Australia is breathtakingly beautiful and endlessly beguiling. From beaches with aquamarine seas and snowy sands backed by red rock formations, to vast verdant monsoon plains, tropical forests and arid deserts, the behemoth of the southern seas reveals several continents worth of natural diversity. The outback is famous for its rich Aboriginal culture, rock art and magical Dreamtime stories, while the big cities offer a vibrant contemporary culture and an exciting foodie scene. LARA DUNSTON and TERRY CARTER report on Australia’s top sights, tastes and city scenes.

Sights: The Wonderful World of Oz

Australia will rock you; dry out in its country-sized deserts, rehydrate in its world-class wineries and whale-bedecked seas, then roam its aromatic eucalypt forests where koalas snooze and wallabies hop

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Red rock west

Sparsely inhabited yet comprising one-third of Australia, the colossal west offers 12,500km of unspoilt coastline to swim, snorkel, fish and explore. The isolated beaches are coated with the finest, whitest grains of sand in the country, yet what makes them most stunning are the striking red rock formations that many of them flank, especially in the remote north-west.

The drama of Western Australia’s coastline is exemplified in Broome, where aquamarine waters contrast magnificently with the remarkable red rocks that skirt the long wide stretches of sand. Locals and tourists hit Cable Beach to savour the sunsets from a picnic blanket or back of a camel. Broome has a colourful history rooted in pearling and gold mining, an intriguing Asian heritage and a significant Aboriginal art scene.

Check in to an atmospheric bungalow or villa at Cable Beach Club. Developed by Lord Alistair McAlpine, the resort features corrugated iron walls, polished wooden floors and latticed screens, and is furnished with exquisite art and antiques. Sail on a historical pearl lugger, shop for pearls and pink Argyle diamonds, enjoy a classic Australian film at the open-air picture theatre, or take a charter flight and cruise to the ruggedly beautiful Buccaneer Archipelago.

Getting there: Perth is serviced by frequent flights from Asia and other Australian cities and towns, including Broome, which is best accessed by air. Otherwise it’s a challenging but fascinating three-day drive taking you by beautiful beaches and sleepy fishing villages, with diversions to national parks.

Information: www.westernaustralia.com, www.broomevisitorcentre.com.au, www.cablebeachclub.com

NORTHERN TERRITORY: Land of the Dreamtime

Australia’s ancient Aborigines are the planet’s oldest traditional people; a rich culture dating back 50,000 years. Their sacred Dreamtime is a spiritual world existing in a magical realm parallel to the “real” world. An indigenous experience is high on the agenda for many visitors, and the best place to enjoy one is in the remote Northern Territory, Australia’s last frontier, and home to the World Heritage sites of Uluru/Ayers Rock, a colossal ochre-coloured rock dramatically sited in the arid red desert. Also here is Kakadu National Park, a vast verdant land of natural waterholes, stunning waterfalls and rocky escarpments, rich in birdlife and wildlife, from wallabies to crocodiles.

Dreamtime stories are mythical metaphorical narratives that provide a belief system governing everyday life and establishing values for indigenous Australians. Communicated through vivid rock paintings at Kakadu’s Ubirr and Nourlangie Rocks, in hundreds of sites in Arnhem Land, and around the base of Uluru, the art is best experienced in the company of knowledgeable local guides. At Uluru, stay at the luxurious Voyages’ Longitude 131º or Sails in the Desert resorts. Kakadu and Arnhem Land can be visited with Lords Safaris from Bamurru Plains, while Connections offers small group safaris from a private tented camp on an Aboriginal community in Kakadu.

Getting there: Fly direct to Darwin from Asia or other Australian cities. Connections and Lords Safaris can arrange hotel transfers from Darwin. Bamurru Plains offers air transfers on light planes. Travel between Darwin and Alice Springs on The Ghan train in plush new “Platinum” suites with Great Southern Railways – an adventure in itself – and then by road to Uluru.

Information: www.connections.travel, www.lords-safaris.com, www.bamurruplains.com, www.voyages.com.au, www.tourismnt.com.au, www.gsr.com.au

SYDNEY: Iconic architecture

Think of Sydney and it’s inevitable that two iconic architectural attractions come to mind: the white sails of the Sydney Opera House and the enormous iron arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Stroll the waterfront from Woolloo- mooloo via Circular Quay to The Rocks or catch a ferry across to Kirribilli or McMahon’s Point to enjoy the architectural wonders from different vantage points. The most spectacular vistas of the Sydney Opera House are from atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge, reached via an exhilarating Bridge Climb (not for those scared of heights), while the bridge itself is enchanting when illuminated at night and enjoyed from within the Opera House during a performance intermission – with a glass of champagne in hand. The Opera House interior can also be explored on a guided tour, while Sydney Architecture Walks offer a range of themed walks around the city, and The Museum of Sydney displays innovative exhibitions on the city and harbour.

Architectural buffs will want to check in to chic boutique hotel BLUE Sydney, a Taj hotel, situated in the restored historic finger wharves at Woolloomooloo, from where a pleasant stroll through the Botanic Gardens can take you to Circular Quay and the city’s art galleries and museums.

Getting there: Sydney is serviced by frequent flights from Asia and other Australian cities. Travel to Adelaide and Perth on Great Southern Railways’ Indian Pacific train.

Information: www.tourismnsw.com.au, www.sydneyoperahouse.com, www.bridgeclimb.com, www.tajhotels.com/sydney

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Wildlife on the wild coast

South Australia may be Australia’s driest state – and in some parts, such as Coober Pedy, it’s so swelteringly hot, its inhabitants live underground – yet it’s also the location of some of the country’s most outstanding wine-producing regions. The Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and Clare Valley are all here, and just 13km offshore, Kangaroo Island is home to such an astonishing abundance of diverse wildlife, it’s been called Australia’s Galapagos Islands.

Australia’s third largest island, Kangaroo Island is a wonderful place to spend a few days wildlife spotting in the pristine environment. Stay at the sleek Southern Ocean Lodge where – if you can bring yourself to leave this stylish, intimate resort with its spectacular vistas of the sea and surroundings – you can embark upon an array of activities including drives and walks through the mallee scrub and thick gum forests. You’ll see more wildlife than you will anywhere else in Australia, including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, platypuses, penguins, sea lions, fur seals and whales. Getting there: Adelaide is accessible by air from most Australian cities. Travel between Adelaide and Perth or Sydney on Great Southern Railways’ Indian Pacific train, a three-day journey through some of Australia’s most spectacular terrain, including the arid Nullarbor Plain.

Information: www.southaustralia.com, www.tourkangarooisland.com.au, www.southernoceanlodge. com.au, www.gsr.com.au

VICTORIA: Gold and grapes

Gold finds in the towns of Ballarat and Bendigo saw Victoria, one of Australia’s smallest states, become the world’s top producer of the precious metal during the gold rush of the 1850s and 1860s. Considerable discoveries were also made at Beechworth, Castlemaine and Walhalla.

The gold boom led to a population explosion and the wealth of the towns was reflected in elegant Victorian architecture, epitomised by grand hotels with wide verandahs, corrugated iron awnings and pretty wrought iron lacework. Much of this charming architecture has been restored and can still be appreciated in these towns, as well as at Daylesford and Maldon. Ballarat has a fantastic 60-hectare recreation of a gold rush town called Sovereign Hill, while at Bendigo you can visit an old mine that’s now a popular tourist attraction. Base yourself at the atmospheric old Midland Hotel or Empyre Hotel at Castlemaine, both of which boast excellent restaurants.

The Bendigo area and nearby Macedon Ranges are home to some of Victoria’s finest wineries, such as Waterwheel, while neighbouring Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are renowned as spa destinations, as much as they’re known for their food and wine. Not far from here, the Alpine country is another superb grape- producing region, while Walhalla, hidden away in the Alps, is now a quaint ghost town.

Getting there: Melbourne is accessible by air from Asia and most Australian cities. Hire a car in Melbourne to explore the gold towns and wine-growing areas.

Information: www.visitmelbourne.com, www.visitvictoria.com, www.ballarat.com, www.daylesfordspacountry.com.au, www.lakehouse.com.au, www.themidland.com.au, www.empyre.com.au

TASMANIA: Fragrant forests and friendly seas

The ethereal island-state of Tasmania is often overlooked by foreign visitors, yet those who make the effort to cross the brooding Bass Strait are amply rewarded with pristine wilderness, dramatic mountains, sugary beaches, horseshoe bays and somnolent villages with quaint stone houses.

On the scenic east coast, the spectacular Bay of Fires offers beachcombing, swimming and fishing in a serene lagoon; a four-day coastal walk comes with kangaroos and stunning views. On Freycinet Peninsula, sweeping stretches of sand such as Friendly Beaches and Wineglass Bay are backed by aromatic eucalypt forests.

The windswept west coast, battered by rough seas, is ruggedly beautiful. The Arthur River Cruise takes passengers along a tranquil river from coastal scrubland to the world’s second largest tract of temperate rainforest. The West Coast Wilderness Railway, a rack- and-pinion steam train that leaves from Queenstown, climbs 200 metres through forest and gorges.

In the vast World Heritage area of South West National Park, Franklin Lower Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, walking trails meander through enchanting forests strewn with fragrant wildflowers, dotted with lakes and waterfalls. The 65km Overland Track offers a challenging six-day trek from early summer through autumn.

Getting there: Tasmania’s capital Hobart is accessible by air from all Australian cities and by ship from Melbourne on the Spirit of Tasmania (10 hours). Hire a car to explore the island.

Information: www.discovertasmania.com, www.tastravel.com.au, www.forestrytas.com.au, www.spiritoftasmania.com. au, www.arthurrivercruises.com, www.overlandtrack.com.au, www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au

QUEENSLAND: Taste of the tropics

Most visitors to Queensland make a beeline for the glitzy Gold Coast’s soaring skyscrapers and sprawling theme parks, yet the sultry northern tropics offer a special experience. Steamy Cairns is a convenient base for forays into the Atherton Tablelands, Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation and Great Barrier Reef.

The understated beauty of the Atherton Tablelands’ lush highlands are best experienced by a train from Cairns, which winds its way through dramatic gorges, and an overnight stay at eco-friendly Canopy Treehouses. Stop at upmarket Port Douglas, one hour north of Cairns, on your way to the World Heritage- listed Daintree – Australia’s oldest tropical rainforest – for wildlife-spotting jungle walks.

The Great Barrier Reef offers a myriad of opportunities for appreciating the kaleidoscopic colours of the coral and marine life of the magnificent underwater world, from snorkelling and scuba diving to glass-bottomed boat cruises. While day trips are possible by cruiser from Cairns, you can also charter a yacht for a few days of sun-drenched bliss on the sea. The Whitsunday Islands on the southern reef can be accessed from Airlie Beach, or you can fly direct to exclusive Hayman Island Resort to loll about in luxury for a few days. Hamilton Island is another option, where you can make yourself at home in one of Qalia’s chic beach houses.

Getting there: Queensland’s capital Brisbane is serviced by regular flights to Asian destinations, Australian cities (including Cairns), and larger islands such as Hayman and Hamilton. From Cairns, take the train to the Atherton Tablelands. Hire a car to explore the Daintree. The Great Barrier Reef can be visited by boat on day trips or longer cruises.

Information: www.tropicalaustralia.com.au, www.canopytreehouses.com.au, www.whitsunday.com, www.yachtcharters.com.au, www.hayman.com.au, www.qualia.com.au