So other than doing the usual tourist thing like visiting museums, markets and art galleries, what else is there to do in Australia? Here are a few national parks, ski resorts, and places for bushwalking, wildlife watching, diving, snorkelling, white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing and surfing in Australia.
Adventure Outdoors: Bushwalking Bushwalking is one of Australians’ favourite activities. Wherever you are in Australia, a national park is not far away, and they all contain a lot of marked walking tracks that take you past lookouts and camping grounds, swimming holes and lots and lots of Australia’s interesting wildlife. All the bigger cities have a green getaway close-by. Sydney has its Blue Mountains and Royal National Park. Brisbane has its Lamington, Melbourne has its Dandedongs, and Hobart has its Mount Field National Park. Canberra has its Namadgi and Kosciusko National Park, Perth has its Rottnest Island, Adelaide has its Kangaroo Island and Darwin has its Kakadu and Litchfield.
Things to Do in Australia: Camel Riding and Horse Riding If you get tired of bushwalking, discover the bush from the horseback. The classic place to ride horses is Victoria’s high country where Snowy Mountains’ cattle people have done it for at least one hundred years. Another nice experience is to ride a camel. Camels were introduced from Middle East to help the transport in Australia’s large deserts. Some went feral and roam today the deserts and bush. The most popular places to ride camels are the Cable Beach in Broome and areas around Alice Springs in the central Australia.
Do Your First Bungee Jump Or if you like to get adventurous, try bungee jumping in Cairns or Gold Coast. Abseiling and rock climbing are terrific in the Blue Mountains in NSW, Mt Buffalo in Victoria, and the Hazards in Coles Bay in Tasmania. You can sky-dive and parachute in Townsville, and tandem paraglide on Rainbow Beach in Queensland.
Things To Do in Australia: Skiing and Ski Resorts in Australia Not many people come to Australia to ski or snowboard, but Australians themselves love their snowfields. Here’s where you can go if you get enough of sunny beaches. The best ski resorts in New South Wales are Thredbo and Perisher Blue in Snowy Mountains; and Falls Creek and Mt Hotham in Victoria. More links to the ski resorts can be found on Skiing Australia website.
Things To Do in Australia: Diving and Snorkeling in Australia Snorkelling and diving are excellent in Australia. In north Australia you can snorkel and dive in coral reef - the world’s largest, Great Barrier Reef in east along Queensland’s coast, and the smaller and less visited Ningaloo Reef off the coast in Western Australia. Northern coasts of Australia are not always safe because of crocodiles; and because of box jellyfish during the summer months. On southern coasts of Australia, the waters are colder and there is not much coral reef, but you can dive to the numerous shipwrecks that lie on the ocean floor. PADI - the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, offers courses to get a diving certificate.
Things To Do in Australia: Surfing in Australia Australia is also an excellent place to surf. Great Barrier Reef in north Queensland stops the surfing waves to reach the coast, but the rest of Australia has got world-class surf waves all around its coasts. Some better known places are the aptly named Surfers Paradise on Gold Coast in Queensland, Byron Bay in New South Wales, Bondi Beach in Sydney, Bells Beach in Victoria, Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, and Margaret River in Western Australia.
White Water Rafting, Kayaking and Canoeing in Australia Watersports are some of the most popular things to do in Australia: canoeing and kayaking are excellent in Katherine Gorge in Northern Territory and in Lawn Hill in the Gulf Savannah in Queensland. Jetboating is at its best in the Huon River in Tasmania. Parasailing behind a speedboat is popular in Port Douglas in far north Queensland and in Fremantle in Western Australia. The most famous place for white-water rafting is Tully River in north Queensland, but other good places are Franklin River in Tasmania, and Nymboida River in New South Wales. Sailing is popular everywhere along the east coast, but the most classic place to sail is around Whitsunday Islands in north Queensland.
Hervey Bay and Warrnambool Whale Watching Migrating whales can be seen from September of November on the east coast of Australia, and from May to October on the west and south coasts. Some classic places to watch whales are Hervey Bay on the Fraser Coast in Queensland, Warrnambool in Victoria, and Albany in south-western WA. In all these places, and many others around Australia, you can join a whale-watching cruise. Many operators offer money back or an extra free trip in case the whales are not seen on the first trip.
Things To Do in Australia: Wild Dolphin Watch As opposed to most other whales, Dolphins can be seen all year around. Many places also offer dolphin-watching cruises. The classic spots are Byron Bay and Jervis Bay in New South Wales, Monkey Mia in Shark Bay and Bunbury in the south-western WA. Monkey Mia in Western Australia and Tangalooma on Moreton Island outside Brisbane in Queensland are the two places in Australia where wild dolphins come to the beach where you can get close to them on daily feedings organised by resort staff.
Things To Do in Australia: Watch Different Types of Turtles Turtle watch is another popular activity, particularly on many of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, such as Lady Musgrave and Heron Island off Fraser Coast. But the best place to see turtles is Mon Repos, Australia’s most accessible turtle rookery just south of Bundaberg on the Fraser Coast in Queensland. Large loggerhead turtles come to the beach to lay their eggs in the sand between November and February. The young hatch and make their way to the water between mid-January and March.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
