No matter what your travel style, you’re sure to find somewhere to enjoy in Australia.
Want adventure? Take your pick from activities including abseiling down ancient rocks to bikeriding across deserts. Want culture? Experience rock paintings that are tens of thousands of years old, as well as the cutting-edge MONA gallery in Hobart. Want to get away from it all? As one of the most sparsely populated continents on Earth, there are plenty of spectacularly beautiful places where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Here are our favourite five places where you can get away from it all.
Anglers Rest, Victoria
Around 30 kilometres from Omeo in Victoria’s High Country, Anglers Rest is home to a pub, some old cottages, the best trout fishing around and little else. But that’s all part of its charm, as is the journey to get to Anglers Rest. You can take the winding road from Omeo, or meander through Mount Beauty, or travel through the delightful alpine town of Bright. But if you are after something a little bit different, you can travel to Anglers Rest the way they used to – on horseback.
Situated on the edge of the stunning Alpine National Park, visitors often come here to put their feet up and enjoy nature. As the name suggests, there is great fishing, or you can enjoy a cold one and some country hospitality at Blue Duck Inn, one of the great Australian pubs.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia
There’s something about going to an island that makes you feel like you’re escaping. Even more so if that island is Kangaroo Island. Just off the coast of South Australia, Kangaroo Island has been used as an escape since European colonisation, although the type of people escaping has definitely changed.
It used to be seen as a destination for the more wild convicts and deserters in Australia, whereas now you’re more likely to find mainlanders enjoying the incredible natural beauty and wildlife of the island. The north side of Kangaroo Island is an idyllic stretch of bays and coves, whereas the south coast is more wild, as it’s buffeted by the Southern Ocean.
You can reach Kangaroo Island by plane or by ferry, and once you are there you’ll have your pick of what type of escape you are after, from isolated camping spots to cosy bed and breakfasts.
Lord Howe Island, New South Wales
Contrary to what you might think, this spectacularly beautiful island in the middle of the Tasman Sea plays host to only 400 people at a time – plus the 300 people who are lucky enough to call this island home.
Situated 600 kilometres north-west of Sydney, Lord Howe Island is a two-hour flight from either Sydney or Brisbane. This trip doesn’t seem long enough to transport you to the tropical paradise that awaits.
Browsing online, you’ll find many people have named Lord Howe Island their favourite destination on the planet, and its spectacular natural beauty has been recognised by UNESCO putting the island on the World Heritage list. You can choose from a variety of accommodation, from luxury resorts to apartments, as well as picking your style of escape – whether that’s getting active by climbing Mount Gower, or relaxing on one of the glorious beaches.
Quobba Station, Western Australia
For those of us who live in major cities, there’s not much that feels more removed from our regular lives than spending time on a working cattle station on Western Australia’s outback coast like Quobba Station.
Quobba Station is situated north of Carnarvon, on the bottom of Ningaloo Reef. Ningaloo Reef is Western Australia’s answer to the Great Barrier Reef, and Quobba Station’s scenery is just as impressive as you’d imagine.
Relaxing on one of the isolated beaches lining Quobba Station’s 80 kilometres of coastline, you’ll feel as though the sun, the sand and the water have washed all your cares away.
Southwest National Park, Tasmania
One of Australia’s true remaining wilderness areas, Southwest National Park is on the west coast of Tasmania and is home to some of the most extraordinarily beautiful and harsh landscapes in the country. At times, it really does feel like one of Australia’s last frontiers, and you one of the intrepid adventurers exploring this region.
There are no barriers between Southwest National Park and the rain and wind of the Southern Ocean. This has created a landscape unlike any other in Australia, from the rugged peaks to the drowned river valleys of the national park. You can experience the region on foot, by car or by boat (the lakes have some of the best trout fishing in Tasmania). Southwest National Park will feel like a world away from your regular life.
Where are your favourite places to escape from the hustle and bustle of regular life?
