Australia is adorned with more than 8,000 islands with incredible flora and fauna. Luxurious, adventurous, rugged – there’s an island getaway spot suited for every paradise seeker.
Interested? Here’s our top 7 favourite picks to explore on your next trip.
Rottnest Island
With 63 stunning beaches and 20 bays, you will be spoilt for choice in this remote and pristine island. Getting to Rottnest island begins with a quick ride on a ferry from Fremantle or Perth. As cars are banned here, cycling is one of the best ways to get around the island. Quokkas, friendly marsupials are a darling on this land of unparalleled beauty. A quokka selfie is the owner’s pride, So don’t forget to click a selfie and post it on your instagram. Apart from these, there is so much to see and do on this island like snorkeling, scuba diving, golfing. There are day trips available from Perth and if you’re keen to cover the entire island, the hop on hop off tour is a great option. Forget not! Rottnest offers a range of accommodation as well
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island, 13 km off the coast of South Australia is home to ecological parks and unique adventures. Head to the western side of the island to witness Flinders National Park, with beautiful coastal landscapes and iconic features such as Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch and Cape du Couedic Lighthouse. Walk on the beach through a colony of endangered Australian sea lions in the Seal Bay Conservation Park. Not just the Roos, there are also platypuses and koalas for sighting. Last, but not the least, indulge in the island’s culinary creativity at top restaurants and 18 wineries.
Whitsunday Island
Whitsunday Island, located in the heart of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, boasts some of the country’s most beautiful nature. The 74 islands in the Whitsundays are scattered like pearls on a velvet-like coastline. But only some offer the option to stay amid the ruffled waters and white sand. Hamilton Island, Daydream island and Hayman island are a few private island paradises. Get ready to swim with sea turtles and rainbow coloured fish, snorkel or scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef and spend the night at world class resorts.
Phillip Island
If you make it to Melbourne, you should absolutely include a visit to Phillip Island to your itinerary. It is a quick 90 minutes drive from Melbourne city. This island offers travellers the chance to see incredible Australian wildlife amongst spectacular landscapes. Watching the huddle of little penguins waddling back to their burrows after a day of fishing is a visual treat. Head up into the treetops and come face-to-face with koalas to click an adorable picture. Say cheeeeseeee! If you want to spot seals exclusively, jump on board with a cruise to Seal Rocks and feel the saltwater spray on your face. Forget not! There’s plenty of outdoor activities to all those adrenaline junkies out there.
Fraser Island
Say hello to the planet’s biggest sand island, Fraser Island! The island stretches over 250 km of sandy beaches with coloured sand cliffs and spectacular dunes. Being one of the most unusual islands, it’s the only place on Earth where tall rainforests grow on dunes at elevations of more than 200 metres. The dispersed perched lakes within the gritty lands are what makes this paradise magnificent! It also has superb scenery, with massive shifting sand blows, breathtaking swimming spots and thrilling 4WD tracks to drive along the beach made highway. Go wild in Fraser with exclusive dingoes and baby humpback whales on Fraser.
Lord Howe Island
Leave the pace of modern life and fly to the wonderland of Lord Howe, a lush isle less than two hours by plane from Sydney and Brisbane. The island is intermittently crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Only 400 tourists are allowed at once to experience its natural beauty. Birdsong fills the fresh air, and green mountainous terrain rises all around you. Immerse yourself in the sensational surroundings to hike on the most beautiful trails, snorkel in the iridescent blue playground, hand-feed fish at Ned’s Beach. In addition to its unmatched natural attractions, Lord Howe Island offers biking, surfing, kiteboarding and much more!
Christmas Island
Christmas Island is one of Australia’s most far-flung suburbs, but there’s nothing like it anywhere else on the planet. It ascends majestically from the tropical depths of the massive Indian Ocean, and azure waters wrapped around this natural wonder. The island’s peculiar attraction is its annual crab migration – 60 million red land crabs make their way from the jungles down to the coast to spawn at the beginning of the wet season. These rare creatures are spread like carpets in the forests any time of the year. Dive into the extended drop-offs in the world, swim in a cave and bathe beneath a waterfall in the rainforest in this glorious deserted island.
