Tasmanian wilderness. Australia.

Experience the ancient and epic beauty of Tasmania’s 17 national parks.
Many of these are part of the World Heritage-listed wilderness that makes up 20 per cent of the island. Climb over the Hazard Ranges and lose your breath at postcard-perfect Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park. See your face in Dove Lake and trek the Overland Track in Cradle-Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Bushwalk through Gondwanan rainforest and discover the 18th century French garden of Recherche Bay in South West National Park. Take in Russell Falls, towering swamp gums and ski fields in Mount Field National Park. Cruise the silent Gordon River and whitewater raft down the Franklin in Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. However you weave through Tasmania’s natural wonders, we can bet you won’t want to leave.
Take five on the Tassie wilderness

1. Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay
Stay in tranquil Coles Bay at the entrance to Freycinet National Park and walk to Wineglass Bay. Capture its perfect contours on your camera, then swim, boat, fish, snorkel, sea kayak and scuba dive from the dreamy white beach. If you feel like stretching your legs, go climbing, abseiling and mountain walking in the steep pink and grey granite rocks of the Hazard Ranges. Or follow the day walks along the coastal heathlands.

2. Cradle-Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Travel back millions of years in this wilderness only a couple of hours drive from Launceston. Walk round Dove Lake, past waterfalls and through forests of King Billy pines, to the jagged dolomite peaks of Cradle Mountain.  For a real challenge, follow the famous 80 kilometre Overland Track all the way south to Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest natural lake. On the way, marvel at Mount Ossa, Tasmania’s highest mountain, and see a species of beech tree more than 60 million years old. Stroll next to cascading rivers and dense, old-growth rainforest on the Enchanted Walk or take most of the day to tackle the summit. You can also spend one to five hours on one of the other popular walks, including Mount Campbell, Hanson's Peak, Twisted Lakes, Lake Rodway, Lake Lilla and the Ballroom Forest.

3. Southwest National Park
Drive from Hobart and see huge Scotts Peak Dam and the towering peaks of Mount Anne, Mount Eliza and the Western Arthurs on the shores of Lake Pedder. Or soar over the park’s 608,000 hectares of Gondwanan rainforest, horizontal scrub and rare Huon pine on a scenic flight. Walk across the Gordon Dam wall or abseil down its staggering chasm. Spot the endangered orange-bellied parrot around Bathurst Harbour between October and March. Weave through moss-covered trees and over giant logs on the short Creepy Crawly Nature Trail. Or do a day trek around deep, ice-carved Lake Judd. Tackle some of Australia’s most challenging terrain on the multi-day Port Davey and South Coast Tracks to remote Melaleuca, where you will need to be collected in a plane.  Kayak to Recherche Bay, where you’ll find an 18th century French garden surrounded by thick forest and sweeping white beach.

4. Mount Field National Park
You only have to drive an hour from Hobart to see the three tiers of Russell Falls, lush fern forests and some of the world’s tallest trees. Walk to Lady Barron Falls past Lake Dobson, groves of palm-like pandani and forests of towering swamp gums on the Lady Barron Falls Circuit. Climb higher to the highland plateaus and precipices of Tarn Shelf, where you can look over the expansive lakes in the valley below. In April and May, the mountain slopes are alight with the gold, red and orange leaves of the fagus, Australia's only winter deciduous tree. In the winter months of June to August you’ll find small ski fields for cross-country skiing amongst the snow gums and stunted pines.

5. Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
Cruise down the majestic Gordon River from the west coast fishing village of Strahan. Or drive past the dramatic landscape on the winding Lyell Highway. Once here you can whitewater raft on the furious Franklin River, past forested valleys, deep gorges and mountains carved by glaciers. Learn how environmental protesters saved this force of nature from being dammed for hydro-electricity along the way. By boat, you can also coast along the Picton and Huon Rivers almost as far as Hobart. Follow the Donaghys Lookout Walk for views over the Franklin River or mountain tops. Or take the challenging multi-day Frenchmans Cap Track past buttongrass plains, glacial valleys and rainforest of ancient Huon pine and King Billy pine. Your destination is Lake Tahune, under the towering peak of Frenchmans Cap, some of Australia’s oldest exposed rock.

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Gippsland. Australia.

See your footprints in the sand of endless Ninety Mile Beach. Or cruise Gippsland Lakes, Australia’s biggest expanse of inland waterways.
Four wheel drive in the Australian Alps and trek the unspoilt coastline of Wilsons Promontory National Park. Trace Aboriginal history more than 18,000 years old. Then connect the vineyards, restaurants, farms and market stalls on a food and wine trail. Welcome to Gippsland, the wilderness coast where tall forests, lakes and beaches connect with Aboriginal history and gourmet delights.
Five great Gippsland experiences

1. Surround yourself with nature
Explore the white quartz beaches, granite cliffs, forests and fern gullies in Wilsons Promontory National Park. Or slip on a mask and flippers and discover the brilliant-coloured marine life just off the shore. Don’t miss Croajingolong National Park, where the white beaches, towering eucalypts, lush rainforests and granite peaks are protected by a World Biosphere Reserve. Go underground in the 400 million-year-old Buchan Caves or white water rafting in Snowy River National Park. See the wildflowers of Mt Baw Baw and the ferns and towering ash trees of Tarra-Bulga National Park. You can picnic next to Agnes Falls, Victoria’s tallest single drop waterfall. Or relax in the low woodland and heath fringing Gippsland Lakes.

2. Get active in the great outdoors
Test your stamina in Gippsland, where a plethora of hiking trails connect the coastline to the Alps through wilderness and national parks.  In Gippsland’s high country you can ski or snowboard down Mount St Gwinear and Dinner Plains in winter. Or walk amongst wildflowers on the Bogong High Plains in spring. In summer, you can soak up the views of the Victorian Alps on a bush walk, horse ride and riding your mountain bike. Fish on the Mitchell Lakes or canoe or kayak on the Snowy River. Go water skiing at Bunga Arm, Newlands Arm or North Arm on the Gippsland Lakes. Or surf the world-class breaks at Cape Paterson, Venus Bay and Waratah Bay.


3. Eat, drink and be merry
Treat your taste buds with Gippsland’s delectable food, the product of lush pastures, rich volcanic soil and clean lakes and oceans. Wind your way past farms, vineyards, cheese factories and outlets selling delicacies on the 40-kilometre Gourmet Deli Trail. Or stick to exploring the region’s many cool-climate wine regions, including Phillip Island, Wilsons Promontory, Lakes Entrance and Ninety Mile Beach. Buy organic fruit and vegetables from the farmers’ markets at Koonwarra, Drouin, Sale, Tyers and Bairnsdale. Pick your own berries from orchards in Warragul or catch your own lunch on a trout farm at Lakes Entrance.

4. Seek sandy seduction
Ride the powerful waves at Venus Bay or Sandy Point. Or surf, swim, snorkel and scuba dive on the tranquil, family friendly beaches of Cape Paterson.  Stay in the scenic seaside resort town of Inverloch, the perfect spot for boating, bird spotting, wind surfing and walking. Nearby you’ll find dinosaur diggings and Eagles Nest, a rock structure shaped like the top of Australia. Explore the historic lime kilns, shallow rock pools and sandy coves at Walkerville Beach. From Seaspray and Lakes Entrance you can walk Ninety Mile Beach – a long stretch of sand which separates the Gippsland Lakes from Bass Strait.

5. Follow an Aboriginal heritage trail
Visit the Den of Nargun and learn about Dreamtime stories, traditional lifestyles, Aboriginal keeping places and the impact of European settlement on the Batatuk Cultural Trail. It follows some of the routes Gunai and Monaro people followed for over 18,000 years. See archaeological sites such as scarred trees and shell middens more than 10,000 years old and explore the cultural heritage of the Gunai people at the Krowathunkoolong Keeping Place in Bairnsdale.

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Great Ocean Road. Australia

Take a ride through nature on the spectacular Great Ocean Road, which winds alongside the wild and windswept Southern Ocean from Geelong to Portland. This diverse and dramatic region takes in surf beaches, historic ports, whale lookouts, breathtaking mountain ranges, rainforests and national parks.See monster waves at Bells Beach and laze on the golden sands of Lorne. Visit an important Aboriginal site near Tower Hill or spot shipwrecks near the charming fishing village of Port Fairy. Of course, you can’t miss the Twelve Apostles - craggy limestone stacks rising majestically from the Southern Ocean.
Five highlights of your Great Ocean Road trip

1. The spectacular coastline
Victoria’s dramatic south-west coastline covers an incredible range of scenery. See monster waves at the iconic surf spot of Bells Beach. Laze on the golden sands of Lorne. You can swim, surf, sea kayak or fish in Apollo Bay. Or soak up salty history in the charming old fishing village of Port Fairy. Enjoy family friendly swimming at Anglesea or get wild and windswept on Shipwreck Coast. Of course, you can’t miss the Twelve Apostles. These craggy limestone stacks rising majestically from the Southern Ocean are sure to leave you spellbound.

2. Wild and wonderful nature
From rainforests and rivers to old volcanoes and rugged coastlines, the Great Ocean Road showcases nature at it most diverse. In Great Otway National Park, you’ll see thundering waterfalls and sparkling gorges and walk through the tops of ancient mossy trees. Cruise through gorges and past spectacular caves at Cape Bridgewater. See ancient limestone towers that seem to float in the ocean at the Bay of Islands. Need to stretch your legs? You can see deserted sandy beaches, thick forests and some of Australia's highest sea-cliffs on the 91km Great Ocean Walk.

3. Wildlife everywhere
The Great Ocean Road is really one long, curving spectator stand for native animals. In Warrnambool, you can watch southern right whale whales during their annual migration. See koalas, kangaroos, emus and waterbirds roam freely at Tower Hill State Game Reserve. Enjoy a game of golf alongside grazing kangaroos in Anglesea. See koalas in the wild at Kennett River and in the Great Otway National Park. Check out hundreds of fur seals at Cape Bridgewater and watch glow worms put on a spectacular light show at Melba Gully in the Great Otway National Park. Swim with dolphins at Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. For something different, canoe alongside platypus on Lake Elizabeth at dawn.

4. Food, wine and all things fine
Need another sense to impress? The Great Ocean Road regions will tempt your tastebuds with sumptuous local produce, great dining and excellent wine regions. Go to the source for mouth-watering local delicacies. For seafood, step down to the wharf in any seaside town and be sure to visit the fishing co-ops in Lorne and Apollo Bay. Taste luscious berries from farms in Colac, Heywood, Gellibrand and Deans Marsh. Or get into the gourmet cheeses from delicatessens in Allansford, Timboon and Cooriemungle. Cool climate wineries stretch the length of the Great Ocean Road, so stop off for a drop at Colac, Apollo Bay, Timboon, Geelong and Henty. You’ll also enjoy fine food and warm hospitality in restaurants, cafés and tea rooms throughout the region.

5. Vibrant Aboriginal culture
Aboriginal stories connect the landscapes of the Great Ocean Road, from Wathaurong country in Geelong to the Gunditjmara region of the west. Taste bush tucker, learn about ancient remedies and watch boomerang throwing and didgeridoo playing in Geelong. Learn about the significance of the site nestled in an extinct volcano near Tower Hill from the Gunditjmara people. In heritage-listed Lake Condah, you’ll see the stone houses and fishing traps left from a permanent Aboriginal village.

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Kimberley. Australia

Ride a camel at sunset down Broome’s Cable Beach and soar over the towers of the Bungle Bungle Ranges. Cruise huge Lake Argyle and see tides taller than a building in the Buccaneer Archipelago. Four wheel drive the Gibb River Road past gorges and mighty rivers, or follow the red-dirt track from Broome to the remote Dampier Peninsula. Welcome to the Kimberley - a world of vast horizons, ancient gorges, weird rock formations, welcoming rock pools and golden beaches.

Five Kimberley wonders to discover

1. Broome: beaches, pearls and dinosaur prints

Ride a camel along the white sand of Cable Beach, the place to watch a blazing sun sink into the Indian Ocean. See 130 million-year-old dinosaur footprints preserved in rock at Gantheaume Point. Have a picnic dinner on Town Beach and watch the ‘Staircase to the Moon’, a spectacular, silvery illusion created by a rising full moon reflecting off the tidal flats of Roebuck Bay. It’s visible for three nights a month between March and October. When night sinks over the natural attractions, head to Broome's Outdoor Picture Garden for movies under the stars. Broome was once the centre of the world’s pearling industry, and today you can buy pearls, tour a pearl farm, visit a pearling museum or see the headstones dedicated to some 900 Asian pearl divers.

2. Kununurra: big waters, beehives and diamond mines

Take a scenic flight over the towering orange-and-black striped rocks of the Bungle Bungle Range in World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. Or camp and explore them by four wheel drive or foot. These fascinating geological landmarks rise up to 578 metres above sea level, sheltering gorges, crystal-clear pools, fan palms, rich wildlife and living Aboriginal history. Kununurra means 'big water' in the language of the traditional Aboriginal owners, and here you can also cruise down vast Lake Argyle past freshwater crocodiles, wallabies, wetland birds and dramatic cliffs.  Or appreciate its 1,000 square kilometers of grandeur by air. Canoe Lake Kununurra and swim in a deep waterhole under Black Rock Falls. Then visit the Argyle Diamond Mine and see the rare pink diamonds extracted from this ancient rock each year.

3. Dampier Peninsula: beach beauty and Aboriginal history

Four wheel drive the red-dirt road from Broome to Cape Leveque, where you can stay in the Aboriginal wilderness camp of Kooljaman. Sleep in safari-style or paper bark cabins, then snorkel, reef walk and explore old mission ruins with a local Aboriginal family as your guide.  Camp at Middle Lagoon and charter a boat or go mud crabbing with a local guide from Lombadina. Stay in the remote communities of Mudnunn, Chile Creek and La Djardarr Ba and visit Beagle Bay. The Sacred Heart Church here was built by Pallotine monks and Aboriginal people in 1917, all the way down to its mother-of-pearl shell altar. 

4. Derby and the Buccaneer Archipelago: islands, history and huge tides

See the sun set over the King Sound from Derby Wharf and fish from tides as tall as 12 metres. Learn about Aboriginal leader and outlaw Jandamurra on the Pigeon Heritage Trail and discover the art of the Mowanjum Aboriginal Community.  Don’t miss the 1,500-year-old Boab Prison Tree, with its girth of more than 14 metres.  From Derby, you can take a boat or fly to the islands of Buccaneer Archipelago, home to South Sea Pearl farms and the famous Horizontal Waterfalls. Take a scenic flight and see how massive tidal movements force the seawater ‘waterfall’ through a narrow gap in the cliff walls.

5. Gibb River Road and the Mitchell Plateau: gorges and great off-road adventure

Four wheel drive the 660-kilometer Gibb River Road from Derby in the west to Kununurra in the east, taking in Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek and the mighty Pentecost, and Ord Rivers. Travel into the remote Aboriginal community of Kalumburu, where you can stay; fish from the reef and rivers and camp on the beach at Honeymoon Bay and McGowan Island. For a really rugged adventure, discover the Aboriginal rock art and native vegetation of Mitchell River National Park. Trek Mitchell Plateau and see the majestic Mitchell Falls – a series of four waterfalls - cascade over layers of rock into a deep pool.

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Ningaloo Marine Park. Australia.

Join the tropical-coloured party at Ningaloo Marine Park, home to 200 species of hard coral, 50 soft coral and over 500 species of fish. 

Ningaloo is one of the world’s largest fringing reefs, stretching for 260 kilometres off Western Australia’s mid north coast. What’s more, its closest point is within 100 metres of shore so you can join the festivities just by stepping off the beach.

Five things to do in Ningaloo

1. Meet intriguing marine life 

Swim with the docile whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, who visit between April and June. Watch humpback whales between June and November and see rare turtle species hatch on guided, eco-interactive trails in January and February. Sea kayak from Exmouth and spot migrating whales and visit remote sites teeming with dugongs and turtles. Or join a boat tour to watch the spectacular mass coral spawning in March and April. You only have to step off the beach at Exmouth or Coral Bay to see clownfish bathing in anemone tentacles, lionfish and predatory moray eels as well as hundreds of other species of tropical fish. 

2. Slip on a snorkel and flippers

Snorkel through coral lagoons and gardens in calm, protected Coral Bay and meet graceful manta rays, dolphins and brightly coloured fish. If you’re ready for deeper waters, jump on a glass-bottom boat or join a snorkelling tour from Exmouth. Head to Lighthouse Bay or the classic desert Muiron Islands for spectacular reef diving. See sea creatures from small to big in the reef sanctuary of Bundegi Bombies, which has shallow waters perfect for entry level divers and snorkellers. More experienced divers can discover the diverse collection of large sponges, gorgonians and sea whips in the sponge gardens at the entrance to the Exmouth Gulf. Whatever level you are, Ningaloo has a piece of underwater Eden for you. 

3. Stay in salty seaside towns 

Stay in pretty Exmouth, where you can hire a car, join an eco safari or a beach, reef and game fishing tour. Learn to surf on the gentle waves of Wobiri, catch a left-handed swell on The Bombie or ride the reef breaks at Dunes Beach and Murion and Montebello Islands. Back in town, you’ll find accommodation to suit all budgets, from self-contained apartments to backpackers and campsites. Wander the yachting marina and visit the town's cafes, restaurants, boutiques and wine bars. Then have a yarn with the locals or other travellers over a beer at the local tavern. In the idyllic seaside town of Coral Bay you can stroll to everywhere. Snorkel, swim and feed fish off the beach, do a dive trip or take a scenic flight over the reef.

  
4. Have adventures on land and sand

Four-wheel-drive the Shothole Canyon Road or Charles Knife Canyon to Cape Range National Park, just 35 kilometres from the centre of Exmouth.  Here you can camp where spectacular gorges, carved by ancient rivers, meet Ningaloo’s coral reefs, clear blue seas and sandy beaches. Walk to Yardie Creek past wildlife and wildflowers, watching out for rare black-footed wallabies crouching on the steep walls. These mangrove areas shelter many bird species and marine animals. Or follow the three-kilometre walking trail through Mandu Mandu Gorge for panoramic ocean views. When it's time to dry off, explore more of the coastline on a four-wheel drive or quad bike. 

5. Go castaway

Join a day tour to the tranquil Muiron Islands, classic desert islands with tropical waters teeming with marine life and complex coral reefs. Dive or snorkel at Turtle Bay, a nesting sanctuary for turtles. You’ll find many other great dive sites just offshore, with colourful coral gardens in depths of 3 to 20 metres. Laze on a deserted beach or cast your line in the shallow waters for a giant trevally. For the ultimate in solitude and romance, get permission to camp overnight.

 

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Aganoa Black Sand Beach. Upolu. Samoa.

This deep-water sandy crescent beach offers safe swimming, snorkeling and picnicking. Access by land is a quite challenging 4WD only track, though boat excursions are avaible from the resorts in Maninoa village nearby. Extra caution is advised for swimmers as currents are somehow stronger during some parts of the year.

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