Australien

North of popular Sunshine Coast, this little pocket of quintessential Queensland takes in World Heritage–listed Fraser Island; mellow coastal communities such as Hervey Bay and Rainbow Beach; the sugar-cane capital Bundaberg; and numerous old-fashioned country towns never too far from the ocean.

While it has its seedy and downright ugly side, there’s no denying that Surfers' frenetic few blocks and its glorious strip of sand attracts a phenomenal number of visitors – 20,000 per day at its peak. Party-hard teens and early-20-somethings come here for a heady dose of clubs, bars and malls, perhaps fitting in a bit of beach time as a hangover remedy before it all starts again. Families are attracted by the ready availability of spacious and affordable apartments, loads of kid-friendly eating options and, yes, that beautiful beach.

Australien är ett populärt resmål, men många hinner bara med delar av östkusten, några avstickare till Stora Barriärrevet eller inåt land. Men missa inte Tasmanien – här kommer nio anledningar att älska denna fantastiska ö!

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.

Bruny Island is effectively two islands tied together by a string-thin, 5km-long sandy isthmus called the Neck. Renowned for its wildlife (little penguins, echidnas, muttonbirds), the island's two halves – North Bruny and South Bruny – exude very different characters: the rural north and, luring most visitors, the rugged south with its high cliffs, beaches and national park, which runs a frame around much of South Bruny's coast. Access is via a short car-ferry chug from Kettering to North Bruny.

The Great Ocean Road (B100) is one of Australia’s most famous touring routes. It takes travellers past world-class surfing breaks, through pockets of rainforest and calm seaside towns, and under koala-filled tree canopies. It shows off sheer limestone cliffs, dairy farms and heathland, and gets you up close and personal with the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean.

Escaping the city for a day, a weekend or longer is easy – the question is not why, but where to first? Should you spend a day tripping from one winery to the next? Disappear into the tall forest with a pair of walking boots and a keen eye for native wildlife? Indulge in some of Victoria's finest regional produce? Or pamper yourself with a massage and mineral spa?

One of the Fraser Coast's most alluring honeypots, Hervey Bay unfurls itself lazily along a seemingly endless bayside shorefront, packing plenty of apartments, restaurants, pubs and tour operators into the streets behind. Young travellers with an eye on Fraser Island rub shoulders with grey nomads passing languidly through campgrounds and serious fisherfolk recharging in pursuit of the one that got away. Throw in the chance to see majestic humpback whales frolicking here from July to October, and the town’s convenient access to the Unesco–listed Fraser Island, and it’s easy to understand how Hervey Bay has become an unflashy, yet undeniably appealing, tourist hotspot.

The local Butchulla people call it K’gari – 'paradise' – and for good reason. Sculpted by wind, sand and surf, the striking blue freshwater lakes, crystalline creeks, giant dunes and lush rainforests of this gigantic sandbar form an enigmatic island paradise unlike any other. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world (measuring 120km by 15km) and the only known place where rainforest grows on sand.

No doubt about it, Hobart’s future is looking rosy. Tourism is booming and the old town is humming with low vacancy rates, high real-estate prices and new-found self-confidence.