Six things to see on your next road trip
Planning on taking to the open road and exploring Australia? With so many amazing places and sights to see across this amazing country of ours, it’s too hard to pick out what is the best of the best. Rather, everything is worth seeing and experiencing once. Here we’ve pulled together just a mere six of the amazing places worth stopping off at when road tripping around the country. There is plenty more where this came from!
Jenolan caves
Located in the Blue Mountains just 175km west of Sydney, the Jenolan caves are the most ancient discovered open caves in the world. Including numerous Silurian marine fossils and the calcite formations, which are sometime pure white, they’re noted for their beauty. The cave network is very large, with over 40km of multi-level passages, and the complex is still undergoing exploration. By measuring the ratio of radioactive potassium and trapped argon gas, scientists were able to determine that the age of the clay in the caves is approximately 340 million years old – this means it’s the world’s oldest known and dated open cave system.
Byron Bay lighthouse
Standing on a bald rocky headland with a steep cliff on the east side, and a sheer drop of approximately 100 meters, Cape Byron Lighthouse is the most easterly light in Australia. Built in the style used by NSW colonial architect, James Barnet, Charles Harding his successor, prepared the plans for the Cape Byron Lighthouse. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a long walk, or even sit down and just have a few moments of relaxation in the beautiful surrounds.
The Phillip Island penguin parade
Taking place at dusk, after a day fishing for food in the waters surrounding Phillip Island, the penguins make their way across Summerland Beach in groups. This event is commonly known as the "penguin parade". Wave after wave they come from the sea and waddle, like only penguins can, across the beach. They arrive in hundreds. The parade is open every day of the year. The best time to visit is at sunset if you wish to see the actual penguin parade. This unique parade can be experienced from environmentally friendly observation boardwalks and viewing stands.
Queensland Hinterlands
Only an hour north of Brisbane and only 30 minutes from the Sunshine Coast, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland – with an average elevation of 450m – boasts quaint mountain villages with an abundance of heritage experiences, artisan galleries, antique shopping, markets stalls and country eateries. While the cooler climate offers unique attractions in each of the different seasons, the charming, historic towns and villages of Maleny, Montville and surrounding areas, are the perfect escape to the natural wonders where you’ll feel yourself totally relaxed in an instant.
Mary River region and Kakadu National Park
Said by many to be the most beautiful vast wetlands of the Top End, once you visit the Mary Rive you’ll never forget it. Home to countless varieties of birdlife, some of the biggest barramundi and the largest saltwater crocodiles, the lagoons, canals and billabongs make up the waterways of the wetlands of the Mary River, run both north and south of the Arnhem Highway. Just 110km from Darwin, the area offers spectacular bushwalks, with powerful waterfalls in the wet and sparkling waterholes in the dry.
Cape Le Grand National Park WA
With massive granite and gneiss peaks rising from the coastal plain, the southwest corner of Cape Le Grand National Park offers the most spectacular scenery in these parts. Home to pygmy possums, western grey kangaroos and a diversity of colourful wildflowers including dense thickets of showy banksia, the park's rolling heathlands is about 9 hours’ drive from Perth. The year-round temperate climate, beautiful beaches and pristine coastal landscapes make it a popular holiday destination.