Set off the coast of South Australia, rugged Kangaroo Island is one of the best places to see Australia’s unique animals including kangaroos, koalas and sea lions. The island is also home to diverse habitats, including woodlands and wetlands, while its craggy coast is characterised by rocky bays, strange rock formations (including Remarkable Rocks, pictured) and lofty cliffs. Devastatingly, though, swathes of the island have been severely affected by raging bushfires in late 2019 and January 2020.

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A short hop from culture-packed Melbourne lie the wild beaches, rocky bays and spectacular headlands of Phillip Island. Home to a colony of Australia’s native little penguins, it's unsurprisingly a popular spot for wildlife spotting. A staggering 32,000 of the little birds live in the waters around Phillip Island, many of which have their burrows around Summerland Beach. It also has one of the country’s largest colonies of fur seals: head to Seal Rocks at the far southwestern tip to see some of them.

Follow the Dove Lake Circuit trailhead to get the best views of Tasmania’s iconic peak Cradle Mountain as it rises over mirror-like Dove Lake. Part of the island state’s vast Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia’s deepest freshwater lake, the piercing blue Lake St Clair, is also here, as well as ancient temperate rainforest and an extraordinary range of native animals. Keep watch for kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils and the famously elusive platypus as you roam about this spectacular national park.

Stretching 249 miles (400km) from Torquay to Nelson on the South Australian border, the Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s most spectacular coastal drives. Hugging the dramatic Victorian coastline, you’ll pass forests, rocky seashore platforms, wild surf beaches and towering cliffs with soaring views of the Southern Ocean-lashed coast. Famous rock formations include the Twelve Apostles and London Arch. You’ll also spy wildlife along the way: kookaburra, kangaroos and koalas are all common sightings.

The setting for Australia’s most iconic man-made wonders and historic sites, Sydney’s sparkling harbour is also one of the country’s most stunning natural wonders. An inlet of the Tasman Sea, the natural harbour’s wide entrance is framed by a series of headlands known as the Sydney Heads. Named Port Jackson by Captain Cook in 1770, the waterway includes the North Harbour, Middle Harbour, Sydney Harbour, and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers. It is dotted with islands, criss-crossed by ferries and edged with little coves where Sydneysiders go to swim and sail.

Deep in the heart of Australia, the Simpson Desert is where you’ll find some of its most stark and striking landscapes – rolling red sand dunes, sandstone bluffs and salt pans – and rare wildlife. Covering some 55,000 square miles (143,000sqkm), it straddles three states (Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia) and is also one of the country’s most harsh and unforgiving regions. Temperatures can soar past 50°C (122°F) in summer so the desert is closed between December and March for safety reasons.

Breathtaking doesn’t begin to cover the view as you stand buffeted by wind on top of the vertical cliffs of the large oceanic bight in South Australia. On the southern edge of the Nullabor Plain, the Bunda Cliffs, which reach heights of between 200 and 400ft (60 and 100m), are one of the park's most spectacular sights. It's also a top spot for watching southern right whales as they migrate between May and October – this is an important calving area for the endangered marine mammals. Around 80% of Australia’s native sea lion population are also found here.

Enter an ancient wilderness that’s just hours from Sydney but could be from another millennia. An endless landscape of scenic canyons, towering cliffs, wild rivers and serene forests, it was in Wollemi National Park in the northern Blue Mountains that one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species was found. Presumed extinct until discovered in a remote canyon in 1994 by a bushwalker, the Wollemi Pine belongs to a 200 million-year-old plant family. However, this is sadly another area which has been damaged by the severe bushfires of late 2019 and early 2020.

An age-old meeting place for the Adnyamathanha people, this gaping amphitheatre of mountains known as Wilapena Pound is one of endless jaw-dropping sights in the surreal landscape of this epic national park. Home to the Flinders Ranges, South Australia’s largest mountain range, other notable landmarks are the Heysen Range and the Brachina and Bunyeroo gorges. Beyond its dramatic geological features, the park has plenty of flora and fauna – follow trails along its pretty river red gum-lined creeks to spy wildlife.

Shrouded in mystery, thanks to Joan Lindsay’s novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, this jagged outcrop in the Macedon Ranges is another of Australia’s intriguing geographical formations. Peppered with caves, tunnels and overhanging boulders, the distinctive rock formation was used for sacred ceremonies and initiations by the Dja Dja Wurrung, Woi Wurrung and Taungurung people, who are said to have avoided its summit believing it to be inhabited by evil spirits. But if you’re not easily spooked, the views from the top are spectacular.

Walk around an oasis of ancient cycads and a waterhole deep in the heart of Kings Canyon, a vast chasm where sheer sandstone cliffs form a horseshoe around the green floor, which is known as the Garden of Eden. Located in Watarrka National Park, 141 miles (227km) southwest of Alice Springs, the best times to explore this beauty are at sunrise and sunset when the rugged canyon blazes. Take the Kings Canyon Rim Walk to see the oasis, the weathered domes of The Lost City and ascend the cliffs for incredible views over the scorched landscape.

Australia’s largest national park is so full of wonders that it demands days to do it justice. One of the highlights has to be a dawn cruise around the Yellow Water Billabong to watch the park's birds come to life and spot crocs lurking beneath. As well as its extraordinary wetlands, the park has lush rainforests, rocky gorges, waterfalls, swimming holes and the oldest Indigenous rock art in the world. You’ll find it at Burrunggui (Nourlangie Rock), pictured, as well as sweeping views of the ancient landscape.

You know about the Northern Lights but did you know about the Southern Lights? Aside from Antarctica, Tasmania is the best place to see the magical swirls of reds, pinks, oranges, purples and greens, known as Aurora Australis, light up the sky. It is possible to see this phenomena all year round but as dark skies are key, the best bet is in winter (June to August). Bruny Island (pictured) is a beautiful place to hold out a stake out.

Discover unexpected places to see the Northern Lights here

Crashing down into a deep gorge in the heart of the craggy Grampians National Park, MacKenzie Falls is one of Victoria’s largest and most impressive waterfalls. See it from above by following the path to the viewing platform at the Bluff or challenge yourself on the steep trail to the base of the falls for a different perspective on the thundering cascade. The national park is full of spectacular waterfalls – be sure to visit Fish Falls and Beehive Falls too.

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Another of the Northern Territory’s colossal natural formations, the mighty Nitmiluk Gorge (sometimes known as Katherine Gorge) is a sight to behold. The vast chasm has been carved out of the sandstone cliffs by the Katherine River over thousands of years. In fact, it’s made up of 13 separate gorges and steeped in sacred places to the Jawoyn people. The best way to appreciate its size is by canoeing along the river to gaze up at the sheer cliffs and pass by its waterfalls and ancient rock art sites.

Swim in spring-fed emerald pools beneath crashing waterfalls deep in the scorched depths of Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Site of some of the state's most striking scenery, Karijini National Park is known for its cavernous gorges and enticing creeks. It is home to a wide variety of birds and reptiles too, as well as red kangaroos, euros, rock-wallabies, echidnas and several bat species. Huge termite mounds also dot the landscape.

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