Exploring Australia's Greatest Landmarks

Australia is a land of icons. Some countries might boast a handful of natural wonders, but this destination has dozens, if not hundreds - making for a busy and fulfilling Australia vacation. Much of this is due to the country’s diverse landscape. The nation is its own continent with wildly differing environments in its six states and two territories. It might be one country, but its environment is hardly homogenous. For instance, the northern fringes of Queensland boast vibrant tropical rainforests while the middle reaches of the Northern Territory are barren desert. This being the case, Australia’s icons are diverse and offer something for every manner of Globetrotter. If you’re a nature enthusiast, head to Kangaroo Island to see the country’s spectacular wildlife. More of a city slicker? Spend your time in coastal Sydney, enjoying the cosmopolitan food and drink scene. Australia is not monolithic. It’s a nation of diversity, both culturally and geographically, and it boasts some of the most fabulous icons on the planet.

The Architectural Feats of Australia’s Largest City

Australia’s largest city, Sydney, is the cosmopolitan heart of the country. Situated on a massive natural harbour, it boasts two of the greatest architectural feats in the world, which call that harbour home. These are must-see icons, especially if on your first Australia vacation. Originally commissioned in 1957, Sydney Opera House didn’t open until 1973. Danish architect Jorn Utzon designed the building after winning the contract in an international competition, but left the project years before its completion. Peter Hall, a young designer who had actually met Utzon years earlier while studying in Europe, took over the project, mainly focusing on finishing the interior concert halls and adjusting the seat sizes to meet safety regulations. However, Hall is almost never mentioned when discussing the building’s construction. Sadly, he died penniless and destitute at age 64 in 1995, never gaining the respect owed him for his involvement in the project. The modern expressionist design of the Opera House’s sails and its fabulous location on Sydney Harbour make it one of the world’s most iconic buildings. UNESCO classified it a World Heritage Site in 2007, merely putting the icing on the cake of the building’s 44-year legacy. When you visit Sydney you can tour the Opera House and marvel at the architecture for yourself. But Sydney Opera House is also a thriving performance venue in addition to being a tourism landmark. You can take in an opera or symphony if you’re in the mood.

Close to Sydney Opera House is Sydney Harbour Bridge, “The Coat Hanger” that connects the city centre to the northern suburbs. Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world’s largest steel arch bridge. Influenced by Hell Gate Bridge in New York City, construction on Sydney Harbour Bridge began in 1924 and finished in 1932. Nowadays the bridge is one of the widest in the world, with eight lanes as well as two train lines and foot and cycle paths. Stroll along the east side of the bridge for an ideal view of Sydney Harbour, including a glorious view of Sydney Opera House. If you’re especially adventurous, and not afraid of heights, you can also take a Bridge Climb and survey the harbour from the bridge’s highest steel arches.

Picture Perfect Coastal Road

As you venture out of Sydney and into the rural areas, you’ll realize Australia is car country. The wide open spaces and stretching highways demand it. And there’s no better drive in the whole country than along the Great Ocean Road, in the southern state of Victoria. Stretching 243 kilometres from Torquay to Allansfort near Warrnambool, the Great Ocean Road showcases the diverse landscape and stunning Southern Ocean. While the road itself twists beside countless surfing spots, seaports, whaling sites, rainforests, and national parks, there are key spots along the way that stand out. The 12 Apostles are chief among them. The 12 Apostles are rock formations rising out the surf along the coastline between Port Campbell and Princetown. Some of these formations stand up to 45 metres tall. Erosion created the pillars by wearing away at beachside arches, eventually collapsing the arches and leaving solitary pillars rising out of the water. Unfortunately, the same erosion that created the 12 Apostles has destroyed a few of them. One of the pillars collapsed as recently as 2005. Eight of the formations remain. While the 12 Apostles are the most magnificent spot along the Great Ocean Road, the stretch also connects to other great points of interest. Outside Port Campbell you can find the Grotto, a sinkhole where you can wind down a cliff face to see a tide pool amid fascinating rock formations. The Great Ocean Road also comprises much of Shipwreck Coast, where over 600 known shipwrecks have occurred over the centuries. Only 240 of these shipwrecks have actually been discovered, so you might be lucky enough to discover a new shipwreck on your adventure through the south on your Australia vacation.

Australia’s Own Biodiverse Galapagos

Around 800 kilometres northwest of the Great Ocean Road lies Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Affectionately dubbed "KI" by its locals, Kangaroo Island is Australia’s equivalent to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, boasting incredible biodiversity in a relatively small area. The island is only around 155 kilometres long and 55 kilometres wide, but it’s abounding in wildlife.

As its name suggests, Kangaroo Island has a large kangaroo population, but it’s also home to bandicoots, wallabies, possums, and short-beaked echidnas. The smallest species of penguin, aptly named Little Penguins, also live here. Many tours on Kangaroo Island cater to the diverse wildlife, so you’ll have no problem finding experts to guide you to these animals’ habitats. You might even get to hug a koala - a true highlight of your Australia vacation! At Seal Bay Conservation Park you can see one of the largest populations of Australian seals. This endangered species has called the island home for thousands of years and you’ll be able to witness them in their natural habitat, free of any enclosures or cages. The landscape is as impressive as the wildlife. You’ll find two of the best geological formations in Flinders Chase National Park, on the west end of the island. The Remarkable Rocks are granite boulders that have been formed into bizarre shapes by hundreds of millions of years of water and wind. They’re arresting rock formations and boast incredible colours at dawn and dusk. Admiral’s Arch is equally impressive. It’s a rock bridge on the southwest coast with a ceiling covered in stalactites and an impossibly smooth floor. If you walk down the boardwalk, you might even glimpse dolphins beyond the arch right off the coast.

The Wild Inland

When talking about the country’s rugged landscape, it’s natural to think about the Outback. However, the Australian Outback is not a single geographical spot. Instead, it’s the colloquial term for the entirety of Australia’s remote wilderness. Every state has a bit of the Outback. There are no hard and fast rules to what counts as the Outback, so long as it’s uniquely and ruggedly Australian. In contrast to "the bush," which is anything outside the urban centres, the Outback is more remote and adventurous. The vast majority of Australia’s population lives on the coasts - up to 90 percent. That means that the Outback comprises some of the most sparsely inhabited landscapes on the planet, ideal if you want to see the stars. Unlike every modern urban centre, the Outback is free of light pollution. Just don’t expect to see the same constellations you see in the Northern Hemisphere. Remember, the night skies change depending on your proximity to the equator.

One of the most appealing aspects of the Outback is the wildlife. There’s no tiptoeing around it, Australia’s animals are bizarre and astoundingly unique. Over 80 percent of the country’s animals are specific to Australia. Kangaroos and koalas are strange enough compared to other mammals like deer and bears, but they are nowhere near as strange as the platypus or the echidna. Visiting the Outback on your Australia vacation is your best chance to see these fantastic animals outside of a zoo. In addition to kangaroos and platypuses, Australia is home to dingoes, emus, wild horses, and wild camels, to name just a few, along with thousands of native birds. There’s a good chance you’ll wander across several of these fascinating creatures during your trip across the Outback. Just be sure to keep a safe distance and let the animals go about their business.

Sandstone Majesty in the Outback

Probably the Outback’s (and perhaps Australia’s) most iconic site is Uluru/Ayers Rock. Rising out of an impossibly flat plain of brush, Uluru is an ancient sandstone rock formation standing 348 metres high. It is one of the biggest monoliths in the world, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The appeal of Uluru is not recent. It has bewitched people for millennia, far before western colonials visited the site and dubbed it Ayers Rock. The local indigenous people, the Anangu, have called the rock and its surrounding area "Uluru" for centuries. In 1873, a colonial surveyor, William Gosse, visited the site and named it "Ayers Rock" after Sir Henry Ayers, the Chief Secretary of South Australia at the time. Australia officially followed Gosse’s lead and labeled the mountain Ayers Rock. However, in 1993, the Australian government adopted a dual name policy that officially labeled the rock as both its English and indigenous names: "Ayers Rock/Uluru." In 2002, the ordering of these duals names was reversed to “Uluru/Ayers Rock” out of respect for the Anangu. The dual naming remains to this day. Despite common misinformation, Uluru does not literally mean "Island Mountain." This is an error caused by the rock’s geographical description: inselberg, which is literally "island mountain" in German. Rumour has it that an early map of the area mislabeled the geographical report as etymology. In fact, Uluru has no literal meaning within the Pitjantjatjara language. It’s merely a proper name given to the rock and its area. Uluru is a spectacular natural monument. It’s holy to the Anangu people, who have carried out sacred rituals at it for millennia. One of the most remarkable things about Uluru is that it changes colour depending on the time of day and lighting. At dawn and dusk, it can glow a bright red or morph into a dark blue or purple. Although climbing Uluru is not officially prohibited, it is encouraged that visitors respect the Anangu traditions and not climb the rock. In addition, depending on weather, climbing Uluru can be quite treacherous and unsafe. Photographs of certain areas are also discouraged as the Anangu hold these sites sacred, to the point certain members of their tribe are not allowed to look at the sites. Photographs are not discouraged because it’s inappropriate for visitors to view these sites, but because a member of the tribe might accidentally view the photograph and thus inadvertently disobey sacred tradition.

The Lesser-Known Coral Marvel

When visiting natural icons on your Australia vacation, don’t limit yourself to the land. The ocean is home to some of the country’s most stunning sites. The Great Barrier Reef may top the list, but the Ningaloo Reef along the East Indian Ocean deserves a share of the attention as well. Located off the coast of Western Australia, the Ningaloo Reef runs 260 kilometres between Exmouth and Quobba Station. The coastline is arid and secluded from major urban centres. As such, Ningaloo Reef is relatively untouched, especially when compared to the Great Barrier Reef. Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef. A fringing reef is a reef that grows along coastlines and is separated from the land by lagoons. It differs from a barrier reef by having smaller lagoons separating the reef from land. The name for the reef comes from the word for "deepwater" in the Wajarri language of the local Yinigudura tribe. One of the most remarkable things about the Ningaloo Reef is its wildlife. Hundreds of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and corals call the reef home. Particularly fantastic is the abundance of manta rays, which you can snorkel alongside. Ningaloo is also famous for the presence of whale sharks between March and July. Swimming alongside the largest fish in the ocean is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The whale sharks arrive in the region to feed off the plankton and other small life coinciding with the coral growth. If you are lucky enough to swim alongside these gentle giants, be sure to keep at least a five-metre distance and avoid using flash photography, as it scares the fish. It should also go without saying that you shouldn’t touch the shark. Although they’re not dangerous, contact might be detrimental to them, transferring natural oils or suntan lotions from your skin, or spooking the shark.

Australia’s Largest National Park

To the west of the Ningaloo Coast in the Northern Territory is Kakadu National Park, the largest national park in Australia. Located 170 kilometres southeast of Darwin, Kakadu is known for its diverse landscape. The park is roughly the size of half of Switzerland, around 20,000 square kilometres. Within that space lies a landscape filled with hills and gorges, forests and arid floodplains, swampland and plateaus. Depending on the season, the landscape can shift between arid desert and bustling growth. The wet season drenches the floodplains, leading to rapid growth of freshwater mangrove trees and large feeding grounds for animals attracted by the trees.

Being so large, the park is home to over 280 bird species, 70 mammal species, and 1700 plant species. Wallabies and kangaroos wander the plains while both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles populate the waterways. Sadly, the number of mammals in the park is in decline and invasive species like water buffalo have damaged the environment. In addition to all the colourful fauna and flora, Kakadu National Park is home to one of the world’s oldest cultures. The indigenous peoples of Australia have inhabited the park for over 20,000 years. This extremely long heritage can be partially traced through the rock paintings that decorate caves throughout the park. At Ubirr, Nourlangie, and Nanguluwur, you can see paintings of fish and the extinct Tasmanian tiger or depictions of the Creation Ancestors, who shaped the world within indigenous mythology.

The Largest Living Structure on the Planet

There is nothing like the Great Barrier Reef. The world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef is a collection of over 3000 individual reefs around 900 islands off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia. The reef runs for 2600 kilometres from the southern coast of Papua New Guinea in the north to Fraser Island in the south. The Great Barrier Reef is considered the world’s largest structure made by living organisms. UNESCO made it a World Heritage Site in 1981 and CNN named it one of the seven natural wonders of the world in 2006. If you were lucky enough to hang a ride on the International Space Station and it was a clear day, you could actually see the Great Barrier Reef from space. Tropical Cairns is a main point of departure to visit the reef. You can rent a boat to explore the surrounding area at your own leisure or join a tour of the main areas of the reef system.

The reef offers the best opportunities for diving and snorkeling in the world and its diversity of sea life is staggering. There are dozens of species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and over 1,500 species of fish. You can see sea turtles feeding on small mollusks or jellyfish and dugongs enjoying the abundant seagrass. The ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is arguably the most remarkable on the planet, but climate change has hit it hard. Animal populations have decreased after years of bleaching and pollution. Bleaching is the term used to describe the death of coral algae that occurs after water temperatures change. The increasing temperature kills off the algae, which give the coral their vibrant colours, effectively whitewashing the reef and removing a foundational food from the ecosystem. While the Great Barrier Reef remains a wonderful site to visit, it’s essential to consider the ecological impact of your trip. Research the best ways to dive or snorkel without adversely affecting the wildlife, and choose tour operators that adhere to strict ecological guidelines.

Seeing even one of these icons makes an Australia vacation worthwhile. That we have such a wealth of iconic sights to choose from is a testament to the country’s staggering landscape and vibrant culture. And the fact that we can see all of these without leaving the national borders makes a longer trip a tempting prospect. Australia is a country and a landscape unlike any other.