Sydney, Australia

Three Great Days in Sydney, NSW

Three Great Days in Sydney

Explore the harbour, beaches and inner-city precincts of this exuberant city. See dawn break from the top of the Harbour Bridge or the sun set on the Opera House. Fine dine along the Woolloomooloo finger wharf or experience theatre and dance along the redeveloped wharves of Walsh Bay.  Take the ferry to Manly, walk from Bondi to Bronte along the spectacular sea cliffs or relax in a beer garden with harbour views in Watsons Bay. Discover the unique character of Surry Hills, Kings Cross, Glebe, Newtown or Balmain. Spend your final day indulging at wineries, restaurants or day spas of theHunter Valley.

The Rocks, NSW

The Rocks

Sydney’s early convict days live on in the Rocks, a jumble of cobblestone streets and cul-de-sacs just five minutes from Circular Quay. You only have to step off the harbour foreshore to find the sandstone terraces and cottages and some of Sydney’s oldest pubs. This historic precinct also draws both visitors and locals with its museums and galleries, lively weekend markets and hotels with harbour views. The past and present collide in the best way in the Rocks, home to both ghostly tours and some of Sydney’s liveliest celebrations.

Sydney Harbour N.P., NSW

Sydney Harbour National Park

Beyond its landmark buildings, Sydney Harbour National Park shelters secluded beaches, picturesque islands and rare pockets of native bushland. Swim, picnic and bushwalk along the spectacular foreshore or visit harbour islands on a ferry. Go sailing or kayaking, get up close to wildlife and discover ancient rock art and convict-built buildings. The harbour’s bays, parks and headlands are also natural grandstands for some of Australia’s biggest events, from New Year’s Eve fireworks to the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Bondi to Bronte, NSW

Bondi to Bronte

Sydney in summertime is all about its coastline, and few stretches are as iconic as the sea-sculpted section from Bondi to Bronte. Learn to surf at Bondi, join the beautiful people in Tamarama and swim in Bronte’s family-friendly rock pool.  See all three beaches on the Bondi to Bronte walk - a short, spectacular coastal trail along epic sandstone cliffs.

Sydney's Beaches Beckon, NSW

Sydney's Beaches Beckon

Sydney’s beaches will be beckoning before you even land in Botany. You might see them flying in – a long, golden chain split across both sides of the harbour and fringed by green bush and sea. Or the welcome video on the plane might start famous images of Bondi Beach repeating in your head. If you’re an avid surfer, sun-worshipper or just love the sea, you’ll be itching to get onto the waves, smelling the salt air or nestled nicely on the sand.

Glebe, NSW

Glebe: Books and Bohemians

Find ideas and ideals in Sydney’s bookwormish inner-city village. 
Glebe is the bookwormish and often overlooked sister amongst Sydney’s glamorous inner-city suburbs. But who needs a high profile or designer fashion when you have ideals and intellectual mettle?

Sydney Mardi Gras, NSW

Sydney Mardi Gras

Sunny, subversive, cosmopolitan and camp – welcome to Sydney during its annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Whether you’re straight, gay, old or young, you’ll love the gleeful, glamorous energy rippling through the city from late February. Celebrate the festival opening at Fair Day – a huge community party in Sydney’s inner-west. Watch a convoy of sequins, satirical slogans and spray tans wind along Oxford St in the world’s biggest gay pride parade.  Dance the midsummer night away in the lush Royal Botanic Gardens or at the powerhouse finale party. Enjoy queer and quirky performances at the Sydney Opera House and other venues across the city.

Sydney - Hobart Yacht Race, NSW

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

You don’t need to be a sailing buff to enjoy watching the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Beginning on Boxing Day, December 26, the race is an iconic part of our Australian summertime.  See the yachts sail out of the harbour heads with a picnic, barbeque or boat cruise on Sydney Harbour. Cheer as they cross the finish line in time for new year’s eve celebrations in Hobart. In between, marvel at the sailors’ fortitude, and fret with the rest of Australia as they battle the turbulent passage of Bass Strait.

Bondi Beach, NSW

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most famous beaches and well-known worldwide. It has probably featured on more postcards and more television shows and films than any other in Australia.

Each year tens of thousands of people, from backpackers to billionaires, take to the golden sands of this wide, one-kilometre long city beach expanse to walk, jog, or just soak up the sun. Being only 10 kilometres from the city centre, Bondi Beach is one of Sydney’s busiest beaches. There’s a host of events held here all year round from community art shows to city to surf running marathons.

Manly Beach, NSW

Manly Beach

Manly Beach is another of Australia’s most popular suburban beaches along Sydney’s long stretch of northern coastline. Manly Beach was named in 1788 by Captain Arthur Phillip, the first governor of New South Wales, because he was impressed by “the confidence and manly behaviour” of the area’s original Aboriginal population. Take the majestic Manly ferry from Circular Quay and in half an hour you’ll be at Manly Wharf. ‘Only seven miles from Sydney and a million miles from care’ is a phrase often quoted by the people of Manly. When you visit this seaside town you will quickly realise why.

Coogee Beach, NSW

Coogee Beach

With a shimmering beach, magnificent coastal walk and protected marine reserve with excellent surfing, snorkelling and scuba diving, Coogee sums up the classic Australian beach lifestyle. Coogee Beach has a sweeping stretch of golden sand, historic ocean baths and plenty of green parks for barbecues and picnics, all only 20 minutes from the busy centre of Sydney. It’s an ideal beach for families, with safe swimming and lifesavers on patrol all year round. Coogee is also one of Sydney’s oldest suburbs, with many historic buildings. The surrounding cliff tops offer spectacular bush walks and some of Sydney’s most panoramic views.

Palm Beach, NSW

Palm Beach

A little over an hour’s drive from the city, Palm Beach is at the exclusive end of Sydney's long stretch of northern beaches. It sits at the end of a long peninsula, with surf on one side and Pittwater on the other. Many of the country’s wealthy have built their holiday houses here. Fans will also recognise Palm Beach as the mythical village of ‘Summer Bay’ where the hit TV series Home and Away is filmed. The two-kilometre long, golden beach curves from Barrenjoey Head at the southern head of Broken Bay, to the sandstone rocks of Little Head in the south.

Three Weeks from Sydney, NSW

Three Weeks from Sydney

Start your Australian adventure in Sydney, where you can climb the Harbour Bridgeand visit the Opera House. Close to Sydney’s fringes, explore the World Heritage-listedBlue Mountains or the vine-lined Hunter Valley. Swim with dolphins in Port Stephens or in sparkling Jervis Bay.

Sydney

Discover Sydney, Australia’s famous harbour city and the capital of New South Wales.

Plan your Sydney holiday using our three-day itinerary, which takes in the attractions around Sydney Harbour, beaches and inner-city precincts. Read up on the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains and the Six Foot Track bushwalk.

Learn about other places to visit in New South Wales and scenic journeys you can take from Sydney. Drive the Pacific Coast Touring Route north to Brisbane past the Hunter Valley, Port Stephens and bohemian Byron Bay. Or head south to Melbourne via the pure white beaches of Jervis Bay.

Check out Australia’s other cities and get ideas for the rest of your Australian holiday. Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road and Australia’s Red Centre are all possible in a three-week holiday from Sydney.
For more Sydney holiday ideas, read our articles on the Hunter Valley, Sydney’s sparkling beaches, the Bondi to Bronte walk and the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race

Sydney and Surrounds

Soak up Sydney’s gorgeous harbour, seductive outdoor lifestyle and great natural beauty. Kayak under the Sydney Harbour Bridge or wave at the Opera House as you ride a ferry across the harbour to Manly. Learn to surf at Bondi Beach or swim in the calm waters of Coogee. Lose yourself in the cobblestone cul-de-sacs of The Rocks or in the markets, boutiques, cafes and pubs of Paddington. As well as a world-famous harbour and more than 70 sparkling beaches, Sydney offers fabulous food, festivals and 24-7 fun.

Five can’t-miss Sydney experiences:

1. Explore the historic Rocks

Discover Sydney’s colorful convict history in the harbourside quarter where it all began. Just five minutes from Circular Quay, you can hear stories of hanging and hauntings on a ghost tour, wander the weekend markets or climb the span of the Harbour Bridge. In amongst the maze of sandstone lanes and courtyards, you’ll find historic workman’s cottages and elegant terraces, art galleries, hotels with harbour views and Sydney’s oldest pubs. See people spill out of them onto a party on the cobblestone streets when The Rocks celebrates Australia Day on January 26th, Anzac Day on April 25th and New Years Eve.

2. Hit the world-famous harbour

Sail past the Opera House on a chartered yacht or paddle from Rose Bay in a kayak. Take a scenic cruise from Circular Quay or Darling Harbour, past waterfront mansions, national parks and Shark, Clark, Rodd and Goat islands. Tour historic Fort Denison or learn about the life of Sydney’s first inhabitants, the Gadigal people, on an Aboriginal cultural cruise. Watch the harbour glitter from the green parklands of the Royal Botanic Gardens, which curves around its edge. Or take in the view from a waterfront restaurant in Mosman, on the northern side of the bridge, or Watsons Bay at South Head. Walk from Rose Bay to Vaucluse or Cremorne Point to Mosman Bay, on just some of the 16 spectacular routes hugging the harbour foreshore.

3. Visit Manly on the ferry

Travel across Sydney Harbour on a ferry to Manly, which sits between beaches of ocean surf and tranquil inner harbour. Wander through native bushland on the scenic Manly to Spit Bridge walk, learn to scuba-dive at Cabbage Tree Bay or ride a bike to Fairy Bower. Picnic at Shelly Beach on the ocean and sail or kayak from Manly Wharf round the harbour. Hire a scooter and do a round trip of northern beaches such as Narrabeen and Palm Beach. Explore the shops, bars and cafes along the bustling pine tree-lined Corso and dine at world-class restaurants with water views.

4. Enjoy café culture and top shopping in Paddington

Meander through the Saturday markets, browse fashion boutiques on bustling Oxford Street or discover the antique shops and art galleries in upmarket Woollahra. Visit the 1840s Victoria Barracks Army base, open to the public once a week, and see restored Victorian terraces on wide, leafy streets. Ride or roller-blade in huge Centennial Park, then stop for coffee and lunch on Oxford St or in the mini-village of Five Ways. Catch a movie at an art-house cinema or leaf through a novel at midnight in one of the huge bookstores. Crawl between the lively, historic pubs. They hum even more after a game at the nearby stadium or a race day, when girls and guys arrive in their crumpled trackside finery.

5. Walk from Bondi to Coogee

Take in breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean as you walk the winding, sea-sculpted sandstone cliffs between Bondi and Coogee. Swim in the famous Bondi Icebergs rock pool or just watch the swimmers with a sunset cocktail from the restaurant above.  See wild waves in Tamarama, nicknamed Glamarama for the beautiful people who lie on its golden sand. From mid-October to November, the stretch from here to Bondi is transformed into an outdoor gallery for the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition. You can surf, picnic on the grass or stop for a coffee at family-friendly Bronte. Or swim, snorkel or scuba dive in Clovelly and tranquil Gordon’s Bay. See the graves of poets Henry Lawson, Dorothea Mackellar and aviator Lawrence Hargrave in Waverley Cemetery, on the edge of the cliffs. Finish your tour in the scenic, backpacker haven of Coogee.

Red Centre

You probably know about the red monolith in Australia’s Red Centre.

You may know it’s sacred to the Aboriginal people here, and that it turns some spectacular colours at sunrise and sunset. You might not know that you can experience it through Aboriginal eyes, or that there are many other sacred and breathtaking sites here in Australia’s vast centre. Uluṟu’s cousin Kata Tjuṯa is just 40 kilometres away and you’ll find the awe-inspiring Kings Canyon not far from Alice Springs. You might not realise that this landscape has green vegetation and lush waterholes as well as dusty red roads and huge slabs of rock.  And what you won’t really understand until you get here is the magic, majesty, silence and splendid isolation of Australia’s Red Centre.

Five places you must visit in the Red Centre:




1. Alice Springs and surrounds

Stay in the famous outback town of Alice Springs, which sits in Australia’s red heart just 200 kilometres south of its geographic centre. From here you can bushwalk, four wheel drive or join a camel trek across the rolling sand dunes of the Simpson Desert. Bike ride to Simpsons Gap at dawn, discover different Aboriginal art styles along the Tanami Track and explore the rock art, artefacts and ceremonial sites near the small Aboriginal community of St Teresa.




2. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

See Uluṟu rise 348 metres from the desert in the deep centre of Australia, matching the light and weather with hues so vivid they upstage the sunset. Walk around Uluṟu’s base with an Aṉangu guide, and learn how it was created by spirit ancestors in the Dreamtime. You can even trace the battle scars they left behind. See Uluṟu on a motorcycle, from the back of a camel or on a scenic helicopter flight. Drink in its sunset glow with a glass of champagne, then return to a campfire dinner of barramundi, emu or kangaroo underneath a starlit sky. Just 40 kilometres away you’ll find Kata Tjuṯa - steep, rounded, russet domes formed through more than 500 million years of erosion. You can experience both wonders in Uluṟu- Kata Tjuṯa National Park, which offers tours by Aboriginal guides and accommodation ranging from campsites to luxury resort.




3. Kings Canyon and Watarrka National Park

Trek to the rim of Kings Canyon for breathtaking views across the rugged bluffs and gorges of Watarrka National Park. The canyon’s towering rock walls shelter palm-filled crevices and pockets of lush green in otherwise inhospitable desert. See rare plants from a lone-gone wetter age and swim in the tropical pools of the Garden of Eden. Explore the weathered rock domes of the Lost City. See sunset at Carmichael Crag, take the Kathleen Springs Walk to a pretty waterhole or trek overnight on the Giles Track.  If camping doesn’t appeal, spend the night in a resort or wilderness lodge.




4. Finke Gorge National Park

Four wheel drive next to towering sandstone cliffs and the mostly sandy Finke River. Mostly dry in Finke Gorge National Park. Explore the desert oasis of Palm Valley, the only place in the world you’ll find the Red Cabbage Palm. You can meander through the slender palms on the Arankaia Walk or the longer Mpulungkinya Walk. Afterwards, follow the short Kalaranga Lookout Walk for spectacular views of the rock amphitheatre circled by rugged cliffs. Or learn about the mythology of the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people on the popular two-hour Mpaara Walk. See long-limbed gums stretch over glimmering water and mountain ranges turn from purple to burning ochre in the setting sun.




5. MacDonnell Ranges

Walk the Larapinta Trail or Emu Dreaming path to Ormiston Gorge and Pound, past graceful red river gums, wallabies and cool, clear waterholes.  Marvel at the gorge’s sheer walls rising 300 metres out of Ormiston Creek, then dive into the waterhole that is 14 metres deep. You can also cool off in Ellery Creek Big Hole, Redbank Gorge and picturesque Glen Helen Gorge. See rock wallabies in and around the ridges and ghost gums of Simpsons Gap. Walk to Standley Chasm and see its steep walls blaze red in the midday sun. Don’t miss the 20 kilometre wide crater at Gosse Bluff, or Tnorala to the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people. Their dreaming story is a little more magical than the scientific explanation which says it was formed by a comet crashing to Earth about 130 million years ago. In the East MacDonnell Ranges, you can bush walk, camp, four-wheel-drive and visit Trephina Gorge and the gold rush ghost town of Arltunga.

Kakadu National Park, Australia

Come and explore World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, around three hours east of Darwin.
Here in Australia’s biggest national park, you’ll find rugged escarpments, lush rainforest and rock art galleries up to 50,000 years old. Learn about Aboriginal culture from traditional owners the Bininj/Mungguy people. Witness millions of migratory birds amongst the wetlands. See delicate waterlilies and prehistoric crocodiles, thundering waterfalls and sparkling waterholes. Experience Kakadu’s magic in six dramatically different seasons. Kakadu is a tapestry of treasures waiting to be explored.

Five ways to take in Kakadu:




1. Rocking out with Aboriginal art

Kakadu is home to one of the world’s highest concentration of Aboriginal rock art. See rock crevices cut by Dreamtime ancestors at Nourlangie Rock. Or view a painting of Lightning Man, the Dreamtime ancestor who still controls the violent wet season lightning storms, in the nearby Anbangang Gallery. Check out a painting of the Rainbow Serpent and some of the world’s finest examples of X-ray art at Ubirr Rock. You’ll see hand prints of animals, hunters and Dreamtime figures, as well as shelters, stone tools, grindstones, rock art and ochre for ceremonial paint. Learn how the art depicts Kakadu’s social, cultural and natural history on a guided tour or through the interpretative signs.




2. With rare and ancient flora and fauna

Take the Gubarra Pools Walk past sandstone cliffs to shady monsoon forests or the Bubba Walk through wetlands rimmed with paperbarks, pandanus, cycads and lotus lilies. See the spectacular Jim Jim Falls which drop more than 250 metres. Cruise the East Alligator River and Yellow Water past crocodiles, barramundi, and birds such as magpie geese, brolgas, jabirus and white-bellied sea eagles. See jacana and jesus birds flying between lily pads. A quarter of all Australian freshwater fish species, and over one third of Australian bird species can be found in Kakadu.




3. With the spirit of adventure

Four wheel drive to Koolpin Gorge or the base of the Arnhem Land escarpment and camp overnight. Or join a four wheel drive tour to key locations such as Jim Jim Falls and Barramundi Gorge. Take in Kakadu’s majesty and size on a scenic flight or catch a barramundi with an experienced sports fishing guide. Glide down East Alligator River on an Aboriginal culture cruise or paddle a canoe to majestic Twin Falls. Bushwalk through monsoonal forest, past waterfalls and clear plunge pools.




4. In tune with the seasons

You need to visit Kakadu more than once to appreciate its dramatically different seasons. The local Bininj people have classified six, beginning with the thundering waterfalls and dazzling lightening of the Gudjewg monsoon season between January and March through to the hot dry weather of the Gurrung months in August and September. See blossoming paperbarks next to billabongs filled with waterbirds in the Banggerreng season of April. Enjoy pleasant temperatures and clear skies in the Wurrgeng cold weather months between June and August. Soak up this changing scenery on a sweeping flight over the landscape or up close on a bushwalk, billabong or river cruise.




5. Driving Nature’s Way

Start in Darwin and wind through a wetland wilderness steeped in Aboriginal culture and pioneering history on the Nature's Way touring route. It takes you from World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to Litchfield National Park and Nitmuluk National Park. Canoe down the Katherine River, swim in waterfalls at Litchfield and see the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal rock art at Kakadu. Here you can hike to the top of Gunlom Falls, made famous in the movie Crocodile Dundee as Echo Pool, explore rock pools and cook a campfire meal at the base of Arnhem Land escarpment. For photographic, wildlife and bird watching enthusiasts, this is a dream drive, all on a fully sealed road that suits a two-wheel-drive.

Darwin and Surrounds

Soak up Darwin’s balmy weather and the melting pot of food and cultures in the city’s many outdoor festivals and markets. Then explore the region’s dramatic history – from World War II air raids to Cyclone Tracey – in the museums and galleries. Sail Darwin harbour at sunset, cruise next to crocodiles and bushwalk through monsoon forest. Swim in the crystal-clear waterholes of Litchfield National Park and visit the colourful communities of the Tiwi Islands. This vibrant, tropical capital has a youthful energy you’ll find hard to resist.
Five ways to discover Darwin and its surrounds:




1. At festivals, markets and on the harbour

In Darwin, the action happens outside - in markets, parks, by the beach or on boats. You can join the locals with a crate and a plate of sizzling satay at The Mindil Beach Sunset Markets from May to October. Or watch them build boats out of beer or soft drink cans at the annual Darwin Beer Can Regatta in July. At the Deckchair Cinema from April to November you can watch movies under a canopy of stars with a drink from the bar and a picnic dinner. Soak up Darwin’s tropical weather with a harbourside dinner at Cullen Bay Marina or a sunset harbour cruise complete with a history lesson.




2. With wildlife and in tropical parklands

Cycle past orchids and bromeliads and traditional Aboriginal plants in George Brown Botanic Gardens. Swim, have a sunset barbeque and explore sacred Aboriginal sites at Casuarina Coastal Reserve. In Berry Springs Nature Park, you can spot birds in monsoon forest and fish in the crystal clear swimming holes. Get up close to fish, birds-of-prey, nocturnal animals and reptiles in the Territory Wildlife Park, a 45-minute drive from Darwin. Have a close crocodile encounter at Crocodylus Park, the Darwin Crocodile Farm or on a crocodile cruise along Darwin’s coastal fringe and rivers.




3. Hot on the heels of history

Learn more about Darwin’s rich Aboriginal heritage in the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Here you can also relive the tragic Cyclone Tracy which hit Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974. See the Chinese Temple it nearly destroyed in Litchfield Street. Darwin endured 64 Japanese air raids in World War II, and you can watch dramatic footage of the bombings and visit the bunker where Top End defence strategy was planned at East Point Military Museum. See original B52 bomber planes at the Aviation Heritage Centre and a network of walking trails leading to World War II oil tunnels around the Wharf Precinct. In Myilly Point Historical Precinct you can see some of the few surviving cottages designed by  architect B.C.G Burnett in the colonial style popular before World War II.




4. Under the waterfalls of Litchfield National Park

Make time for a day trip to the waterfalls and plunge pools, wildlife and birdlife, ranges and rainforest of Litchfield National Park, a one-and-a-half hour drive from Darwin. Swim in the crystal-clear swimming hole at the base of Florence Falls and bushwalk through monsoon rainforest to Walker Creek. Picnic next to roosting fruit bats at Wangi Falls and see sweeping valley views at Tolmer Falls. Take a wildlife cruise on the Reynolds River, part of a working cattle station. Explore this Tarzan landscape with traditional Aboriginal owners the Wagait people or peer into a pastoral past in the ruins of Blyth Homestead.




5. On a trip to the Tiwi Islands

Join in the excitement of the Tiwi Islands Grand Football Final, held every March in Nguiu. Browse and buy Tiwi art, distinctive for its strong design, decorative features and vivid colours. Take billy tea and damper tea with Tiwi ladies as they demonstrate traditional weaving and painting. Then watch them perform a traditional dance and a smoking ceremony to clear bad spirits. Catch big barramundi on a fishing tour on the Tiwi coast.  You’ll find a warm welcome and a lush landscape of rainforest, beaches and rock pools on Melville and Bathurst Islands, together known as the Tiwi Islands. Explore them on a day or overnight tour, travelling a 20-minute flight or two-hour ferry from Darwin.

6 special places you can connect to Aboriginal Australia

1. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory

Visit Uluru and you’ll see why the rock and surrounding land have such huge spiritual significance for the Anangu Aboriginal people. According to their creation myths, ancestral spirits formed Uluru, which lies in Australia's red centre like an enormous, moody heart. Aboriginal guides will share these ancient tales as you walk around the rock’s base. Just 32 kilometres away is another sacred site - Kata Tjuta. You’ll be awestruck by these steep, rounded, russet domes over 3,500 hectares.

2. Kimberley, Western Australia

Featuring vast horizons and ancient gorges, the Kimberley region is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas. See Wandjina figures painted in caves and the mysterious Gwion Gwion paintings. Ride a camel on Broome’s breathtaking Cable Beach and 4WD the red-dirt road along the Dampier Peninsula. Learn the legend of the orange and black beehive domes of the Bungle Bungles and fly over vast Lake Argyle in Kununurra.

3. The Daintree, Queensland

More than 135 million years old, our stunning Daintree Rainforest is the oldest rainforest in the world. Traverse this canopy of green with traditional owners the Wujal Wujal people. Learn about bush tucker and fish for barramundi. See fresh-water crocodiles sunning themselves on the mangrove-lined river banks and rare tropical birds and animals, many of which are not found anywhere else on earth.

4. Coorong, South Australia

Become one with nature as you kayak along the lagoons and waterways of the Coorong. Your Ngarrindjeri guide will tell you about bush tucker, traditional medicines and the incredible local birdlife. As night falls, you can listen to stories unfold and smell the mouth-watering aroma of fresh damper (outback bread) as it is pulled from the embers of a campfire.

5. Gippsland, Victoria

Discover a rich Aboriginal history along Gippsland’s rugged coastline. Wander the fern gullies, sandy beaches and eucalypt forests of the sacred land now known as Wilsons Promontory National Park. Trace Aboriginal trading routes up to 18,000 years old. Watch local Aboriginal people make baskets, spears, shields and canoes in the traditional way at Bairnsdale. Or learn where the Dreamtime touched the rugged gorges, rainforest and gullies of Woolshed Creek.

6. Sydney cultural tours, New South Wales

Get a glimpse into the lives of Sydney’s original inhabitants on a harbour cruise or walking tour. You can learn the Aboriginal names and meanings of significant Sydney landmarks as you cruise the harbour with Aboriginal guides. Visit rock-carvings and old Aboriginal settlements and stop off for a traditional Aboriginal welcome on Clark Island. Off the boat, you can taste bush food and learn about Aboriginal use of plants on a walking tour through Sydney’s lush harbourside Botanical Gardens.