The 10 places in Australia you need to visit before international tourists come back

Visitors can only enter Arnhem Land with a special permit, or on an organised tour with the likes of Davidson's or Venture North. But the push on authentic Aboriginal cultural experiences is heavy overseas, and this vast, remote swathe of the Top End fits the bill, with a treasure trove of rock art and a handful of Indigenous arts centres. The wild, untamed landscape is a major part of the appeal, too. See arnhemland-safaris.com, venturenorth.com.au

North-east Tasmania

That focus on Indigenous cultural experiences extends to Tasmania's north-east, where the four day wukalina Walk around the Bay of Fires is being billed as a star attraction. There are a few new accommodation options, too, while the town of Derby is undergoing a renaissance as a hotbed of mountain biking. See wukalinawalk.com.au

East Gippsland, Victoria

Surprisingly, it's not the East Gippsland coast that's getting the international attention – it's the inland areas. This is particularly with regard to wildlife and conservation projects. Echidna Walkabout's volunteer programme, where you get to help conducting surveys on animal numbers, is getting a lot of mentions. See echidnawalkabout.com.au

Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

There are clear attempts afoot to turn the Ningaloo Reef into a year-round destination, rather than just somewhere you might go to during whale shark season. There's now much more talk of being able to swim with humpback whales, or manta rays, during different times of the year. Oh, and there's the beaches, too – particularly Turquoise Bay. See australiascoralcoast.com

The Daintree, Queensland

The phrase "World Heritage-listed rainforest" has probably appeared more often in British newspapers than the word "Covid" over the last two years. There has been particularly massive emphasis on Mossman Gorge, which as with the rest of the Daintree rainforest, has recently been given back to its traditional owners. The concept of enjoying nature at the same time as enjoying cultural experiences with the Eastern Kuku Yulandji people has strong appeal. See mossmangorge.com.au

Kalbarri National Park, WA

Did you know that two new viewing platforms jutting out over the Murchison River Gorge have been installed in Kalbarri National Park? Well, most of the rest of the world does by now. The stripy sandstone landscape on the west coast is getting significant attention as Western Australia tries to fill the gaps on standard WA road trip routes. See parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au

The Museum of Underwater Art, Queensland

If there's an award for the single most hyped attraction in Australia right now, it's surely the Museum of Underwater Art. It currently occupies two sites – there's a colour-changing statue by the beach in Townsville, plus an underwater greenhouse on John Brewer Reef. The latter site is about two hours by boat from Townsville. See moua.com.au

The Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Seafood is the main focus of the current bout of Eyre Peninsula hype. Tours specialising in seeing where some of Australia's best seafood is caught and farmed have sprung up. And, of course, you can taste the much-prized Coffin Bay oysters straight from the oyster farms. The Coffin Bay National Park is also getting a fair bit of attention – mainly because you can see emus roaming down the beaches. See eyrepeninsula.com

Disclosure: David Whitley has been a guest of Tourism Australia and the state tourist boards.

See also: Oversold Australia: Ten major attractions that don't live up to the hype

See also: Twenty awesome things about Australia we take for granted