“Kakadu has a sense of quiet spirituality about it. Just as we said back then, there are really two ways you need to see it: in the wet (December to March), when the incredible colours (and even more incredible weather) make for an empirical overload and in the dry, when you can swim the waterholes (like this one, known as the top pool of Gunlom Falls), walk the walks and sleep under the stars sans fear of a tent flood. Many years later, we’re happy to say that it’s still as magical as it was, even if the Kimberley has seduced us all since then. #4 – See Kakaduīack in 2006, when we published the world-first list of 100 Things To Do In Australia Before You Die, Kakadu was #1. It doesn’t matter whether you edge the coastline or dive into the interior road tripping your way ’round our incredible country is not just a holiday, it’s a lifetime highlight. In any case, we’re thrilled to see it in the top three. And who has not fantasised about undertaking this great journey (if indeed you haven’t already)? To be honest, we were stunned when this didn’t come out as #1 – after all, the Big Lap is not just one great experience but a patchwork of the many and varied spanning this great continent of ours. Just north of town, directly in front of Diamond Island Resort, is also a view of the area so good it was voted #22nd best view in the country in a previous AT list (so you know it’s good).ĭay 5 – St Helens to Bay of Fires: Call work and explain: you’re going to need another week’s leave… #3 – Do ‘The Big Lap’ Spend the afternoon wandering, taking in her natural beauty.ĭay 2 – Orford to Swansea: Stop at Freycinet Peninsula on the way to hike or abseil the picturesque Hazards, swim those ridiculous beaches and gorge on oysters.ĭay 3 – Stay put: You haven’t swum with Wineglass Bay’s dolphins yet (or eaten enough oysters).ĭay 4 – Swansea to St Helens: Pull in at pretty seaside town Bicheno on the way. Basically, we all need to move here.ĭay 1 – Hobart to Orford: When you arrive at Orford, catch the ferry to car-free Maria Island.
Tellingly, the area’s most luxurious stay also came in at #5, while the Freycinet Experience was voted Australia’s best walking holiday, at #13 on this list. Maria Island, the Freycinet Peninsula, Wineglass Bay, and holiday mini-mecca Bicheno are all waiting to be uncovered on this trip, but they’re not the only highlights. Who’d have predicted that the drive up the east coast of Tassie, from Hobart to the Bay of Fires, would beat all our iconic road trips – including the world-famous Great Ocean Road, the wildly isolated Nullarbor – to take the #2 spot? What can we say – you’ll understand when you get there. #2 – Road trip Tasmania’s east coast, TAS Make sure you check out our dedicated Kimberley page. Some of our favourite operators are: North Star Cruises (True North), APT, National Geographic Orion, Great Escape Charter Company, Kimberley Quest and Aurora Expeditions. Still, it isn’t a cheap holiday – the average per-night price is about $650 per person, not to mention the cost of flights to the region in the first place – and ship sizes vary greatly, from six-person boats to 100-person expedition ships. And there’s no better way to see the Kimberley and her 2500-odd islands than by sailing ’round her edges in one of the world-class adventure cruise ships on offer, check out our guide to cruising the Kimberley in style.įIRST STEPS: There are several operators offering cruises around the Kimberley coastline, and really, it’s hard to go wrong with a cruise operator here, regardless of who you choose. What else could you want in a holiday destination, other than a way to get to it? Yes, she’s remote, but she’s definitely worth it.
The Kimberley – bigger than the state of Victoria, among the oldest landscapes on Earth – is particularly talented at claiming the biggest of all superlatives, but there’s really nothing that can do justice to her outstanding array of waterholes, beaches, bushland and wildlife. And for all the other amazing experiences on offer, we can’t say we’re surprised to see this come out on top. Here it is: the greatest holiday of them all.
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