10 places to discover
Charles Knife Canyon is a dramatic gorge in Cape Range National Park, about 20 kilometres south of Exmouth in Western Australia. Carved into the limestone Cape Range, it features steep red and white banded walls and a winding unsealed road leading to the Thomas Carter Lookout. Part of the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area, it is notable for panoramic views over the range, Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Reef.
Charters Towers is a historic inland city in North Queensland, about 136 km south-west of Townsville. Founded after gold was discovered in 1871, it became Queensland's second largest city during the 1880s gold rush and was known as 'The World'. Today it is noted for its well-preserved late 19th-century architecture, heritage streetscapes along Mosman and Gill Streets, and gold-mining heritage attractions.
Great Ocean Drive is a 38-kilometre sealed scenic loop road south and west of Esperance in Western Australia's Golden Outback region. Starting from the Esperance foreshore, it winds past windswept headlands, white-sand beaches and granite lookouts overlooking the Recherche Archipelago. Notable for its turquoise bays, coastal lookouts and accessible beaches including Twilight Beach and Observatory Point, it offers a compact overview of Esperance's coastline.
Kalbarri National Park is a large protected area in the Shire of Northampton, Western Australia, surrounding the town of Kalbarri about 590 km north of Perth. Encompassing 183,004 hectares, it features the dramatic Murchison River gorge inland and rugged coastal cliffs along the Indian Ocean. Notable for the Kalbarri Skywalk, Nature's Window, Z-Bend and seasonal wildflowers, it offers extensive hiking, lookouts and geological landscapes shaped over 400 million years.
Knox Gorge is a deep, narrow gorge in the eastern section of Karijini National Park in the Hamersley Range, Shire of Ashburton, Western Australia. Known for its dramatic layered banded iron formation cliffs, narrow chasm and elevated lookout, it showcases 2.5-billion-year-old geology. Accessed via a short Class 4 trail from a dedicated car park off Karijini Drive, it offers striking views into the gorge and surrounding spinifex-covered plateau.
Leura is a heritage garden village in the City of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, located between Wentworth Falls and Katoomba about 100 kilometres west of Sydney. Set at around 985 metres elevation on the Great Western Highway, it is known for its cool-climate gardens, Edwardian streetscape along Leura Mall, the National Trust property Everglades Historic House and Gardens, and proximity to lookouts and waterfalls in Blue Mountains National Park.
Loch Ard Gorge is a sheltered sandy beach and dramatic gorge within Port Campbell National Park on Victoria's Great Ocean Road, about 10 km west of Port Campbell in Corangamite Shire. Formed by erosion of limestone cliffs, it is famous for the 1878 wreck of the clipper Loch Ard, of which only two of 54 people survived. The site features towering cliffs, clear water, rock formations and walking trails with lookouts.
Nature's Window is a natural wind-eroded sandstone arch in Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia, about 30 km east of Kalbarri town. Framing the Murchison River gorge, it is one of the park's most photographed features. Formed in Tumblagooda Sandstone, the window offers layered views of the river and gorge and is accessed via a short walking trail from the car park.
Port Campbell National Park is a coastal national park along the Great Ocean Road in southwestern Victoria, Australia, within Corangamite Shire. Established in 1964, it protects 17.5 square kilometres of dramatic limestone cliffs, offshore stacks, gorges and beaches. It is best known for the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge and Gibson Steps, showcasing ongoing coastal erosion and offering scenic lookouts and walking trails.
Valley of the Winds is a renowned 7.4-kilometre circuit walk through Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory, about 50 kilometres west of Uluru. The trail winds between towering conglomerate domes, offering elevated lookouts over desert plains. Notable for its dramatic geology, desert landscapes and Anangu cultural significance, it provides one of Central Australia's most celebrated desert hikes within a UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park.