For those who don’t know anything about the land down under, Australia is a big, beautiful, dangerous and exciting place to visit. While you may have visited the main cities, you are actually only touching a fraction of the entire continent.
That’s why we decided to rank some of the most unique tourist attractions in Australia. Not your usual Bondi beach (which is awesome) or Yarra Valley (also great), but those off the beaten track that really highlight some of the most unique aspects of the country.
READ MORE: Get started on your next trip down-under with our Australia travel guide
From beautiful unspoiled beaches to secluded areas that have a rich heritage and cultural significance for the people, we voted on the 10 best and most unique tourist attractions in Australia.
Here are the best tourist attractions in Australia
- Kings Canyon
- Fraser Island
- The Pinnacles
- Kangaroo Island
- Exmouth
- Broome
- Tasmania
- Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
- Uluru
- Kakadu National Park
Kings Canyon
If you’re heading up north in Australia, you should visit Watarrka National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory. Over there, you’ll find Kings Canyon which a staggeringly large area with stunning scenery. In fact, one of the main tourist attractions in Australia is the gaping gorge that was formed more than 400 million years ago as the sandstone eroded.
Be prepared for desolate desert landscapes, and large canyon walls that measure over a hundred meters in height. Other sights you wouldn’t want to miss are the jagged cliffs, rock formations, and more.
For the locals around the area, Kings Canyon provides fresh water and a place of refuge and respite from the searing sun. It is a sacred site for those around it and has been for thousands of years. Because of the harshness of the terrain and hot climate, be sure to stay hydrated during the visit or hike.
Be warned that temperatures across the Northern Territory can be very hot between October and March, going over 40 degrees celsius in some locations.
Fraser Island
Separated from the mainland by the Great Sandy Strait, Fraser Island lies just off Queensland’s southeast coast. This is the world’s largest sand island, stretching well over 100 kilometres and is a popular place for locals and a few tourists who make the trip.
It has a unique ecosystem that offers beautiful white sandy beaches with sand cliffs lining its shores and then lush rainforests, dense mangroves, and coastal dune systems around the island. What tops it off are the amazing fresh water lakes around the entire island.
For nature lovers, it is one of the best tourist attractions in Australia. Just within Great Sandy National Park, it offers access to Australia’s amazingly diverse fauna such as dingoes, dolphins, wallabies, and whales. You can also camp on the island and is a great place to hike for everyone.
The Pinnacles
If you’re visiting the Nambung National Park, you should definitely visit The Pinnacles. Located not far from the small town of Cervantes in Western Australia, it is a truly remote place that is under-appreciated. It is now a protected site in Australia and one of the most unknown tourist attractions in Australia.
The Pinnacles resemble tombstones and actually number in the thousands. There are not that many similar phenomenons around the world. While there is still debate around how the formations came to be, there has been a slight increase in popularity from visitors and also has a thriving wildlife ecosystem around it.
Kangaroo Island
If you haven’t had the chance to visit beautiful Kangaroo Island off the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, you’re missing out on one the best kept secrets. As the name suggests, you can see Kangaroos hopping along the shores, and even catch sea lions and penguins around the clear waters. Just step in-land and see the koalas on their eucalyptus trees.
It is a popular choice for some divers, where you can spot sea dragons in the temperate waters, and explore the many wrecks that lie offshore.
Visit the Flinders Chase National Park there to see the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, which are unique rock formations. And for those looking for a bit of adventure, you’ll find plenty of hiking trails along the cliffs and in the forests. However, it is not all untouched wilderness, as it has a thriving local population with amazing restaurants and more.
Exmouth
If you are looking for good diving or snorkelling spots, you must visit the coastal town of Exmouth, which is adjacent to the Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Reef. Known for its rich biodiversity and amazing marine life, it is a great spot for those who fancy the open seas.
Located north of Perth, Exmouth has one of the longest fringing reefs in the world. One of the main highlights is being able to swim with the harmless whale sharks and even do some bird watching at Yardie Creek. If you love history, you can even take a guided walk through the Mandu Mandu Gorge, which has been inhabited by humans for about 30,000 years.
Broome
This small peninsula, Broome is located on the northern coast of Western Australia. With both Darwin and Perth, the two nearest cities, over 2,000 kilometres away, it is one of the most remote beach resorts in the country.
Most visitors to Broome go to Cable Beach, which is widely thought to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia. For those who like a bit of the finer things, you can enjoy cocktails on the beach and then head over to one of the many spas at the luxury resorts around the town.
It does offer more than that as well, with rock formations at Entrance Point and the red cliffs and dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point, just a short trek away. If you’re looking for more, take in the Horizontal Falls, and even explore the Dampier Peninsula and the Kimberley Region.
Tasmania
Yes, we do mean the entire island state of Tasmania. While it may be isolated from the rest of the country but it still remains one of the best tourist attractions in Australia. Because of its fragile beauty, almost half of the area is protected by the Australian government.
With a vibrant city life in Hobart, that benefits from having some of the best local produce anywhere in the world, it has probably one of the best local restaurant and bar scenes in the entire country. Local breweries and wineries are great places to explore the alcohol scene in the country.
Tasmania is also best known for its amazing wildlife with desolate wilderness and plateaus, but also including stunning white beaches, waterfalls, and forests. One of the best things to do is to take a boat trip along its craggy coast and see dolphins, penguins, and seals along the way.
Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
If you’re still in Tasmania, you should definitely check out the Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park. This is a national treasure and definitely one of the best tourist attractions in Australia. Known for its amazing lakes, alpine heathland, and dense forests, the park is also home to the 1,616-metre Mount Ossa, the highest point in Tasmania.
You have to hike through the park, with great trails like the Weindorfer Walk, a six-kilometre loop through dense forests, and Lake Dove Walk, through Cradle Mountain (1,545 metres). From the top of Cradle Mountain, you can see stunning views of the central highlands. If you are an experienced hiker, you may want to challenge yourself with the famous 80-kilometre Overland Track, which runs south from Cradle Valley to stunning Lake St. Clair, Australia’s deepest lake.
When you’re there, remember to keep an eye out for Tasmanian devils, wombats, wallabies, pademelons, and platypus, all of which are unique to Australia.
Uluru
Come for the views and stay for the history at the great sandstone monolith, Uluru. Just a short flight from either Sydney, Darwin or Cairns, it is not difficult to get to at all. Apparently, the pictures do not do it justice, as Uluru has become such an important symbol of local Indigenous culture and Australian culture as a whole.
The location has spiritual significance, and climbing the monolith has been banned. However, you can still feel the history and significance by walking around the base and admiring it from afar. During different times of the day, the sunlight hits it in different ways and changes the colour of Uluru.
Kakadu National Park
As one of the original homes for Aboriginal people dating back over 40,000 years, Kakadu National Park has a vast culture and historical significance in Australia. The park has over five thousand ancient rock art sites and contains some stunning natural sights.
This immense park, which measures almost 20,000 square kilometres, is one of the best tourist attractions in Australia. It has diverse ecosystems contained within the park’s boundaries, from sandstone escarpments to large waterfalls and pools, throughout the entire vicinity. Visitors are also encouraged to learn about some of the ancient rock paintings to understand the ancient civilisation. Despite having a lot of visitors, the sheer immensity of the park means you are likely to have your own space regardless of when you visit.
There’s our list of the the top 10 tourist attractions in Australia that are quite unique or we feel are under-appreciated. Do you have any suggestions or did we miss anything? Drop us a message or comment down below and let us know.
