November 2022 - January 2023

Australian Traveller

The most trusted guide to travelling this great country

Australian Traveller2 min read
Editor’s Letter
APPARENTLY, THERE ARE THOUSANDS of towns in Australia, so when we decided to put it out to our subscribers, industry partners and contributors to tell us their absolute favourites, to be collated into a Top 50 list, we ended up with a long list of co
Australian Traveller1 min read
Australian Traveller
EDITORIAL Editorial director LEIGH-ANN POWDeputy editor IMOGEN EVESONWriter + chief sub editor CARLA GROSSETTI ART Art director ANITA JOKOVICH CONTRIBUTORS Design JULIAN JONESEditorial EDWINA HART ONLINE Digital editor-in-chief KATIE CARLINDig
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Australian Traveller1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Let’s Get Ready
The sweet, sour, spicy and salty flavours of Southeast Asian cuisine collide at Rumble, the bold new joint housed within The Star Sydney’s dining precinct making pre-show dinners more interesting – located as it is a quick hop from the Lyric Theatre.
Australian Traveller1 min read
Online
Whether you’d prefer to cosy up in a quaint cottage, base yourself in a sleek apartment or rest up in a nature retreat – Launceston has a fantastic range of Airbnbs to suit any style. The only guide you’ll ever need when it comes to Mudgee’s thriving
Australian Traveller1 min read
Wish You Were Here
Adapted from Tim Winton’s acclaimed novella, Blueback is a coming-of-age movie starring Mia Wasikowska that showcases the coastline of Western Australia’s Great Southern region at close range. At Winton’s suggestion, Bremer Bay was chosen as the loca
Australian Traveller2 min read
Pillow Talk
Sydney’s slickest new stay has opened within a 36-storey mixed-use tower in the reimagined Porter House precinct. The Porter House Hotel – MGallery began life as a tobacco factory and warehouse in the 1870s. While the exterior draws attention for its
Australian Traveller6 min read
Wine + Dine
You won’t need to consult a map to find Rumble, tucked away neatly at The Star Sydney. Start at the Michael Reid Art Bar and then stroll along until the aromas of garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander hit you. Chef Benjamin Tan’s menu sings of Southea
Australian Traveller2 min read
Country Charms
Not all pubs are created equal. And this beach-side beauty pays its dues when it comes to honouring its history as the former Commonwealth Bank building in Main Street Mornington. The Bay Hotel was restored to its former glory by Liam Ganley, of the
Australian Traveller3 min read
If Walls Could Talk
WHEN BEN CHIFLEY was serving as prime minister of Australia (1945–1949), he would often field calls from Canberran housewives ordering “a quarter pound of steak, some corned beef, and a half-dozen sausages”. The calls were mistakenly made to his offi
Australian Traveller3 min read
Nitmiluk National Park
CONSIDERED THE JEWEL in the crown of the vast Katherine region, Nitmiluk National Park covers more than 292,008 hectares in a colourful collision of ancient cultures and the type of raw, rugged nature that takes your breath away. It’s famous for its
Australian Traveller2 min read
What’s On
Opera on Cockatoo Island launches this November with an edgy new adaptation of Bizet’s much-loved Carmen. Acclaimed mezza-soprano Carmen Topciu will take on the title role of the fiery gypsy for Opera Australia’s open-air event, which includes motorc
Australian Traveller2 min read
Enter The Fray
NAME: ARKHÉ LOCATION: NORWOOD, ADELAIDE, SA DESIGN FIRM: STUDIO GRAM ONE OF THE HOTTEST Adelaide restaurants to have opened in the past year (thanks in no small part to the young-gun chef at the helm, Jake Kellie), Arkhé has taken out the top hospita
Australian Traveller3 min read
Emica Penklis
As a child, our family holidays were always to… Our family, with very humble beginnings, mainly went camping to the now uber-popular Yamba (1). We spent the entire time swimming and stayed at the Blue Dolphin Holiday Park. Now if I have time for a sh
Australian Traveller2 min read
Next Level
ON 3 DECEMBER, the Art Gallery of New South Wales will unveil the biggest cultural project undertaken in the city since the Sydney Opera House redefined our Harbour City almost half a century ago. At the heart of the $344 million Sydney Modern Projec
Australian Traveller3 min readPopular Culture & Media Studies
Rebel By Design
CONFRONTATIONAL. Controversial. Rule breaker. Iconic. Brilliant. All of these descriptives have been used to encapsulate Alexander McQueen, the British designer who famously ascended from humble beginnings on a council estate in London’s East End to
Australian Traveller1 min readArchitecture
Gardens Worth Wandering In
From manicured hedges to rambling floral fields, take a tour of some of the prettiest gardens in some of Australia’s loveliest towns. Book a tour of this pristine private garden with the celebrated designer who created it, Paul Bangay. Located an hou
Australian Traveller2 min read
Urban Ambles
If you want to soak up some of Sydney’s famous coastline, the Bondi to Coogee walk is six kilometres of impressive scenery. An easy footpath hugs the coast all the way, undulating around sculpted sandstone cliffs and headlands and dropping in at nume
Australian Traveller3 min read
Fun In The Sun
A POSITIVE OUTCOME of the pandemic lockdowns has been unveiled at the multi-award-winning Drift House (drifthouse.com.au), located in Port Fairy just beyond Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. With time on their hands, owners John Watkinson and Colleen Guin
Australian Traveller1 min read
Weekends
The cultural renaissance of Newcastle, the second-largest city in NSW, continues with the all-guns-blazing arrival of QT – the famously outré and arty Aussie hotel brand – in another one of its landmark buildings that holds memories galore for Novoca
Australian Traveller1 min read
Five Of The Best Summer Reads
1 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks makes a triumphant return with Horse (Hachette, $39.99), bringing together diverse characters through a mysterious equine artwork found on the side of the road. 2Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (
Australian Traveller3 min readRegional & Ethnic
Balancing Act
WINEMAKING IS, AT HEART, an exercise in balance. Each vintage is a new chapter in the eternal quest to find the perfect balance between acid and tannins, allowing fruit flavours to shine without overwhelming the delicate aromatics. And yet, all too o
Australian Traveller3 min read
Twist And Shout
EVEN BEFORE I ENTER QT Hotel Newcastle – the just-minted transformation of a retail icon in the heart of the city – I’m greeted with fun and high energy. Delightfully clad in riotous colour, the ‘Director of Chaos’ offers a smiling welcome and a prec
Australian Traveller4 min read
Eumundi, Qld
THE LOCALS NOW CALL IT NEWMUNDI. And while the bohemian enclave of Eumundi has long been on the map for travellers visiting the Sunshine Coast hinterland, it’s increasingly being seen as more of a stopping point than a place to simply swing by. Full
Australian Traveller4 min read
East Coast Gems
IT’S ALL ABOUT A SENSE OF ARRIVAL as you pull up in an aqua taxi to spend the weekend on your own private island. This is luxury, Australian style: the privilege of exclusive access to unadulterated nature and being safe in the knowledge that your ar
Australian Traveller3 min read
1 Broome, WA
THERE IS SOMETHING INDEFINABLE about Broome. Fringed by an ancient and unrelenting desert, this town in Yawuru Country is an ocean-side oasis that exhibits a certain flimsiness. It’s as if any attempt to hold her would yield instant dissolution, leav
Australian Traveller4 min read
3 Noosa, Qld
THE WORD IS DEFINITELY OUT: Noosa is a very special place. It’s become our perennial family favourite: the swimmers, the wanderers, the adventurers, the foodies, the weary mums, tribes of kids – all enticed by different temptations. It seems we’re fa
Australian Traveller3 min read
2 Port Douglas, Qld
PORT DOUGLAS IS A VIVID PLACE, crayoned in blues and greens and popping with colour from pretty flowers and foliage. It’s where southerners go to be liberated from their heavy coats and boots in winter and to escape their city lives over summer. It’s
Australian Traveller3 min read
5 Mudgee, NSW
MUDGEE, HOME TO TRIBES FROM the Wiradjuri Nation, feels far from the highway. You get a sense of space here, as the road from Sydney steadily gains elevation through the Blue Mountains before stretching into the broad Cudgegong Valley beyond. Mudgee
Australian Traveller5 min read
4 Cairns, Qld
CRYSTALBROOK FLYNN IS THE FUN ONE of the bunch: a social butterfly of a five-star hotel. True to form, there’s a giant chocolate freckle waiting to welcome me when I check into my Sea View Suite, where splashes of hot pink enliven a luxe coastal pale
Australian Traveller2 min read
6 Port Fairy, Vic
JUST BEYOND THE END of the Great Ocean Road, historic Port Fairy could be the perfect set location for a British detective series. The spirits of whalers, sealers and fishermen may live on its 60-plus National Trust-classified buildings, but the town
Australian Traveller2 min read
7 Bright, Vic
IF THERE’S A PRETTIER TOWN in Australia, I’m yet to see it. Bright may well be located in the fissures of north-eastern Victoria, but you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to a 19th-century mining town in Colorado. Set at the south-e
Australian Traveller4 min readDiet & Nutrition
8 Orange, Nsw
ORIGINALLY A SYDNEYSIDER, YOU MOVED TO ORANGE IN 2019. WHAT DREW YOU TO NSW’S CENTRAL WEST? We started off as tourists. We’d come to Orange F.O.O.D Week. My partner Sarah [Crowley] is from Orange and we’d visit her family. We picked the food festiva
Australian Traveller2 min readRegional & Ethnic
9 Margaret River, WA
WHILE THE LOW-RISE streets of Margaret River town have their draws – a smattering of walls streaked with murals; pavements draped with a canopy of foliage; and chunky benches crafted from locally sourced timber to perch on as the sun warms your back
Australian Traveller2 min read
10 Echuca, Vic
THERE’S A FORCE THAT LURES PEOPLE to Echuca, and it’s like the pull of the moon. They come as kids, then return with their own families. They come for the sense of calm and connection. That force is the mighty Murray River. At 2508 kilometres, it’s A
Australian Traveller3 min read
11 Beechworth, Vic
AS A HISTORIC GOLDMINING TOWN that was once the stamping ground of infamous bushrangers, Beechworth could stray into contrived tourist-trap territory. Instead, the north-east Victorian town is experiencing a renaissance thanks to an entrepreneurial c
Australian Traveller3 min read
12 Yamba, Nsw
FOR AN AUSTRALIAN COASTAL town with an outstretched hand to would-be holidaymakers, Yamba is a little unique. Long has the town welcomed guests to frolic in her surfside waters, weary from road trips and keen to let the sunlight evaporate burdens of
Australian Traveller2 min read
13 Esperance, WA
WHEN I MOVED TO Western Australia nearly two decades ago, Esperance was my first stop. I still wonder if I should’ve stayed there. I spent six weeks working at the local ABC, and with every dawn drive past tourmaline-blue ocean polka-dotted with isla
Australian Traveller2 min read
15 Byron Bay, NSW
IT’S EASY TO MAKE FRIENDS in Byron Bay. It’s full of people from elsewhere with infectious energy and impulses. It’s a holiday town, where every day is a shindig and tourists extend their stay so long they become accidental locals. Head to the northe
Australian Traveller2 min read
14 Broken Hill, Nsw
STEEL YOURSELF FOR THE DEEP, rich vein of far-out experiences and panoply of paradoxes that define Broken Hill, starting with its unmissable ‘mullock’ heap, which rises over a town centre crisscrossed by streets named in honour of dug-up bounty such
Australian Traveller2 min read
16 Daylesford, Vic
“I OFTEN DESCRIBE DAYLESFORD as the Byron Bay of Melbourne. It’s a gorgeous melting pot of artisans, delicious wholefood, coffee, restaurants and wineries,” says Jodi Flockhart, actor, presenter and co-owner of Sault Restaurant, a destination diner o
Australian Traveller3 min read
17 Alice Springs/Mparntwe, NT
TODD MALL IS ALMOST DESERTED. I have arrived into Alice Springs/Mparntwe on a hot Thursday in the aftermath of the last of the COVID lockdowns, and it seems to be taking the Central Australian town, which sits on the Traditional Land of the proud Cen
Australian Traveller4 min read
18 Bowral, NSW
I’VE BEEN SPENDING TIME in the NSW Southern Highlands town of Bowral since I was a mere slip of a girl. Growing up just 45 minutes away meant it was our chosen ‘Sunday drive’ destination, and the place we’d head for weekends away to mark family miles
Australian Traveller3 min read
19 Port Macquarie, Nsw
THERE SEEMS TO BE AN unending expanse of sky and sea in Port Macquarie, so much so that it’s hard to distinguish where one stops and the other begins. The two seem interchangeable, the far-off horizon stretching forever, like a frayed blue ribbon. Yo
Australian Traveller2 min read
20 Airlie Beach, Qld
OH AIRLIE BEACH, are you the most misunderstood town in Australia? You don’t even really have a beach, do you? You’re more a collection of tiny golden-sand bays that drain right out at low tide. And visitors use you – don’t they? – as a stepping ston
Australian Traveller2 min read
21 Kiama, Nsw
THE TOWN OF KIAMA HAS STOOD in silent witness to the famed Sydney summer holiday exodus (similar to Africa’s mass migration of wildebeest only with SUVs and boogie boards) for decades. A scenic two-hour drive from the city centre, the town is at the
Australian Traveller3 min read
22 Albany, WA
MY FRIENDS ARE SURPRISED when I tell them a visit to Albany is like a blind date that goes really, really well. The description on the brochure, a port town in WA’s great South West, did little to highlight the revelatory conversation starters the to
Australian Traveller2 min read
24 Ballarat, Vic
A 75-MINUTE DRIVE WEST of Melbourne, Ballarat was voted Victoria’s Top Tourism Town in 2021 and is recognised as a UNESCO Creative City. Its rich culture of artisans and dynamic culinary offerings tucked into reinvented goldrush buildings is a winnin
Australian Traveller2 min read
23 Bendigo, Vic
ORNATE ALEXANDRA FOUNTAIN stands proud in the middle of Pall Mall as cars loop around it. Wide streets are lined with Victorian-era architecture, and hectares of lush parkland are dotted with trees that are almost as old. Like an aristocratic lady, B
Australian Traveller2 min read
26 Palm Cove, Qld
HOW DOES ONE ARTICULATE what makes Palm Cove, an exclusive beachside village located at the halfway point between Cairns and Port Douglas in Tropical North Queensland, such a perfect holiday destination? You go to your British mother-in-law, of cours
Australian Traveller3 min read
25 Berry, Nsw
SO, YOU’VE DECIDED IT’S TIME for a weekend getaway. You’re craving a coastal retreat for some sand and sun. Then again, you’ve been imagining a rural idyll with green pastures dotted with dairy farms and award-winning wineries. The good news is it’s
Australian Traveller2 min readDiet & Nutrition
27 Launceston, Tas
IN 2021, LAUNCESTON WAS named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, an official acknowledgment that Tasmania’s second-largest city is truly a delicious destination. You could call it a knock-on effect from Hobart-based tourist vortex Mona, which draw
Australian Traveller2 min read
28 Busselton, WA
LIKE MANY MEDIUM-SIZED regional cities, Busselton has a bypass road that has both pros and cons. For years, people en route to the Margaret River region would take the shortcut. Lately though, drivers – myself included – are veering around the rounda
Australian Traveller2 min read
29 Merimbula, Nsw
THERE’S A REAL CHARGE in the atmosphere in Merimbula. It’s full of van lifers, surfers and grey nomads, and children enjoying the type of holiday their parents knew, all of which adds layers to the region’s appeal. Sit down by the sea for long enough
Australian Traveller2 min read
30 Lorne, Vic
A SCENIC SEASIDE TOWN on the world-famous Great Ocean Road, Lorne has a casual, coastal vibe with an emphasis on soaking up the good life. Whether it’s food, culture or the great outdoors, Lorne’s beachside restaurants, bushwalks and waterfalls will
Australian Traveller2 min read
31 Denmark, Wa
Where to brunch: Breakfast is served all day, every day at MRS JONES CAFE, in what used to be the town’s butter factory. Secure a table in the garden, then wander around the adjoining art gallery while you wait for delights to arrive. Where to roam:
Australian Traveller3 min read
33 Coffs Harbour, NSW
COFFS HARBOUR LOCALS know better than to leave town for a beach holiday. Why would they? Instead, they take advantage of the city’s idyllic 30-degrees latitude (which leads to mostly sunshine-filled days and a minimal chance of rain) to surf, swim an
Australian Traveller4 min read
32 Hahndorf, Sa
THE HALLOWED HALLS of the 159-year-old Hahndorf Inn are filled with the melodic sounds of German polka music. The jovial tunes are played by Herman and Heidi – a husband-and-wife duo who perform on matching vintage accordions while dressed in traditi
Australian Traveller2 min read
34 Kununurra, WA
Side note: Hoochery Distillery is the oldest operating legal still in WA. I DIDN’T WANT TO HOLIDAY in Kununurra. I was only going to the East Kimberley town to get groceries on the way to El Questro, a 283,000-hectare slice of majestic Kimberley wil
Australian Traveller2 min read
35 Exmouth, Wa
IT’S ALL ABOUT REEF AND RANGE in Exmouth, Australia’s Top Small Tourism Town of the Year for 2022, which sits pretty at the northern gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. This rare and protected proposition covers 604,500 hectares and st
Australian Traveller4 min read
36 Robe, SA
YOU KNOW CROISSANTS ARE important to a small town when no less than three artisan bakers serve its 1542 residents. Robe, on South Australia’s limestone-clawed coast, takes its flaky French pastries seriously – they’re usually sold out before noon. De
Australian Traveller2 min read
38 Sorrento, Vic
AUSTRALIA’S BEST VANILLA slice. It’s a hotly contested title and the ensuing discussion has been known to cause furious debate. But I don’t need a verdict. I’m quite happy to eat my way through a shortlist, which is one delicious reason to visit Sorr
Australian Traveller2 min read
37 Longreach, Qld
THERE’S A LOT OF BEAUTY seeping through the somewhat post-apocalyptic outback Queensland landscape of steep stony escarpments and red earth stubbled with native grasses. The Longreach Region is at the heart of this untouched wilderness and proving mo
Australian Traveller4 min read
39 Bathurst, Nsw
I HAVE THE FEELING THAT I am being watched. I’m sitting in a giant bay window looking out to uninterrupted rolling countryside, its subtle green and taupe shadings muted by the corpulent clouds that hang low in the sky. I’m utterly alone and yet I ca
Australian Traveller2 min read
41 Mooloolaba, Qld
I FIRST VISITED MOOLOOLABA about 20 years ago to enjoy a beach holiday with my beau that revolved simply around the surf and sand. But these days, I would drop anchor in Mooloolaba for a multitude of reasons. For starters, I’d make a pilgrimage here
Australian Traveller2 min read
40 Forster, NSW
I FIND A SHADY spot at the top of the sand dune that rises from the northern end of One Mile Beach. With the rhythm of the ocean in my ear, I pull out my book and lose track of time. This is the appeal of Forster. With its yawning beaches, restful ho
Australian Traveller2 min read
43 Warrnambool, Vic
THREE HOURS WEST of Melbourne, Warrnambool is on the rise. The town is growing with city folk arriving in search of a sea change, but it’s at that sweet spot where you can still enjoy a relatively undeveloped seaside town as well as a little luxury a
Australian Traveller3 min read
42 Narooma, NSW
THE ROAD BENDS BACK and forth time and again as you arrive in Narooma, and the vistas are incredible. The big draw is the blue water, which is a national marine park home to sea lions, whales, dolphins, octopuses and a vast congregation of manta rays
Australian Traveller3 min read
45 Yeppoon, Qld
THE NEW BYRON BAY. It’s a phrase rolled out often as holidaymakers and sea changers continue their quest to find the perfect under-the-radar spot that hasn’t yet peaked to roll out their towel or take out a mortgage – ideally a place that blends all
Australian Traveller2 min read
44 Bellingen, Nsw
FOR ME, BELLINGEN MIGHT just be the perfect town. Perhaps that’s because I grew up in Glastonbury, New Age capital of England, so I feel right at home with Bello’s bohemian vibes. On the Traditional Lands of the Gumbaynggir people, it lies on the wid
Australian Traveller2 min read
46 Dubbo, NSW
I RELOCATED FROM MELBOURNE in 2015 to complete my Certificate III in Captive Animals and have worked as a zookeeper for the past six years. I love my work. When I first arrived at the zoo, my favourite animal was the lion. That’s since changed. Worki
Australian Traveller2 min readRegional & Ethnic
47 Gerringong, Nsw
AT FIRST FLUSH, THE GREEN HILLS of Gerringong look a little bit like England. The cows grazing nonchalantly on pasture that rolls, dramatically, all the way down to the edge of the cliffs. The unabashed bucolic nature of the scene looks clipped strai
Australian Traveller2 min readArchitecture
49 Leura, NSW
JUST A 90-MINUTE DRIVE from Sydney along the Great Western Highway, which gently wends its way this way and that up the Blue Mountains, the delightful township of Leura (situated on the Traditional Lands of the Gundungurra and Dhurag people) is a pop
Australian Traveller3 min read
48 Kalbarri, WA
KALBARRI HAS BECOME MY FAMILY’S accidental winter getaway. I say accidental because I never planned it to morph into an annual tradition. It was meant to be a quick stopover on our way to the dugong and dolphin zones of Shark Bay, another four hours
Australian Traveller2 min read
50 Stanley, Tas
A SLEEPY FISHING HAMLET flanked by sweeping green hillsides and known for its wild seascapes, Stanley was crowned Tassie’s Top Tourism Town for 2021. Its heritage streetscape with chocolate-box weatherboards looks straight out of a movie set (and in
Australian Traveller3 min read
Honourable Mentions
The town of Maleny is delightfully situated high in the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, and is surrounded by rolling countryside and lush rainforests. Walking is a big drawcard here – the eco-friendly Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great
Australian Traveller1 min read
Come With Us...
WHAT MAKES A JOURNEY truly amazing? For one person it is setting out on an off-grid walk in engulfing nature to forge strong bonds based on shared experiences in somewhere as wild and remote as Tasmania’s takayna/Tarkine. While for another it is foun

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