In much of Europe, summer 2023 will be remembered as a season of bad news for the travel industry. Wildfires have brought a new kind of danger to many southern resorts already suffering from a heatwave, forcing the British government amongst others to issue travel warnings at the height of the summer vacation period.
Undiscovered Australia: 7 places to get off the tourist trail
21.07.2023 - 08:38 / roughguides.com / Alice Springs
Australia is a vast country, though most visitors stay on the same tried and tested track, ticking off well-touristed pitstops along the way. But, of course, there's plenty more to see beyond the usual Sydney, rock and reef holiday triangle. Here’s our pick of the best places to escape the crowds Down Under.
Surrounded by sugarcane and with a main street well-shaded by tropical foliage, Mackay is a great base for visiting Eungella National Park.
This enchanting rainforest has rivers rich enough in platypus to make seeing one almost guaranteed. Your best chance is at Broken River, where the viewing platform is surrounded by ferns and vines – pack a picnic and wait a while in silence to see them.
Afterwards, take a hike on walking tracks through the trees, ideal for birdwatching and goanna spotting, or head back to town for a stroll along the golden sands of Harbour Beach.
© hammer.photo/Shutterstock
Continue just a little further west from the Great Ocean Road and you’ll find this volcanic crater. Encircled 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, as well as to the Aboriginal history – and you'll learn how to rustle up some bushtucker. But the sunset – best seen from the crater’s rim – is the main event. Stick around afterwards and join the guided night walk to see the fauna at its most active.
You’ll need to commit to a long drive for this one – but it’s well worth it. Some 130km south of Tennant Creek, en route to Alice Springs, you’ll find a geological phenomenon: a fistful of rock marbles flung across the Outback.
Imagine them as the eponymous marbles, or as the eggs of the rainbow serpent from the local Aboriginal story. Either way, they're perfect fodder for the keen photographer.
© totajla/Shutterstock
Let Margaret River keep its crowds of wine tourers and head instead to Denmark on the south coast. Here you’ll find a laid-back cluster of boutique wineries and hyper-local restaurants beneath a karri tree canopy. Head for the hills inland and visit Castelli Estate for great Pinot Noir and Shiraz or hit Howard Park for wines that combine the best of both Denmark and Margaret River grapes.
Don’t miss Pepper and Salt for dinner, where chef Silas uses the area’s gourmet produce to create dishes inspired by his Fijian-Indian heritage. And visit in March or April for Taste Great Southern, which celebrates the region’s superb local produce.
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Superlatives abound on the Nullarbor – it's the planet’s largest single piece of limestone, the world’s longest stretch of straight railway track and even the universe’s longest golf course.
All that makes for one very long (but epic)
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