MyPassportStory
Your travels, worth telling.
MyPassportStory › Destinations › Australia
🇦🇺Things to Do in Australia
From the Sydney Opera House to the Great Barrier Reef - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Australia is roughly the size of the continental US, so most trips pick a coast rather than trying to cross the country. The east coast strings together Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef and Melbourne's Great Ocean Road; the Red Centre and Uluru sit apart, usually reached by a dedicated flight. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge
Australia's most recognizable landmark, on a harbour that's worth seeing from a ferry as much as from land. Climbing the Harbour Bridge is a separate, bookable activity for the wider view.
📍 Sydney
🚉 Nearest station: Circular Quay, where the trains, ferries and light rail meet - the Opera House is a five-minute walk east and the bridge stairs a similar walk west.
Great Barrier Reef
The world's largest coral reef system, reachable by boat from Cairns or Port Douglas. Reef health varies by section due to bleaching events, so ask operators which reef sites they're currently visiting.
📍 Cairns & Port Douglas, Queensland
🚉 Cairns and Port Douglas are the mainland bases: Cairns has a station on the Queensland coastal line, and the reef pontoons are reached only by catamaran from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Uluru
A massive sandstone monolith sacred to the Anangu people, who ask visitors not to climb it - a request in place since climbing was formally banned in 2019. Watching it change color at sunrise or sunset is the standard way to experience it instead.
📍 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory
🚉 There is no rail or scheduled bus to the rock - fly into Ayers Rock (Connellan) airport, which has free shuttles to the Yulara resort village, then shuttle buses or a hire car to the base.
Great Ocean Road
A coastal drive from Melbourne past the Twelve Apostles limestone stacks. Three to four days lets you actually stop at the lookouts rather than just passing through on a rushed day trip.
📍 Victoria
🚉 The road itself needs a car: trains run from Melbourne to Geelong, then V/Line coaches continue to Apollo Bay, but the Twelve Apostles have no public service at all.
Melbourne
Known for laneway cafes, street art, and a livelier food and coffee culture than Sydney's - the Queen Victoria Market and the Royal Botanic Gardens are both easy additions to a city stay.
📍 Melbourne
🚉 Nearest station: Flinders Street, the city's landmark terminus, with the free City Circle tram running from outside it around the CBD and out to Docklands.
Bondi Beach, Sydney
Sydney's best-known beach, with the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk as a scenic way to see several more beaches along the same stretch of coast.
📍 Sydney
🚉 Take the train to Bondi Junction, then bus 333 or 380 for the 10-minute run down to the sand - the beach itself has no station.
Kangaroo Island
Off the coast of South Australia, home to koalas, sea lions and kangaroos in something closer to the wild than a typical wildlife park - much of the island's habitat has recovered since major 2020 bushfires.
📍 South Australia
🚉 The SeaLink ferry from Cape Jervis, about two hours by coach from Adelaide, crosses to Penneshaw in 45 minutes; there is no public transport on the island, so bring a car or book a tour.
Daintree Rainforest
The oldest surviving tropical rainforest on Earth, in Far North Queensland, where the forest meets the reef along the coast near Cape Tribulation.
📍 Far North Queensland
🚉 From Cairns, drive or take a shuttle 90 minutes north to the Daintree River, where a cable ferry crosses to Cape Tribulation - no bus service runs beyond the ferry.
Mark Australia, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Australia?
Two weeks suits one coast well - Sydney, the Great Ocean Road and Melbourne, or Sydney plus the Great Barrier Reef. Uluru usually adds a dedicated 2-3 day side trip given the flights involved.
What's the best time to visit Australia?
September-November and March-May avoid both peak summer heat and the wet season in the tropical north. Remember the seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere - December-February is Australian summer.
Is Australia good for a first-time visit?
Yes, though the distances are larger than they look on a map - domestic flights are usually more practical than driving between regions like Sydney, the Red Centre and the Great Barrier Reef.
Do I need a visa to visit Australia?
Most visitors need an electronic visa or ETA before arrival, even for a short tourist stay - there is no fully visa-free entry to Australia regardless of nationality. Check the official visa information for your nationality: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
What are some things to do in Australia on a tight budget?
Sydney's beaches and coastal walks, and Melbourne's laneways and free trams within the city centre, cost nothing. Many national parks charge only a small vehicle entry fee, and free walking tours run in most major cities.
Can I rent a car in Australia, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and for the Great Ocean Road, Kangaroo Island or the Red Centre there is no alternative. A foreign licence in English is accepted for visits in every state; if it is in another language, carry an International Driving Permit or an official English translation alongside it. Rental minimum age is usually 21, with a surcharge under 25 and a credit card required. Two Australian specifics matter: distances are far longer than they look on a map, and standard rental insurance is normally void on unsealed roads, which rules out much of Kangaroo Island and the outback unless you hire a 4x4 on the right terms. State road rules are linked from australia.gov.au; cars come from Hertz, Avis and Europcar.