Choose from 646 Fun Things to Do in Australia
Fitzgerald River National Park
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Brisbane River
Popular activities on the Brisbane River include kayaking through the city at night, exploring the river on a CityCat, taking a dining river cruise or catching a local ferry to reach the opposite shore. Climbing the Kangaroo Point Cliffs on the river’s edge is a popular evening activity, and many residents and visitors alike enjoy climbing the famous Story Bridge, dining at South Bank by the water and relaxing with a drink at Eagle Street Pier.
You can also take a walk through the City Botanical Gardens that follow the northern river’s edge, see a live show at the famous Riverstage, look across the urban night from a Gallery of Modern Art ‘Up Late’ event, or read by the river from a peaceful seat on the State Library Queensland deck.
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If you feel like joining the many enthusiastic cyclists along the Brisbane River, try the CityCycle hire scheme available to residents and visitors across the inner city.
Cradle Mountain
- Visitors to the national park are required to purchase a park pass. A pass is also required to hike the Overland Track between October and May.
- Information, maps, park passes, and amenities are available from the visitor’s center, outside the park entrance, and from the ranger station inside the park.
- The park has a number of basic lodging options, including cabins, chalets, and campgrounds.
- The weather can be changeable in the park, even in summer, so dress in layers and be prepared for wind, rain, and low visibility, especially in the mountains.
- Some of the park’s trails are wheelchair-accessible, and all-terrain wheelchairs are available to rent from the visitor center.
Brighton Beach
There is classic coastal feel to Brighton Beach, with its bayside cafes, boardwalk, yacht club, boutique shopping and two cinemas nearby. The cove is protected from southerly winds and patrolled by Surf Lifesavers, making it a safe place to swim if you can brave the water temperature.
Along Dendy Street beach, the bathing boxes have earned tourism icon status, offering a splash of colour against the white sandy shore, and giving the cove a European feel. There are 82 coveted bathing boxes in total, built to heritage standards with weatherboard and timber, and owned by local residents.
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Free parking available at Brighton Beach but arrive early to secure a spot. There is also paid parking costing $4 per hour. For a photo opportunity, park a little south at Green Point and follow the walking paths around the coastal point into Brighton to catch a view of the bathing boxes with the city skyline in the background.
Fitzroy Gardens
Hugging the eastern side of the CBD, Fitzroy Gardens is seen as the finest garden in the city’s large collection of green spaces, which include Flagstaff, Treasury, Carlton, Alexandra Gardens and the Kings Domain. Dominated by sweeping avenues of English Elms, and full of deciduous and native Australian trees, Fitzroy Gardens looks particularly beautiful in autumn (April to June).
Points of interest within the gardens include Captain Cooks Cottage (transported from England in 1934), a fairy tree, a model Tudor village and a conservatory that exhibits stunning floral displays throughout the year.
Free-guided tours of Fitzroy Gardens take place every Wednesday at 12.30pm. To get to the gardens on foot, walk east from Spring Street until you reach Lansdowne Street (which forms the gardens western edge) or alternately catch a tram along Flinders Street into Wellington Parade.
Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre
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Crater Lakes National Park
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Anzac Hill
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Brisbane City Hall
Located in the heart of the city, next to King George Square and close to Queen Street Mall, the heritage-listed Brisbane City Hall is Australia’s only city hall and is the home of Brisbane society, culture and governance. As well as hosting community events and civic ceremonies, Brisbane City Hall accommodates the Brisbane Lord Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Brisbane Council chambers and the world-class Museum of Brisbane.
The gem of City Hall is the stunning circular auditorium, with an impressive fluted Corinthian pilasters, overhead dome, an organ built in 1892, restored gallery seating and gilded elegance. A tour of the marble halls, auditorium and 70 metre tall clock tower is a Brisbane tourism must, followed by an indulgent serve of tea and cake at the locally-loved Shingle Inn café, which is located within City Hall.
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Anzac Square
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Cottesloe Beach
Cottesloe Beach’s Indian Ocean waves and sugar-like sand make you forget quite easily that you're in the middle of a major Australian city. When you’re lying on a beach towel, gazing out at the clear turquoise water, listening to kids splash around and feeling the soft white sand beneath your fingers, you’d almost think you were on a tropical Caribbean island. That’s the magic of Perth – all the urban features you need and idyllic beaches to get away from it all. Cott, as it’s affectionately known, is anchored by Indiana, a restaurant housed in a beautiful building where you can sip a cocktail and enjoy a spectacular Indian Ocean sunset. Beware Sunday afternoons when the beach becomes crowded with local teenagers who walk down from the adjacent neighborhood.
Cooloola Recreation Area
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Bronte Beach
- Bronte Beach is a good option for families with kids, with swimming pools and shallower areas that are suitable for younger children.
- Restrooms, showers, and barbecue areas are available along the beach, but bring your own parasol and beach towel.
- Temperatures can reach over 86°F (30°C) in summer, so be sure to pack sunscreen and a hat.
- The waves can be strong at Bronte, so swim only in designated areas and at times when the lifeguards are on patrol.
- Free Wi-Fi hotspots are available around Bronte Beach and Bronte Park.
Coolangatta
- Coolangatta is a good option for families with kids, as the beaches here are more sheltered than other options along the Gold Coast.
- Temperatures in the summer can reach over 80°F (27°C), so don’t forget to pack a hat and sunscreen.
- Swim only in designated areas and when lifeguards are present, as there may be a strong undertow. Red and yellow flags indicate the beach is patrolled.
Broadbeach
- Temperatures in the summer can reach over 80°F (27°C), so don’t forget to pack a hat and sunscreen.
- Swim only in designated areas and when lifeguards are present, as the waves can be strong. Red and yellow flags indicate the beach is patrolled.
- Kurrawa Beach facilities include restrooms, changing facilities, beach showers, and parking.
- Kurrawa Park features an all-abilities playground and includes liberty swings, accessible sand pits, and wheelchair-accessible restrooms.
Cooktown
The relaxed coastal town of Cooktown is a popular excursion from Port Douglas.
Captain Cook beached his ship the Endeavour here, hence the name. These days daytrippers come here to visit the intriguing James Cook Historical Museum, to pay their respects to his statue overlooking Bicentennial Park, and order up a seafood platter at a local restaurant.
Cooktown has some impressive buildings for an outback coastal town, thanks to the 1870s to 1890s gold rush at the nearby Palmer goldfields. The town’s impressive botanic gardens date from this period.
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Cooktown is one of the most northerly settlements on Australia’s far north coast, before the wilds of Cape York Peninsula take over. Port Douglas is 267 km (166 miles) south of Cooktown.
A tour to Cooktown from Port Douglas can combine the scenic coastal route, traveling through the Daintree to Cape Tribulation along the Bloomfield Track, and the inland Mulligan Highway for iconic outback landscapes.
Bribie Island National Park
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Cooks' Cottage
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Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA)
The outstanding Aquarium of Western Australia surrounds you with all the fishy creatures of the Southern Ocean. Innovative underwater tunnels and walkways get you up-close and personal with the turtles, fish, sharks and rays swimming overhead.
Other attractions include playful seals and reefs of coral, wiggly jellyfish and graceful sea dragons.
If you dare, you can scuba dive with sharks in the Shipwreck Coast feature aquarium.
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AQWA is in Hillarys Boat Harbour, a 20 minute drive north from Perth via the Mitchell Freeway.
To get here by public transport, catch a Joondalup train from central Perth. Get off at Warwick station, then catch a local bus to AQWA.