Australia Travel Stories

Apr 9, 2018 • 11 min read

I’d seen pictures, even watched videos, but nothing really prepared me for my first sight of the tall ship SV Tenacious.

Apr 5, 2018 • 6 min read

Aboriginal art tells a story that began on remote rock walls and now encompasses an astonishing diversity of regional styles that can be seen in-situ or…

Mar 26, 2018 • 5 min read

Melbourne’s classic pubs, historic theatres and basement bars offer more than just beer, Broadway and Bloody Marys – they also crank out some of the city…

Mar 21, 2018 • 5 min read

Queensland's Gold Coast could be called the ultimate big kids' playground: reliable summery weather, world-famous beaches, and Australia’s best theme…

Mar 20, 2018 • 6 min read

With its rugged good looks and effortless quirks, Australia was always destined for the screen. The country's pristine beaches, scorching deserts and…

Feb 26, 2018 • 11 min read

The light is bronze, shadows long, and beside Sydney’s most famous building a throng of people is drinking at the Opera Bar. From here, they are close…

Jan 22, 2018 • 4 min read

Originally from Melbourne, Lonely Planet Local Kate and her partner made the move to Geelong over a year ago for its relaxed lifestyle. As a travel writer…

Jan 18, 2018 • 4 min read

Monique became a Sydneysider (yes, that’s what they call themselves) when she was five. She’s lived all over the world but came home in 2005 because, well…

Oct 31, 2017 • 4 min read

Lonely Planet Local George Dunford has been in orbit around Canberra for most of his life – he was born not far from there, studied history at the…

Oct 23, 2017 • 4 min read

The capital city of Canberra today is a living embodiment of the nation’s quickly evolving arts, architecture and cultural scenes. It’s just over a…

Oct 23, 2017 • 6 min read

If you think of Australia’s capital as just another seat of government, you need to get outdoors more. Canberrans are an active crowd, savouring the…

Oct 9, 2017 • 4 min read

There’s more to this glitzy beach-side city than high-rises and rollers! The Gold Coast has a wealth of natural geographical beauty, healthy haunts and…

Aug 30, 2017 • 5 min read

Despite national monuments and surrounding vineyards, Canberra is eternally overlooked in favour of Australia’s other major cities. Best known for…

Aug 22, 2017 • 5 min read

Making the pilgrimage to Australia’s most iconic rock is an essential travel experience. While there are now a variety of ways to experience Uluru (Ayers…

Jul 10, 2017 • 4 min read

Lonely Planet Local Fleur Bainger stopped in Perth on the way to Melbourne, and never left. Since that time in 2006, she keeps finding reasons to stay…

Jun 28, 2017 • 4 min read

Lonely Planet Local Charles Rawlings-Way moved to Adelaide a decade ago, thinking he’d give it a year to see how things panned out. Within six months this…

Jun 22, 2017 • 5 min read

The more Lonely Planet Local Sofia Levin travels, the more she appreciates how spoiled she is living in multicultural Melbourne. A journalist and food…

Jun 9, 2017 • 4 min read

For almost half a century, Australia’s Indian Pacific train has traced a three-day journey by rail between Sydney and Perth. Its 4,352km route between the…

Jun 9, 2017 • 6 min read

Over the last year, Sydney has overtaken its southern dining rival, Melbourne, for new restaurant openings largely due to shiny new precincts in the city…

Jun 8, 2017 • 5 min read

Lonely Planet Local Penny Carroll was a regular visitor to Byron Bay before a charming resident convinced her to make this laid-back beachside spot her…

Apr 11, 2017 • 6 min read

In decades past, art was a fairly conservative experience – beyond Australia's cities – but this has changed dramatically in several regions including…

Mar 20, 2017 • 4 min read

Films and TV shows have the incredible power to transport us to amazing locations around the world, and beyond to galaxies far, far away. But while the on…