Australia

Draped in a prestigious reputation that greatly precedes her, it’s not just Sydney’s opera house that bestows New South Wales’s leading lady status. The girl that’s got it all, the city puts on a spread of multicultural activities, while the winelands district adds that extra sumptuous flavour. And with the Blue Mountains and Byron Bay nearby, there’s plenty of space to adventure and hang out like a local.  

Otherwise known as ‘the Red Centre’ for its scarlet desert-like landscape, we’d even go as far as to say it’s Australia’s beating heart. Refocusing on the historically overlooked Aboriginal experiences in Uluru, there’s a chance to view ancient art in the rockface and observe the sacred rock basking in a kaleidoscope of colours at sunset.

A firm favourite for all things experimental with the added joys of its unpretentious nature, Melbourne calls the fashion-conscious and coffee lovers with its seriously cool laneways and neighbourhoods. And with its premier wine region in the Yarra Valley, and a bucket list road trip along the Great Ocean Road, it’s unsurprising that – despite its attempts to the contrary – this state remains one worth shouting about.

It’s like Queensland and Florida were two peas in a pod before they went on to enjoy their own ventures. Sharing their blissful love for sunshine and their grand coastal names, Queensland’s Gold Coast marries Orlando’s high-octane theme park thrills with the beauty of laid-back Brisbane and the Barrier Reef. Tipping the scales with the words-can’t-describe Whitsundays Islands and their marine life galore, even Miami’s most established yachters are sure to consider a drift in this direction. 

Characterised by Perth’s independent city soul that heads the game for remote living, it’s easy to label the West Coast as playing its cards a little too close to its chest. But what makes it Australia’s best-kept secret is the hidden sparkle to it all; from the Margaret Region that puts wineries on the map, to the Great Barrier Reef’s very own competitor over at Ningaloo that’s beautifully brimming with whale sharks and humpbacks.

Australia’s picturesque island state, it’d be wrong to ignore the history here, with a story scattered across the land from Hobart’s atmospheric pubs to the gothic-lit landscape around Port Arthur. But with its pre-historic forests that hide the elusive Tasmanian devil and rugged coastline, this island is a hotbed for sublime beaches and incredible outdoor pursuits.

Cast so far-flung that they’re barely visible in the big blue, the unspoilt islands of French Polynesia are so colourfully rich that it is as if Gauguin himself painted them.

Two islands soulfully connected by the land and its people – where an abundance of rugged, natural beauty makes its out-of-this-world adventures the ones to rival.