The most beautiful places in Australia

 From jaw-dropping natural formations to modern man-made wonders, Australia fits a whole lot of beauty into one diverse country.

Australia is a bucket list destination for many travelers, and it’s not surprising – whether you’re a city kid or a nature fiend, you can transport yourself from the coolest Melbourne or Sydney coffee shops to a gorgeous mountain range or island within the same day.

Whether it’s your first time to travel there or your 15th, here are some of the most beautiful places you’ll want to explore in the Land Down Under.

Australian Capital Territory

Australia’s preplanned capital, Canberra is often overlooked. But one of the most stunning structures in the entire nation is here – the Australian War Memorial.

Built to honor fallen heroes from around the country pre- and post-statehood, this striking monument also includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Just outside the city, you’ll feel like you’re a whole world away at Gibraltar Falls, with its dramatic 50-meter drop, located inside of Namadgi National Park.

You can also go birdwatching, visit the National Arboretum and explore protected wetlands if you’re not quite brave enough to go to the top of the falls.

New South Wales

The state of New South Wales is home to Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, so it’s not surprising there’s incredible urban sightseeing.

Two of the most impressive structures in town are the iconic Sydney Opera House and the ANZAC Bridge. The Opera House, with its roof designed to look like a series of white sails, perches on Sydney Harbour alongside the Harbour Bridge to create one of the world’s most famous skylines.

Meanwhile, the ANZAC Bridge, which honors soldiers from New Zealand and Australia who lost their lives during World War I, stretches elegantly over Johnstons Bay. In addition to its striking appearance, the bridge bears both Kiwi and Aussie flags in a show of solidarity.

A short drive outside of Sydney are the UNESCO-recognized Blue Mountains, so called because the hazy eucalyptus trees clustered at their tops give them a bluish tint.

One of the most breathtaking features is the Three Sisters, a group of three rock formations. Its name comes from an Aboriginal legend about three sisters who were turned to stone.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is home to Uluru, arguably the most well-known natural formation on the continent.

This massive monolith is sacred to the Anangu people, who have called this area home for thousands of years. Although new regulations will ban travelers from climbing it as of October 2019, Uluru is equally stunning from the ground or the sky.

Another beautiful natural site in Oz’s “top end” is Kakadu National Park, Australia’s largest national park. This massive space is home to many animal species, including crocodiles and flatback turtles.

But it’s also a fascinating place to learn about Aboriginal culture – rock art there dates from 20,000 years ago (yes, you read that right), and staff is onsite to help you understand its significance.

Meanwhile, the Simpson Desert stretches from the Northern Territory to South Australia and Queensland, giving you a variety of ways to experience its stark red landscape. Head to Alice Springs, the closest NT town, to get started.

Queensland

Stretching from the country’s northernmost tip along the shores of the Coral Sea, Queensland’s bidoversity makes it possible to see a range of gorgeous sites in close proximity to each other.

One of those can’t-miss spots is Cape Tribulation, aka Cape Trib, a tropical rainforest home to many rare plant and animal species.

Cape Tribulation is packed with gorgeousness – whether it’s a guided hike through the rainforest, an afternoon lounging on the beach, or a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, you’ll feel like you saw half the globe in just a few days’ time.

Off the coast is one of the country’s most popular beach getaways, the Whitsunday Islands. Most of its 70-odd string of islands are uninhabited, making them feel undiscovered and special.

The sprawling white sand beaches make for gorgeous photo backdrops, not to mention ideal picnic spots for those out on a pleasure cruise.

South Australia

The aquamarine-and-blue stretch of the Yorke Peninsula includes some of the prettiest scenery in all of Australia.

Cape Spencer and its picturesque lighthouse are perfect spots for snapping photos, while just across the water Kangaroo Island is one of the best day trips in the region.

Tasmania

Though it’s the only state not on the Aussie mainland, Tasmania more than holds its own against its big siblings.

Near the center of the island, Cradle Mountain provides panoramic views and is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Between the glacial lakes and swaths of forest, there’s plenty to see and experience – especially if you’re a keen hiker.

Off the southern tip of heart-shaped Tasmania is Bruny Island, a sliver of land connected by a narrow single-car-wide stretch known as “The Neck.”

The island’s rich bounty means you won’t have to walk far for fresh oysters, fish, cheese and wine.

Victoria

While Melbourne is home to some of Oz’s most exclusive addresses, the state of Victoria is also where you can find some of the country’s top natural wonders.

One way to see this beauty is from the air, preferably from a hot-air balloon over the Yarra Valley wine region.

If you’re in good shape, the 5-kilometer-long Kokoda Memorial Walk, inspired by the Australian soldiers who were killed along a trail of the same name in Papua New Guinea, offers vistas of gum trees.

About two and a half hours south of Melbourne is Phillip Island, which animal lovers visit to see nightly parades of Little Penguins – a species of penguin which are, as the name implies, little. (And also extremely cute.)

That’s not all – the island is also a place to spot seals, birds, dolphins, whales, wallabies and other animals between swims and beach naps.

Not all of the state’s beauty is above ground. The limestone formations comprising the Buchan Caves in the eastern part of Victoria stun with their semi-translucent, ethereal colors and shapes.

Western Australia

As Australia’s largest state, Western Australia is home to Perth, often referred to as the world’s most remote capital city.

But all that space means there’s a whole lot of beauty in this region. One of the most picturesque spots is the Margaret River Valley, a region along the coastline south of Perth famed for its gorgeousness – and its wine production.

Locals and visitors alike love Margaret River for its beachside walks, lighthouses and ability to spot whales along the coastline certain times of the year.

While the Great Barrier Reef is one of the wonders of the natural world, it’s not the only reef off the Australia coast. On the opposite side of the country, the Ningaloo Reef is a 705,015-hectare protected area home to whales, sharks and many varieties of corals, some of which you don’t need a scuba certification to see.

This jewel of the Indian Ocean also lays claim to being the world’s largest coral fringing reef.

Lilit Marcus

Mini guide to Mauritius

 Hindus, Africans, Chinese and Europeans have made their mark on the island’s culture and cuisine.

Mauritius had no native population until it was discovered by European colonisers in the 16th century (although the dodo was resident). Since then, Hindus, Africans, Chinese and Europeans have made their mark on the island’s culture and cuisine. Historic towns and tropical forests await beyond the coastal resorts.

See

Port Louis has survived plague epidemics, fires and tropical storms since its foundation in the 17th century. Today, the capital is divided between the sanitised waterfront and more colourful old town – head here to bargain hard at the Central Market, a feature of city life since Victorian times.

Black River Gorges National Park is best explored by its trails. Look out for the pink pigeon – a bird unique to the island that was rescued from extinction in the 1990s. Get advice on hiking routes from the information centre at Le Pétrin (whc.unesco.org; closed Sun).

Claiming the island’s most beautiful beaches, Le Morne Peninsula is named after a basalt rock that has a special resonance. Folklore tells of escaped slaves hiding out on top of it. Unaware slavery had been abolished since their escape, they panicked on seeing some soldiers and jumped, believing they would be captured.

Rodrigues is a tiny mountainous island with a fraction of the inhabitants of its bigger cousin. Its beaches count among the best in the country, and development tends to be more sympathetic and small-scale than back on the mainland (flights from Mauritius £170; airmauritius.com).

A preserved Creole mansion outside Moka, Maison Euréka is a beacon of tropical construction. The name is said to have been coined when the second owner won a bidding war to buy the place at auction (maisoneureka.com; admission £7).

Eat

If the adage that the best Chinese restaurants are busy with Chinese diners applies, First Restaurant is a winner. Full of local families feasting on Cantonese cooking, it has a good range of dim sum (00 230 212 0685; corner of Royal and Corderie Sts; mains from £3).

Le Capitaine is an unpretentious and popular harbourside restaurant. Try whole crab cooked in white wine or lobster ravioli with mushroom and cucumber quenelles. Evening reservations are essential (le-capitaine.restaurant.mu; Royal Rd; mains from £6).

Les Copains d’Abord looks out to the site of the Royal Navy’s biggest defeat in the Napoleonic wars. Napoleon himself would be pleased to see this specialist seafood restaurant mixing Med and Mauritian influences (Rue Shivananda; mains from £7).

Set in attractive gardens, La Langouste Grisée (or ‘the tipsy lobster’) has an ambitious Franco-Mauritian menu including pan-fried scallops with cream of asparagus and white truffle foam. Steak with juniper berries also makes a surprising appearance for such a seafood-centric island (lalangoustegrisee.com; Royal Rd; mains from £9).

With chic décor and a terrace overlooking fishing boats bobbing in the waters off Trou aux Biches, Le Pescatore is often vaunted as one of the best restaurants in northern Mauritius. Superior dishes include lobster in ginger and sake sauce (00 230 265 6337; Mont Choisy; mains from £15).

Sleep

Auberge de la Montagne in Rodrigues is a much-loved guesthouse where many rooms have balconies overlooking the countryside. The host is an author of a Rodriguan cookbook; accordingly, dinners are a crash course in Creole cooking. Try the octopus curry (aubergedelamontagne.net.tc; from £40).

A budget guesthouse that’s big on charm, Chez Vaco is a real find and a welcome addition to Grand Baie’s accommodation scene. The small, delightful rooms have an air of cosy minimalism and there’s a garden decorated with local art. The hotel also offers a free speedboat transfer across the lagoon to Grand Baie from a beach nearby (chez-vaco.hotels-in-mauritius.eu; from £70).

A charming family-run b&b, rooms at Les Lataniers Bleus are divided between the main house and villas scattered around verdant grounds. Evening meals (open to residents only) take in traditional Mauritian dishes, while the beautiful lagoon in front of the hotel is perfect for swimming (leslataniersbleus.com; from £100).

As well as being a historic attraction, Maison Euréka has three cottages next to the main mansion. These are individually decorated with mini-verandahs backing on to tidy gardens, and chances are you’ll be the only people staying there (maisoneureka.com; from £140).

A Moroccan-style boutique hotel, La Palmeraie is a somewhat incongruous, kasbah-like structure standing on a beach in eastern Mauritius. The colourful rooms come decorated with all manner of Arabesque arches, rugs and draped fabrics, and the Moorish theme extends to the hotel spa (hotel-palmeraie.com; Belle Mare; from £180).

Getting around

Car hire is available at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International airport (from £37 per day; budget.com) and the island is served by a bus network – the National Transport Authority has details of companies and routes (gov.mu; fares from £1).

When to go

Temperatures are high year round, but cyclones in January and February can bring rain. Hardly a week goes by without a festival – highlights include Hindu and Tamil firewalking ceremonies of Teemeedee in December and January, and the Chinese New Year.

How to go

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International airport is mainland Mauritius’s only airport. BA flies from Gatwick (from £950) while Air Mauritius flies from Heathrow (from £740). Island taxis are available from the airport (aml.mru.aero).

By Lonely Planet Magazine

Sardinia's mysterious beehive towers

 More than 7,000 Bronze Age skyscrapers once dotted this Italian island. Now, new discoveries are shining light on Sardinia's Nuragic civilisation.

Expecting not to find much more than a pile of big stones, I followed the sign off the motorway into a little car park and there it was, rising from a flat, green landscape covered in little white flowers, with a few donkeys dotted around: Nuraghe Losa. From a distance, it looked like a big sandcastle with its top crumbling away, but as I walked towards it, I began to realise the colossal size of the monument in front of me.

Nuraghi (the plural of nuraghe) are massive conical stone towers that pepper the landscape of the Italian island of Sardinia. Built between 1600 and 1200BCE, these mysterious Bronze Age bastions were constructed by carefully placing huge, roughly worked stones, weighing several tons each, on top of each other in a truncated formation. 

Today, more than 7,000 nuraghi are still visible across the Mediterranean's second-largest island. From the flat basin of Sardinia's southern Campidano plain to the rugged hilltops and granite boulder-strewn valleys of its northern Gallura region, these megalithic monuments stand guard over ancient trade routes, river crossings and sacred sites. The instantly recognisable beehive-shaped buildings are not found anywhere else in the world, and so have come to symbolise Sardinia.

Kiki Streitberger