Australia holidays

For three weeks in spring each year, Melbourne hosts the second-largest international comedy festival on the planet. Growing in size and reputation since 1987, the celebration of laughter now attracts the biggest names and the brightest new stars. 2024’s edition begins on 27th March and runs until 21st April. Previous award-winning acts include James Acaster, Sam Campbell, Nina Conti, and Ross Noble. Shows take place in venues across the city, allowing visitors to pick and choose their own itinerary every day.

Since 2002, the Gold Coast has played host to the world’s movie industry for 21 days every April. Screenings, seminars, and special guests showcase the great, the good, and the new in Australian and international film to entertain and educate both locals and visitors. Whether you’re in town to embrace the art or simply to celeb spot from behind your shades, April brings an atmosphere to the Gold Coast like no other time of year.

There’s so much to do and see in Australia, it’s best to start by choosing which state you want your Australia holiday to focus on. Enormous Western Australia is the biggest, and offers endless activities. You can swim with whale sharks, snorkel on the Ningaloo Reef, tour Margaret River wine country, ride camels on Cable Beach at Broome, explore Perth’s waterfront, and see wild quokkas on Rottnest Island.

If you’re interested in finding out about Aboriginal culture, the Northern Territory is where you’ll find Uluru and Alice Springs. Plus, you can discover Darwin and delve into Kakadu National Park. 

Keen divers should head to North Queensland. You can explore the incredible Great Barrier Reef and sail to the Whitsunday Islands. Back on dry land, you’ll find the age-old Daintree Rainforest. Meanwhile, South Queensland is home to the Gold Coast’s beaches and sunny Brisbane.

New South Wales is home to some of Australia’s most popular attractions, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Blue Mountains. Next door, in the state of Victoria, you can wander Melbourne’s atmospheric laneways, dip into mineral spas, and drive the Great Ocean Road. Or head to South Australia and discover Adelaide, 18 different wine regions and scenic Kangaroo Island.

Australia holidays are incapable of disappointing. The major sites, which are recognised the world over, are even more amazing in real life. Swim, sail, snorkel or dive in the Great Barrier Reef – the immense ecosystem sweeping along the coast of North Queensland. The tropical Daintree Rainforest is the reef’s close neighbour, and another must-visit in this part of Australia. 

New South Wales is home to the beautiful Blue Mountains and one of Australia’s famous wine regions, the Hunter Valley. And, of course, it’s where you’ll find iconic Sydney, which is an attraction in itself. But culture buffs may prefer Melbourne to Sydney – this city has Australia’s oldest art collection in the National Gallery of Victoria. Victoria also has one of the world’s best coastal road trips. If you fancy a road trip on your holiday Down Under, journey along the Great Ocean Road and finish your trip in South Australia.

Alternatively, if you head to Western Australia, don’t miss its Southern Forests, Nature’s Window in Kalbarri National Park, or the spectacular Pinnacles at Nambung.

Holiday experiences are very subjective, but nobody’s ever sorry they spent time in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. Home to iconic Uluru – also known as Ayers Rock – and its sister rock, Kata Tjuta, this is the most sacred Aboriginal site in the whole of Australia. Watch a sunrise over the rust-coloured desert and you’ll begin to understand why. 

Cage diving with great white sharks or crocodiles is a pretty extreme Australian experience. But if you’re fairly daring, you could scale Sydney Harbour Bridge for spectacular views, or swim with gentle whale sharks near Ningaloo Reef. Visit Australia in winter and you’ll be able to see migrating whales on several coasts. Beautiful Byron Bay in New South Wales is prime whale-watching territory. But South Australia’s Kangaroo Island is considered to edge most others for sightings. Its outstanding day cruises are among the best in the country – and it’s a great place to see koalas and sea lions in spring and summer.  

A southern hemisphere country, Australia has opposite seasons to the UK. So summer is from December to February, autumn arrives in March, winter is between June and August, and spring runs from September to November. Naturally, across a landscape of eight million square kilometers, climates vary. Weather in the south of Australia is very different from its arid Red Centre, while the tropical north coast is closer to Indonesia than it is to Sydney. 

As a rule, you can expect Australian summers to be very hot and humid, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 35°C on the coast and up to 40°C in the Red Centre. So this time of year can be too hot for some visitors. Alternatively, spring is generally warm with plenty of sunshine, and autumn is another good season to visit Australia – particularly if you want to tour wine regions or explore some of the cities. Winter – particularly in Victoria and South Australia – tends to be cool and dry, with temperatures hovering around 10°C or lower. If you want year-round warmth, make for the northern parts of Western Australia or head to tropical Queensland. 

• Visas: British visitors need a visa to go to Australia. You can apply for a free eVisitor visa from the Australian Department of Immigration & Border Protection.
• Language: English
• Currency: Australian Dollar ($)
• Time difference: Australia’s west coast is GMT +10 hours, and the east coast is GMT +12
• Flight duration from London: A direct flight to Perth takes 17 hours, but indirect flights to Australia usually take at least 23 hours. 
• Capital city: Canberra