Australien

Equal parts dynamic, cosmopolitan, sports-mad and arty, Melbourne simultaneously exudes style and keeps its best spots hidden, inviting discovery by food and culture lovers.

Scattered like emeralds on aquamarine velvet, the Whitsunday Islands are one of Australia's loveliest destinations, an unmatched playground for boaters, divers, campers, fishers and resort-loungers. Sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef, these warm, rarely ruffled waters are particularly perfect for sailing, as exploited by the 100-plus yachts that gather here each August for Airlie Beach Race Week. Traditional home of the Ngaro people, these 74 islands also shelter some of the oldest archaeological sites on Australia's east coast. Five of them have resorts, but most are uninhabited, and several offer back-to-nature beach camping and bushwalking. Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island is acknowledged as the finest beach in the Whitsundays (some say the world), while mainland hub Airlie Beach, the major gateway to the islands, offers a wealth of tours and activities, plenty of eating and sleeping choices, and a hard-partying backpacker scene.

One of Australia's last wilderness areas and an Aboriginal homeland of great spiritual power – the two very often go hand in hand – Arnhem Land is a destination for dry season adventurers. This is a land of unspoilt coastlines and abundant wildlife. It's a hauntingly beautiful, even mysterious place, its red earth, azure seas and bottle-green woodlands the backdrop to a fascinating, soulful human story.

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

Melburnians have been making the drive down the Princes Hwy (Geelong Rd) to the seaside villages along the Bellarine Peninsula for more than a century. It's known for family-friendly and surf beaches, historic towns, and wonderful cool-climate wineries.

Snart kan unga backpackers som reser till Australien för att jobba stanna längre i landet. Detta efter nya regler som införs för att möta efterfrågan av arbetare hos landets jordbrukare.

Baked, straw-coloured plains, hawthorn hedgerows, rows of poplars, roadside mansions… Tasmania’s Midlands have a distinct English-countryside feel. This is old-school Tasmania, tracing the route between Hobart and Launceston hammered out by convict gangs in the early 1800s. As the road rolled itself out, sandstone garrison towns and pastoral properties appeared: the Midlands soon became the food factory of Van Diemen's Land.

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.

Patterned with vineyards, olive groves and almond plantations running down to the sea, the Fleurieu (floo-ree-oh) is Adelaide's weekend playground. The McLaren Vale wine region is booming, producing gutsy reds (salubrious shiraz) to rival those from the Barossa Valley (actually, we think McLaren Vale wins hands down). Like the Adelaide area, this land is Kaurna country. Further east, the Fleurieu's Encounter Coast is Ngarrindjeri country, with an engaging mix of surf beaches, historic towns and whales cavorting offshore. Forget the weekend playground – there's enough here to keep you entertained for months.

Reveling in isolation, naturally beautiful Tasmania is busting out with fab festivals and sensational food and drink, riding a tourism-fueled economic boom that's the envy of all Australia.