Best places to visit in Australia: What’s too good to miss

By Forrest Brown, CNN
Updated 3:28 PM EDT, Fri October 25, 2019
<strong>Sydney:</strong> Australia is a wonderland for vacationers. Sydney, with its distinctive Opera House, is Australia's largest city and one of the top places to go. Click through the gallery to find 11 other destinations that make this country/continent such a draw:
Sydney: Australia is a wonderland for vacationers. Sydney, with its distinctive Opera House, is Australia's largest city and one of the top places to go. Click through the gallery to find 11 other destinations that make this country/continent such a draw:
Sydney Opera House Trust
<strong>Melbourne:</strong> People cross the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge in Melbourne, which makes frequent appearances at or near the top of best-places-to-live lists. The Southbank neighborhood is a big entertainment district in a city known for its lively cultural scene.
Melbourne: People cross the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge in Melbourne, which makes frequent appearances at or near the top of best-places-to-live lists. The Southbank neighborhood is a big entertainment district in a city known for its lively cultural scene.
Scott Barbour/Getty Images
<strong>Perth:</strong> Along the western coast, a couple enjoys the sand and surf of the Indian Ocean outside the city at Trigg Beach. Perth is a favorite for lovers of beaches and dry, sunny weather for most of the year.
Perth: Along the western coast, a couple enjoys the sand and surf of the Indian Ocean outside the city at Trigg Beach. Perth is a favorite for lovers of beaches and dry, sunny weather for most of the year.
courtesy Tourism Western Australia
<strong>Brisbane:</strong> This is the capital city of Queensland, and Kangaroo Point is an excellent place to take in the beauty of this part of Australia. Locals and tourists head here for entertainment venues and outdoor fun.
Brisbane: This is the capital city of Queensland, and Kangaroo Point is an excellent place to take in the beauty of this part of Australia. Locals and tourists head here for entertainment venues and outdoor fun.
Courtesy Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
<strong>Cairns:</strong> A couple strolls through the palm trees on the beach in Palm Cove, a suburb of Cairns. Located in the far north of Queensland, Cairns is one of Australia's most popular destinations, with a tropical climate and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.
Cairns: A couple strolls through the palm trees on the beach in Palm Cove, a suburb of Cairns. Located in the far north of Queensland, Cairns is one of Australia's most popular destinations, with a tropical climate and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.
Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
<strong>Great Barrier Reef:</strong> The colorful reef is the world's largest. It attracts snorkelers and divers to some of the most amazing underwater displays in the world. It's also in danger. Populations of marine life have dropped by about half in the past four decades.
Great Barrier Reef: The colorful reef is the world's largest. It attracts snorkelers and divers to some of the most amazing underwater displays in the world. It's also in danger. Populations of marine life have dropped by about half in the past four decades.
WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Uluru:</strong> The sun sets on Australia's sacred rock in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Once called Ayers Rock, it's a large sandstone formation in central Australia. The site and its surrounding area is sacred to the Anangu indigenous people. (Editor's note: A polarizing filter was used for this image.)
Uluru: The sun sets on Australia's sacred rock in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Once called Ayers Rock, it's a large sandstone formation in central Australia. The site and its surrounding area is sacred to the Anangu indigenous people. (Editor's note: A polarizing filter was used for this image.)
Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
<strong>Blue Mountains:</strong> A visitor walks on a line rigged between cliffs at Corroboree Walls at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains. The scenic national park also has plenty of stunning viewing options for the less daring. Sydney is your gateway city to this amazing area.
Blue Mountains: A visitor walks on a line rigged between cliffs at Corroboree Walls at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains. The scenic national park also has plenty of stunning viewing options for the less daring. Sydney is your gateway city to this amazing area.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
<strong>Rottnest Island: </strong>Situated offshore from Perth, Rottnest Island is one of Australia's favorites. What can you do here? Bike ride to one of its 63 beaches, dive for fresh crayfish and snorkel or dive in transparent turquoise waters. Make it a day trip or come for an extended stay.
Rottnest Island: Situated offshore from Perth, Rottnest Island is one of Australia's favorites. What can you do here? Bike ride to one of its 63 beaches, dive for fresh crayfish and snorkel or dive in transparent turquoise waters. Make it a day trip or come for an extended stay.
Courtesy Tourism Western Australia
<strong>Noosa:</strong> Want to get a little bit off the typical international tourist trail but still enjoy a classic Australian beach experience? Then head to Noosa in Queensland. Diving, fishing and relaxing on the beach are Noosa favorites.
Noosa: Want to get a little bit off the typical international tourist trail but still enjoy a classic Australian beach experience? Then head to Noosa in Queensland. Diving, fishing and relaxing on the beach are Noosa favorites.
Shutterstock
<strong>Atherton Tablelands:</strong> Gorgeous features such as Millaa Millaa Falls have been attracting outdoors lovers to Atherton Tablelands in Queensland for years. Birding and caving are just two of the popular activities here.
Atherton Tablelands: Gorgeous features such as Millaa Millaa Falls have been attracting outdoors lovers to Atherton Tablelands in Queensland for years. Birding and caving are just two of the popular activities here.
Shutterstock
<strong>Kangaroo Island:</strong> Offshore from Adelaide in South Australia lies Kangaroo Island. It's home to remarkable rock formations as well as sea lions, koalas, diverse bird species and its namesake animal, the kangaroo. (And Adelaide is well worth spending some time in, too).
Kangaroo Island: Offshore from Adelaide in South Australia lies Kangaroo Island. It's home to remarkable rock formations as well as sea lions, koalas, diverse bird species and its namesake animal, the kangaroo. (And Adelaide is well worth spending some time in, too).
Shutterstock
Top places to go in Australia
CNN  — 

If you could magically conjure up a place that’s ideal for travel adventures, it would be hard to imagine anything better than what the world already has: Australia.

This continent/country offers spectacular outdoor scenery, animals unlike anywhere else in the world and urban centers that compete with the top cities of Europe, North America and Asia on livability rankings.

Admittedly, as destinations go, it’s not that close for most of us. But it’s so worth the flight to get there.

So when you finally arrive, you want to be sure you make the most of your holiday. In no particular order, here are the best places to visit in Australia. Some of these locations have links to previous CNN Travel articles if you want to dig into the details.

Sydney

Despite its name, the Sydney Opera House has more than 2,000 shows a year and only about 15% of them are actual opera.
Despite its name, the Sydney Opera House has more than 2,000 shows a year and only about 15% of them are actual opera.
Sydney Opera House Trust

Australia’s largest city, Sydney, is heralded as one of the world’s greatest metropolises for a reason.

The capital of New South Wales plays host to the photogenic Sydney Harbour (the world’s largest natural harbor), the one-of-a-kind Sydney Opera House, a lively entertainment scene and some of the best restaurants in the world.

And then there are the beaches. Bondi might be the best known, but it’s just the beginning of the sun ‘n’ surf available near the city.

Melbourne

Melbourne's neighborhoods are a big selling point. Here, people cross a pedestrian bridge in popular Southbank.
Melbourne's neighborhoods are a big selling point. Here, people cross a pedestrian bridge in popular Southbank.
Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia, overflows with first-rate attractions.

From cultural and architectural highlights to amazing outdoor locations, Melbourne offers stiff competition to Sydney in the travel department.

From top-rate museums such as the National Gallery of Victoria to stunning nearby getaways such as Port Campbell National Park, Melbourne delivers.

Top attractions in Melbourne

Perth