There’s more to Australia than the Reef, the Rock, and the Bridge

With Covid barriers coming down, travel between Australia and the rest of the world is back on track. And if your clients are keen to travel beyond those icons of the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and the Sydney Opera House, here’s our pick of places, people and experiences that will take travellers off the well-trodden tourist path.

After all, the Great Barrier Reef, the Ayers Rock, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Sydney Opera House will still be there when they return from these adventures.

Northern Territory: Did someone mention laksa?

Guo Yang Yei creates her laksa fresh from scratch at Parap Markets, Darwin. Photo Credit: Tourism NT

Darwin’s proximity to Asia and extensive multicultural population means it’s not surprising that laksa is Darwin’s most highly acclaimed dish.

Guo Yang Yei, owner and creator of the famous 20-year-old Mary’s stall at the year-round Parap Markets, makes everything from scratch each week.

Another popular laksa stall at Parap Markets is Yati’s. You can sample the spicy soups with the locals every Saturday.

New South Wales: Where new meets old

Aboriginal dancers sharing an immersive cultural experience during an Aboriginal Cultural Tour in Barangaroo, Sydney. Photo Credit: DESTINATION NSW

Sydney’s newest commercial precinct, Barangaroo – home to the 75-floor Crown Towers and Casino — is a spiritual and cultural site of great significance for Sydney’s Aboriginal people.

Join an Aboriginal Cultural Tour to discover how traditional owners farmed their food from the harbour’s once-pristine shores. Tours are led by a team of Aboriginal educators and take in the flora of the six-hectare headland of Barangaroo Reserve.

South Australia: Ride the Riesling Trail

Riding the Riesling Trail in South Australia. Photo Credit: Ian Jarrett

There’s no better way to explore one of South Australia’s best wine regions – the Clare Valley – a 1hr 50min drive from Adelaide – than by bicycle.

For the most part, the Riesling Trail – which follows an old rail line - is flat, and you can choose between a full day’s hire of an e-bike for around A$75 (US$56) per day, or a regular bike for A$45 per day.

It takes a minimum of two hours to cycle the full trail at a leisurely pace, longer when stopping for a wine tasting, or a meal at several winery and pub restaurants on the route.

From the town of Clare, the trail passes through farmland, bushland, vineyards, and historical sites before reaching the southern terminus where the restored Auburn railway station building is now home to the cellar door of Mount Horrocks Wines.

Western Australia: A beer lover’s paradise

Barrels of fun in Fremantle. Photo Credit: Ian Jarrett

Good news for the beer connoisseurs: Western Australia was the last territory in Australia to unseal its borders on 3 March.

Beer lovers will be spoilt for choice visiting Fremantle. Perth’s port city hosts three brewery/restaurants. Little Creatures serves up its own brews harbourside in a building that once housed crocodiles, while on the wharf, you can watch the cruise and cargo ships enter and leave port from a seat outside Gage Roads brewery. In South Fremantle, Running with Thieves produces beer and gin in a former warehouse.

And if gin’s your thing, the Republic of Fremantle makes its own and serves it, along with good food, in a ritzy distillery.

Queensland: Life on the Rim

Scenic Rim Brewery Photo Credit: Tourism Events Queensland

Just an hour from Brisbane and 30 minutes from the heart of the Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim has been named by global travel authority Lonely Planet as one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2022.

Home to the ancient World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests, historic national parks, small towns and villages and ecolodges, along with great gourmet experiences, the Scenic Rim also offers camping and glamping and breathtaking spaces in between.

Don’t just take our word for it: Lonely Planet’s Chris Zeiher says, “It’s such an untouched and diverse eco-based Australian destination. From the amazing food and wine to the incredible rainforest and bush walks and memorable places to stay, this is an unexpected pocket of Australia that has it all.”

Victoria: Sheep and spas

Five Acres - Farm Stay Accommodation, Victoria. Photo Credit: Visit Victoria

Venture outside Melbourne and its coffee culture, and Victoria offers some of the best outdoor experiences, including luxury farm stays where visitors can get a first-hand understanding of living on the land.

Expect to meet a few characters on the way – pigmy goats, highland cattle, rare breed chickens and lots, and lots, of sheep. There's also a chance to feed the animals.

And if all that effort down on the farm wears you out, travel via the spa town of Hepburn Springs, and soak in mineral rich waters directly from the natural source. The Bathhouse offers an array of mineral wellness experiences, including 100% pure private mineral baths.

Tasmania: Tiny spaces, high expectations

Seven and a Half, Hobart Photo Credit: Luke Burgess

We’ve all probably heard of the slow food movement but now comes the tiny-diner movement. Seven and a Half is a 10-seat dining experience by chef and photographer Luke Burgess.

The rooftop “pod” has harbour views high above central Hobart. Burgess says his dining room is inspired “in part by times spent dining high above Tokyo, in the most unlikely of spaces”.

He’s taking bookings for leisurely Sunday lunches and plans for special events to include “dark sky” and full-moon dinners.