list now, quokkas look very adorable. Thanks for this wonderful list.
I hope to see these before I die!
Incredible land forms. And that quokka is so cute. Can’t believe they like selfies 😀 I would love to take one with them.