This post was written pre-panny, but I’ve updated some locations making sure they’re still open. Be sure to stay up to date with COVID-19 guidelines and travel restrictions.
Australia is an awesome place to explore. We absolutely fell in love with it, which is why I decided to share my favorite places to visit in this two-week Australia itinerary.
You can do so much incredible stuff here—from staying on an island in the Great Barrier Reef to visiting the remote city of Perth in Western Australia for Outback explorations, and everything in between.
If you have some time to explore—say, three weeks—then you could make a fairly comprehensive tour of Australia.
Even with two weeks, you can see a lot, but you’ll have to pick and choose from the below so your schedule isn’t too cramped.
Three Week Australia Itinerary
Sydney
Sydney may not be the capital of Australia, but it’s one of the largest cities in the country.
It’s a coastal urban hub centered around a harbor and has a fair few famous landmarks to visit.
Plus it has some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline I’ve ever seen.
There’s Sydney Harbour Bridge and the otherworldly Sydney Opera House for starters, both located at Sydney Harbour.
The capital of New South Wales, once you’ve seen the Opera House, it’s easy to head out from Sydney to the amazing Blue Mountains nearby. They’re just over an hour away—and they’re beautiful!
Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park
If you don’t know Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, don’t worry; you’ll probably know its most famous resident.
Formerly known as Ayers Rock, but now called Uluru, this sacred spot is listed is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways, the park itself spreads across 512 square miles and is home not only to Uluru but also Kata Tjuta.
Meaning “Many Heads,” Kata Tjuta is also a sacred spot for the Aboriginal people of Australia.
Alice Springs
Alice Springs is a remote town in the Northern Territory and a popular gateway for exploring the Red Centre of Australia.
In case you were wondering, the Red Centre is the very middle of the country’s Outback, a vast stretch of the inhospitable desert!
While Alice Springs is a good place to base yourself for exploring this arid region of Australia, there’s a lot going for this town other than being a place to stay.
There are Aboriginal art galleries, charming examples of colonial-era architecture in the form of the Telegraph Station Historical Reserve, and the Alice Springs Desert Park, where you can learn about, well, the desert and the people who live in it!
Melbourne
Set in southeastern Australia, Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria and is THE place to go for an alternative city vibe.
A bustling metropolitan landscape mixes with the coastline and a creative scene that encompasses everything from music to food.
In fact, it’s often listed as one of the world’s most livable cities. You’ll see why if you make the trip here!
There are tons of UNESCO-recognized historic buildings to admire, and huge sites for major sporting events (from golf to F1).
The whole city is actually recognized by UNESCO—it was listed recently as a “City of Literature!”
Great Ocean Road
Not so much a place to visit in itself as an epic journey, the Great Ocean Road actually runs along the southeast coast of Australia for 151 miles.
Stretching between Torquay and Alansford, the Great Ocean Road is nonetheless listed by Australian National Heritage and makes for a road trip worthy of a bucket list.
Taking in insane beaches and pretty coastal towns as much as rain forests and cliffs, you can spend days exploring the destinations along this road.
If you’re looking for day trips from Melbourne, there are tours that will do highlights of the Great Ocean Road in a day!
Port Douglas
Set in tropical north Queensland and located around 40 miles north of Cairns, Port Douglas is a popular spot to visit.
That’s because of its location on the Coral Sea, which itself part of the Great Barrier Reef (a UNESCO World Heritage Site, of course).
You can see this wonder from outer space!
It’s also where you’ll find the Daintree Rainforest, which is one of the oldest continuously living rainforests in the world—just amazing.
Port Douglas itself has a ton of resorts and a chic, laid-back charm to it; take your pick of accommodation and get ready for a chilled vacay. Think markets, a great food scene, and the palm-fringed Four Mile Beach.
Whitsunday Islands
White sands, turquoise waters, and a heart-shaped reef.
The 74 Whitsunday Islands is like heaven on earth, located just off the Queensland coast, next to the Great Barrier Reef.
To get to the Whitsundays, you can fly direct from the cities of Brisbane, Cairns, Sydney or Melbourne to the main island, Hamilton Island.
Cairns
Cairns is a super touristy city, but it’s also a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and a whole lot of marine life.
There are a number of beaches in town, as well as nearby natural sites.
We used Carins as our jumping-off point for staying on a boat for two nights and diving all day in the Great Barrier Reef. You can read all about it in this post!
The 4th most popular destination in Australia, Cairns is also famous for the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, which is an important spot.
Here is where you can learn about Aboriginal people and the history of the world’s oldest living culture.
Away from the draw of the cultural park and coral reefs, the city is laid-back.
Head along the Cairns Esplanade for BBQ spots, swimming areas, and flea markets—it’s a super chill atmosphere.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital of Queensland. Located along the Gold Coast, it’s a big, modern, bustling city.
Any Australia itinerary would not be totally complete without a trip to Brisbane.
A gateway for surfing along the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane is one of the oldest cities in the country and boasts a whole load of things to see and do.
Cultural activities abound, from art galleries to botanic gardens.
Kings Canyon
Another key spot for your Australia itinerary is Kings Canyon. If you are into nature, you should make this one a must-visit.
Part of the Watarrka National Park this place has been home to the Luritja Aboriginal people for over 20,000 years, which is just wild to even think about if you ask me!
There’s even the option of taking a tour of the canyon with an Aboriginal elder to get an insight into this historic land.
Perfect for hiking, there’s the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, which takes in views of the gorge and the surrounding landscape. Get your Insta ready!
There’s so much to do and see in Australia. Just remember, it’s really big!
I didn’t quite realize it when I first started planning a trip there because maps kinda play tricks on you, but it’s about 75% of the U.S. in size.
So for a two-week Australia itinerary, you could probably do 3 – 4 of the places on this list, and in a three-week itinerary, you could get in almost all of them.
If you’re looking for something adventurous and also eco-friendly, check out these luxury eco-lodges in Australia.
If you plan on staying longer, I recommend visiting Kangaroo Island or going on road trips throughout to really take your time seeing what Australia has to offer.
Whether you choose to travel around, or if sitting on a beach chilling is more your thing, I hope you found my Australia travel guide helpful for putting together your Australia Itinerary!
Will you be hitting up the tourist attractions or National Parks? Let me know by tagging me (@wtfab) in your Insta stories and pics!
Traveling to Australia? Be sure to explore my other Australian travel content here.
Best Places to Visit in Sydney: Sydney Travel Guide
Sydney Food Guide: 15 Sydney Restaurants You Shouldn’t Miss
Places to Visit in Melbourne: Melbourne Travel Guide
Melbourne Food Guide: 15 Melbourne Restaurants You Don’t Want to Miss
10 Fun Things to do in Brisbane
Perth Itinerary: Top 7 Things to do
FAQs
The best time to travel to Australia is from September to October since the weather will be perfect not too hot but not too cold.
The best cities to visit in Australia are:
– Sydney
– Melbourne
– Brisbane
– Gold Coast
– Cairns
It is recommended to spend at least 10 days in Australia if you’re visiting a couple of different places, however, two weeks is ideal to really explore multiple cities and what Australia has to offer.
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
