Places We Visit in Australia

Adelaide

The state capital of southern Australia, Adelaide is the urban gateway to some of Australia’s best wine country and is the historic homeland of the indigenous Kaurna people. It’s located between the Mount Lofty Ranges and Gulf St. Vincent. Adelaide is noted for its historic buildings and parks and is called “City of Churches” for its many houses of worship. This sophisticated city has plenty to boast about. The Adelaide Botanic Garden, which opened in 1857, is beloved for its wisteria arbor, ancient trees, and architecture. Adelaide is also home to renowned museums such as the South Australian Museum, devoted to natural history, and the Art Gallery of South Australia, displaying important Indigenous art. The nonprofit Adelaide Zoo, Australia’s second oldest, funds important conservation work throughout the country.

Kangaroo Island—Flinders Chase National Park & Baudin Conservation Park

With the moniker of “Zoo Without Fences” you know wildlife awaits you on Kangaroo Island. In addition to kangaroos, expect echidnas, koalas, sea lions, seals, wallabies, some 200 species of birds, Ligurian bees, and more. The stars of Flinders Chase National Park are the massive shapes of the Remarkable Rocks, formed by 500 million years of wind, waves and rain that left them precariously perched on top of a granite dome plunging into the ocean. Then there’s Admirals Arch, a rock bridge and coastal grotto that provides a haul-out for long-nosed fur seals. Another favorite spot on Kangaroo Island is Baudin Conservation Park, with its she-oak woodland, rolling hills and awesome views. During your walk through the park expect to be excited by tammar wallabies, wedge-tailed eagles and maybe, just maybe, a rare glossy black cockatoo. You may also get a peek at dolphins and whales swimming in Backstairs Passage, which adjoins the park.

Great Ocean Road—Port Campbell National Park & Great Otway National Park

(The Great Ocean Road is only included on our Australia South adventure in 2024—our 2025 Australia South itinerary includes Grampians National Park)

Great Ocean Road, winding through the tough terrain of the southern coast, is a memorial to those who died fighting World War I. Soldiers who returned after the war built the road without heavy machinery, relying on picks, shovels, and horse-drawn carts. The route, which officially opened in 1932, wasn’t only a memorial, it also connected isolated settlements along the coast and enabled the timber and tourism industries.

The Great Ocean Road is one of most scenic drives on Earth. One of its must-see sites is Port Campbell National Park, where you’ll find the legendary Twelve Apostles, limestone rock formations formed by millions of years of erosion that tower 45 meters above the Southern Ocean. At sunset the limestone stacks and cliff faces light up in shades of red, yellow, pink, and orange.

We’ll also stop at Great Otway National Park, the historic homeland of the Gadubanud people, stretching from Torquay along the Great Ocean Road and up through the Otways hinterland. Here we’ll see windswept coastlines, tall mountain forests with lush fern valleys, and the oldest lighthouse in mainland Australia, the Otway Lightstation, built in 1848.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park 

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park is in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The jagged peaks, crystal-clear lakes and glacier-sculpted valleys found here will exceed anything you could have imagined. Almost 70% of the rainforest found on Tasmania is contained within this park, which is also home to eleven endemic bird species, the Tasmanian devil, and a variety of other popular Australian species. The 5,059-foot Cradle Mountain captivates with its neighboring grassland, temperate rain forest and ancient plants that date to the supercontinent of Gondwana.

Mount Field National Park

Mount Field, established in 1916, is one of Tasmania’s oldest national parks and is also part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is the homeland of the Big River people, who left behind their stories in ochre mines, hand-stenciled art, rock engravings and stone tool quarries. This park features some of the tallest eucalypt trees in the world, as well as towering tree ferns, spectacular cascading waterfalls and prolific wildlife.

Hobart

Hobart, the capital of Tasmania and one of Australia’s oldest cities, is home to the majority of people who live in Tasmania. This port town, located at the mouth of the Derwent River, has the second deepest port in the world. Its dramatic backdrop is kunanyi/Mount Wellington, which dominates the skyline. This vibrant and historic city is home Australia’s oldest brewery, founded in 1824, many independent shops and restaurants, the Museum of Old and New Art, and the Theatre Royal which dates back to the 1830s.

The following destinations apply only to our Ultimate Australia Safari: 

 

Maria Island National Park

Heading north from Hobart, we travel overland to the town of Triabunna on the Tasman Sea where we board a private chartered boat for Maria Island National Park. Mountainous Maria Island is the park’s centerpiece, and we will explore it from the sea and on foot. Visit ruins of a penal colony, part of Tasmania’s convict past, now protected as a World Heritage Site. See wind-whipped sandstone cliffs, limestone rocks embedded with fossils, and beaches that reveal a vibrant array of tidal-zone marine life. Among its towering peaks and eucalyptus forest, Maria Island is a paradise for birdwatchers. We may spot 11 of Tasmania’s 12 endemic bird species here, including the forty-spotted pardalote, one of Australia’s most endangered birds, and the rare Cape Barren goose. The island has long offered a safe haven for diverse wildlife, and we’ll look for wombat, forester kangaroo, Bennett’s wallaby, Tasmanian devil, and the small, solitary Tasmanian pademelon. A marine reserve in the surrounding waters regularly attracts seals and whales.

Brisbane

Subtropical Brisbane is an urban center with a laid-back vibe. Before the first European convict jail was built in 1824, Aboriginal clans lived along the river that winds through this landscape. During World War II, Brisbane blossomed as the main Allied headquarters in the South Pacific. Today, it’s a modern city with access to vast and remote stretches of wild coastline, reef, rain forest and desert.

Cairns

Cairns is the gateway to Australia’s tropical north and jumping-off point for the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, protecting Queensland’s globally important rain forests.

Daintree Rainforest

The Daintree Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests in the world and holds a living record of evolution. As Australia moved away from Gondwana beginning around 100 million years ago, it drifted into a Goldilocks zone away from glaciation or major climate shifts that affected many of the other continents. Without any major disturbances, this forest has been intact for the last 135 million years, from the time when Australia was still part of Gondwana and the forest stretched across what is now Antarctica and South America as well. Dinosaurs once roamed in this forest, and flowering plants didn’t even exist for the first 40 million years of this forest’s life.

This long history has allowed plant and animal diversity to explode. There are over 3,000 species of plants, almost 400 of which are rare or endangered. Thirteen of the world’s most primitive flowering plant families are represented here, as are pre-flowering species such as cycads, mosses and ferns. In fact, 80% of the world’s ferns can be found here. It is possible to see the entire evolution of plants in this one forest.

The Daintree River is also home to 30 species of mangroves, nearly half of the world’s 72 species. In recent years much attention has been given to the critical role mangroves play in storing carbon, stabilizing banks along waterways and on coasts, and acting as critical fish nurseries.

Atherton Tablelands

The Atherton Tablelands are a large green plateau covered with rain forest, savanna and lakes, and known for impressive waterfalls and wildlife. A highlight is a visit to the astonishing Curtain Fig Tree, an epic rain forest survivor with its own complex ecosystem. Estimated to be at least 500 years old, this massive strangler fig has an aerial root system that drops 49 feet to the ground. The birdlife heard in the surrounding forest is also impressive. On an evening visit to another large curtain fig, we'll scan for possums and the highly camouflaged leaf- tailed gecko, as well as many other animals that only wake up at night.

In the vine forest at higher altitudes, we find fascinating marsupials and monotremes including the mainland platypus and Lumholtz tree kangaroos. Tree kangaroos remained undetected by Western settlers until almost the 20th century, being secretive, well-camouflaged canopy dwellers in remote tracts of rain forest. In Yungaburra we’ll try to spot the elusive platypus in the wild. We also find excellent wildlife viewing and birdwatching at Lake Barrine, a volcanic lake in Crater Lakes National Park. On a forest walk, we may see red-legged pademelon, musky rat kangaroo, snapping turtle giant eel, forest dragon, eastern water dragon, carpet python, saw-shell turtle and Ulysses butterflies. At Tolga Bat Hospital, one of Australia’s most acclaimed and innovative ecotourism experiences, learn about conservation of bats and their habitat through the community group’s rescue and landcare work, advocacy, education and research.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is one of those few places on earth that “needs no introduction.” It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. But we are going to introduce it here nonetheless because it is such a remarkable ecosystem that it deserves some extra recognition.

It is actually not a single reef, but a reef system, comprised of almost 3,000 individual reefs covering a total area of approximately 133,000 square miles. It is the largest living structure on Earth and is home to over 1,500 species of fish, six species of endangered sea turtles, dozens of whale and dolphin species, 4,000 types of mollusks and hundreds of species of coral. It has been growing, expanding and becoming more diverse for over 20 million years.

It is also widely known that it is an ecosystem at risk. As the ocean gets warmer due to climate change and as agricultural runoff pollutes the water, the corals are dying. Mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 killed off half of the living coral. The good news is that reefs are made of living organisms and if the conditions are right, they can recover.

There are areas like the ones that we visit on this trip that are still healthy, vibrant and functioning ecosystems. These mature corals are able to reproduce and are the hope of the future for the Great Barrier Reef. Concerted efforts are underway to prevent pollutants from entering the water and to make sure that industrial fisheries aren’t causing excessive damage to the reef. And long term, we can only hope that the world commits itself to reversing the trend of our warming planet.

Lady Elliott Island

Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. It is located within a protected “Green Zone” that provides sanctuary for over 1,200 species of marine life, including an abundance of manta rays, turtles and healthy corals.

The waters around this island are particularly known for an abundance of manta rays, with over 700 individuals that have been identified. This section of the reef is considered to be one of the healthiest sections and the diversity and abundance of life you will see while snorkeling is staggering.

The Outback—Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park

Spanning nearly a quarter-million acres, Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is an ancient, semi-arid landscape of rocky mountain ranges, tree-dotted gorges and a wealth of seasonal wildlife. It has been the home of the Adnyamathanha people for tens of thousands of years, and the Wilpena Pound area, a natural circular mountain amphitheater, is known as Ikara, or “meeting place,” to its traditional inhabitants. The park holds many culturally significant sites, including ancient rock art, and during our visit, we'll discover the wealth of nature and human heritage that defines the region. On safari drives, we'll look for red and western gray kangaroos, wallaroos and emus.

Know Before You Go