Australia holidays: State by state travel guide to the best attractions

WHAT WE SAY

Western Australia's spectacular landscapes, world-class wines and Indigenous culture – not to mention a lack of crowds – make for a great getaway.

WHY GO

Want to sample your way through some of Australia's best vineyards in Margaret River or discover some of the world's oldest rock art in the Kimberley? Feel like checking out street art in Perth or gaze at otherworldly sculptures in the outback? Then Western Australia is your kind of place.

MUST SEE

Australia's Indigenous rock art is one of our most underrated treasures. Head to the Kimberley to be entranced by the ghost-like Wandjina images and elongated Gwion Gwion figures. Australia's other great reef has whale sharks, manta rays, humpback whales and amazing corals. What it doesn't have is crowds. Surfing, swimming, spectacular hikes, world-class art, gourmet food: oh, and those award-winning wines. Margaret River really does have it all. Even in the Kimberley, home to some of Australia's most astonishing landscapes, the striped domes of the monumental Bungle Bungles are something special. Beloved for its 60 beautiful beaches and its cute-as quokkas, Rottnest Island is the perfect summer playground – and just a day trip from Perth.

WHAT'S NEW

There is plenty happening in Perth, from new hotels, such the luxurious Intercontinental and QT Perth to the new Optus Perth Stadium. Down south, the spectacular Field of Light art installation is heading to Albany in October to commemorate the end of World War I, while over on Rottnest Island, the island's first glamping accommodation, Pinky's Eco-Retreat, will open at the end of the year. And in March, Qantas will launch its non-stop Perth to London route aboard the new 787-9 Dreamliner making Perth the world's newest stopover destination. See westernaustralia.com

OUR RATING

★★★★☆

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

By Mark Chipperfield

WHAT THEY SAY

So Much, So Close

WHAT WE SAY

Not all close, and often shut. South Australia is amazing, but its attractions are widely dispersed and can involve long journeys. Visitors are frustrated by its restricted trading hours, especially for supermarkets and cafes.

WHY GO

Feeling boxed in? Then come to South Australia, the Texas of Australia where everything is bigger, more extreme and a little crazy. Whether you are cage diving with sharks in Port Lincoln, climbing the roof of the Adelaide Oval or riding in a hot air balloon over the Barossa, you'll be swept away.

MUST SEE

It's no mystery why Kangaroo Island continues to dominate South Australia's tourism landscape. Celebrated for its wild coastline, expansive national parks and abundant native wildlife, the island is also a multi-faceted foodie destination. Apart from premium wines, you'll find sheep's milk cheeses, Ligurian honey, ocean-fresh seafood and artisan gins. By contrast, the majestic Flinders Rangers continues to fly under the international radar despite its jaw-dropping scenery, frontier townships and bush tucker. No visit is complete without a feral feast at the Prairie Hotel. For produce of a more conventional kind, book one of the excellent walking tours of Adelaide's Central Market. Adrenalin junkies, meanwhile, should head over to Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula – where you can dive with dolphins, Australian sea lions and great white sharks.

WHAT'S NEW

McLaren Vale likes to walk the wild side and the newly opened d'Arenberg​ Cube is a great example of the region's eccentric spirit. The futuristic cellar door is the brainchild of d'Arenberg winemaker Chester Osborn. In Adelaide the Moseley Beach Club is bringing some cool, Bali-inspired vibes to Glenelg Beach. QantasLink is now operating a regular service from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island. There are some exciting things happening in family-friendly Victor Harbor. Oceanic Victor is a giant floating aquarium where you can swim with bluefin tuna. Lovers of fine spirits should check out Red October (redoctober.bar), a hip new bar on Gilbert Square, Adelaide, that blends Soviet nostalgia with well-mixed cocktails, a good selection of craft beers and Russian-style cuisine.

See southaustralia.com

OUR RATING

★★★★

QUEENSLAND

By Sheriden Rhodes

WHAT THEY SAY

Queensland has ditched all previous (and clever: think "Beautiful one day, perfect the next") slogans and opted for the no frills "Queensland, Australia".

WHAT WE SAY

Here (sickeningly), almost everyone looks permanently on holiday; people are friendly and have time for a chin wag. And the weather's not all it has going for it (though more than 300 days of sunshine annually is not something to scoff at).

WHY GO

Watch sea turtles hatch and scurry to the sea, drift snorkel down a river in a virgin rainforest, take to the skies over the glorious Great Barrier Reef to appreciate its majesty and enormity, or simply park yourself on one of Queensland's enticing pandanus or palm-fringed beaches. While north of the NSW border was once a culinary desert, now there's not only incredible food but decent coffee too. Best of all, Queensland practically has no winter. That's right folks. No. Winter.

MUST SEE

Stretching 2000 kilometres along the Queensland coast, the Great Barrier Reef offers almost 3000 individual reefs and a myriad of ways to get among it – diving, snorkelling, sailing or scenic flights. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Daintree, the only place in the world where two world heritage sites (the rainforest and reef) meet, is another must. Take a Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk at Mossman Gorge to fully appreciate one of Australia's most incredible natural assets. The Whitsunday's 74 dreamy islands are worth heading north for and best experienced by boat. Moor in secluded bays and coves under a blanket of stars, and explore uninhabited islands, deserted beaches and Aboriginal rock art.

WHAT'S NEW

The Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast is Queensland's headline event this year. Just ahead of the Games will be the opening of the Star Gold Coast's new luxury suite hotel tower. In Brisbane, W Hotel makes its Australian debut with an $800 million, 305-room six-star hotel set to open mid-March; the Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane opens next month in the 1922 sandstone-clad Queensland Government Savings Bank building; Emporium 2, South Bank, will open mid-2018, while the Howard Smith Wharves will open in Fortitude Valley (where FV by Peppers has also just opened) later this year.

See queensland.com

OUR RATING

★★★★☆

VICTORIA

WHAT THEY SAY

Wander Victoria

WHAT WE SAY

Savour Victoria

WHY GO

Victoria is a place of colour, mood and texture, with flower-festooned springs and proper crunchy autumns. Find here, a city of distinctive bluestone cobblestones against which street art smartly pops, or forests of enveloping green that hide wombats and echidnas. Drive through fluttering fields of Monet yellows, or along stretches of pure, crashing, iridescent-aqua ocean.

And meet people with pride in the collective and who celebrate the individual, and whose passions lie, in equal measure, with AFL and art, fashion and tradition, haute cuisine and a hot pie.

MUST SEE

The Great Ocean Road is Victoria's enduring attraction encompassing the 250 odd kilometres between Torquay and Allansford on Victoria's south-west coast. And it's not just one kind of beauty; one of the world's most dazzling drives twists and turns to reveal panorama after panorama. From the Mornington Peninsula, where lavender fields wave in the breeze at vines that slope seaward, to the morning mist-kissed undulations of Yarra Valley chardonnay and pinot grapes at the foot of the mountains, Victoria's vineyards can be overlooked. Perhaps that's because they're so close to the city and kind of understated. Melbourne's not a big statement, like cities that lean on big ticket attractions (such as harbours, for instance) but rather, it's a laneways-laden place of moments and vignettes. Beyond Melbourne lies the Bass Coast pride of Geelong, aka G-town; the blossoming hipness of gold-rush towns Bendigo, Castlemaine and Ballarat and the gentrified resort feel of Portsea or Sorrento.

WHAT'S NEW

Melbourne's Australia's epicentre of hotel growth with major new properties coming in the next year or two, including the Mandarin Oriental at 600 Collins Street, the Marriott at Docklands and the 500-room Shangri La on Latrobe Street. A dual-branded Accor property will also open in 2018, with Ibis and Novotel sharing common facilities across a nearly 500-room accommodation offering, incorporating budget and four-star. Point Leo Estate is an outdoor art gallery, cellar door with water views and restaurant run by a culinary director with a serious pedigree while elsewhere there's the sparkling new $16 million 58-room Mitchelton Hotel and Spa in the Goulburn Valley region. It is a product of the team behind Mitchelton Wines and offers a deluxe way to explore Nagambie and its incredible wetlands birdlife. Back in the capital, the National Gallery of Victoria will present a major exhibition of modern and contemporary masterworks from New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), to open in June 2018.

See visitvictoria.com

OUR RATING

★★★★☆

TASMANIA

By Andrew Bain

WHAT THEY SAY

Tasmania – Go Behind the Scenery

WHAT WE SAY

The numbers tell happy stories about Tasmania these days, with tourist numbers and local house prices soaring, bringing a happy glow to the island state. New outdoor experiences are opening up more and more of the state to comfortable exploration, while the MONA-led cultural revolution shows no sign of abating seven years on from the gallery's opening.

WHY GO

Tasmania's tourism reinvention continues apace, but the star feature here – nature – remains timeless, creating a wonderful travel mix of eternal landscapes and emerging experiences. The state's travel minds are finding new and inventive ways to showcase the island's natural beauty, while Hobart and Launceston continue to grow as cultured cities on the fringe of a great wilderness. It's the perfect marriage of adventure, art, history and food.

MUST SEE

One day a few years ago, Tasmania woke to find itself suddenly among the world's great art destinations, and MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) continues to define modern Tasmania. It may amaze or it may alarm, but the subterranean gallery is never boring. In turn, if one place defines historic Tasmania it's the Port Arthur Historic Site where the striking penitentiary building forms the core of a sprawling 19th-century convict settlement. Be brave and stick around for a night-time ghost tour of what's said to be one of Australia's most haunted places. Tasmania's landscapes are artworks of their own, especially the instantly recognisable Wineglass Bay and Cradle Mountain. Bruny Island takes much of the best of the island state – stunning beaches, high-quality food producers, a parade of wildlife, tall sea cliffs – and distils it into an even smaller island.

WHAT'S NEW

What's old is new in Tasmania this year, with many perennial favourites sporting facelifts. The Port Arthur Historic Site has just opened a larger visitor centre, complete with outdoor dining and new exhibition space with previously unseen artefacts. MONA last month opened its new over-water wing modelled on the Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria, and Pumphouse Point and Freycinet Lodge are adding stylish new additions to their accommodation offering. The Three Capes Walk will get its first private operator when the Three Capes Lodge Walk begins guided trips in September, with guests staying in private lodges. Elsewhere in the outdoors, the first tourism venture from Tasmania's Aboriginal community, the wukalina walk, began this month. See discovertasmania.com.au

OUR RATING

★★★★

NEW SOUTH WALES

By Brian Johnston

WHAT THEY SAY

Love every second

WHAT WE SAY

Paradise found. You won't be loving much of soul-crushing Sydney airport or the traffic snarls on coastal highways, but do your penance to enter into a kingdom just short of heaven. You'll love all your seconds thereafter in sunny, self-indulgent, outdoorsy and splendidly scenic New South Wales.

WHY GO

Why wouldn't you? Quite simply, NSW offers more than any other state or territory, from Australia's longest post-First Fleet history to its biggest, brashest city, highest mountain peak and best ski resort to (yes) even its biggest banana. It's just two hours between Sydney shopping and Blue Mountains wilderness, and 8000 years from Broken Hill's contemporary galleries to Indigenous rock art. For variety of pleasure and leisure, this is the place to be.

MUST SEE

For all its faults and cultural shortcomings, Sydney is simply the most drop-dead gorgeous, exciting, anything-goes city in Australia. The Central West provides lovely rolling landscapes, great wine and a rollicking colonial history, yet surprises with varied attractions from radio-telescope to Japanese garden to fish-fossil museum. Outback NSW has classic rust-red scenery, under-visited national parks and a rich Indigenous and settler heritage; August horseraces in Louth are a true Aussie experience. The labyrinthine waterways, coastal headlands and lagoons that create the Sapphire Coast are magnificent. You'll find enough water sports to turn you into a mermaid, national parks haunted by pelicans, great fishing and fabulous oysters. Finally Lord Howe Island offers rugged peaks, subtropical reefs, vast seabird colonies and a charming atmosphere of yesteryear.

WHAT'S NEW

Sydney's chronic hotel room shortage will be partly addressed by the opening of new hotels including Four Points By Sheraton Central Park at Broadway, near the CBD, William Inglis Mgallery By Sofitel at suburban Warwick Farm and the boutique and uber-cool Paramount House Hotel in fashionable inner-city Surry Hills. Elsewhere, Abode Murrumbateman in the wine country near Canberra opens in February while Broken Hill Outback Resort in the state's far west is set to launch in March. See visitnsw.com

OUR RATING

★★★★☆

NORTHERN TERRITORY

By Ben Groundwater

WHAT THEY SAY

"Do the NT"

WHAT WE SAY

From big crocs to giant rocks, tall tales to cleansing ales – the NT is the place to go for some of Australia's most memorable travel experiences.

WHY GO

To truly understand Australia, to even begin to get your head around more than 60,000 years of history, of culture that's both modern and ancient, as well as to appreciate the beauty and diversity of this land, you have to get to the Northern Territory. You have to witness dawn at Uluru. You have to hear traditional stories from Aboriginal elders. You have to camp out in the Outback, go barra fishing off the northern coast, view rock art in Kakadu, and go to Grand Final Day on Tiwi Island. This is the real Australia.

MUST SEE

There are few tourism experiences in the world that can compare to the Uluru Field of Light, an art installation set on the red earth in front of perhaps Australia's most famous landmark. And there's good news on that front: the Field of Light exhibition has been extended until 2020. Elsewhere in the territory, Bamurru Plains offers spectacular, safari-style glamping on a floodplain just west of Kakadu National Park; Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, on the remote Cobourg Peninsula, boasts the perfect mix of traditional and natural experiences in one of Australia's true strongholds of Aboriginal culture (nt.gov.au); the territory's annual "Million Dollar Fish" must-do for keen barramundi fisherman.

WHAT'S NEW

In mid-2018, Nitmiluk Tours is launching an overnight glamping experience on the Jatbulla Trail while Ayers Rock Resort has launched its "Mayu Wiru", or "beautiful flavour" experience – an evening of fine-dining in the Red Centre; Australian Walking Holidays has a new five-day Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort tour. See northernterritory.com

OUR RATING

★★★★☆

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

By Kristie Kellahan

WHAT THEY SAY

One Good Thing After Another

WHAT WE SAY

An Australian experience like no other

WHY GO

Catch a blockbuster exhibition, join in the fun of a seasonal festival or brush up on your Australiana knowledge in the nation's capital. A thriving food and wine scene starts in Canberra and extends to fine wineries and producers in the region. Ranked the third best city in the world to visit in 2018 in Lonely Planet's best in travel list, a weekend getaway to Canberra should be on the To Do list.

MUST SEE

From March 30, Cartier: The Exhibition will impress with a lavish display of diamonds, emeralds and precious stones while from March 2 Enlighten Canberra will see landmark buildings in a new light, as architectural projections illuminate Australian Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the NGA, Questacon and more. Book well ahead for pollies' favourite dining spots, including Aubergine and Chairman & Yip, or follow the locals to relaxed bites at Brodburger and Lonsdale Street Eatery. And you don't have to be staying at hip Hotel Hotel (which is about to be taken over by Ovolo) to enjoy the yabby jaffles from on-site Monster Kitchen and Bar, but do consider checking in to this architecturally impressive property.

WHAT'S NEW

Put yourself in the driver's seat with QT Canberra's Luxury Discover Canberra package. Launched this month, the offer includes dinner and cocktails at the hotel, an overnight suite stay, tickets to major exhibitions, and the use of a Mercedes-Benz to self-drive a suggested route of Canberra's top attractions. For art's sake, catch Canberra's latest blockbuster exhibitions before it's too late. On display until May 27, David Hockney: Prints is at NGA and exploring a grand ancestral tale of Aboriginal Australia, Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters is at National Museum of Australia until February 25. From October 5, a major exhibition will commemorate the centenary of the armistice that ended World War I, featuring an installation of 62,000 knitted red poppy flowers (one each for every Australian life lost in the war).

See visitcanberra.com.au

OUR RATING

★★★★

BEST OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES

BEST STATE FOR NATURAL ATTRACTIONS

A close call between Western Australia and Queensland but Western Australia wins. With a reef more accessible than the Great Barrier Reef, extraordinary outback national parks, a luminous south coast, skyscraper-tall forests, and one of the world's most remote but spectacular coastlines across the Kimberley, Western Australia quietly excels as a natural destination.

BEST STATE FOR MAN-MADE ATTRACTIONS

New South Wales. You can't really beat the iconic pair of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House – best seen by ferry chugging across the sparkling harbour.

BEST STATE FOR FOOD AND WINE

Victoria, though with Tasmania and South Australia not far behind. Being such a compact state, it's easy to get out of the city and into Victoria's multiple wine regions brimming with good food, wine, and decent coffee.

BEST STATE FOR PEOPLE/FRIENDLINESS

Queensland. Tradies say g'day, locals stop for a chin wag, waiters are happy to share their local secrets and tips. In the country, it's compulsory to give the one finger salute when passing another vehicle.

BEST STATE FOR CULTURE

Victoria. The National Gallery of Victoria (NGA) including the Ian Potter Centre, Melbourne Museum, the ACMI, a phenomenal arts and live music scene and Melbourne's status as a UNESCO City of Literature, make it Australia's cultural capital by a long shot.

BEST STATE OR TERRITORY FOR INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCES

Northern Territory. From Arnhem Land to Alice Springs, Katherine to the Tiwi Islands, so many great places to learn more about our original inhabitants.Thankfully more Indigenous guides are being employed at places like Uluru and Kakadu.

WHY SHOULD I VISIT YOUR STATE OR TERRITORY?

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Lauren Moss, Minister for Tourism and Culture

"We live in one of the most beautiful and vibrant landscapes in the world; a place of colour and contradiction, where each visit offers a completely new experience. You'll find it relaxing around campfires in the outback, in the sweeping wetlands of the tropics, on cave walls adorned with 40,000–year-old paintings, in remote spots where monsoonal forests meet pristine beaches, and in the character-filled pubs from our vibrant Top End to our spiritual heart in the Red Centre." See northernterritory.com

NEW SOUTH WALES

Adam Marshall, Minister for Tourism and Major Events

"From our captivating coastline with its magnificent white sand beaches, fantastic country hospitality, heritage and rural charm of our rural regional towns and Sydney with its spectacular harbour and iconic landmarks, NSW offers a wealth of experiences for visitors to discover in 2018. This year will also see a stellar line-up of major events including the popular Deni Ute Muster, Grafton Jacaranda Festival, Tina Arena starring in Evita, the return season of blockbuster musical Jersey Boys and Australia's largest event, Vivid Sydney." See visitnsw.com

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Louise Scott, executive director marketing, Tourism Western Australia

"Western Australia offers experiences that often can't be found anywhere else in Australia and sometimes, the world. From Australia's whitest beach at Esperance in the south, the historic goldfields in the outback, the world's greatest collection of wildflowers, the world's largest fringing reef at Ningaloo, the wineries and clear blue waters of the famous Margaret River wine region, the wilderness and Aboriginal experiences in Broome and the Kimberley and the amazing transformation of its capital city Perth, Western Australia has something for everyone." See tourism.wa.gov.au

QUEENSLAND

Leanne Coddington, chief executive, Tourism and Events Queensland

"The best address on earth is Queensland. We're not just all world-class reef, beautiful beaches, islands and personable characters – though we do those well. Queensland is a place you can discover something new and exceptional each visit and leave you wowed. Snorkel with everything from dwarf minke whales to turtles, manta rays or tiny clown fish, learn to sail, scuba or surf, discover our Indigenous culture, search for dinosaur bones, or experience the best live events with magnificent backdrops – headlined by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games." See queensland.com

TASMANIA

John Fitzgerald, chief executive, Tourism Tasmania

"It's no surprise that Tasmania is one of the most recommended destinations in Australia. Tasmania is renowned for its welcoming locals, spectacular natural environment, unrivalled colonial heritage and world-class foodie scene. Its brave and creative culture fosters new and innovative experiences for visitors including world-class mountain-bike trails, luxury accommodation in unexpected places, incredible wilderness adventures, intriguing museums and exciting contemporary arts and cultural events. It's an island experience you'll never forget." See discovertasmania.com.au

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Jonathan Kobus, acting director, Visit Canberra

"Canberra is truly a wonderful destination to discover for a family short break. With a combination of boutique hotels, red hot dining experiences and venues designed to ignite the imagination of adults and kids alike. Lonely Planet agrees that Australia's capital should be in the top three destinations to visit in 2018. Surprised? Check out Cartier: The Exhibition from March 30 at the NGA for one of many compelling reasons to visit this year." See visitcanberra.com.au

VICTORIA

Peter Bingeman, chief executive, Visit Victoria

"Victoria offers the biggest and best diversity of experiences and events for visitors, and with that, the only truly 24-hour city in Australia, Melbourne. We've got world-class sporting events, creative arts, culinary, design, fashion and retail experiences, plus we are the undisputed capital of live music, theatre and entertainment. The state's compact diversity means in as little as an hour from Melbourne, visitors can enjoy spectacular national parks and nature, award-winning wineries, scenic coastal villages and vistas, natural springs or alpine towns and many more exceptional destinations." See visitvictoria.com

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Rodney Harrex, chief executive, South Australian Tourism Commission

"South Australia is a quintessential Australian destination. Adelaide, our capital city, is a vibrant cultural hub filled with a bustling food and wine scene and is the gateway to our 11 regions. There's so much so close in South Australia. From the abundance of nature and wildlife, world-class food and wine, stunning coastline, picturesque landscapes and a jam-packed year-round calendar of events, there is something for everyone in South Australia." See southaustralia.com