1. For wildlife: Mackay, Queensland
Surrounded by sugarcane and with a main street well shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is an excellent base for going to Eungella National Park.
This charming jungle has rivers rich enough in platypus to make seeing one almost guaranteed. Your best opportunity is at Broken River, where the seeing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines-- load a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.
Later on, go on walking tracks through the trees, suitable for birdwatching and goanna identifying, or head back to town for a stroll along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.
2. For impressive sunsets: Tower Hill, Victoria
Continue simply a little further west from the Great Ocean Road and you'll discover this volcanic crater. Surrounded by beds of ash, it's a fertile green sanctuary that is home to koalas and kangaroos aplenty.
The guided walks from the visitor centre will introduce you to the wildlife, in addition to to the Aboriginal history-- and you'll find out how to rustle up some bushtucker. However the sundown-- finest seen from the crater's rim-- is the centerpiece. Remain later visit a giant face in the snow on and join the guided night walk to see the animals at its most active.
3. For amazing photos: Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory
You'll need to dedicate to a long drive for this one-- however it's well worth it. Some 130km south of Tennant Creek, en path to Alice Springs, you'll find a geological phenomenon: a fistful http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection®ion=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/australia of rock marbles flung across the Wilderness.
Envision them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow serpent from the local Aboriginal story. In any case, they're perfect fodder for the eager professional photographer.
4. For red wine: Denmark, Western Australia
Let Margaret River keep its crowds of red wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you'll find a laid-back cluster of store wineries and hyper-local dining establishments beneath a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and visit Castelli Estate for fantastic Pinot Noir and Shiraz or hit Howard Park for wines that combine the very best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.
Do not miss out on Pepper and Salt for supper, where chef Silas utilizes the location's premium produce to create dishes inspired by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And visit in March or April for Taste Excellent Southern, which celebrates the area's exceptional regional fruit and vegetables.
5. For an extraordinary journey: The Nullarbor Plain, South Australia
Superlatives are plentiful on the Nullarbor-- it's the world's biggest single piece of limestone, the world's longest stretch of straight train track and even deep space's longest golf course.
All that produces one long (however legendary) drive, stressed only by lookouts over the Great Australian Bight (next stop Antarctica), dusty roadhouses and the odd pitstop to strike a golf ball, if you're so likely.
6. For camping and climbs up: Freycinet National forest, Tasmania
Freycinet may be one of Tassie's most checked out websites, however that does not mean you'll bump into anyone else on a stroll here. Go out on the 31km peninsula circuit and you'll soon get rid of any fellow visitors (so bring lots of water) as you tramp anti-clockwise around the peninsula from the Hazards Beach Track to the Wineglass Bay lookout.
Camping is at Cooks Beach and there's time to climb up Mount Freycinet (the summit is 620m above sea level). As soon as you're done, kick off those treking boots and dig your toes into the unspoiled white sands of Wineglass Bay.
7. For unbeatable hiking: New England National Park, New South Wales
Ancient rainforest cloaks the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, much of it an inaccessible wilderness that would quickly pass for the Amazon. New England National Park opens up this UNESCO World Heritage rain forest for visitors, providing strolling routes through the snow gums and lookouts from which the view extends all the way to the coast.
Take the Eagles Nest track, a 2.2 km loop, and you'll see Antarctic beech trees covered in fungi, endemic beech orchids and trickling waterfalls, often frozen in winter. You'll eventually reach Point lookout for those scenic rainforest views.