Australien

The 'Snowies' offer a landscape entirely different from anywhere else in Australia. This is the country's only true alpine area, where snowfall brings skiers from early June to late August (sometimes later). Though winter's peak season, the region is equally pretty under a blazing blue sky, when there are ample opportunities for hiking, cycling, kayaking and horse riding. The Australian mainland's highest peak, Mt Kosciuszko (2228m), is a memorable ascent, accessing expansive views of boulder-strewn plateaux and hills where gum trees cling on for dear life.

When the Adelaide plains are desert-hot in the summer months, the Adelaide Hills (technically the Mt Lofty Ranges – the traditional lands of the Peramangk people) are always a few degrees cooler, with crisp air, woodland shade and labyrinthine valleys. Early colonists built stately summer houses around Stirling and Aldgate, and German settlers escaping religious persecution also arrived, infusing towns like Hahndorf and Lobethal with European values and architecture.

A filigree of picturesque roads criss-crosses this verdant valley, but a pleasant country drive isn’t the main motivator for visitors – sheer decadence is. The Hunter is one big gorge fest: fine wine, gourmet restaurants, boutique beer, chocolate, cheese, olives, you name it. Bacchus would surely approve.

Welcome to Rockhampton (‘Rocky’ to its mates), where the hats, boots and utes are big, and the bulls are even bigger. With over 2.5 million cattle within a 250km radius, this riverside city, founded in 1858 on land owned by the Darumbal people, calls itself Australia’s Beef Capital with some justification. Despite rustic touches such as cane trains running down the centre of wide streets, it's the administrative and commercial centre of Central Queensland, with fine Victorian buildings reflecting the region's 19th-century mining and beef-rearing heyday.

Vidsträckta stränder, hippa stadsdelar och västkustens läckraste pizzeria – allt finns i storstaden som är granne med vildmarken.

Named for cliffs of colourful, mineral-rich sand, Rainbow Beach is an idyllic Australian beach town on Butchulla land at the base of the Inskip Peninsula. Beloved of European backpackers and the chief contender to Hervey Bay as a base for excursions to Fraser Island, it's a generally low-key place that nonetheless offers a few hostels hot-housing all the frenetic action a young, fun-seeking clientele could want. Ideally reached via the Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park, a dramatic approach possible only for 4WDs, it's more easily and conventionally accessed by excellent roads from Gympie, 73km southwest. It's a great place to try your hand at different outdoor activities, tap into the backpacker party scene, or just chill out with family and friends.

Synonymous with penguins and petrolheads, Phillip Island attracts a curious mix of holidaymakers and tourists. At its heart, the island is still a farming community, but nature has conspired to turn it into one of Victoria’s most popular tourist destinations. Apart from the major draws of the Penguin Parade and the annual Motorcycle Grand Prix, there’s rich Indigenous history here (the Boon Wurrung people are the traditional custodians), as well as abundant bird life and fauna. And there are also wonderful beaches, which are a major attraction in summer.

En roadtrip på Australiens västkust bjuder på avskilda stränder, vingårdar och surfing. Här listar vi platserna du inte får missa.

Home terrain for three Aboriginal tribal groups – the Banggarla, Nawu and Wirangu peoples – the vast, straw-coloured triangle of Eyre Peninsula is South Australia's big-sky country. It's also the promised land for seafood fans. Meals out here rarely transpire without the option of trying the local oysters, tuna or whiting. Sublime national parks punctuate the coast along with world-class surf breaks and low-key holiday towns, thinning out as you head west towards the Great Australian Bight, the Nullarbor Plain and Western Australia.

Goda nyheter för miljön. Nu finns världens första, och hittills enda, tåg som drivs enbart av solkraft. För drygt 20 kronor kan resenärer åka med på en tre kilometer lång färd mellan två stränder i det australienska surfnästet Byron Bay.